2023 - 2024 Board of Directors
- Ivy Alphonse-Crean, Director of DEI at Dedham Country Day School
- Max Bardeen
- Curt Burmeister, Treasurer
- Astrid Burns
- Ben Cavallo, Board President
- John Connors
- Melissa Crowe
- Seneca Francione
- Michelle Freniere
- Gita Iyer
- Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth
- Morgan Lackenbauer, Clerk
- Keith McCown
- Lisa Mims, Board Vice-President
- Nan Murphy
- George Nichols
- Michael Sweeny
- Stephen Tshuka
- Lindsay Wands
- Allison Webster, DCD Head of School
Ivy Alphonse-Crean
Ivy started teaching in a preschool classroom (which taught her how to put on 12 sets of mittens and snow pants efficiently!) before launching all the way into middle school (which taught her how important humor is, especially in the English classroom!) Ivy is excited to be a part of DCD, to continue researching, writing, and above all else, making sure everyone here is seen, heard and safe. DCD’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging inspires Ivy every day.
Member of the Horizons Board of Directors since 2022
Max Bardeen
Max Bardeen is the Private Wealth Management (PWM) Market Head for the New England Region, and is responsible for facilitating and maintaining relationships with ultra-high net worth families and family offices within the area.
Max sits on the Board of Directors of the Big Sister Association of Boston, the Board of Directors of Horizons for Kids and the Board of Directors of the Francis Ward Paine Foundation. Max is also a Member of Corporation at the Perkins School for the Blind. He has served as Co-Chair of the Annual Fund for the Dedham Country Day School and for the Noble and Greenough School. Max and his wife, Beth, live in Dedham, MA and have two children.
Max is a graduate of the General Electric Experienced Management Development Course and completed the Darden School for Executive Education – Leadership and Management Program in 1998. He has been a member of the UBS Director’s Council, and was a 2002 recipient of UBS’s Ed Connolly Leadership award. Max is a graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, PA.
Member of the Horizons Board of Directors since 2014.
Curt Burmeister, Treasurer
Curt is the Chief Technology Officer at SS&C Algorithmics. His team is responsible for the design and development of quantitative risk management solutions that are used by banks and other financial institutions to meet both regulatory and internal reporting requirements. He is also a Board member and Treasurer for Horizons Greater Boston. Curt holds an MBA in Financial Engineering from MIT and a BA with a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics from Cornell University.
Member of the Horizons Board of Directors since 2016.
Astrid Burns
Astrid Burns is currently Director of Business Development at the Fortress Corporation, a national provider of fine art storage and services. She has previously worked in film development in New York and Los Angeles. Astrid is a board member of the Max Courage Curriculum, a member of the Steering Committee of the Museum Council at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and actively involved on the Alumni Committee at the Park School in Brookline. Astrid graduated with a film theory / studio art degree from Brown University. She currently lives in Dedham, with her husband, Tommy, and their two children. She loves cooking, travel, skiing and giving back to her community. She hopes to inspire children to love learning and realize all of their potential.
Member of the Horizons Board of Directors since 2019.
Ben Cavallo, President
Ben Cavallo is the owner and principal of C&S Insurance, an independent agency offering personal and commercial coverage to clients throughout New England. C&S maintains locations in Mansfield, Attleboro, and Dedham. Outside the office, Ben serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA), the Sturdy Memorial Foundation, the Utility Contractors Association of New England (UCANE) as well as Horizons at DCD. He is a graduate of Emory University and received his MBA from Boston College's Carroll School of management. Together with his wife Angela, children Ellie and Sam, Ben resides in Dedham. The Cavallos enjoy winter skiing in Loon and summer activities in Orleans, MA.
Member of the Horizons Board of Directors since 2018.
John Connors
John Connors is the founder and president of Boathouse, a boutique agency based in Boston that works with some of the biggest brands across the industries that drive our marketplace – financial services, health care, technology and education. John received a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania after graduating from Belmont Hill School.
John focuses his not-for-profit time and money in the education space – seeking to understand and invest in the drivers of effective education across all income levels and neighborhoods. He currently serves on the boards of the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute, the Belmont Hill School, the St. Mary’s Center, KIPP Massachusetts (Charter School), Dedham Country Day School, and Horizons at DCD. John lives in Westwood, Mass., with his wife Larisa, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and their three children Molly, Mary and Willy.
Member of the Horizons Board of Directors since 2008.
Melissa Crowe
Melissa runs a marketing consulting business, and prior to this venture she held key marketing leadership roles at Boston-based startups Vistaprint and Upromise and technology companies in the MetroWest area. She currently serves on the board at Dedham Country Day School. Melissa has an undergraduate degree from the University of Rhode Island. She, her husband Joe, and son reside in Needham.
Member of Board of Directors since 2020.
Gita Iyer, Clerk
Gita Iyer is a Leadership and Executive coach with a focus on individuals in the nonprofit sector. Prior to this, she was in Information Technology Consulting with Accenture, for over 25 years. Gita received a Masters in Informations Systems from Boston Univeristy and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She was cochair of the Diversity Committee while on the Board of Trustees at Dedham Country Day School from 2005-2011 and is one of the founding members of the Horizons at DCD Board of Directors. Gita and her husband Vijay Vishwanath live in Westwood and are the parents of Arjun, Anisha (class of 2005) and Anjali (class of 2011).
President and Member of the Board of Directors since 2008.
Seneca Francione
Michelle Freniere
Member of the Board of Directors since 2023.
Alyson Kelly-Hedgepeth
Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth, M.D. graduated from Boston University Medical School in 2003. She trained in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and completed a Fellowship in Cardiology at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Kelley-Hedgepeth is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Nuclear Cardiology. She is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Board Eligible in Echocardiography.
Dr. Kelley-Hedgepeth has extensive experience in managing coronary artery disease, heart failure and arrhythmias. Prior to joining the Lown Cardiovascular Group, Dr. Kelley-Hedgepeth worked for almost a decade as a non-invasive cardiologist at a multispecialty medical center. There she developed cardiac disease management programs, including heart failure treatment pathways and a post-hospitalization specialized clinic.
Dr. Kelley-Hedgepeth is committed to providing personalized cardiovascular care with an emphasis on early disease detection and prevention. She specializes in cardiac lifestyle assessment, and women’s cardiovascular disease. Her passion is preventative cardiovascular health and identifying how simple lifestyle changes promote healing and wellness.
Member of Board of Directors since 2020.
Morgan Lackenbauer
Member of the Board of Directors since 2022.
Keith McCown
Keith McCown is a partner at the Boston law firm of Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP, which specializes in labor and employment law on behalf of businesses and management. He is a frequent litigator, speaker, and trainer on topics related to employment law. Keith is a long-time member of the Board of Trustees at Dedham Country Day School and is one of the founding members of the Horizons at DCD Board of Directors. Keith and his wife, Sandra Einsel, live in Dedham and are the parents of Aaron and Eva, both graduates of DCD.
Member of the Board of Directors since 2008.
Lisa Mims, Board Vice-President
Lisa Mims is a community volunteer and currently in the certification process to become a professional and personal coach. Lisa’s previous career was in strategy consulting. Lisa and her husband, Andy, live in Dedham and are the parents of Addie and Walker, who both attend Dedham Country Day School.
Member of the Board of Directors since 2015.
Nan Murphy
Member of the Board of Directors since 2023.
George Nichols
Member of Board of Directors since 2020.
Michael Sweeny
Michael Sweeny is Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Matheys Lane Capital Management, a multi-family office based in Providence, RI. Michael and his wife, Kate, live in Dedham and are the parents of Macy and Walker.
Member of the Board of Directors since 2016.
Stephen Tshuka
Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Stephen relocated to Boston in 2008. In Cape Town, Stephen was an Events Coordinator at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where he spent time working with clients hosting and promoting events for marketing purposes. Once in Boston, Stephen graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor of science in Business Leadership. He is the proud stay-at-home father of Lindy (class of 2025) and Margo (class of 2027), who attend DCD.
Member of Board of Directors since 2020.
Lindsay Wands
Upon graduating from college, Lindsay Wands taught middle school math and English in the South Bronx with Teach For America. In 2003, Lindsay moved to Boston and worked in financial services with a primary focus on liquidity risk management. She currently lives in Needham, MA with her husband and three young children. Lindsay holds her BA in English from Davidson College and an MA in Teaching English from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
Member of the Board of Directors since 2019
Allison Webster - Head, Dedham Country Day School
Ms. Webster is currently Head of Dedham Country Day School. Allison has been the Assistant Head of School at Shady Hill School 2006. Shady Hill is a coed day school for 510 students in grades PK-8. She was the Secondary School Advisor at Shady Hill, 1999-2001, and at Shady Hill and Park, has taught 6th grade central subject on Africa, 6th grade English and 6thand 7th grade social studies. Allison is a graduate of Rollins College—B.A. in English, Honors, 1987. Graduate degrees include: J.D. from Tulane Law School, 1990 (member of Mass. Bar and Federal Bar): M.Ed. from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Teaching & Curriculum, 1994; Master of Applied Positive Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 2013. Allison’s husband, Andy Stromberg, is a child psychiatrist at McLean Hospital. They have 2 daughters, a sophomore at Belmont High School and a junior at Concord Academy. After practicing law in Boston for two years, Allison ran an afterschool program at Winsor for a year and became hooked on education. She taught at Shady Hill, 1994-2001, and then at The Park School, 2001-2006. She is now the Head of School at Dedham Country Day.
Member of the Board of Directors since 2016.