Trustees

Board of Trustees

List of 11 members.

Ryder Daniels

Trustee, President
Bio
Ryder Daniels, President -Ryder has been a Trustee since 2016 and serves as Board President since 2017. Ryder has spent his career harmonizing complex data to enable transparency and storytelling that make better decisions possible. As Founder & CEO of Capsaicin, he led the team that built next-generation analytics products used globally by companies like P&G, Disney, Microsoft, Coke, Mattel, Samsung, GM, Nielsen, Honda, and others. Capsaicin was acquired in 2015. Prior to founding Capsaicin, Ryder was the co-founder of a services firm acquired by D&B. He was also a partner at a venture consulting firm focused on the creation and management of intellectual property assets. At Citibank, Ryder led strategic data mining and worked on early e-commerce initiatives. Prior to Citibank, he co-founded Document Concepts, a pioneer in technology-enabled proposal management. In 2016, Ryder founded Epitage and now advises early-stage technology startups. Ryder received his BA with departmental and thesis honors from Washington College.
Richard Emmet

Trustee
Bio
Richard Emmet, Finance Committee Chair - Since 2008, Richard has served as Principal of the consulting group R. H. Emmet & Co. advising corporate clients on issues of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and executive education. He previously headed Campbell Soup Company’s Corporate Development department, identifying, evaluating, and leading the execution of value-adding acquisitions and divestitures on a global basis. Also at Campbell, Richard led a multi-year project to design and develop an in-house Executive Education program for Finance and Accounting. He has held a range of other senior financial management positions at several Fortune 500 companies and banks over a 40-year business career. Raised by a family of Educators, Richard firmly believes in the sacred mission of Education. He has taught Finance and Investment courses at Rutgers University Business School at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Richard holds an MBA degree with distinction from New York University - Stern School of Business, and a Bachelor's degree in Business and Economics from Lehigh University.
Paul Gardner 57

Trustee
Bio
Paul Gardner HMS ‘57 - A 1960 graduate of Bowdoin College, Paul made his career in the sugar and coffee industry. A retired businessman, Paul has served on HMS board for the past ten years.
Patrick Gillam

Trustee, Clerk
Bio
Patrick Gillam, Secretary – Patrick Gillam is a past president of the Pine Hill Waldorf School board of trustees. His children graduated from High Mowing School. His work specializes in creating messages for complicated products and services. He was a senior marketing manager with a New Hampshire software company. He holds a bachelors degree in business administration and a masters degree in journalism, and is a former teacher of the
Transcendental Meditation program.
Brendan Harnett 98

Trustee, Vice President
Bio
Brendan Harnett HMS ’98, Vice-President - Brendan is a trustee since 2016 and serves as the board’s Vice-President. Brendan is currently Head of Operations for Etransmedia Technology Inc., the leading medical billing & coding and revenue cycle management company in the USA. He held positions as Vice President of Systems for Transkrit LLC, Vice President of Operations for Archivus, Senior Vice President of Etransmedia Technology Inc. Brendan is a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cary Hughes

Dean of Students, History, Trustee
Bio
Cary Hughes - Cary has been a teacher of Social Sciences at High Mowing School since 1980. HMS’ Dean of Students for the past ten years, Cary is dedicated to the success of HMS’ students. A member of the Town of Wilton’s Budget Committee since 1985, he has served as its chair for the past 14 years. He also serves on the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District.
Helen-Ann Ireland

Trustee
Bio
Helen-Ann Ireland, Development Committee Chair - Helen-Ann has been involved in Waldorf education and studying Steiner since the 1980s. She became a class teacher and took two classes through the grades, one in Honolulu and one at Pine Hill while earning her Extra Lesson certificate to work with non-traditional learners. Always deepening her connection to Anthroposophy led her to become one of the Class Holders in Wilton for the School of Spiritual Science. She now has her doctorate in Educational Policy, Research and Administration and is a lecturer at UMass Amherst teaching in the College of Education. She has recently been appointed to the Council of the Anthroposophical Society of North America fostering the potential for good deeds among human beings on the planet.
Katherine Meyer 90

Interim Head of School
Brad Miller

Trustee
Bio
Brad Miller - Brad was the horticulture teacher and farmer for High Mowing School from 2011 through 2018. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Brad made his career in the National Guard. Prior to moving to High Mowing, Brad worked at the Department of Health Services in Ohio and New Hampshire, and as a houseparent in a Camphill community for adults with developmental disabilities. Brad’s son is a student at HMS.
Richard Neel 57

Trustee, Treasurer
Bio
Richard Neel HMS ’57, Treasurer - A New York city attorney since 1964, Richard has been serving as a HMS trustee for over thirty years. Richard served as assistant general counsel of Pan American World Airways. Son of Alice Neel, one of the great painters of the 20th century and a pioneer among women artists, Richard serves as Chairman of Neel Arts, a family company in New York dealing in Alice Neel paintings. Richard graduated from Columbia College and the Columbia Law School.
Will Powers

Trustee
Bio
Will Powers, Audit Committee Chair - Will Powers is an operational finance executive. After building and growing businesses in the U.S. and Germany, he moved into the education sector as director of finance & operations at the Pike School in Andover, Massachusetts. His professional background and experience include financial analysis,budgeting, strategic planning, change process management, human resources, real estate and facilities management. While living in Germany, Will served as a trustee of the International School in Stuttgart, and was active on the finance and fundraising committees. A native of Massachusetts, Will holds a bachelors degree in computer science and a masters in business administration. He is fluent in German. He is an
alumni parent of Pine Hill Waldorf School.

Advisory Board

List of 3 members.

S. Philip Brooks

Advisory Board
Bio
Phil Brooks - A 1964 graduate of Lafayette College, Phil is the founder of Brooks Post & Beams and proprietor of Evergreen Properties. Phil has served on the HMS board for over thirty years, as a Trustee, Board President, and a variety of committees. Phil continues to be actively involved in site development and maintenance of buildings and grounds.
Susan Currier 72

Advisory Board
Bio
Susan (Sue) Currier HMS '72 - Sue served on the Board of Trustees of High Mowing School for 6 years. She attended High Mowing as a day student for junior and senior years. Since 1985, she is the owner and President of Amherst Country Club and Ponemah Green Corporation, one of less than 800 courses in the world to receive the honor of being an Audubon International Certified Golf Course, and one of less than 5 courses certified in New Hampshire. Susan’s two sons graduated from Pine Hill School in the '90s.
Mary Graham

Advisory Board
Bio
Mary Graham – Mary joined the HMS board of trustees in 2011 and served as a trustee, Vice President, and President until 2018. Mary was instrumental in designing and running the High Mowing School Frye Field Campaign, a $1.8 million fundraising effort to purchase 101 acres of pristine agricultural and forest land. Mary’s two daughters both attended Pine Hill K-8 and graduated High Mowing. Mary studied the arts at the High School of Music and Art, piano at the Manhattan School of Music, and costume and set design at the Polakov Studio of Stage Design and the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and continued her studies in visual art at the School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design, and the Art Student’s League. Mary holds a BFA in Painting from the NH Institute of Art. After working for fifteen years in New York and Chicago as a set designer and scenic artist for opera, regional theatre, and Broadway, she relocated to New Hampshire to open a yoga studio in Concord NH. After moving to Wilton to give her children Waldorf education, she established a career as a professional harpist and taught harp privately and at St. Paul’s School before returning full time to painting.

Trustees

Board of Trustees

List of 11 members.

Ryder Daniels

Richard Emmet

Paul Gardner 57

Patrick Gillam

Brendan Harnett 98

Cary Hughes

Helen-Ann Ireland

Katherine Meyer 90

Brad Miller

Richard Neel 57

Will Powers

Advisory Board

List of 3 members.

S. Philip Brooks

Susan Currier 72

Mary Graham

Pine Hill at High Mowing School