Director of Admission

Year Appointed: 2003

As Director of Admissions, Bill says his favorite part of the day is talking with families about Thacher's amazingly positive peer community. It’s an aspect of school life here that he cherishes and loves introducing people to. Bill is an advisor to senior boys and an enthusiastic leader of Thacher camping trips. Over the past few years, Bill has helped lead a backpacking trip to Zion National Park, a rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon, and a sea kayaking trip to the Channel Islands.

After completing his undergraduate studies at Colgate and his graduate work at Columbia, Bill worked in advertising in Manhattan before serving as Director of Marketing and Planning at The Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts.

When Bill isn’t in his office, look for him running and mountain biking on the School's trails, or surfing in the nearby Pacific. He lives on campus with his wife, Sabina (who is the Dean of Students), and their three sons, two of whom are current Thacher students.

Director of Financial Aid and Admission Operations

Year Appointed: 1999

A Connecticut native who’s now made her family home in the West, Phoebe oversees planning and operations for the Admission Office and directs Thacher’s Financial Aid Program. Before arriving on campus, she worked in admission and financial aid for three years at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota, and for seven years at the Webb Schools in Claremont, California.

Phoebe advises sophomore girls and coaches Girls’ JV Lacrosse, helped by her experience playing the sport at St. Lawrence University, her alma mater. In off hours, she loves spending time with her husband, Mark and young son and daughter, as well as cooking, traveling, and reading about art and architecture.

Associate Director of Admission; Lectures and Concerts Coordinator

Year Appointed: 1991

After graduating from Dartmouth, Chris joined the Thacher faculty as a French teacher and tennis coach. During her sixteen years here, she has served as Dorm Head, Chair of the Language Department and Dean of Students and now works as Associate Director of Admission, while continuing to advise sophomore boys. Pre-Thacher, Chris taught French at Hanover High School and then at Vanderbilt University while completing her Master’s degree.

Chris coached the boys’ and girls' varsity tennis team for many years with high qualifications, having won four consecutive Oregon state individual and tennis championships during her own high school years.  She played competitive tennis for 15 years on the national and international level, as well as at Dartmouth College, where she was captain of the team her senior year and All-Ivy as a sophomore and junior. After a fifteen year break, Chris recently began playing competitive tennis again. She lives on campus with her husband, Rich, and their two children.

Assistant Director of Admission

Year Appointed: 2008

Upon graduating from Williams College with a degree in history, Aaron was thrilled to pursue the exciting opportunity to join the Thacher community as assistant director of Admission. A native New Yorker and graduate of The Fieldston School, his passion for education brought him to Casa de Piedra.  Aaron tutored second-grade students for three years at Williamstown Elementary School, mentored local high school students in partnership with A Better Chance, and was co-chair of the Black Student Union throughout college. Beyond the Admission Office, Aaron will advise junior boys. He lives on campus.

Admission Office Manager

Year Appointed: 2002

Admission Associate; Advisor

Year Appointed: 2005

Before joining the Thacher faculty, Julie taught preschool at Monica Ros School where she was fortunate to be many Thacher students’ first teacher. After twelve years of nurturing those wee ones, Julie moved on to nurture a slightly older group of first-time-away-from-home kids, freshman girls. Currently Julie works as an advisor to sophomore girls. In addition, she works in Admission and as the School’s design consultant for both interior and exterior areas on campus. She lends her eye to everything from furniture purchases and plantings for dormitory areas, and from public spaces to the Head of School’s office. 

After living in the center of campus for nineteen years, she and her husband, Bo, have moved out to a home by the Gymkhana Field, where they are restoring the gardens and pathways around the house. She is having fun planning new garden areas, all drought tolerant of course!  Three of Bo and Julie’s four children are CdeP graduates, while the fourth is a current senior.  But, Julie notes, “Though we will be empty nesters pretty soon, the beauty of boarding school is that you are never really empty nesters; there are always children to care for, and that gives me great pleasure.”