Brookwood School It Starts Here.

Brookwood Announces Appointment of New Trustees

September 15, 2010 - Brookwood School is pleased to anounce the appointment of Laura Carrigan, Tom Bassinger, Monica Healey and Beth Payson to the school's Board of Trustees.

Laura Cabot Carrigan has a broad history in public service and philanthropy as well as experience as a small business owner. She earned her B.A. in History and Spanish from the University of Vermont in 1988, and in 1994 received a MPA in Public Policy from Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs.
Laura spent the years prior to graduate school working in the fields of education and human services. She was the Assistant to the Director of Disaster Relief with Catholic Charities USA in Washington, DC; served as a VISTA Volunteer teaching; and worked as an instructor for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School based in Rockland, Maine and the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center in Boston Harbor. While in graduate school, Laura left the world of non-profits for the private sector. In 1990, she and husband Chris started Chinook Outdoor Adventure, Inc., a wholesale, retail and manufacturing business that specialized in Polartec clothing and accessories.
During her years at Brookwood, Laura has served on the Campaign Leadership Counsel for the Time is Now campaign, co-chaired the 2009-2010 Annual Fund, served as class parent representative and co-chaired the Parent Association’s Wish List Committee. Outside of Brookwood Laura has served on the boards of Stoneridge Children’s Montessori School, the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation, Outdoor Explorations, and the Wenham Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee.
Laura and husband Chris live in Wenham and have three daughters.

Tom Bassinger, a New Jersey native and current Beverly resident, is the founder and CEO of Rockport Venture Partners, LLC, a private equity broker/dealer specializing in raising institutional funds globally for US-based Life Sciences companies.
Prior to Rockport, Tom co-founded Habama, Inc., an e-business software company that became the first branded ASP software offered by Dell Host. At the firm, Tom oversaw product strategy, marketing and customer support. Utilizing his engineering and strategic consulting background, prior to Habama, Tom served as Vice President at Sensitech from 1993 through 1999. Sensitech, located in Beverly, is a global leader in cold chain solutions, monitoring and tracking temperature-sensitive products in the food and life sciences.
Tom earned his BS in Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering and his MS in Manufacturing and Technology Management from the University of Rhode Island. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Fluidnet Corporation, of Portsmouth, NH.
Tom and his wife Lori, a past Secretary of the Brookwood Parents’ Association, live in Beverly with their three children.

Monica Connell Healey, a North Shore native, grew up in Swampscott, MA, attended Swampscott High School and in 1988 earned a B.A. in Speech/Communication from Boston College.
After graduation, Monica worked for Bank of Boston as a Marketing Assistant on the WINGS Project. In 1990, she moved to New York City where she enrolled in the Fashion Design program at Parsons School of Design, and in 1992 took part in their summer program headquartered in Paris.
In 1993, Monica went to work for a small fashion PR firm, Ogan/Dallal Associates on accounts including Jaeger LeCoultre, Han Feng, Badgley Mischka, Kokin and Regina Porter. In 1995 she started at N.W. Ayer, in their public relations department working with clients that included Kitchen Aid, Hush Puppies, Caterpillar and Candie’s Inc. before going in-house as Director of PR for Candie’s Footwear to help launch a major comeback in the late 1990s.
At Brookwood, Monica served on the Campaign Leadership Committee for The Time is Now campaign, and worked as an Annual Fund Volunteer and a Class Ambassador. This year she will co-chair the school’s Annual Fund with Jeanine Clark.
While Monica remains very involved with Boston College, she also supports other local institutions, including St. Mary’s of Lynn, where she is a founding member of the Board of Trustees, and Landmark School.
Monica and her husband Tom live in Beverly farms with their five children.
[Editor’s Note: Monica Healey was appointed to the Brookwood Board of Trustees in November, 2010, and served for the past school year.]

Beth Payson, a parent at Brookwood for eight years, joins the Brookwood Board as the incoming President of the Brookwood Parents’ Association.
     After receiving her B.A. in French and Elementary Education from Boston College, Beth went on to earn an M.A. in French Language and Literature from Middlebury College. During her college years, she also studied at the Universite de Grenoble.
     Following college, Beth spent seven years teaching in independent day and boarding schools, including Brookwood, The Hotchkiss School, and Wilbraham and Monson Academy.  She went on to work for 11 years in the banking industry at Bank of Boston in International Private Banking, and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in Global Custody Client Service.
     “My many years in the PA give me a feel for what current parents are concerned about,” Beth says. “[I bring the] perspective of a parent, a former [independent school] faculty member, a former boarding school teacher/coach/dorm parent, and  a former business professional but being a parent takes precedence over all the other experience.”
     Beth says she and her husband Jon chose Brookwood for their daughters because the value of what Brookwood offered was so clear. “Jon and I attended public schools all our lives but have witnessed firsthand the innumerable extras that Brookwood has provided. There is no substitute for faculty who are with your children at multiple points in their day: academic, athletic, advisory groups, social times and class trips. They truly know your child,” she says.
     Beth and her husband Jon have lived in Beverly Farms for 10 years and have two daughters.