We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to 12 new faculty and staff members joining us on the hilltop this fall. Bringing experiences from locations as diverse as Istanbul, Turkey; Jiangsu Province, China; and Putumayo, Colombia; they arrived at Blair with rich backgrounds and a wealth of experience. They have already done much to enrich the learning environment and community life on campus. Discover a little more about their backgrounds and interests below. 

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Leanne Pinard Baum, Advancement

Education: Binghamton University, BA in economics; Seton Hall University, master’s in public administration and a certificate in entrepreneurship; Seton Hall University, MA in counseling anticipated in 2025

Comes to us from: The alumni engagement and philanthropy team at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, where she served as director of annual giving and director of their annual fund

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Mateo Coronado, Languages

Education: Tufts’ School of the Museum of Fine Arts, BA in studio art

Comes to us from: Eastie Farm, an urban farm in Boston where he worked as a Climate Corps Live Interpreter, furthering the farm’s mission to educate local communities about climate change and sustainability. Fluent in French and Spanish, he served as the interpreter for five fellows who did not speak English. Mateo also has experience translating scripts and interviews about an indigenous tribe in the municipality of Mocoa in the department of Putumayo, Colombia.

Coaching: JV volleyball and swimming

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Ashlyn Derrick, College Counseling

Education: University of West Georgia, BS in nursing

Comes to us with: A professional background in healthcare, working as a registered nurse on Blair’s Health Center staff since 2021. Over the summers since coming to Blair, she has also joined the college counseling team at the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, as an administrative assistant.

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Caitlin Dunne, English

Education: Manhattan College, BA in secondary education; Columbia University, MA in English education; University of Bath, doctorate in education anticipated in January 2026 

Comes to us from: Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, where she served as an English teacher, high school prep English coordinator and deputy head of social entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity

Coaching: Winter track and crew

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Heather Fredrick

Education: Colgate University, BA in economics and international relations 

Comes to us from: Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where she worked for three years, most recently as assistant director of admission

Coaching: Spring track

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Eamon Gara Grady, Mathematics

Education: Williams College, BA in statistics

Comes to us from: Williams College, where he served as a research assistant for the school’s mathematics and statistics department during his time as a student and worked as a sportswriter for the college’s office of sports information

Coaching: Varsity boys’ soccer and baseball

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Will Harvard, Latin

Education: The University of the South in Tennessee, BA in Greek and Latin; Villanova University, MA in classical studies; St. John’s College in Annapolis, MA in liberal arts

Comes to us from: The Tampa Preparatory School in Florida, where he taught Latin

Coaching: JV boys’ squash

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Stirling Ince, Spanish

Education: Wesleyan University, BA in psychology; The State University of New York at New Paltz, MSEd in second language education 

Comes to us with: 30 years of teaching experience, most recently at the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts 

Coaching: Winter and spring track

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Valerie Lohr, History

Education: Lehigh University, BA in political science and history; Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, JD; Southern New Hampshire State University, MA in clinical mental health counseling anticipated in 2026; Baylor University, doctorate in education anticipated in 2025

Comes to us from: San Antonio, Texas, where, in addition to pursuing her doctorate, Valerie has coached a number of highly ranked field hockey and women’s lacrosse teams, most recently at St. Mary’s Hall.

Coaching: Varsity girls’ field hockey and varsity girls’ lacrosse

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Rose Tillson Rodriguez, Advancement Office

Education: Pennsylvania State University, BA in women, gender and sexuality studies

Comes to us with: A professional background as a project manager at Super Heat, Inc., in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, and as a senior inside sales specialist at Lutron Electronics in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania

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Sarah Thorpe, Advancement Office

Education: Montclair State University, BA in psychology

Comes to us from: The Musconetcong Watershed Association in Asbury, New Jersey, where she has served as communications specialist. She also brings a wealth of event planning and fundraising experience developed with the Hawk Point Golf Club in Washington and Great Swamp Watershed Association in Morristown.

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Liam Tully, Technology Office

Education: New Jersey Institute of Technology, BS in information technology, network and information security specialization

Comes to us with: A background in systems engineering and cybersecurity. Liam joins Blair after serving as a consultant at Robert Half Inc. and, prior to that, a systems engineer at the Gotham Technology Group.

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