Meet Blair’s Dorm Heads

In addition to their role as dorm heads of Annie Hall, a dormitory for 42 junior and senior girls, Mr. and Ms. Hanson have worked closely with aspiring Blair artists since joining the faculty in 2018. Ms. Hanson is a maker space teacher for first-year students and director and curator of the Romano Gallery. She has also directed the Blair Academy Players, the School’s theatre students, in recent years. Mr. Hanson, a fine arts teacher and assistant track coach, instructs Blair’s graphic design and film production courses. They reside in Annie Hall with their two young children and dog, Nero.

Dr. Abascal joined Blair’s science faculty as a chemistry teacher in 2018. A crossfit enthusiast, she coaches softball at Blair. This is Dr. Abascal’s fourth year living in a Blair dormitory and her first as dorm head of Flight Deck, where 18 first-year boys reside.

Mr. Wagner has been a member of Blair’s science faculty for eight years. He teaches biology honors and AP biology and coaches varsity baseball, in addition to serving as dorm head of Freeman Hall, where 33 junior boys reside, for five years.

Language teacher Alexandra Cullen is a 2020 graduate of Bates College, where she double-majored in English and environmental studies and minored in Spanish. While at Bates, she worked with students in public and independent schools during internships, as a classroom volunteer and as part of a middle school food sustainability program. She also worked in the Bates communication office and held a summer internship at SKI Magazine. Alex studied abroad in ValparaÍso, Chile, and spent several months backpacking through South America. Appointed to Blair’s faculty in 2020, she teaches Spanish 2 and Spanish 3 Honors, leads Blair’s outdoor skills program and serves as the dorm head of Hoffman House, an 11th-grade girls’ dormitory.

Mrs. Gerdsen became the School’s Director of Admission Application Management in 2016, following three years of work in the communications office. She is also a varsity volleyball coach. Mrs. Gerdsen and her family have been part of the Blair community since moving to campus from the Pennington School in 2004, where she was director of the school’s student center. A native of Aiken, South Carolina, she studied education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Mrs. Gerdsen and her husband, Rod, an associate dean of students and science teacher at Blair, have two children, Kate ’20 and Jack ’24. The Gerdsens live in Insley Hall, a boys’ dorm for ninth and tenth graders.

Mr. Facciani and Ms. Wang joined Blair’s faculty in 2007 as Chinese teachers. In addition to their work in Blair’s language department, Mr. Facciani teaches Advanced Placement Microeconomics and Modern European History classes and serves as Blair’s international monitor. Ms. Wang is also a yoga instructor and advisor to the after-school dance activity. Since its opening seven years ago, they have served as dorm heads of Kathryn Hall, where they live with 45 junior and senior girls, their daughter, Angela, and dog, Buddy. Prior to moving to Kathryn Hall, Mr. Facciani and Ms. Wang spent six years as dorm heads of Locke Hall and a year as heads of Davies Hall, which formerly stood on the site of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration.

Mr. Compton has been a member of Blair’s English faculty and has lived in Blair’s dorms for eight years. He serves as dorm head of Lakeside Hall, where 45 sophomore and junior boys live, and in addition to teaching English 1 and 2, Mr. Compton coaches the boys’ varsity squash and JV soccer teams.

Ms. Wilson serves as a senior associate dean of admission and director of financial aid. For four years, she has been dorm head of Locke and Ivy Hall, Blair’s largest dormitory for 75 first-year and sophomore girls. In addition to these roles, Ms. Wilson is currently the head coach of Blair’s varsity swim team and the faculty advisor to the Women in Business Club. Over her 10 years at the School, she has also served the community as a psychology teacher, college counselor and associate dean of students.

Mr. Fogel teaches history and serves as head coach of boys’ varsity lacrosse, in addition to dorm head of Mason Hall. He lives in Mason Hall, which houses 35 senior boys, with his partner, Cency, who works Blair’s academic support center and serves as a member of the English department. 

Ms. Hoyer joined Blair’s English faculty in 2018 and also serves as head boys’ rowing coach, a faculty advisor of the Gay-Straight Alliance and the All-School Read Committee, and a member of Blair’s Inclusivity Committee. Formerly a dorm parent of Ivy Hall, she has been dorm head of South Hall, which houses 12 sophomores, for two years, and lives with her cat, Nosey.

Mr. Palanca, a Blair Class of 2015 alumnus, joined the School’s admission team as an admission counselor in 2021. In addition to his work with prospective families, Mr. Palanca is dorm head of West Hall, where 25 sophomore boys reside, and an assistant wrestling coach. He lives with his partner, Haley Chrobock ’15, in West Hall.

Mrs. Evans serves as Blair’s day student coordinator, in addition to being a member of the English faculty, an assistant drama director and a community service coordinator. She lives on campus in Hanson House with her husband, Craig, who also teaches theatre and English. She has two children who attended Blair, Faith ’05 and Dylan ’08, and two grandchildren, Madeline and Isla.