Meet the Team

As director of advancement, Newell works with donors on capital, annual and planned gifts that will help Westminster achieve its current and strategic priorities. Over the years, he has served in the Advancement Office in a variety of roles, often traveling around the country to meet with parents, alumni and friends of the school. Prior to his faculty appointment, Newell worked in Boston’s financial district. A member of Westminster's Class of 1999 as a boarding student from Littleton, Colo., he served as junior prefect and president of the John Hay Society. He is currently pursuing an M.A. in philanthropic studies through the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.

 

In his free time, Newell helps out with the hockey program and enjoys fly-fishing on the Farmington River. He also likes spending time in the Adirondacks and traveling. Newell lives on campus in Stretch House with his wife, Helena; daughter, Belle; son, Mac; and their dog, Nellie.

Having previously served as Westminster’s director of annual giving and director of donor relations, Shannon assumed new responsibilities in the Advancement Office in 2016 as director of advancement operations. In this role, she serves as co-director of the Advancement Office. Prior to her Westminster appointment, she served as associate director of annual giving at Yale University, where she engaged and educated alumni regarding Yale College’s philanthropic priorities. Prior to that, she worked as a literary agent with the Park Literary Group LLC and as an assistant at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, both in New York City. While she was earning her M.F.A. in fiction writing at the University of Notre Dame, she served in various capacities in the Development Department, including associate director of the annual fund and director of the phone center.

 

Shannon, her husband, Tim, and their sons, Finn, Declan and Cormac, live in Canton, Conn.

Jenn travels across the country to connect with members of the Westminster community, meet with members of the Thring Society and talk to individuals who are interested in supporting the priorities of Westminster School. She has extensive experience in annual giving and advancement operations after spending 10 years in the Institutional Advancement Office at the University of Hartford. In January 2021, Jenn was appointed to the board of directors of the Charitable Gift Planners of Connecticut. In 2022, she became a certified specialist in planned giving.

 

Jenn attended Saint Mary-of-the Woods College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing, received the Alumnae Leadership and Service Medallion, and played varsity intercollegiate soccer. Her Master of Arts from the University of Hartford is in communication.

 

Jenn lives in Canton, Conn., with her husband, Peter, and their children, Dylan, Sam and Avery. She enjoys cooking and taking care of her yard.

Thea brings to Westminster experience working in advancement programs at independent schools. She served four years at Kingswood Oxford School, first as associate director of annual giving and then as director of alumni and parent relations. While there, she enhanced the school’s reunion giving program and expanded the class agent program. Following Kingswood Oxford, she worked two years at Miss Porter’s School as associate director of alumnae events.

 

Thea and her husband, Cliff, live in Bloomfield. Their two sons, Matt ’11 and Drew ’13 both live and work in New York City. Cliff is vice president of government affairs and assistant general counsel at The Hartford.

Katherine oversees the development and execution of annual giving programs. She designs and implements strategies for enhancing restricted and unrestricted giving for Westminster, while expanding the rate of alumni participation.

 

Katherine has held a number of roles in independent schools and higher education. She spent five years at Miss Porter’s School, where she taught Spanish, worked in admissions and coached soccer. She then spent two years as a development officer at Wesleyan University and one year at Westover School as their director of admission.

 

Katherine holds a bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College as well as a master’s degree in Spanish from Middlebury College. She lives on the Avon Old Farms campus with her husband, Brian, and son, Cameron.