Daniel Biemesderfer, President, joined the Board of Trustees in 1996 and has served as President since 2000. Dan has also held the position of Secretary, chaired the Committee on Trustees and served as co-chair for the Search Committee that recruited Cold Spring’s current Director, Jeff Jonathan. He is a biomedical researcher and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dan and his wife, Gretchen are the parents of two graduates, Alex and Zachary, and grandparents of three current students, Sophia, Olivia and Mallory. A first for Cold Spring! Dan believes the way young children are taught is fundamental to their futures and supports this belief through his work as a Trustee.

David Thompson, Vice President, a trustee since 1997, is currently Vice-President of the Board. He is an architect and Principal of David Thompson Architects in New Haven, a design firm focusing on educational, religious, and residential work. David has served on various building and planning committees since 1996. He and his wife have lived and worked in New Haven for more than 25 years, where they have been involved in numerous community activities. The exposure to opportunities for community involvement was important to them and factored into their choice of Cold Spring for their daughters, Micha and Nora, who graduated in 2003 and 2005.

Lisa Marcus, Secretary, joined the Board of Trustees in 1993. She has chaired the Admissions Committee and is currently serving as Secretary of the Board’s Executive Committee. Lisa has two daughters, Sara and Katie, who graduated from Cold Spring in 2000 and 2003 and are currently attending college. Lisa is a clinical psychologist in private practice and lives in Guilford with her husband. Lisa says she chose Cold Spring as much for herself as for her daughters because “it is a place where individuals are truly supported to become the best versions of themselves; a mission I feel committed to support.”

Michael Deakin, Treasurer, joined the Board in 2007. He is an attorney and partner in the law firm Loughlin Fitzgerald, P.C. and an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University. Michael’s practice focuses on civil litigation in such areas as civil rights, product liability and insurance law. Michael and his wife, Jennifer, remember “a visit to Cold Spring School where we attended a Wednesday morning school meeting and were overwhelmed by the sense of community. To see students, parents and staff so engaged was impressive and inspiring. We knew at that point Cold Spring School was the place for our family.” Their son, James, is currently a Cold Spring School student.

Andrea Asnes joined the Board of Trustees in 2010. Andie is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine where her area of expertise is Child Abuse Pediatrics. Cold Spring was a clear choice for Andie and her husband, Jeremy, both pediatricians who believe that early childhood is a crucial time for personal development. “Our children, Simon and Caroline, are learning to be engaged and caring citizens in a thriving school community that includes and values students, teachers, parents and staff,” says Andie. “Before our eyes, they are developing the values we strive to maintain ourselves in our adult lives.”

Karri Brady joined the Board in 2009 and is a member of the Development Committee. She is the Director of Yale College Annual Giving, where she raises critical, unrestricted funds for Yale’s most immediate use from nearly 70,000 alumni. Following an acting career, Karri moved into development over 10 years ago, working for Citymeals-On-Wheels and Columbia University in NYC. At Cold Spring, Karri demonstrates her enthusiasm for fundraising and commitment to education by serving as a member of the Annual Fund team. Karri and her husband, Ted, chose Cold Spring for their son, Graysen, because of its experiential environment, creativity and dedication to fostering a love of school and learning.

J Bunton joined the Board of Trustees in 2004 and is Chair of the Admissions Committee. He also serves on the Building Committee and the Capital Planning Committee. J is an architect who worked with Cesar Pelli & Associates for 15 years before opening his own firm, Studio ABK, in 2004. J and his wife Linda, also a member of the Admissions Committee, have twin sons, Will and Tyler, who graduated from Cold Spring in 2010. “We knew Cold Spring School was a perfect fit for our family the moment we visited the school and met the teachers,” J said. “It is exactly the kind of education I wish I had when I was a kid!”

Larry Cohen has been a member of the Cold Spring School Board of Trustees since 1996. He is a professor of Physiology at Yale University School of Medicine where he conducts research on how the brain recognizes odors. He is also a Member of RedShirtImaging, LLC, a small company that provides software and fast cameras to the scientific community. Larry, whose daughter Lily graduated in 2001, has positive memories for the spirit of cooperation he observed in the Cold Spring School classrooms and for the important role the School played in maintaining Lily’s interest in learning.

David Cross has been a CSS Trustee since 1996 and serves on the Admissions Committee. In his twenties he taught elementary school in Philadelphia and designed musical instrument kits that he now sells to schools across the country. Since 1983 he has worked as a program evaluator and policy analyst. David is a parent of two graduates, one a graduate of Carleton College and the other a student at Brandeis University, who remember their Cold Spring years “fondly and thankfully.” David’s commitment to Cold Spring stems from a personal desire to “give back the gifts of support and acceptance I received as a child attending a wonderful camp on a small farm in the Berkshires; a place where I came alive again after death and depression took my parents away.

Gina D’Errico joined the Board in 2009 and serves on the Auction Committee. Gina and her husband, Dan, are business partners and owners of Total Fence, LLC, a New Haven based fence company serving commercial and residential clients. They have two daughters, Jessica and Samantha, who currently attend Cold Spring School. Deciding to send their daughters to Cold Spring was a mutual decision when, after a school tour, Gina and her husband, Dan, turned to each other and simultaneously said, “I love this place!” Gina observes that the enthusiasm for learning that Cold Spring School inspires carries over into all aspects of her children’s lives.

Lori Gregory joined the Board in 2007 and is an early childhood educator with over twenty years experience in teaching and administration. She is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Naugatuck Valley Community College and also supervises student teachers in their Early Childhood Education Program. Lori was drawn to Cold Spring’s pedagogy which promotes emotional as well as cognitive development in a diverse community. These qualities, she said, spoke to “her heart as a parent, her academic training as an educator and her beliefs as a person”. Lori and her husband, Harris Foster, have a daughter, Victoria, who is a Cold Spring student.

Jocelyn Hurwitz joined the Board in 2003 and serves as Chair of the Personnel Committee. She is an attorney and shareholder in Cohen and Wolf, PC in Bridgeport. Jocelyn has two sons: Max, who graduated in 2008, and Adam, who is a current student. When reflecting on her children’s Cold Spring experience, Jocelyn says  “I feel confident my children are able to think in a way that will prepare them well for any kind of academic or life challenge their futures may bring.”

Ellen Wormser has been a Trustee since 1997, is Chair of the Development Committee and also serves on the Admissions Committee. “On admission tour days,” says Ellen, “you’ll find me greeting prospective families as part of the Admissions Committee and sharing my enthusiasm for our ‘hidden gem’ of a school. When not at CSS, Ellen is a midwife at the Fair Haven Community Health Center, where she has been catching Fair Haven babies since 1986. Ellen is a parent of three alumni/ae: Ben, who graduated in 1999, and twins Kate and Emma, who graduated in 2003.

Tim Yolen joined the Board in 2007. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years and is a partner in the New Haven law firm Yolen and Perzin specializing in planning, zoning and real estate law. Tim and his wife, Susan, chose Cold Spring 21 years ago for their children, Greg and Maggie. Cold Spring fit the Yolens' criteria for an educational environment where learning, discovering and understanding take place in the context of exploration and applied knowledge. Greg graduated from Yale University and Maggie graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Shoshana Zax has served on the Board since 2000 and is Chair of the Committee on Trustees. She is a nurse-midwife who has practiced in New Haven since 1985. Shoshana and her husband, John, the parents of two graduates, chose Cold Spring for its nurturing, process-oriented approach to education, recognition of individual differences and emphasis on community.  Although both her children have graduated, Shoshana continues to serve on the Cold Spring Board because of her strong belief in supporting a school where grades, testing and competition are deemphasized and thinking skills and enthusiasm for learning are nurtured.