Welcome New Trustees
This fall, Brimmer welcomes three new members to the Board of Trustees. As parents and an alumna who have been actively engaged in the School community for years, they are all excited to take on this important volunteer leadership role and serve the School.
Johanna “Jody” Black P ’14, P ’19
Boston, MA
Jody Black and her husband, Jeff, are parents to Brimmer “lifers” Ry, a current tenth grader, and Hallie, a 2014 graduate and now a third-year architecture student at Cornell University. The Blacks first stepped on campus when their daughter Hallie enrolled in Pre-K in 2000 and have remained involved ever since. Jeff served as Chair of the Board until 2012 and remains an active member of the Finance Committee and the Education Technology Committee. Jody has served in many volunteer roles for Brimmer, including Parent Class Rep for multiple classes, Parent Liaison, and member of the Board of Visitors. Both she and Jeff have been involved in School planning for years and most recently participated in the strategic planning discussion groups in 2013-2014 and the feasibility study in 2014-2015.
Jody is a doctoral candidate at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and works in a volunteer and research capacity at the Boston Redevelopment Authority in the Office of Financial Empowerment. There she prepares the implementation and assessment of a financial asset-building program for low- to moderate-income earners, including tax preparation assistance.
Jody also holds an MA in Social Policy from Brandeis, a JD and an LLM in Tax Law from Boston University School of Law, and a BA in History from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Jody worked as an attorney before furthering her education and devoting herself as a volunteer and philanthropist in the city of Boston, concentrating her work in community development, homelessness, and education. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors at Beacon Hill Circle for Charity, where she chairs the Grants Committee. Jody is an active and longtime member of the Parks Committee of the Beacon Hill Civic Association and the Steering Committee of Boston Tax Help, the community coalition partnership for the IRS VITA program.
The Board is eager to tap into Jody’s expertise in tax code, social policy, nonprofits, and strategic planning as we move into the final stages of the strategic priorities and move into the next phase of planning for Brimmer.
Caroline Levine P ’18
Brookline, MA
Caroline Levine is a dedicated philanthropist and mother of two daughters, Olivia (Brimmer 11 th grader) and Tori Griffin. Caroline has been involved in the Brimmer community for years. She has served on the Board of Visitors, worked to further technology in the classroom, and helped make the new Realizing the Vision Campaign a success.
In 1992, Caroline founded the Caroline Levine Charitable Foundation to support medical research and quality of life programs primarily affecting children. In addition to supporting programs at Boston Children’s Hospital and LifeBridge Neonatal Neurology Research facility in Baltimore, Maryland, she has also served on numerous committees and boards in the fields of academia, healthcare, business and government. Her leadership skills are apparent through her strategic guidance of organizations to achieve philanthropic and scientific goals to improve and enhance the lives of others.
Caroline is perhaps most proud of her selection as a recipient of the Unsung Hero Award given to her for funding a grassroots healthcare initiative in rural Virginia.
Caroline holds a B.A. in Sociology from Emory and Henry College and several certifications in Family Systems Therapy from the Kantor Family Institute. She is currently pursuing a MA at Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work.
The Board of Trustees is excited to avail itself of Caroline's extensive experience.
Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73
Sorengo, Switzerland
Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73 is a lifelong educator who has spent the majority of her career at Franklin University in Switzerland in a variety of administrative roles. Leslie is very excited to join Brimmer’s Board of Trustees as she credits her education here for many of her interests and successes in life. She particularly remembers a course taught in the Upper School by Mrs. Sewell on Asian History. She says, “This lead to my major in college, it lead to travel, and my long career in education as an American living abroad.” Leslie has been involved at Brimmer as an alumna for years. She served on the Alumni Board, the Board of Visitors, and she has also worked with our International Director on orientation and programming for Brimmer international students. Leslie, the mother of two daughters, Frieda and Lima, is the daughter of former Brimmer Board Chair Bob Almy and Winkie Almy.
Leslie has recently retired from her full-time job as Dean of Student Life at Franklin University in Switzerland, where she worked and lived since 1984. There she was responsible for the Office of Student Life, which included Residential Life and Housing, Health Services, Athletics, Career Services, Co-Curricular programming, Food Services, Judicial Affairs, Study Abroad counseling, Parent Relations, Student Government, and Community Relations.
In addition to her Dean of Students responsibilities, Leslie also served as an Adjunct Professor in Intercultural Communications and an Independent Consultant for Cultural Connections in Gravesano, Switzerland. There, Leslie implemented cross-cultural courses, seminars, and workshops for individuals, groups, schools, and companies. She also facilitated English Language Support (ELS) teacher training workshops that included curriculum on cultural awareness.
Leslie served on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR) and co-founded SIETAR Europa. Other volunteer activities include serving as President of the Association of Adopted Families of Southern Switzerland, the Arcobaleno Humanitarian Aid Foundation, American Women of Ticino, and International Women of Lugano. She currently serves on the SAINAM Humanitarian Aid Foundation Council in Thailand and CHABA Adoption Agency Board.
Before Leslie moved abroad, she worked as the Director of Cross Cultural Programming at Purnell School in New Jersey; in Student Services at the School for International Training in Vermont; as Director of Student Activities and as a College Counselor at Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts; and in Development and Alumni Affairs at Brimmer.
Leslie holds a BA in History with a concentration in Asian Studies from Skidmore College and a MA in Intercultural Management from the School for International Training in Vermont.
Welcome back to Brimmer, Leslie! The Board of Trustees is thrilled to have an international educator, who is also an alumna, to help move the School forward in our global world.
Johanna “Jody” Black P ’14, P ’19
Boston, MA
Jody Black and her husband, Jeff, are parents to Brimmer “lifers” Ry, a current tenth grader, and Hallie, a 2014 graduate and now a third-year architecture student at Cornell University. The Blacks first stepped on campus when their daughter Hallie enrolled in Pre-K in 2000 and have remained involved ever since. Jeff served as Chair of the Board until 2012 and remains an active member of the Finance Committee and the Education Technology Committee. Jody has served in many volunteer roles for Brimmer, including Parent Class Rep for multiple classes, Parent Liaison, and member of the Board of Visitors. Both she and Jeff have been involved in School planning for years and most recently participated in the strategic planning discussion groups in 2013-2014 and the feasibility study in 2014-2015.
Jody is a doctoral candidate at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and works in a volunteer and research capacity at the Boston Redevelopment Authority in the Office of Financial Empowerment. There she prepares the implementation and assessment of a financial asset-building program for low- to moderate-income earners, including tax preparation assistance.
Jody also holds an MA in Social Policy from Brandeis, a JD and an LLM in Tax Law from Boston University School of Law, and a BA in History from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Jody worked as an attorney before furthering her education and devoting herself as a volunteer and philanthropist in the city of Boston, concentrating her work in community development, homelessness, and education. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors at Beacon Hill Circle for Charity, where she chairs the Grants Committee. Jody is an active and longtime member of the Parks Committee of the Beacon Hill Civic Association and the Steering Committee of Boston Tax Help, the community coalition partnership for the IRS VITA program.
The Board is eager to tap into Jody’s expertise in tax code, social policy, nonprofits, and strategic planning as we move into the final stages of the strategic priorities and move into the next phase of planning for Brimmer.
Caroline Levine P ’18
Brookline, MA
Caroline Levine is a dedicated philanthropist and mother of two daughters, Olivia (Brimmer 11 th grader) and Tori Griffin. Caroline has been involved in the Brimmer community for years. She has served on the Board of Visitors, worked to further technology in the classroom, and helped make the new Realizing the Vision Campaign a success.
In 1992, Caroline founded the Caroline Levine Charitable Foundation to support medical research and quality of life programs primarily affecting children. In addition to supporting programs at Boston Children’s Hospital and LifeBridge Neonatal Neurology Research facility in Baltimore, Maryland, she has also served on numerous committees and boards in the fields of academia, healthcare, business and government. Her leadership skills are apparent through her strategic guidance of organizations to achieve philanthropic and scientific goals to improve and enhance the lives of others.
Caroline is perhaps most proud of her selection as a recipient of the Unsung Hero Award given to her for funding a grassroots healthcare initiative in rural Virginia.
Caroline holds a B.A. in Sociology from Emory and Henry College and several certifications in Family Systems Therapy from the Kantor Family Institute. She is currently pursuing a MA at Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work.
The Board of Trustees is excited to avail itself of Caroline's extensive experience.
Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73
Sorengo, Switzerland
Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73 is a lifelong educator who has spent the majority of her career at Franklin University in Switzerland in a variety of administrative roles. Leslie is very excited to join Brimmer’s Board of Trustees as she credits her education here for many of her interests and successes in life. She particularly remembers a course taught in the Upper School by Mrs. Sewell on Asian History. She says, “This lead to my major in college, it lead to travel, and my long career in education as an American living abroad.” Leslie has been involved at Brimmer as an alumna for years. She served on the Alumni Board, the Board of Visitors, and she has also worked with our International Director on orientation and programming for Brimmer international students. Leslie, the mother of two daughters, Frieda and Lima, is the daughter of former Brimmer Board Chair Bob Almy and Winkie Almy.
Leslie has recently retired from her full-time job as Dean of Student Life at Franklin University in Switzerland, where she worked and lived since 1984. There she was responsible for the Office of Student Life, which included Residential Life and Housing, Health Services, Athletics, Career Services, Co-Curricular programming, Food Services, Judicial Affairs, Study Abroad counseling, Parent Relations, Student Government, and Community Relations.
In addition to her Dean of Students responsibilities, Leslie also served as an Adjunct Professor in Intercultural Communications and an Independent Consultant for Cultural Connections in Gravesano, Switzerland. There, Leslie implemented cross-cultural courses, seminars, and workshops for individuals, groups, schools, and companies. She also facilitated English Language Support (ELS) teacher training workshops that included curriculum on cultural awareness.
Leslie served on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR) and co-founded SIETAR Europa. Other volunteer activities include serving as President of the Association of Adopted Families of Southern Switzerland, the Arcobaleno Humanitarian Aid Foundation, American Women of Ticino, and International Women of Lugano. She currently serves on the SAINAM Humanitarian Aid Foundation Council in Thailand and CHABA Adoption Agency Board.
Before Leslie moved abroad, she worked as the Director of Cross Cultural Programming at Purnell School in New Jersey; in Student Services at the School for International Training in Vermont; as Director of Student Activities and as a College Counselor at Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts; and in Development and Alumni Affairs at Brimmer.
Leslie holds a BA in History with a concentration in Asian Studies from Skidmore College and a MA in Intercultural Management from the School for International Training in Vermont.
Welcome back to Brimmer, Leslie! The Board of Trustees is thrilled to have an international educator, who is also an alumna, to help move the School forward in our global world.
Brimmer and May School
69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.