Faculty and Staff

Though Brian hails from the Philadelphia suburbs, he considers himself a New Englander at heart. After attending Bates College in Maine, Brian spent two years working in outdoor education at YMCA Camp Coniston before starting his career in Admissions at Dublin School in Dublin, NH. Brian then went on to work in admissions and financial aid at both Princeton Day School and Cardigan Mountain School before joining the Brimmer and May community in 2012. At Brimmer, Brian oversees Admissions and financial aid, is a member of the Advancement team, and serves as an Upper School advisor.

Brian is an active member of the Enrollment Management Association, the Clarity community, and local and regional collaboratives. When not at Brimmer, Brian enjoys spending time with his family in the outdoors, long-distance running, spinning, and skiing.

Jessica grew up in Northern New Jersey and is proud to be independent school–educated. Prior to joining Brimmer, Jessica worked for three years in admissions at her alma mater, The Dwight-Englewood School, in New Jersey, and for six years at The Spence School, in New York City. After receiving an M.A. in mental health counseling from NYU, Jessica spent time working as a psychotherapist at a small practice in New Haven, Conn.

For Jessica, independent schools have always been an environment in which she thrives and is her best self. At Brimmer, she appreciates the comradery among faculty and staff and enjoys the feeling of contributing and adding perspective to the Brimmer community.

Carl became a middle school educator because he was passionate about working with adolescents during this important developmental stage as they are exploring who they want to be. He believes in personalized instruction, collaboration across disciplines, helping students find their passion, and emphasizing character education. 

Carl had been an educator at Brimmer for 10 years before becoming the Head of Middle School in 2015. He previously served as the Middle School Drama Director, Humanities Teacher, and Dean of Grade 8. In 2021, Carl became the Assistant Head of School, where he partners with the Head of School on implementation of the Head’s vision and goals and the development and execution of strategic initiatives  He also oversees hiring of faculty PK-12, manages the School’s mentor program for new faculty and staff, leads to School’s Emergency Response Team, and is responsible for the culture and climate of the faculty and staff experience.

 

He enjoys working at Brimmer because of its outstanding faculty, motivated students, and the School’s mission to create globally minded, empathetic leaders for tomorrow. He likes that students can take risks in Brimmer’s safe, supportive environment, where they are taught that they can learn as much from challenges as from strengths and successes. Because Brimmer focuses on the whole child, students can thrive in all aspects of School life: academics, the arts, athletics, and individually as young people.

Carl is a member of the Association of Middle Level Educators (AMLE) and has attended several of their conferences. He has also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Art of Leadership summer institute. 

 

Carl is also a Brimmer parent. His son, Brennan, is in 10^th grade. Outside of school, Carl is a certified spin instructor and enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with his husband and two children. He also is active with organizations like the Matthew Shepard Foundation, amfAR, and Sandy Hook Promise.

Kimberly knew from a young age that she wanted to be an educator. Before she came to Brimmer as the Head of Lower School, Kimberly enjoyed a year of substitute teaching in area independent schools. Prior to that she was at The Park School in Brookline where she enjoyed teaching Grades 1 and 2, directing The Park School Apprentice Program, serving as coordinator for Park21, co-leading the Self Study, and co-founding and co-directing PSite (Park School’s Institute for Education). Before her time at The Park School, Ms. Formisano worked at the Cambridgeport Children’s Center and The Country School.

 

Kimberly is devoted to DEIB work, serving as a board member of the IRT (Institute for Recruitment of Teachers). IRT is an organization focused on empowering talented underserved and underrepresented future educators to teach and serve as leaders in American education because diversity is essential to excellence. Additionally, she is a facilitator for the Impact Collective, an organization that addresses the racial wealth gap. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont and an M.Ed. from Boston University with a specialization in policy, planning, and administration.

 

In her free time Kimberly loves to walk with friends, spend time with her family (her husband Jim, and children Ellie and Thacher), and biking. Kimberly is thrilled to be leading Brimmer’s Lower School, where she can prioritize relationship building and demonstrate a true and constant passion for learning and teaching.

A dedicated educator for over 35 years, Judith Guild believes deeply in the life-changing power of a strong educational foundation. She possesses an exceptional work ethic, holds herself to a high standard of professional excellence, and always keeps the students we serve at the center of all her decisions. An expert in literacy and building reading fluency, she first joined Brimmer in the 1980s teaching English, including AP English Literature, before being named Head of School in 2012, elevating every aspect of Brimmer’s academic program for grades PK-12. Her vision led Brimmer to embrace what are now key tenets of our educational philosophy, such as project-based learning and global education.

Judy believes that Brimmer is a community of learners, where people are encouraged to take risks, be thought leaders, create content, and make a difference in the lives of others. To support this belief, she actively recruits, cultivates, and supports faculty as one of her annual top priorities.

Additionally, during her time as Head of School, Judy has successfully led two strategic planning initiatives and two capital campaigns. Her tenure has seen the construction of the Hastings Center, an Innovation, STEAM, and Media Center with vibrant community spaces and an elevated Dining Commons, and the upcoming Recreation & Wellness Center to be opened in spring 2026.

A voracious reader, deep thinker, and precise editor, Judy is generous with her knowledge, her time, and her spirit. In addition to her responsibilities of running the School, she mentors members of the Administrative Team, observes classes in all three divisions, and attends countless games, concerts, performances, and community events, while always making time in her busy calendar to meet with students, parents, faculty, staff, and Board of Trustee members. She encourages people to read her blog and listen to her podcast to become familiar with her philosophy and thoughts on what she believes are the best practices in education today.

Judy received her Bachelor of Science from SUNY Oswego and her Masters in American and British Literature from Harvard University.

Julian had his first experience with the world of education early in his career while working at a local CPA firm where he focused on non-profits and independent schools. A native of Martha’s Vineyard and graduate of Bentley University, Julian joined Brimmer after serving as Director of Finance at Oath Pizza, where he drove growth and operations in a competitive startup environment.

 

As Brimmer’s Chief Financial Officer, Julian oversees the business office and Brimmer’s facilities. He blends finance and operations to ensure that resources are protected and deployed effectively to achieve the School’s mission of developing lifelong learners.

 

Outside of Brimmer, Julian enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing golf, and getting back to Martha’s Vineyard as much as possible.

As an educator, Joe seeks to inspire intellectual curiosity, help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills, promote “unanxious expectation,” meet the student where he or she is, and support and challenge them to progress.

Joe has been an independent school educator in a variety of roles for 40 years. A member of the Brimmer community since 1998, Joseph served as Head of the Middle School and Upper School before becoming the Assistant Head of Academic Affairs. His world travels, particularly with Brimmer students, have provided him with a global perspective and understanding that he uses to support Brimmer’s Global Studies Program and teach International Relations, an Upper School course.

Joe enjoys working at Brimmer because it is a vibrant learning community with a dedicated faculty and motivated students. He values his interactions with students and colleagues, as well as the opportunity to work with the College Counseling Team and be a student advisor.

He is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association. Joe has taken government courses at the Harvard Extension School as well as participated in a National Endowment for Humanities Symposium for Teachers and the JFK Library Summer Institute for Teachers.

Joe's interests include hiking, bicycling, world politics, movies, baseball, travel, spending time with family, reading, and writing. As a resident of Waltham, he has served on the board of the Friends of the Waltham Public Library and coached community baseball and basketball teams for more than 15 years. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors for North Waltham Baseball and the Newton Athletic Association. In 2014, Joe was honored with the Jane Falk Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service for his work with the Massachusetts Association for the Blind.

The question “How does an educator be both challenging and nurturing?” is central to Josh’s beliefs as an educator. He views his role as to challenge students to develop academically, socially, and as leaders while supporting them along the way. His experiences as Teacher, Coach, Associate Dean of Students, Department Chair, Director of Innovation, and Upper School Head have allowed him to develop a well-rounded view of teaching the whole child.

A native of Albany, N.Y., Josh’s early academic career focused on science. He attended Albany Academy where his father was the science department chair. He was a chemistry major in college, where he won an undergraduate research award. After doing research for two years at Boston University, he decided he wanted to move into a more people-centered path: teaching.

Elizabeth was introduced to independent schooling at an early age as both of her parents were independent school educators. Before joining the Brimmer team in 2011, she was the director of annual giving and a campaign strategist at a junior boarding school west of Boston. Prior to that, she worked in advertising and marketing for 15 years as an account director at several Boston communications firms.

At Brimmer, Elizabeth uses her marketing, strategic, and relationship skills to achieve meaningful goals to advance the mission of the School. She has helped lead Brimmer through two strategic plans and completed a Capital Campaign in 2017 over goal that resulted in the Hastings Center Addition to and a Faculty Innovation Endowment. Under her leadership, the endowment has increased threefold and she has also worked with her department to more than double the Annual Fund over the past 10 years.

Elizabeth is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, and Women in Development. She has been the class agent for her Amherst College class for 25 years, and served as the reunion chair for her 10th and 25th reunions at Amherst.

When she is not at Brimmer, Elizabeth enjoys reading with her book club, walking her dog, cooking, and spending time with her family.