Foundation directors

The American School in London Foundation was organized for charitable and educational purposes and primarily furnishes financial and administrative support by employing and administering the teachers and administrators who are seconded to and work at the American School in London Educational Trust Limited.

The American School in London Foundation is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a not-for-profit/501(c)(3) organization (US tax ID 13-6258480) and provides US tax benefits. The Foundation’s board of directors has complete control and discretion over the use of all contributions and has the right to redirect contributions in the event it determines that to be warranted.

For information on how to support the American School in London Foundation, click here.

Questions? Contact Susan Alekhin
+1-609-452-0990 x 377
c/o ISS
15 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08543
USA

ASL Foundation director profiles

President: Barry M. Sabloff P ’00 ’05

Barry, a former trustee of the American School in London, 1993–97, has served on the ASL Foundation Board since 1998. In 2015, he took on the role of president. Barry’s children, Nicholas ’00 and Claire ’05, attended ASL from February 1993 until February 1997. A retired executive vice president and head of the international group of Bank One (formerly First Chicago and now merged with JPMorgan Chase), Barry is vice chair of Marquette National Corporation and Marquette Bank. He is also a director of the American School in London Foundation (UK) Ltd. and a trustee and treasurer of Columbia College Chicago. Barry holds a BA in economics from Trinity College and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Barry lives in Chicago, IL, with his wife, Anne.

Albert D. Angel P ’83 ’85 ’93

Al and wife Carole were ASL parents from 1977 to 1985, when their sons, David ’83, Eric ’85 and Robert ’93, attended the School. Al is a former VP for public affairs at pharmaceutical company Merck and retired chairman of Axonyx, Inc. He served on ASL’s Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1985. In 1990, he was elected to the board of the ASL Foundation. Al is a graduate of Brooklyn College and holds a law degree from Yale Law School. He is vice-chair of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra board and on the national board of National Jewish Health (Denver). He and Carole live in Manhattan and West Orange, NJ.

R. Derek Bandeen P ’07 ’11 ’12 ’17

Lisa Bennett P ’05 ’07 ’09

Alison Blood P ’07 ’08

Alison, former chair of ASL’s Board of Trustees, has served on the ASL Foundation Board since 2012. Her daughters, Alyssa ’07 and Alexis ’08, attended ASL from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Alison was a trustee from 1999 to 2010, serving as chair, 2004–08. Alison, a graduate of Georgetown University, serves on the board of the Georgetown Scholarship Program (GSP). A former investment banker, Alison lives in New York, NY, where she serves on the board of non-profit CityMeals on Wheels and Yonkers Partners in Education.

Biff Bowman P ’11 ’13 ’15

Timothy Craighead P ’08 ’14

Tim has served on the ASL Foundation Board since 2005. He and wife Debra were ASL parents for four years from 2000. Their daughter, Megan ’08, attended the School from Grade 5 to Grade 8, and their son, Robert ’14, from K1 to Grade 2. Tim holds a BBA from James Madison University, where he graduated in 1984. He went on to study at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and graduated with an MBA. After completing his studies, Tim joined Goldman Sachs, where he worked until 2008. Based in London, Tim is director of research for content at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Linda Ely P ’06 ’08 ’13

Linda and her husband, Rick, first joined ASL in 1993 when their daughter Bridget ’06 entered Grade 1. The family left ASL in 1995, but returned in 1997 when Bridget joined Grade 4 and Joseph ’08 began Grade 2. Deirdre ’13 joined the School in 2002 in Grade 2. Linda was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2002 and served until 2013. After returning to the US, she was elected to the ASL Foundation Board. Linda graduated with a BA in chemical engineering from Cornell University. She holds an MBA from the College of William & Mary. Linda and Rick are based in Hanover, NH.

Brad F. England P ’02 ’02 ’07

Brad was an ASL trustee from 1998 to 2000, and has served on the ASL Foundation Board since 2000. Brad was co-head of SchoolWorks, the first ASL capital campaign. He and his wife, Diane, were ASL parents from 1995 to 2000. Kevin ’02 and Jessi ’02 were ASL students from Grade 6 to Grade 10, and Kelley ’07 attended ASL for Grades 1–5. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Brad is co-founder and managing partner of real estate investment firm Monitor Finance. He started his career at General Mills, subsequently joined Merrill Lynch's Investment Banking Group (1986-2002), and was Head of capital markets and investment banking at Piper Jaffray (2002-06). In 2006, he founded his current firm. Brad holds a BSB from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

John R. Farmer P ’91 ’94 ’97

A retired Goldman Sachs partner, John and wife Tawna joined the ASL community in 1988, along with three of their four children, Margaret ’91, Heather ’94 and John ’97. Their daughter Ashley remained in the US to complete her higher education. Four of John and Tawna’s nine grandchildren are currently attending ASL. John was a member of ASL’s Board of Trustees, 1989–2005, serving as chair from 1993 to 2004. A graduate of Washington and Lee University, John served on the university’s board for 10 years. He has been a trustee of Occidental College, Los Angeles, since 1995 and served as chair of the board for a three-year term from 2010 to 2013. Based in San Francisco, John serves on the board of governors of the Commonwealth Club of California and was chair from 2014 to 2016. He is also a trustee of the npr Foundation, Washington, DC.

Lori E. Fields P ’08 ’10 ’14

Lori moved to London in 1998 with her husband, Marlin, and three children, Nathan ’08, Devin ’10 and Thomas ’14. Lori was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2003, serving as board chair from 2008 to 2014, and stepped down in 2015. She was elected to the board of the ASL Foundation after her return to the US. In her early career, Lori worked as a trial attorney in the honors program of the US Department of Justice, and later became assistant special counsel to the US House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary. Lori studied as an undergraduate at Stanford University and received her law degree from the University of Virginia. She and Marlin are based in New York, NY.

Margaret Grandy P ’93 ’96 (ASL 1988-2009)

Margaret and her husband, Arthur, joined the ASL community in 1985 when their sons, Jeffrey '93 and Nicholas '96, joined Grade 5 and Grade 2. In 1988, Margaret took on a position in the admissions office at ASL and worked at the School until 2009, serving for many years as director of admissions and more recently as associate head of school. Margaret joined the ASL Foundation Board in 2015. A California native, Margaret holds a BA from Raymond College and an MA and MLS from UC Berkeley. She and Arthur reside in Sonoma, CA.

William C. Mules (ASL 1998-2007)

Bill Mules was ASL’s sixth head of school, 1998–2007. He has served on the ASL Foundation Board since leaving ASL. Before moving to London, Bill and wife Mimi were based in Morristown, NJ, where Bill was head of the Morristown-Beard School from 1992 to 1998. Bill served as head of school, 1976–92, at his alma mater McDonogh in Baltimore, MD, where his children, Rebecca and Blake, graduated in 1990 and 1992 respectively. Bill holds an AB from Princeton University, a master’s in education from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in education from the University of Virginia. Bill and Mimi are based in Baltimore, MD.

Janet Newkirk P ’05 ’12

Janet and David Newkirk were parents at ASL from 1991 to 2005. Their son, Edward ’05, attended ASL from K1 through Grade 12, while daughter Alice ’12 attended from K1 to Grade 5. Janet joined ASL’s Board of Trustees in 1995. She stepped down from the Board in 2007 and was later appointed as a director of the ASL Foundation. Janet holds a BA from Carleton College and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. She has also studied computer science and psychotherapy at Birkbeck, University of London, and Middlesex University. Janet and David live in Charlottesville, VA.

William A. Obenshain P ’92 ’92

The Obenshain family joined ASL in 1985 when Greg ’92 and Andrew ’92 began Grade 6. Bill and wife Penny left ASL in 1990 at the end of the boys’ Grade 11 year to return to Chicago. Bill was a member of ASL’s Board of Trustees for two years from 1988. He joined the ASL Foundation Board in December 1990, and served as president from 1994 to 2016. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Bill is chairman of the board of visitors of financial services with Bank of America and previously Continental Bank, Bill is now chairman of the advisory board of the Center for Financial Services at DePaul University. He also serves as chairman of the Naval War College Foundation, UK based MV Credit, The Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago and Truth in Accounting. He is a director of the TimeLine Theater Company. Bill and Penny live in Chicago, IL.

Stephen Potter P ’06 ’10

Stephen Potter and his wife, Ann Suker Potter, joined ASL in September 2002 when their son, Stephen ’10, entered Grade 5, and their daughter, Claire ’06, began Grade 9. The family spent a total of seven years at ASL. Stephen joined the Foundation Board in February 2018. He is vice chairman of Northern Trust Corporation, having served previously as president of Northern Trust Asset Management, based in Chicago, and as head of Northern Trust’s international businesses during his tenure in London. Stephen is a graduate of Duke University, where he majored in economics and history. He also holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

William L. Scheffler ’66

An alumnus from the class of 1966, Bill Scheffler joined the ASL Foundation Board in January 2005. He attended ASL for Grades 11 and 12. Bill went on to study at Bucknell University where he graduated in 1970 with a BA in political science. Bill also holds a JD from Syracuse University. Bill is a retired corporate attorney, an author of two books, and an active member of the Westport, CT, community where he lives with his wife, Ann. The couple has two children, Elizabeth and Annie.

Jacques Soenens ’89

Susan J. Wilen P ’92 ’96 ’01

Susan was ASL’s first chair of the school’s development committee. She was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1995, serving until 2004. Susan was appointed as a director of the ASL Foundation in 2008. Her three children, Elizabeth ’92, Oliver ’96 and Amanda ’01 attended the School. Based in New York, NY, Susan is campaign director at Friends Seminary, and she is owner and principal of the fundraising consultancy firm SJW Consulting. Susan holds a BA from Temple University.