About

Leadership

The Winsor School has long benefited from strong, stable leadership. There have been just eight heads of school since Winsor’s founding in 1886. The trustees serve as the governing body of the school. The Winsor Corporation, part of the school’s governance structure, approves nominations to that board. Its ranks include many of the school’s most ardent and loyal supporters and ambassadors.

Sarah Pelmas
Head of School and
O’Donnell Family Chair

Sarah Pelmas is the eighth head of The Winsor School, continuing a strong tradition of visionary women as school leaders. She continues to forge and share a compelling vision for Winsor’s future.

List of 3 items.

  • Her Education

    Ms. Pelmas received her A.B. in English and Creative Writing from Princeton University and her M.A. in English and Creative Writing from Syracuse University. She earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric from the University of California Berkeley.

  • Her Experience

    Sarah Pelmas joined Winsor in July 2016 after a "profoundly fulfilling" tenure at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., one of the country's pre-eminent girls' day schools. During her six years there, she served as associate head and head of the Upper School.

    Prior to NCS, she served for a decade on the faculty and administration at San Francisco University High School, gaining experience in the many facets of school operations in her roles as dean of students, English teacher, and interim athletic director at a school known for its high-achieving students.

    Ms. Pelmas has also taught in the English departments of Stanford, Syracuse University, the City College of San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley. While her career path began in higher education, she says that a shift to independent schools taught her “how much more there is to the education when it includes the whole person.”

  • Her Passion

    “We’re in a world where girls and women are still fighting for so many things,” Sarah Pelmas reflects in her first interview as Winsor’s new head of school. “It can be difficult to watch. I feel fervent about this: I want to see women achieving more, and more often, and to know they deserve it. I want Winsor girls to get out in the world, embrace their challenges, and love and be proud of what they are doing.”

Sarah Pelmas

“Winsor has always been forward-thinking about the education of women, and has had a history of extraordinary leaders. I am so proud to join their ranks.”
Winsor Directors through the years
  • 1886-1922: Mary Pickard Winsor 
  • 1922-1939: Katherine Lord
  • 1939-1951: Frances Dorwin Dugan
  • 1951-1963: Valeria Addams Knapp
  • 1963-1988: Virginia Wing
  • 1988-2004: Carolyn McClintock Peter
  • 2004-2016 Rachel Friis Stettler
  • 2016-present Sarah Pelmas
 
 

Trustees & Corporation

List of 1 items.

  • Board of Trustees of the Winsor School 2022–2023

    The trustees serve as the governing body of the school. The Winsor Corporation, part of the school’s governance structure, approves nominations to that board. Its ranks include many of the school’s most ardent and loyal supporters and ambassadors. 

    President
    Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22

    Vice President
    Larry Cheng P’23, ’25, ’28

    Treasurer
    Lori Whelan P’23, ’25

    Assistant Treasurer
    David E. Goel P’23

    Clerk
    Elizabeth Bennett Carroll ’89
     
    Chris Andrews P’26, ex officio
    Eman Ansari P’20, ’24, ’28
    Wendy Cromwell P’21
    Polly Crozier ’92
    Jennifer Dolins P’23, ’26
    Linda Dorcena Forry P’28
    Mary Gallagher ’94
    Claire Pasternack Goldsmith ’01
    Jonathan Goldstein P’22, ’24
    Mary Beth Gordon P’23, ’26
    Lisa Jackson P’23
    Sam Kennedy P’23
    Jessica Lutzker P’25
    Mallika Marshall P’27
    Erica Mayer ’91, P’25, ex officio
    Elise McDonald P’26, ’28
    Joseph J. O’Donnell P’05, ’07
    Paresh Patel P’27, ’29, ’30
    Sarah Pelmas
    Marion Russell ’91, P’22, ’25
    Kerry Swords P’23, ’27
    Perry M. Traquina P’09, ’13
    Emily Lubin Woods ’91, P’26


    *indicates lifetime Corporator

List of 1 items.

  • The Winsor School Corporation

    Armine Afeyan ’08
    Shakeeb Alam P’27, ’30
    Martina Albright P’17
    Lee Lawrence Albright ’57, P’88, GP’17
    Susan Alexander P’03, ’05, ’08
    Desiree Allen ’98
    April Anderson P’23
    Christopher Andrews P’26
    Eman Ansari P’20, ’24, ’28
    Luciana Aquino-Hagedorn P’22
    Colette Aufranc P’20
    Hope Baker ’62
    Katharine Baker-Carr ’80
    Rajeev Balakrishna P’21
    Bhaskar Banerjee P’22
    John R. Barker P’21, ’23
    Edith Bastian P’17
    Anne Becker P’18
    Ted Berk P’24
    Leslie Cohn Bernstein ’81, P’09, ’11
    Carey Bertrand P’26
    Ami Bhatt P’25
    Brant Binder P’20
    Robert D. Brace P’73*
    Virginia O’Brien Brennan ’77
    Kerry Brennan
    Jane Brock-Wilson P’07, ’11
    Casey Brock-Wilson ’07
    Hillary Brown ’80, P’17
    Casey O’Donnell Buckley ’07
    Sarah Beatty Buller ’84
    Kiera Carlisle P’25
    Adelina Carney P’23
    Elizabeth Bennett Carroll ’89
    Jennifer Chan P’23
    Candace Cheatham P’21
    Mary Chen P’19
    Larry Cheng P’23, ’25, ’28
    Joanne Cheng P’23, ’25, ’28
    Kasia Chmielinski ’02
    Hassan Chowdhry P’26
    Julian Chun P’16, ’23
    Raymond Chung P’18, ’21
    Helen Clement P’24
    Alexandra Coburn ’82
    Roberta Cohn P’81, ’89, GP’09, ’11
    William P. Collatos P’03, ’05, ’09
    Mark Condon P’16, ’18, ’18, ’21
    Christina Condron ’92, P’26
    Karilyn Crockett ’91
    Wendy Cromwell P’21
    Michael F. Cronin P’07
    Caitlin Crowe ’89
    Patience Crozier ’92
    Edith LaCroix Dabney ’48, P’72, ’77*
    Stephan Danik P’25, ’27
    Laura Knapp Davidson ’86, P’21
    Priya Desai P’27
    Leslie Dewan ’02
    Ousmane Diop P’22
    Jennifer Dolins P’23, ’26
    So-June Donohue P’20, ’21
    Alicia L. Downey ’80, P’15
    Jeffrey D. Drucker P’18
    Scott Eckert P’24
    John R. Egan P’09, ’13
    Pamela J. Egan P’09, ’13
    Bart Epker P’13
    Carlos Estrada P’21
    Laurie Healy Ewald ’91, P’23, ’25
    Margaret O’Brien Eysenbach ’81, P’10, ’16
    Audrey McAdams Fenton ’93, P’26
    Wendy Colten Finnerty ’64, P’92, GP’25
    Maurice FitzMaurice P’23
    Valerie Glauber Fleishman ’88, P’25
    Kristin Forbes P’27
    Janel Forde ’97
    Courtney Forrester P’23
    Linda Dorcena Forry P’28
    Kelly Friendly P’21, ’23
    Maria Furlong P’20, ’25
    Christopher Gabrieli P’13, ’15, ’16
    Mary Gallagher ’94
    Nancy Gardiner P’04, ’09
    Kaitlin Yaremchuk Gastrock ’00
    Jeannie Gersen P’25, ’27
    Matthew Gibson P’21
    Thatiana Gibson P’21
    Jane Glazer ’99, P’29
    Ann Glynn P’23, ’24
    Robert Go P’27, ’30
    David E. Goel P’23
    Stacey Goel P’23
    Claire Pasternack Goldsmith ’01
    Jonathan Goldstein P’22, ’24
    Mary Beth Gordon P’23, ’26
    Michael S. Gordon P’14
    Jessica Guo P’23
    Amit Gupta P’13
    Mia Halfman P’23, ’25
    Danielle Le Hals ’03
    Larry Hamelsky P’20
    Maria Handrinos P’22, ’25
    Elizabeth Perry Harrison ’91, P’22, ’24
    Jack Hart P’15, ’17, ’19, ’22
    Brenda Haynes P’16
    William H. Heald P’18, ’21
    Elizabeth Partridge Heald ’57, P’87, GP’18, ’20, ’21*
    Kristiana Helmick ’87
    Pamela Smith Henrikson ’58*
    Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01
    Lee Bigelow Herter ’50*
    Claudia Hochberg P’23, ’27
    Jacqueline Hodge P’18, ’22
    Gemma Hogan P’23
    Karen Hong P’25, ’27
    David Humphrey P’28
    Jean Hynes P’16, ’18, ’18, ’21
    Lisa Jackson P’23
    Carrie Jenks ’94
    Hongyu Jiang P’21
    Shan Jin P’24
    Christopher Johnson P’27, ’27
    Elizabeth Johnson P’17
    Cara Grayer Johnson ’93
    Gwendolyn Kane-Wanger ’80, P’09
    Julie Ann Kaneb P’15, ’19
    Kamau Karanja P’20, ’23
    Sam Kennedy P’23
    Amanda Kennedy P’23
    Sonya Khan ’00
    Badar Khan P’27
    Joo Kim P’20, ’23
    Meshal Kirmani ’92
    Ruth Chute Knapp ’60, P’86, GP’21
    Adam Koppel P’16
    Ellen Kornmehl P’19
    Kimberly Krawshuk ’87, P’20
    Robert Kwak P’25
    Eleanor Laurans P’28, ’30
    Patricia Perrin Lawrence ’46, P’72*
    Yuchun Lee P’21
    Sarah Leggat ’75
    Joan Trumbull Leighton ’64
    Liz Lempres P’17
    Elizabeth Lewis ’96
    Adrienne Penta Lissner ’96
    Julia Livingston ’66, P’85, ’07
    Nancy Kurson Lubin ’64, P’91, ’97, GP’26
    Kate Lubin ’97
    Richard Lubin P’91, ’97, GP’26
    Jessica Lutzker P’25
    Laura MacLean P’24
    Emily Smith Magruder ’03
    Mallika Marshall P’27
    Tomoyo Matsuzaka P’24
    Jane Mayer P’91, ’95, GP’25
    Erica Mayer ’91, P’25
    Annsley McAleer P’26
    Katherine McCord ’02
    Elise McDonald P’26, ’28
    F. Warren McFarlan P’92
    Marlyn E. McGrath ’66, P’96, ’03*
    Anne McNay P’16
    Richard I. Melvoin P’96
    Anjali Midha ’98
    Bartholomew J. Mitchell P’09, ’11
    Jameson Morris-Kliment P’23
    Mary Mullen P’18, ’21
    Jeanine Murphy P’21
    Alison Killilea Neuwirth ’94
    Michele Norman P’20, ’22
    Suzanne Ranere Norris ’94
    Arden O’Connor ’96
    Kate O’Donnell ’05
    Joseph J. O’Donnell P’05, ’07
    Ethlyn M. O’Garro P’16, ’19
    Constance O’Hare P’20
    Nancy Mahoney O’Leary ’86
    Mina Okochi P’25, ’27
    Jane Hoeffel Otte ’57, P’84, ’86, GP’25
    Krishna G. Palepu P’21
    Cindy Pan P’23, ’28
    Saul J. Pannell P’07
    Paresh Patel P’27, ’29, ’30
    Ambika Patni ’98
    Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22
    Sarah H. Pelmas
    Carolyn McClintock Peter*
    Jennifer Morgan Peterson ’89, P’20, ’22, ’26
    Megan Pickette P’21
    Nancy H. Place P’20
    Keziah Robinson ’96
    Lacey Janet Rose ’06
    Elizabeth Stanton Rosen ’97
    Anne Swinton Ruggles ’85, P’14
    Marion Pantazelos Russell ’91, P’22, ’25
    Kristen Hoffman Ryan ’88, P’22
    Catherine Frankl Sarkis ’82, P’23
    Gregory Schneider P’25
    Christina Capodilupo Schwefel ’97
    Susan Simon P’16
    Georgia Simpson May P’24
    Sandee Simshauser P’17, ’20
    Forbes Singer ’72
    Elizabeth Skates ’88
    Gilda Smart P’24
    Sidra Smith ’88
    Lee Thorndike Sprague ’58
    Donald R. Stanton P’93, ’97
    Rachel Friis Stettler*
    Cathy Stone P’13
    Genevra Stone ’03
    Kristen Samuelson Stuart ’98
    Kerry Swords P’23
    Carol Taylor P’88, ’01
    Linda H. Thomas P’02, ’06
    Kamaya Prince Thompson ’00
    D. Higgins Thompson ’72
    Susannah Barton Tobin ’96
    Carolyn Kimball Tolles ’58
    Nancy Tooke P’98
    Michele Toscani P’25, ’27
    Meredith Traquina ’09
    Perry M. Traquina P’09, ’13
    Nora Ross-Johnson Vernazza ’97
    Margaret Otte Warren ’84
    Whit Washington ’07
    Leah Weintraub ’02
    Kent Weldon P’16
    Lori Whelan P’23
    Emily Woods ’91, P’26
    Elizabeth Yntema ’76
    Jeanne Yu P’24
    Bryn Zeckhauser ’89, P’24, ’27
    Aileen Zhou P’23

    *Denotes Lifetime Corporator
103 Pilgrim Rd, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 United States   |   Phone: (617) 735-9500
©2019 Winsor School. All Rights Reserved   |   Privacy Policy