We are grateful for those leading our Seize the Day campaign.
Learn more about these leaders and join them in supporting KO today.
Bradley Hoffman ’78
Co-Chair, Seize the Day Campaign
Born in Hartford, Brad graduated from Kingswood Oxford School in 1978 and Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1982, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Brad and his brother, Jeffrey, co-chair all business aspects of Hoffman Auto Group, founded in 1921.
Gayle Temkin
P’23, 25, Co-Chair, Seize the Day Campaign
Gayle Weiner Temkin is a native of New York, earned her BA in Industrial Psychology and later received her MSW in Community Organization at Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Gayle moved to Connecticut when she married her husband, Steven. They have two daughters, Alyssa, a 2023 KO graduate and current Trinity College student, and Lily, a current KO junior.
Jeffrey Gitlin ’85
P’11, ’13, ’17, Board Chair
Jeff Gitlin is a native of Hartford County, and he graduated Kingswood Oxford in 1985, where he was a three-sport captain in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. He went to Bates College where he received his Bachelor’s Degree. He has worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers since 2005 and is currently a Principal and a US Health Industries Advisory Leader.
Mary S. Martin ’77
P’17, ’20, Board Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
Mary S. Martin is a 1977 alumna of Kingswood Oxford School with deep ties to the school. Her children are graduates: Grace Amell, Class of 2017, and James Amell, Class of 2020. In addition, Mary’s mother, Grace Stephenson Martin, was a 1951 Oxford Alumna who served on the Board when the schools were planning their merger and subsequently was named Trustee Emeriti.
Gil Keegan ’88
P’22, ’27, Board Member
Kingswood Oxford graduate Gil proudly captained the KO tennis team his senior year and also excelled at ice hockey. Gil went on to continue to play tennis at William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where he graduated in 1992. After 26 years at Aetna, Gil joined the Schuster Group in 2018 as a Senior Consultant. He is now also responsible for the Employee Benefits Sales team and his role as a producer.
Avery Rockefeller III
P’00, ’02, Emeriti Co-Lead
Avery served as the KO Board Chair from 2011-2016. Avery is the co-founder of Retirement Living Services. He was responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the company, as well as heading up the new business development effort.
Marc Shafer ’75
P’08, ’15, ’17, Emeriti Co-Lead
Growing up in Hartford, Marc Shafer is a member of the Kingswood Oxford Class of 1975, generally considered to be the greatest class in KO history. Marc got his start with the Dun and Bradstreet Corporation in their semiconductor research division, which led to a career as an entrepreneur where he led large geographically dispersed organizations.
Tom Dillow
P’21, ’22, ’26, Head of School
Tom, his wife Deirdre, and his four sons, Finn, Ronan, Aidan, and Tadhg joined the KO community in July 2018 from Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he was the Assistant Head of School and Head of the Upper School. Prior to his tenure at Shorecrest, Tom held a number of positions of increasing responsibility at the Lawrenceville School.
Dina Plapler
Director of Institutional Advancement
Prior to assuming the role at Kingswood Oxford as the Director of Institutional Advancement, Dina served as the executive director for Connecticut and western Massachusetts for the American Heart Association. Prior to that, she was the vice president of development and alumni relations at UConn Health.
Additionally, The Board of Trustees guards the School’s mission by ensuring its relevance and vitality while monitoring Kingswood Oxford’s success in realizing its mission.