Chris Arnini is a classically trained print designer who caught the "Web" bug and never looked back. As a professional developer, he has worked with integrating many social platforms such as Flickr, Twitter and Facebook into a unified platform. He is an active contributor to several open-source CMS projects, with his current favorites being Joomla and Drupal. He lives in Brattleboro, VT, with his wife and daughter.

Peter Baron is the founder and president of AdmissionsQuest, an online resource for families who are working through the independent school admission process. Through the years, Peter has transformed AQ into a rich environment for families to find timely, unbiased information and for schools to connect with site visitors via a range of social media inspired tools. Peter blogs at AQ’s onBoardingSchools and edSocialMedia.com, and hosts the regular podcast series, Boarding School Podcast.

With more than three decades of marketing communications experience, Julia Brennan has been Kimball Union Academy’s Director of Communications since 2003. She worked at several large advertising agencies in her native Montreal before moving to New England in 1980. She was a consultant for a number of years, working both in the private and public sectors. She has worked with clients ranging from large national corporations both in Canada and the US including Burlington Hosiery and Canadian Pacific, to small entrepreneurial local businesses, and even a national historic site. Before joining Kimball Union Academy in 2003 she was Marketing Communications Manager at Wild Apple Graphics, an open edition art publishing house in Woodstock, VT. Prior to that she was Director of Communications at Ascutney Mountain Resort in Vermont, where she also served as Director of Skiing for a number of years.
 
Since joining Kimball Union, one of her primary focuses has been exploring new and creative ways to improve the school’s communications with its constituents. She is particularly interested in innovative and effective ways to communicate electronically. She sees integrating social media networks into school communications plans as a compelling and dynamic opportunity, particularly when targeting younger alumni.

Director of Stewardship at Proctor Academy since 2002, Kim Hurlbutt creates donor experiences that are unique, customized and highly personalized for all leadership donors. Her team is recognized nationally as the prototype for effective electronic communication that utilizes technology for human outcomes, sending more than 100,000 communications annually.

Kim has a degree in business administration and training in human resources. She joined the Wow! Institute team in 2002 as a speaker and presenter, teaching Proctor’s stewardship model to hundreds of nonprofits. In addition, she speaks at many conferences, such as ISANNE and CASE.  Kim lives in Andover, N.H. with her husband and three-year-old son.

Neil Isakson is director of external communications for Worcester Academy. He has responsibilities that include media relations, publications, the school Web site, and marketing. A former longtime journalist, he earned his B.A. from Assumption College in Worcester, MA. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council for New England Regional Independent School Communicators (RISC). His work has earned recognition from the New England Press Association (NEPA), and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Division 1. He has been a RISC speaker and panelist on Crisis Communications; a presenter at the annual WhippleHill Users Conference, speaking on the nexus of technology and communications; and a Web site judge in the CASE D1 annual communications contest.

As the Product Manager for Integration and Forms & Commerce, Jill relies on more than four years of experience at WhippleHill. Jill previously worked as both a Support professional and project lead. She also worked with our Applications Department on getting the Backroom to Podium conversion process in place. Her experience in both the Support and Production departments has helped her gain extensive knowledge of WhippleHill's software and allowed her to spend time training and interacting with WhippleHill's ever-growing client base.

Tucker Kimball is the Director of Communications at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine, where he oversees development and admissions public relations and marketing. Tucker joined Gould in 2007 after managing communications at the Maine Technology Institute, a state-funded economic development organization. He also worked as a communications specialist at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. His background includes work as a newspaper staff reporter, freelance writer and English teacher.

Curt Lewellyn is the Information Technology Coordinator at The Fessenden School in West Newton, Mass. In this role, Curt has played a crucial role in transforming the school's communications strategy through the use of innovative technology. His responsibilities also include managing the Web site and helping to facilitate the effective use of technology throughout the school. He coaches soccer, hockey and lacrosse. Former roles at Fessenden include science teacher, advisor and Annual Fund Director.

Steve Ritchie is the Chairman and co-founder of The Proof Group and edSocialMedia.com. Steve has spent more than eight years working and consulting with schools on administrative technology. Prior to that, he was a teacher, coach and dorm parent at two New England independent schools. He brings an independent school alum perspective to social media strategy as a graduate of St. Paul’s School. Steve blogs at ProofGroup.com and edSocialMedia.com.

Antonio Viva is the Associate Head of School at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA. He served as the Academy's Chief Information Offiver from 2002-05. Prior to joining Worcester Academy, he worked as a Senior Research and Development Associate at Education Development Center Inc. on a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education to develop a model of comprehensive school reform and technology integration in the classroom. In 2006-07, he was selected as a NAIS/E.E. Ford Foundation Fellow for Aspiring Heads of School. He has presented workshops at NAIS, The Laptop Institute and the TABS Conference. He is co-managing editor and a regular contributor to edSocialMedia.

Travis Warren is the president and founder of WhippleHill in Bedford, NH. Growing up, computers were the family business. From teletypes to Ataris and Apples, to Windows and the Internet, Travis had a front-row seat to the evolution of computing as we know it. Travis is a graduate of Proctor Academy and attended Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh. After college, he spent five years working for his father's software company before leaving to start WhippleHill. His ability to apply technology to communication has helped WhippleHill evolve from a home-page company to a Web platform that drives communication for more than 300 private K-12 schools worldwide. He frequently speaks about technology and the Internet to school boards and member organizations, such as NAIS, CASE and TABS. He lives in Amherst, NH, with his wife and four children, as well as their Scottish terrier, Sophie. Away from work, he enjoys coaching football, digital photography and serving as a trustee for his alma mater, Proctor Academy.

Over 33 years at Proctor, Chuck Will has served the school as History Department Chair, Academic Dean, Director of Admission and Director of Communication. In this latter role, he is a leader in the electronic communication revolution, crafting customized "push pages" for the school's various constituencies, while maintaining his prototypic weblog, "Chuck's Corner."