Administrative Team

List of 10 items.

• Ken Aldridge

  Head of School 
  B.A., College of Wooster
  M.C.E., University of Pennsylvania
  At Friends since 2014
  kaldridge@wilmingtonfriends.org
  

   

  Before being appointed Head of School, Ken began his career at Wilmington Friends as the Assistant Head for Academics and International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator.
  
  

  Ken earned a B. A. in Chemistry from the College of Wooster and a Masters of Chemistry Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He began his teaching career at George School, where he taught science in the International Baccalaureate Program, coached swimming and tennis, served as Assistant Dean of Students, and was awarded the Price Teaching Chair for Young Faculty. In 1996, Ken moved to Germantown Friends, where, prior to his administrative role as Middle School Principal, he headed the Science Department and received the American Chemical Society’s (Philadelphia Section) Excellence in Teaching Award.

  
  As an active Quaker, Ken serves as a trustee for the Kendal System and is a former trustee of Friends Council on Education. He is on the Board of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) and serves as a University Appointed Mentor for graduate students in the University of Pennsylvania’s School Leadership Institute. Ken is also the former Chair of the Board for Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that “provides disadvantaged students from Philadelphia’s under-resourced schools with the education and supports they need to access higher education.” Ken and his wife, Cassandra, have three children; one is a Friends graduate and one currently attends Friends.

• William R. Baczkowski

  Associate Head for Finance and Operations 
  A.S., B.S., Widener University 
  At Friends since 1988
  bbaczkowski@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  In 2013, Bill was one of six recipients from across the country of the Unsung Hero Award from the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), the  professional association for independent school business officers. From the NBOA web site: "This award is given to business officers who have made a significant difference in their schools. These business officers, in doing their job, exemplify a high standard of integrity, knowledge, and motivation to help their schools succeed. They are team players whose work supports faculty, staff, trustees, and administration. They are both excellent managers and true leaders. In order to be considered for this award, a business officer must have clearly demonstrated an effective mastery of his or her job. Yet more importantly, this individual must have made a significant difference to the school, its staff, and its students." Prior to coming to Wilmington Friends, Bill worked in the hospitality industry for eight years and was nominated for the Controller of the Year in 1987 when he was with AIRCOA, a multi-national hospitality management company. Bill has a B.S. from Widener University where he earned summa cum laude honors and received the Accounting Award for having the highest GPA in the major. Bill currently serves on the board of the Delaware Affiliate for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and has been the treasurer for the last 15 years. Bill and his wife Tina are the parents of three Wilmington Friends School alumni.

• Michael Benner

  Assistant Head of School for Academics;
  International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator

  B.S.,  Shippensburg University

  M.S. and Ph.D, University of Minnesota

  M.S.Ed., University of Pennsylvania

  At Friends since 2015

  mbenner@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Mike came to Friends from the Milton Hershey School, where he held a wide array of positions - director of agricultural and environmental education, co-coordinator of assessment and data analysis, and preK-12 science curriculum supervisor. Prior to Milton Hershey School, Mike was an associate professor of biology and academic director of the Teaching & Learning Center at Rider University. He has served as a senior program advisor for the Smithsonian Science Education Center and as a member of the board of trustees at The Newgrange School of Princeton

• Melissa Brown

  Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

  B.S. from Boston University

  At Friends since 2000

  mbrown@wilmingtonfriends.org

  
  Prior to being appointed Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Melissa has served as our Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid with a focus on lower school. Melissa and her husband William have three children, two of whom are students at WFS.

• Ann Cole

  Administrative Assistant to the Head of School
  At Friends since 2012
  acole@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Ann came to Wilmington Friends from Westtown School where she spent six years as Assistant to the Head of School. Prieviously, Ann enjoyed a 20-year career at Verizon Communications, in roles including Executive Assistant, Supervisor/Team Leader, and Human Resource Specialist. Ann and her husband Bob have two grown children and five grandchildren.

• Susan Morovati Finizio ’87

  Director of Communications and Strategic Marketing
  B.S., Boston University
  M.B.A., University of Delaware
  At Friends since 2006

   

  Susan originally joined the staff of Wilmington Friends in 1999 as Director of Communications. In 2002, she left the workforce to stay home with her children and work as a freelance graphic designer. She rejoined WFS in 2006 as Family Resource Coordinator and, in 2011, gained additional responsibilities as the School's Environmental Stewardship Coordinator. She was subsequently appointed Strategic Marketing Manager in the summer of 2013 and to her current role in the summer of 2017. Prior to joining Friends, Susan worked as Design Manager in the Marketing Department of Wilmington Trust Company. Susan and her husband JC are the parents of two Friends students.

• Jonathan Huxtable

  Head of Middle School
  B.A., Haverford College
  Ed.M., Harvard University Graduate School of Education
  At Friends since 2012
  jhuxtable@wilmingtonfriends.org
  
  Jonathan Huxtable, an active Quaker, became Head of Middle School at Friends in July 2012 and returned to his role as varsity baseball head coach in 2018; he had previously served the school as a teacher and coach from 1993-2002, and as Middle School Dean for Students from 1999-2002. After serving for two years as Director of Development for the Genesee Valley Outdoor Learning Center, Jon became the founding head of Friends School of Harford (MD), where over an eight-year tenure, he led the school's expansion from a single grade to a vibrant K-8 program. Jon is a former Trustee with Kendal-Crosslands Continuing Care Retirement Communities, served on the Board of the Maryland Center for Character Education, as well as the United Way of Central Maryland. Jon currently serves as a member of the Heads Support and Evaluation Committee at Friends School of Mullica Hill and as a member of the Harvard Club of Delaware Education Scholarship Committee. Jon is also a certified USA Hockey coach. Jon met his late wife Christine at Friends in 1997, and their two children are Friends students.

• Chad O'Kane

  Director of Development
  B.A., James Madison University
  M.A., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  At Friends since 2012
  cjokane@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Before being appointed as Director of Development, Chad served as Director of Capital & Endowment Giving at Friends, working to enrich the School's major gifts and planned giving programs. Chad is a member of AFP (Association of Fund Raising Professionals), and was honored with the AFP-Brandywine Chapter's 2013 "Rising Star Award" for his development work at Friends. Chad serves on the board of Paws and Affection, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children with disabilities through work and recreational activities with service dogs. Chad and his wife Laura have two young children.

• Julie Rodowsky

  Head of Lower School
  B.A., University of Maryland, College Park
  M.EE, Wilmington University
  At Friends since 2002
  jrodowsky@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Julie began her career at Wilmington Friends in 2002 as an associate teacher in kindergarten.  Since that time, she has taught second grade, first grade and most recently served as the Assistant Head of Lower School.  She taught preschool and pre-kindergarten children in North Wilmington prior to coming to Friends.  Before moving to the area in the early 1990s, Julie was the Director of Admissions and Public Relations at a girls' high school in her native Baltimore. She and her husband are parents to three children, two of whom graduated from Wilmington Friends. 

• Rebecca Zug

  Head of Upper School
  B.A., Harvard College
  M.Ed., Harvard University Graduate School of Education
  At Friends since 2010
  rzug@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Rebecca came to Wilmington from Sidwell Friends School, where she served as Assistant Principal and Upper School Dean of Students. Prior to Sidwell, Rebecca taught at Colegio Internacional de Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela; Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut; the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York; and the George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, where she taught in the International Baccalaureate program. At Harvard, Rebecca was awarded a Pforzheimer Fellowship for her commitment to public service.  She is also a graduate of the Joseph Klingenstein Summer Institute for independent school educators at Columbia University. Rebecca serves on the board of the Friends Council on Education, completed the Friends Council Leadership Institute program, and teaches a workshop on Division Leadership each summer for Independent School Management. She is an active Quaker and a graduate of Westtown School. Rebecca and her husband Jim have two children at Friends.