Board of Trustees - The Gunston School

Board of Trustees - The Gunston School
Board of Trustees
2025-2026
Executive Committee
Joe Janney, P’21,
Chair of the Board and Treasurer
Jim Shifrin, P’21’21,
Vice Chair
Jill Caron, P’17,
Secretary
Pat Parkhurst ’88, P’18’21’23,
At-Large Member
Jill Caron, P’17
Megan Cook, P’22’24
Tim Faff, P'23'26
Tom Hipp
Joe Janney, P’21
Chris McClary, P’21’23
Betsy McCown, P'11
Justin Nonemaker, P'27'29
Pat Parkhurst ’88, P’18’21’23
Jim Shifrin, P'21'21
Patrick Shoemaker '03
Dr. Nina Wagner-Johnston, P’23'24
Ildi Watkins, P'26'28
Secretary
Advancement Committee Member
Building and Grounds Committee Member
Jill Caron, P’17 has served on Gunston's Advancement Committee since 2016. Jill has worked at the Kent School in Chestertown, where she lives, in various roles since 2004. An avid swimmer, Jill has also served as the Co-President of the Sho’men Swim Club as well as President and VP of Kent School Parents, Teachers, Friends (PTF) Association.
Governance Committee Member
Megan Cook, P’22’24 is President of the Easton Town Council, Co-founder of CarePacks of Talbot County, and the assistant coach for the Easton High School tennis teams. Megan has a B.S. from the University of Rochester, and an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Vermont. She lives in Easton with her husband and three children. In addition, Cook serves on multiple boards including as the Finance Chair for the Neighborhood Service Center, the Secretary for Junior Achievement, and the board of the Salvation Army.
Co-Chair of the Building and Grounds Committee
Tim Faff, P'23'26 is a managing partner at Precision Contractors. After an apprenticeship with a historic restoration company, Tim went to work for one of the top custom home builders in the country. In 2012, he co-founded Precision Contractors to fill a need for high-end builders with efficient project managers. From seeing a new set of plans, making the final touches just right, and ensuring all expectations have been met, Tim’s passion lies in overseeing every aspect of the job.
Finance Committee Member
Tom Hipp had a thirty-two-year career in the financial services; most recently in the hedge fund of funds area.  He was Head of Institutional Sales and Client Service for Nantucket Multi Managers, LLC, a boutique alternative investment firm based in Michigan.
Prior to joining the firm, he worked at Attalus Capital in Philadelphia, where he was Director of Institutional Sales and Client Service responsible for client service and marketing to public and private pension plans, endowments, and foundations. Previously, he worked with The Haverford Trust Company and Oak Associates, LLC. Tom currently serves on the Board of The HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Philadelphia.  He has also served on the Board of Trustees at the ALS United of Greater Philadelphia. And was the Senior Warden at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Wayne, Pennsylvania. He attended Denison University, where he graduated with a BA in Economics and met his wife, Libby.  Tom splits his time between Devon, PA  and Centreville, MD.
Board Chair and Treasurer
Chair of Finance Committee
Governance Committee Member
CWS/Sustainability Committee Member
Joe Janney, P’21 is retired after a 25 year career at Oracle Corporation, one of the world’s largest software and technology companies. Most recently at Oracle, Joe was Vice President of Application Sales. He is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying boating, fly fishing and hiking. Joe and his wife, Martha, and their son Carter, live on the South River in Annapolis.
Buildings & Grounds Committee Member
Governance Committee Member
Board President for Kent School, 2010-2019 & Trustee Emeritus
Gunther & McClary Real Estate, owner
Born and raised on the Sassafras river, Chris McClary, P'21'23 graduated from Muhlenberg College with a B.A. He enjoys all water sports as well as running, yoga, and basketball.
Chair of Governance Committee
CWS/Sustainability Committee Member
Betsy McCown, P’11 is the Associate Director of Echo Hill Outdoor School in Worton, Md. She earned a B.S. in Community Leadership and Development from Springfield College, Springfield, MA.
Finance Committee Member
Justin Nonemaker, P'27'29 is co-founding partner of ShoreGate Partners, a privately held real estate company based out of Easton, Maryland. Prior to founding ShoreGate Partners, Justin was a Managing Director for Meritage Properties, a private equity firm focused on commercial real estate investment, and also spent nearly four years with Goldman Sachs working within the Equities Division.  Justin graduated from Colgate University in 2002 with concentrations in both Economics and Spanish.
Outside of professional experience, Justin has served on The Country School Board of Trustees, with five of those years as the Board Chair.  Justin also recently completed a six year tenure on the Board of Trustees for the Avalon Foundation in Talbot County. Justin and his wife, Chesley, have three children and currently live in Saint Michaels.
At-Large Member
Chair of Advancement Committee
Governance Committee Member
Mrs. Patricia Parkhurst ’88, P’18’21’23 currently teaches Art at The Country School and has served on several area boards including the Kent School Board of Trustees, RiverArts KidSpot, Gunston's Second Century Capital Campaign committee and Co-chaired the Strategic Planning committee. An alumna of Gunston, Pat lives in Centreville with her husband, Steve, and their three children. She earned her M.A. in Art Education from the Art Education University, Certificate in Fundraising from George Washington University, and B.A. from Roanoke College.
Vice Chair
Co-Chair of the Building and Grounds Committee
Jim Shifrin, P'21'21 is the Director of Product Development and Innovation at Dixon Valve in Chestertown. Jim has a BSME in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Jim resides in Chestertown, and he is the father of twin boys.
Finance Committee Member
Building and Grounds Committee Member
CWS/Sustainability Committee Member
Patrick Shoemaker joined the Board of Trustees in 2012. After graduating from Gunston in 2003, he studied Electrical Engineering at Bucknell University. In 2007, Patrick founded Vector Data Systems, an ISP and VoIP provider for business and government customers in the Washington, DC region. Vector later became part of PEAKE Technology Partners, an IT managed services provider catering to healthcare organizations throughout the US. In addition to sitting on the board of PEAKE, Patrick currently serves as president of Accurant Cloud Services, a cloud infrastructure provider serving the US electric power sector. Patrick lives with his husband, Nathan, in Annapolis, and enjoys international travel, exploring the Chesapeake by boat, and all things technical.
Governance Committee Member
Dr. Nina Wagner-Johnston, P'23'24 is Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and HIV-related lymphomas. Dr. Wagner-Johnston serves as the Director for the Lymphoma Drug Development Program at the Johns Hopkins University. She received her baccalaureate degree in nursing from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and earned her MD and completed her residency training at the University of Chicago. She performed a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Wagner-Johnston was an Assistant Professor at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Advancement Committee Member
Ildikó (Ildi) Watkins, P’26’28 retired from the US State Department after a long career serving domestically and overseas. Ildi held various positions, and last served as Deputy Director of Language Testing at the Foreign Service Institute.  Ildi is President of the Gunston Parents’ Association and Treasurer of The Chris Lantos Foundation, a pediatric cancer non-profit. She lives in Easton with her husband and their two sons and participates in the Talbot County Garden Club and Eastern Shore Community Rowers.
Ildi earned a B.Sc. from the Budapest University of Economics and Business, a B.Ed. from the Eötvös Lóránd University in Budapest, Hungary and a M.A. in Organizational Management from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Emeritus Board Members
Jim Clauson
Stoney Duffey
Mitch Fry
Penny Hatten
Alexandra Totten
James Wright