Meet the Alumni Office

List of 9 members.

• 

  Josephine Burri 

  Director of Development

  Phone/Extension: 610-581-4650

  Bio

  Josie came to Shipley from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she was Vice President for Institutional Advancement. She previously spent many years working as a fundraiser for performing arts institutions, after having earned degrees in Flute Performance and Arts Administration. 
  
  

  Josie is originally from Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, which explains her subtle Southern accent (that’s right, y’all!). She now calls Bala Cynwyd home, where she resides with her husband Michael and ten-year-old daughter Renate.

  
  
  

  Q. Describe your job at Shipley. 
  
  

  As Director of Development, I’m a member of Shipley’s Central Administrative Team and report to the Head of School. I oversee the Office of Development, which is responsible for cultivating relationships among alumni and parents, building a sense of community, and generating annual, capital, and planned giving support for the School. 
  
  
  

  Q. What do you like most about working at Shipley? 
  
  

  Working at Shipley means to be valued for your strengths and to be supported in your efforts to grow.  It means to be part of a nurturing community that pushes you to strive to do your best, always, for the good of the whole and not just for yourself.  It also means that you’ll never eat lunch alone, unless you want to. (And, by the way, the meal will always be amazing!)

  
  
  

  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why?
  
  

  My favorite alumni event is Alumni Weekend, particularly the Alumni Awards All-School Assembly, where our Upper School students have the opportunity to ask the award recipients questions about their lives after Shipley. Each answer is a gift beyond measure for the students.

  
  
  

  Q. What do you wish that Shipley alumni knew about the Shipley of today?
  
  

  I wish alumni knew how the School’s motto, “Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing,” continues to be as relevant among our students today, as ever. Even though the Shipley looks different than it did, say, 50 years ago -- co-educational and a day school -- the essence is the same.
  
  
  

  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete the VIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being? 

  
  

  My top character strengths are Kindness, Love, Honesty, Social Intelligence, Curiosity, and Fairness. They enable me to do my job as an authentic human being, who enjoys making good things happen.
  
  

  
  

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself. 

  
  

  In addition to being a Filipino/Caucasian-American with a slight Southern accent, I am a dual-citizen of the U.S. and of Switzerland! I was named after my great-grandmother, Josephine, who emigrated to Iowa from the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, as a teenager in the late 1800s. 

   
• 

  Elizabeth Block 

  Leadership Gifts Officer

  Phone/Extension: 610-581-4655
• 

  Melissa Keiper 

  Associate Director of Constituent Engagement

  Phone/Extension: 4243

  Bio

  Melissa joined Shipley in the spring of 2018 as the Assistant Director of Constituent Engagement and has been loving it ever since.

   

  Melissa grew up in Bucks County and went to college at the University of Rochester where she earned a BA in Music with minors in Business and English. After college, she worked at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia for over 6 years in both their Development and Education departments.
  
  

  When she is not at Shipley, Melissa enjoys time with her friends and family, traveling, and going to music and theatre performances.
  
  

  Q. Describe your job at Shipley.
  
  

  As a member of the engagement team, I work on both alumni and parent events at Shipley, including the Spring Auction, Alumni Weekend, Secret Garden Tour, Golf Outing, Shipley Shops, Regional Alumni events, and more. For these events, I manage the logistics, develop and execute a marking plan, and work with our amazing volunteers, while supporting the engagement efforts of the office.  
  
  
  

  Q.What do you like most about working at Shipley?
  
  

  My favorite part about working at Shipley is the community you are instantly welcomed into when you start. It is a community that celebrates colleagues for all that they are, not just the talent and knowledge they bring to their position. I love it when we have events with a jam session – colleagues from all different departments bring whatever instrument they play and come together to create some great music for the rest of us to kick back and enjoy!
  
  
  

  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why?
  
  

  My favorite alumni event is the lunch we hold on Saturday of Alumni Weekend. For the past few years, the weather has been perfect for holding a BBQ outside. I love looking around and seeing alumni reconnect with each other, kids running around with the magic show and face painting, and a great community feeling in the air.
  
  
  

  Q. What do you wish that Shipley alumni knew about the Shipley of today?
  
  

  I hope when alumni come back and see the Shipley of today, they still see and feel that the values that the Shipley Sisters founded the school on are still at the heart of the school. Though the campus and people on campus have changed through the years, the core values haven’t changed.
  
  
  

  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete theVIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being?
  
  

  My top Character Strengths are Love, Kindness, Gratitude, and Perseverance. I find all of those strengths help me in working on events, especially Perseverance. You never know what bumps in the road you are going to come across, so knowing that I can continue to work through those bumps really encourages me to do my best. 
  
  
  

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself.
  
  

  The first job I had was at Sesame Place, where I spent 5 summers performing as different characters! No matter how hot it got, nothing beats a job when you get hugs all day long. 

   
• 

  Mary Ellen Keyser 

  Director of the Annual Fund

  Phone/Extension: 610-581-4670
• 

  Debra Polykoff 

  Development Administrative Coordinator

  Phone/Extension: 4163

  Bio

  Debbie started her career off as a trained dental hygienist and worked in the dental field for 8 years before having her first child. In 1986 she started working for a Quaker independent school in their Development Office. She worked there for 18 years until her last child graduated from the school. Debbie then moved into the Advancement Department at Swarthmore College. She found out that she missed the smaller independent secondary school environment and joined Shipley’s Development team in 2003. Debbie has been with Shipley’s Development team for 17 years now!

  
  
  

  Q. Describe your job at Shipley.
  
  

  My main responsibility is processing, logging, reporting and creating deposits for all gifts to Shipley. In addition, I prepare all donor acknowledgements for the appropriate signature. I also ensure our database is current by processing updated addresses, marriages, deaths, name changes, along with trying to track down lost constituents.

  
  
  

  Q. What do you like most about working at Shipley?
  
  

  There are many things I like about working at Shipley. But, my top like is that Shipley is an honest, caring place to be. It’s like a second family. They truly stand by their mission statement. That’s why I have been here for 17 years!

  
  
  

  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why?
  
  

  Alumni Weekend is my favorite event because it’s the largest event that alumni attend. I really enjoy seeing the different age span of alumni coming back to campus and getting to hear all their stories of past years. 

  
  
  

  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete the VIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being? 
  
  

  My top character strength (at the moment) is Love of Learning. I am a visual learner. I need to see the how and why. I soak information up. I love to see how things work and why they work that way. I will take objects apart and put them back together just to see how it works. I am thankful for Google, YouTube, and books when I cannot figure something out.

  
  
  

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself. 
  
  

  I am married to a magician, complete with live rabbits and doves. It’s been a “magical” 41 years of marriage!

   
• 

  John Rebstock 

  Director of Advancement Services

  Phone/Extension: 4657

  Bio

  John is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University (Political Science ’05) and George Washington University (Political Management ’07). Having spent six years learning the ins and outs of politics, he immediately dropped all of that, taking a position at Philadelphia University as a Prospect Researcher. John remained with PhilaU through their merger with Thomas Jefferson University, leaving in 2018. He joined Shipley in May of 2019, and is still getting used to having an office with windows.

  
  
  

  Q. Describe your job at Shipley.
  
  

  The Director of Advancement Services position is mostly inward-focused, though I’m always happy to help with anything. Within the department, I have oversight responsibility for our database, making sure we’re using it to the fullest potential, and that our information is as accurate as possible. I provide prospect research and portfolio management for our major gifts and annual fund teams, I write many of our acknowledgment letters, I pull information out of the database and run analytics, and I oversee the gift entry and acknowledgment process as a whole. Beyond that, after scrupulously avoiding math for years in school, I maintain our internal budget. 

  
  
  

  Q. What do you like most about working at Shipley?
  
  

  Ever show up somewhere and just know, immediately, that you belong? I had that happen to me three times in my life: When I visited Devon Prep the first time, when I toured Johns Hopkins, and when I came to Shipley for my first interview. The community here was open and welcoming, the position offered me the chance to develop a broader base of skills in my field, and I knew I was somewhere I could make a difference. Everything I liked about the institutions that shaped me, I could see reflected at Shipley, and that feeling never left.

  
  
  

  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why?
  
  

  I’ll be honest, my answer could very easily change since there are a good number of important events that I haven’t had the chance to experience yet. Of the ones I have seen, though, I quite enjoyed Alumni Weekend. It was great seeing people have the chance to connect after, in some cases, dozens of years, and from a purely selfish perspective, being able to listen to a presentation on our history before I even got started was a huge help to me in recognizing the names of people who were critical figures in Shipley’s development. 

  
  
  

  Q. What do you wish that Shipley alumni knew about the Shipley of today?
  
  

  Shipley has changed over the years, obviously; I’ve only been here a few months, and already I’ve been through a Head of School change. One thing I’d want people to know is that we know not only who we are, but who we’ve been, and the work we’re doing today builds on what’s come before. Specific policies may change, elements may require greater or lesser focus over time, but the core goals never change: developing students who are proud of their school and are well-equipped to face the challenges to come. 

  
  
  

  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete the VIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being? 

  
  

  Of my top 5 character strengths, four are pretty clearly tied to my work life directly: Honesty, Kindness, Teamwork, and Humility (I could probably crowbar Fairness in there, too, but that’s a bit more abstract; the others are quite directly applicable.) Honesty, in this context, is more than simply not lying: it’s about being who you are and acting in a genuine manner. I tend to function well in a supporting role, helping provide others with the tools they need, and as long as I’m willing to put in the work to get those tools for my teammates, that covers Kindness, Teamwork, and Fairness. Do my part, help others, and don’t try to make it all about me: if I’m doing those things well, I feel pretty good about myself and where I’m going.

  
  
  

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself. 

  
  

  My immediate instinct is to be snarky and say “no,” but I suppose I can give it a shot. I’ve been involved in music and theatre for as long as I can remember; one of the groups I still perform with today, the Notre Dame Players, I started with when I was 3. I’ve also done musicals with the Players Club of Swarthmore, and am a member of the Kelly Street Chorus, a men’s chorus founded in the 1880s by Victor Herbert, the composer of Toyland.

   
• 

  Leila Safford 

  Assistant to the Director of Positive Education, Student Support and SEED, Coach

  Phone/Extension: N/A

  Bio

  Avery graduated as a student from Shipley in 2012 and returned as a colleague in 2017. After graduating from the University of Richmond in 2016, Avery moved to France to live and work abroad for a year. She came back to Shipley just in time for the all colleague positive education retreat in 2017 and the start of preseason. Along with her work with the Positive Education initiative, Avery spends time working in the Development Office, and is the varsity field hockey coach, JV squash coach and JV lacrosse coach.
  
  

  Avery has a long history of Shipley in her family. Her mother, Leila Cleaves Safford, graduated in the class of 1981, her aunt, Amy Cleaves Milanek, graduated from the class of 1983, and her youngest aunt, Ann Safford Crosswhite, graduated from the class of 1988. In addition, Avery’s grandmother Leila Cleaves (Peck), was the founder of the horticultural club, known as Sprouts, and worked here for over 20 years. Avery is also a proud member of the Alumni Council!
  
  
  

  Q. Describe your job at Shipley. 
  
  

  My job is a little hard to describe! At Shipley I wear a couple of different hats: I coach three sports, I work with Dr.  Sharron Russell helping to implement Positive Education at Shipley, and I spend some time in the Development Office working on our alumni engagement. Being involved in all these different entities allows me to see a bigger picture of Shipley that not many people have the chance to see. 
  
  
  

  Q. What do you like most about working at Shipley? 
  
  

  For me, my favorite part about working at Shipley is the community- everyone is very welcoming and genuinely interested in you as a person, rather than just a colleague. As a coach, I love the relationships I am able to create with my players on and off the field. Knowing that they are a rock star on the field and then watching them perform in a musical, concert or at another sport at a high level, is something you don’t often see at other schools. 
  
  
  

  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why? 
  
  

  My favorite alumni event is the Thanksgiving games hosted on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is an event I enjoyed while I was a student at Shipley, and now as the head field hockey coach, I am in charge of organizing. Seeing my current players and past teammates come together is really special.
  
  
  

  Q. What do you wish that Shipley alumni knew about the Shipley of today?
  
  

  I wish alumni knew the impact of positive education on Shipley’s colleagues, students and the entire community. When talking to alumni, most reminiscence on their relationships made with classmates and teachers. That has always been something that has allowed Shipley to stand out from other schools in the area. One of the key pillars of Positive Education is relationships and how building these foundations can enhance your wellbeing. Teachers care a lot about their students and cherish the bonds made each and every day. Now that I am both an alumnae and a colleague, I can really see how that foundation is something that will never change about Shipley, regardless of the years that pass by. 
  
  
  

  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete the VIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being? 

  
  

  My top character strengths are Kindness, Teamwork, Leadership, Social Intelligence, and Forgiveness. I am able to use these strengths on a daily basis, allowing for personal and professional growth. Knowing my own character strengths and those of my colleagues has given me an opportunity to get to know myself a little better and have closer relationships and interactions with my colleagues and players. 

  
  

  The VIA Institute on Character website has a plethora of information on the 24 character strengths, some strategies on how to explore and boost your strengths, and how to apply these strengths in your daily life. Shipley has also created a “Positive Education Monthly Theme” slideshow that highlights one character strength each month, giving colleagues the opportunity to learn in more detail about their strengths.  

  
  
  

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself. 

  
  

  Hmm, this is always a hard question! A fun fact about myself is that when I travel, I love to explore using a city map rather than my phone GPS. Getting “lost” in a city and discovering it through that lens allows me to live in the moment and really see what the city has to offer. I recently went to Australia with Brandon Jacobs, Sharron Russell and Sue Manix on a Positive Education work trip- they probably have some different things to say about my methods of living in the moment!  
  
  
• 

  Alexandra Schwartz 

  Alumni Engagement Coordinator

  Phone/Extension: 4155

  Bio

  Ali joined the Development Office on her birthday in the summer of 2019! While she is new to Development, she is not new to Shipley. Ali was a “lifer” at Shipley—starting Kindergarten in 1996 and graduating in 2010. She was a coxswain on the boys' and girls' crew teams at Shipley, and continued coxing for the women’s crew team in college at the University of Pennsylvania. She stayed at Penn for two more years, earning a Master of Science in Education in 2015 and a Master of Philosophy in Education in 2016, and interned at Shipley with Student Support.
  
  Ali decided to explore the world of development after speaking with another Shipley alumna about her experience. The stars aligned, and just as she started looking for a new career, the Alumni Engagement Coordinator position at Shipley opened up and Ali has been loving her new role ever since.
  
  
  Q. Describe your job at Shipley.
  
  I get to do a lot! I primarily work on programs and events focused on engaging our alumni with the School. I help plan our regional events in different cities across the country as well as local events in Bryn Mawr and Philadelphia. I also manage our online alumni networking platform, Shipley Connect, our @shipleyalumni Instagram and Facebook pages, and make sure our alumni contact information is up-to-date. Additionally, I support the other events that the engagement team puts on, like Shipley Shops and the Spring Auction.
  
  
  Q. What do you like most about working at Shipley?
  
  The people. Shipley has always felt like a second home, and even though some of the faces and spaces are new, I always feel comfortable and welcomed by the Shipley community. Even though my office is in Brownell, away from the classrooms and teachers, I am always learning something new. Working in a school, but not in the classroom, is a really unique experience because I see how invaluable each member of the community is for Shipley to function.
  I also love that as an alumna, I get to work in a role geared towards engaging alumni. I’m in a unique position that the better I do my job, the better my own personal experience is. A prime example is that while my job requires me to help plan Alumni Weekend, I’m motivated to make it better than ever because it’s also my 10-year reunion!
  
  
  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why?
  
  My favorite alumni event is definitely Thanksgiving Eve! A lot of alumni – my friends included – have moved to cities across the country and the world, which makes coming back to Bryn Mawr challenging. Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity for our alumni to reconnect around campus while they’re home visiting family. Every year we host a Thanksgiving Eve event the night before Thanksgiving and so many alumni show up to reunite. I had so much fun planning and coordinating the event this year that I almost forgot that it’s also an event for me as a young alumna!
  
  
  Q. What do you wish that Shipley alumni knew about the Shipley of today?
  
  I wish alumni knew how important Shipley’s core values have remained to students and colleagues. When I was a student, we used to joke about how often the word “community” was thrown around when describing Shipley. As a lifer, this “community” was all I ever knew, and I didn’t recognize its significance and rareness, until I went to college. Even though the classrooms look different (especially in the Middle and Upper School where everyone has a laptop!), Shipley is just as rigorous, supportive, and value-driven as ever.
  
  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete the VIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being?
  
  

  I am so proud to work at a school that values personal well-being as much as Shipley does. Some of my top character strengths are love of learning, humor, curiosity, and creativity. I use these character strengths regularly.
  
  
  

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself.
  
  I am related to Bob Marley through my maternal grandfather... Damien Marley is my second cousin once removed!
  
  
• 

  Valerie Twomey 

  Director of Constituent Engagement

  Phone/Extension: 4618

  Bio

  Valerie grew up in Texas and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (Communications). After graduation, Valerie moved to Manhattan but assured her family that “she would be right back”. She met the nicest man in the world, married him, and then spent the next 13 years in Asia, living in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam. They had two incredible kids and fit in as much travel and adventure as they possibly could before coming back to the States in 2016 and settling in Bryn Mawr. Her family in Texas is still waiting.    
  
  

  Q. Describe your job at Shipley.
  
  

  I actually have the best job at Shipley. I am the Director of Constituent Engagement, which means that I get to travel and meet a lot of interesting and amazing people. The Shipley community is unlike any other I’ve experienced. Our alumni are thoughtful and kind, and are doing such incredible things around the world.
  
  

  I’m currently working on a project that I am very passionate about, called the Boarders Project. I get the honor of speaking with some of the most fascinating women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting: the women who lived at Shipley as Boarders and grew up in these hallways. Their stories are just as incredible as you might imagine. These meetings are, by far, my favorite part of my job. I always learn so much. There is great perspective and wisdom in their stories. Honestly, sometimes I can’t believe I get paid to do this work. 
  
  
  

  Q. What do you like most about working at Shipley?
  
  

  When I first arrived at Shipley, I thought, “Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing” was a really nice motto. After 3 years, I see that it is much more than that. It’s a guiding principle for our students, colleagues, and alumni. They are very simple but powerful words; do what is right and do it in a kind way. That pretty much covers how to win at life! 
  
  
  

  Q. What is your favorite Alumni event and why?
  
  

  I love the alumni regional events. It’s a real privilege to get to meet our alumni and it’s so gratifying watching them make connections in the cities where they are currently living. Some of these connections have led to new jobs, new friendships, or a rekindling of old friendships. Our new Head of School, Michael Turner, always says, “Wherever there are 3 or more Shipley alumni in one place, it becomes Shipley”.  I love that. We are bringing Shipley to our alumni all over the country. 
  
  
  

  Q. What do you wish that Shipley alumni knew about the Shipley of today?
  
  

  I wish our alumni could all meet our current students. I think they would be very proud of the Shipley of today. These kids are amazing and although the School has definitely changed throughout the years, the strong values that Shipley has always instilled remain intact. It’s a very special place, full of thoughtful and kind kids who are already changing the world with their actions. I had the pleasure of attending a student government retreat this year and I was blown away by the deep thinking and brainpower in that room. Our students are articulate and thoughtful and want to be sure that everyone at Shipley feels included and welcomed.    
  
  
  

  Q. Over the past 3 years, Shipley has embarked on a school-wide Positive Education initiative. Students and colleagues alike were asked to complete the VIA Character Strength survey to recognize their top 5 strengths. What are some of your top character strengths and how do you use them to enhance your well-being?
  
  

  I am a huge fan of the Positive Education initiative at Shipley. This is cutting edge science that really reaches to the heart of happiness and success in a person. What we know now is that well-being is directly tied to a person’s performance, whether that be academically or professionally. This is very powerful information with huge implications. Part of the Positive Education practice includes identifying your natural character strengths and understanding how you can use them to achieve your goals in life. I wish I had this information when I was in school! I would encourage anyone who is reading this to click the link above and learn about your own character strengths. 
     

  My top character strengths are humor, love, and perspective. I use them daily, at home and at work. I strongly believe that it’s okay to have fun, wherever you are in life. It doesn’t take away from the importance of the work to enjoy the steps and the process. Savor each day and don’t let missteps and small failures get you down. Forgive yourself, learn your lesson, and move on. And, if you can, try to find something funny about it. Laughter helps.   
  
   

  Q. Give us one fun fact about yourself.
  
  

  I’ll give you three fun facts:
  

  1. I’m the world’s worst basketball player. I played 4 years and never scored one point. 
  2. I am both an Eagles and Cowboys fan.  
  3. I wish everyone had a chance to go to a school like Shipley. I think the world would be a much different place.