James F. Ventre '79
Director of Financial Aid and Admission Operations

Jim Ventre, Class of 1979, received an A.B. degree from Dartmouth College in 1983, then joined the Phillips Academy faculty as a teaching fellow in English and later became an admission officer. In 1986, he joined the investment banking firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He rejoined the Andover faculty in 1990 as director of financial aid. He has concurrently held the positions of senior associate dean of admission and, most recently, director of admission operations. He has served as president of the Association of Financial Aid Officers and was named Educator of the Year in 2001 by the Albert G. Oliver Foundation in New York for his work with underprivileged families. In addition to his responsibilities in the Admission Office, Ventre has served as an academic advisor, class advisor, assistant track coach and house counselor. He is presently a house counselor in Fuess House, where he lives with his family.

Debby Burdett Murphy, Class of 1986, has served as senior associate dean of admission for six years and is in her 15th year as a member of the Admission Office. Her favorite parts of the job are working with other members of the admission team and interviewing prospective students. “I enjoy meeting new people, and I am constantly amazed by the talented, diverse group of students we interview each year,” she says. Upon finishing her undergraduate education at the University of Virginia, she started working for a television station in her home state of Florida. After attending her fifth reunion at PA, she realized a career in education would be rewarding and exciting.

Murphy holds a master’s degree in education from Boston University. She is an academic advisor to several students. Her husband, Paul Murphy ’84, is an instructor in mathematics and Director of Summer Session. They live on campus with their three children, Madison, Tyler and Sydney.

Jill Bouyea joined the admission team in the summer of 2005. In 2004-2005, Bouyea served as a Teaching Fellow in French, House Counselor in Paul Revere (a large girls’ dormitory) and Assistant to the Director of Student Activities.  Prior to coming to Phillips Academy, she worked as a paralegal for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
 
During her four years at Bowdoin College, Bouyea learned a lot about the world of admissions.  She worked in many different roles for their undergraduate admission office: as a host to prospective students, a tour guide, the leader of a student volunteer organization, a senior interviewer, and even the receptionist from time to time!  Bouyea was very happy to make the transition to secondary school admissions.  She says, “What I’ve enjoyed most about my experience in the Andover admission office so far is sharing what I’ve quickly come to love about Andover: the diverse community, lively campus and the interested and talented students who attend the school.  Each makes Andover a fascinating place to live and work.”

A dedicated ballet dancer and a native of a small town in northern Vermont, Bouyea went to a large public high school before graduating from Bowdoin in 2003 with a double major in English and French.  In addition to her job as an admission counselor, she is head coach of the JV girls’ tennis team and house counselor in Double Brick House, a medium-sized ninth grade girls' dormitory. Bouyea oversees the 9th grade boarding girls' applicant pool.

Steve Carr joined the admission team in 2002. Originally from nearby Concord, Mass., Carr graduated from Amherst College in 1997 with a degree in American studies and English. Prior to coming to Andover, he lived in San Francisco, where he worked as a corporate finance analyst at an investment bank, a product manager in a software start-up company, and a director at an after-school learning center for the Score Learning Corporation.

Carr very much enjoys the interview process and finds “the chance to meet and interview a wide variety of talented young people interesting, educational and often times inspirational.” As an associate dean of admission, he reads and evaluates the 10th grade boarding boys’ applications and all post-graduate (PG) applications. Carr is an academic advisor to 10 students and head coach of both the boys’ varsity soccer and boys' varsity lacrosse teams; he enthusiastically brings his experience as an All-American athlete and collegiate two-sport captain to the Andover athletic program. He and his wife, Shayna, live on the Abbot campus.

Lisa M. Joel
Associate Dean of Admission
Dean of Abbot Cluster

Lisa Joel first joined the Andover community as the sports information director in 1993, after graduating from Amherst College with a B.A. in English. In 1995, she found her way to a new opportunity at Andover, in the admission office. As an associate dean of admission, Joel has been the class officer for day students as well as ninth grade boarding girls. During the 2007-2008 admission season, she will oversee the entering 10th grade class. What she enjoys most about her job in admissions is interacting with the families who are moving through the independent high school search. “Interviewing is a great opportunity to talk with students and their parents about educational goals and extracurricular passions,” she says. “After scratching the surface in the interview, it is fun to read in detail about students during the selection process. Once the class is admitted, the fun continues. Our entire office gears up for welcoming and matriculating another talented group of new students to Andover during our annual Spring Visit Program.”

In addition to her duties in the admission office, Joel is one of five residential deans at Phillips Academy. As Cluster Dean, she looks after the 170 boarding students and 47 day students who belong to Abbot Cluster. She lives with her family in Stowe House, an historic building which houses eight 11th grade boys. During her 14 years at Andover, Joel has lived in several different dormitories. She spent her early years as a house counselor in large girls’ dorms in Flagstaff Cluster (Day Hall and Paul Revere). Following these residential experiences, she spent three years living with ninth grade girls in Nathan Hale House. In 2005, Joel and her family moved to Stowe House.  
 
One of Joel’s favorite responsibilities at Phillips Academy is her role as head coach of the girls’ varsity soccer team. She has also spent many years coaching the girls’ junior varsity lacrosse team in the spring and serving as an academic advisor.

Dean Joel and her husband, Chris, have three daughters: Mariel, their youngest, and identical twins Hope and Emma. The Joel family enjoys spending time outdoors, relaxing at their vacation home in New Hampshire, cooking, and watching sports. Their favorite teams to cheer on to victory are the U.S. women’s soccer team, the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots and, of course, any Andover sports team. Go Big Blue!

Viv, fourth from left, is with some of her student friends.

Vivien Valenzuela Mallick joined the admission team in 1999 after graduating from Tufts University with a B.A. in English. After serving as a head tour guide and coordinator of student outreach at Tufts, she knew her college experience would lend itself easily to a career in admissions. As an associate dean of admission, Mallick oversees the day student applications. “My favorite part of the job is selection,” she says. “I especially enjoy reading the applicants’ essays and figuring out how each student would not only benefit from the Phillips Academy experience, but also contribute to the school community in different and exciting ways.”

In addition to her duties in the admission office, Mallick is a house counselor and academic advisor in Nathan Hale House, a dormitory comprised of three faculty members, 34 ninth grade girls and four 11th grade prefects. She is also the assistant coach of the girls’ junior varsity lacrosse team and a dedicated fan of the girls’ varsity volleyball team, which won the New England Championship in 2006.

Susan, third from left, is with some of her student friends.

Mantilla is an advisor to six students, instructor of a Life Issues course for 10th-graders and the head coach for girls' JV softball. She received a B.A. degree in communication and English literature from Denison University.

When Teri Moss-Tyler was in junior high, she applied to be an Albert G. Oliver (AGO) program scholar. She recalls being nervous, unsure of herself and even a little intimidated back then. While waiting to be interviewed, Teri was approached by a girl who at the time was a 9th grader at Phillips Academy; she talked with Teri about her experiences at boarding school. By the time Teri went in for her interview, she was so excited about the opportunity to go to a school like the one the girl had described and so comfortable having met someone with whom she could relate, that she was no longer nervous. After she was admitted to Andover as an Albert G. Oliver Scholar, Teri frequently went back to New York to volunteer with AGO. In her senior year at Andover, she worked closely with the admission office, planning events with the coordinator of student of color recruitment. "I used every opportunity to represent Andover and to help recruit other students because I knew firsthand how valuable sharing my own experiences and excitement was to prospective students and their families," she says.

Teri recently received a B.A. degree in Hispanic language and literature from Boston University. While at B.U, she worked for A Better Chance (Boston) as a program assistant. There she learned about independent schools nationwide and helped facilitate the application process for students and their families. She is thrilled to be back at Phillips Academy as an admission counselor. "I am very excited about reading applications and taking part in the team effort that is responsible for bringing such a talented and diverse student body to Andover," she says. Teri evaluates the 10th grade boarding applications. She is also an academic advisor and complementary house counselor in Pemberton Cottage.

José Powell returned to Phillips Academy as an assistant dean of admission in 2006, having been a post-graduate student at Andover in 1990-1991.  After graduating from PA, Powell went on to earn a B.S. in African-American Studies from Northeastern University, where he was also a member of the Division I men’s basketball team.  Most recently, he worked as an assistant director of admission and coordinator of multicultural recruitment at Newbury College in Brookline, Mass.

Powell is excited to be part of the Andover community in a different capacity, one in which he will have the opportunity to meet students from all over the country and say to them, “Let me tell you about a really cool school!” Powell evaluates the 11th grade boarding applications.   In addition to his responsibilities in the admission office, he is a complementary house counselor in Draper Cottage, a ninth grade boys’ dorm.  “I look forward to helping our Draper boys make the adjustment as boarders,” he says.  “I hope that as the year progresses they will support each other socially and academically, and that they come to realize their individual strengths but also contribute as a unit.”  Powell is also a mentor to a group of young men on campus – predominantly students of color – who meet regularly to discuss both books like The Pact and life at Andover.  He also serves as an assistant coach to the outdoor track and field team.

Stephen Silversides joined the admission team in 2006 after three years working in the Office of Admission at Colgate University, where he served as an assistant dean of admission and co-coordinator of international admission.  A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Silversides graduated from Colgate University in 2003 with a B.A. in international relations.  While an undergraduate at Colgate, he played for the Division I men’s varsity ice hockey team and frequently volunteered for the Office of Admission as a student panelist and prospective student host. 

Silversides is excited to make the switch to secondary school admission.  “I am thrilled by the opportunity to be a part of a dedicated and talented admission team who is committed to bringing an extremely gifted group of students from around the globe to the Andover community,” he says.  “Through daily interactions with this talented group, I am eager to help students realize their potential as they develop into the leaders of tomorrow.”  As an assistant dean of admission, Silversides will travel all over the United States and Canada recruiting students to come to Phillips Academy. Silversides oversees the 9th grade boarding boys' applicant pool.   In addition to his responsibilities in the admission office, he is the assistant coach of the JV2 boys’ lacrosse team and a complementary house counselor in America House, a ninth grade boys’ dorm.