Kata studied cellular and molecular biology at Connecticut College and has enjoyed sharing her love of these topics by teaching biology, chemistry and human anatomy and physiology at KO. She has also studied community psychology, abnormal psychology, and family therapy at the University of New Haven. Kata has worked in the Dean’s Office at KO for over a decade and loves the work she does to support students in their personal growth and development and engagement in the community. She lives in West Hartford with her husband (and fellow KO faculty member) David Baker, their two children, and their dog Dobby. 

Josh Balabuch is a true believer in the benefits of athletics. Not only does it provide a healthy lifestyle, but it also teaches sportsmanship, collaboration, and most importantly, “a mental release from everyday life.” He feels that sports can reinforce learning in the classroom, especially for those learners who are more hands-on. A college athlete, Josh was the goalie of his university’s soccer team. He is still an avid sportsman, playing golf, ice hockey, soccer, and basketball. In his free time, when he’s not playing sports, he loves to watch college and professional sports on t.v., spend time with his family, and even mow the lawn.

Brett has extensive experience in higher education, including senior-level financial roles at Elms College, Mercy University, and the University of Hartford. In these roles, he provided oversight of all financial and administrative operations, including human resources, facilities, technology, and campus safety. Prior to his career in higher education, Brett worked in public accounting and the financial services industry. Brett is a certified public accountant in the State of Connecticut.
 

Kathy came to KO almost right out of college with a desire to share her love of the French language and culture with her students. Her first international experience was at Colby College, which profoundly changed her worldview and understanding of culture and how people live and work together. She said, “Everything I know about teaching I learned at KO. I have learned so much about teaching and working with young people from my colleagues and, even more importantly, from the students with whom I’ve worked over the years. I hope I can inspire them to travel and experience other cultures at an early age.”

Susan started her career as a teacher of English as a foreign language at a private school in Taiwan. She went on to start an independent educational consulting business, where she guided students from China and Taiwan through the application process for boarding schools, undergraduate colleges, and graduate programs in the United States. After obtaining her doctorate in education, she helped establish a new boarding school in downtown Los Angeles where she was responsible for recruiting students from around the world.

A 1984 graduate of Bates College majoring in French, she earned her master’s in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Loeb brings a diverse array of both teaching and administrative experience to schools from her former positions at Choate Rosemary Hall, KO, where she worked for 17 years, New Haven Reads, Miss Porter’s School, and One Schoolhouse. A highly collaborative leader, she specializes in curricular improvement and professional development and strives to create a school environment that encourages everyone to question, to laugh and play, to work through conflict, and to embody passion.

Sherri has over 30 years of administrative support experience in various fields, including engineering, insurance, recreation, the arts, and education. She is a Connecticut notary public and past president of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools’ Commission of Head’s Assistants. She is the mother of two KO students, a KO football mom, and enjoys books, movies, trivia, being outside, and spending time with her family, friends, and cats.

A Wyvern at heart, Sean attended the KO Middle School and holds fond memories of his time here. Prior to joining us. Sean was the associate vice president for development at the University of Hartford, where he successfully solicited a $2 million capital gift from a corporation, the corporation’s first such gift to a higher education institution. While there, he also secured other high-value capital gifts for the construction of a new building and increased annual fund participation. Sean is deeply involved in the local community, volunteering at Hartford Hospital, The Bushnell Park Foundation, and the Hartford Hospital Young Leaders Advisory Council, among other organizations.

Rich comes to KO from Wesleyan University where he served as the lead coordinator in the office of Equity and Inclusion and pre-collegiate services. He drove DEI strategy and programming in this position and promoted an inclusive campus culture. He designed and implemented programs for first-generation and low-income students and families related to college access, internships, scholarships, and career readiness. Before Wesleyan, he was the interim DEIB director at Meriden Children First, a non-profit, where he led the strategic planning process of DEI commitment and action to improve cultural awareness and increase inclusivity and representation of underrepresented students and parents.

Jackie, KO’s director of marketing and communications, has worked in marketing, advertising, promotion, and special events for several major consumer brands, including Mattel, Swatch Watch, Tanqueray, Dewars, and MTV. She has also served as the head of marketing and operations for HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, a major entertainment industry event that cultivated fresh talents like Ray Romano, Dave Chapelle, and Jack Black. One of the best aspects of her job is meeting with the students and discovering and writing about their passions and interests. Her daughter, Sophia, graduated from KO in 2015 and attended the University of Richmond.

Ann came to KO 18 years ago after teaching at several other independent schools across the U.S. The one consistent thing in all her experiences is that she is able to share her love of learning with students. “I love figuring out how I can create lessons that will get students engaged and excited about math. I love watching students learn a complex concept and the excitement and pride they feel in the moment when they finally get it!” she said. She wants students to enjoy and love the process of learning. She has taught math in middle schools and high schools and even taught teachers how to teach math at the college levels. In addition, she loves working with other teachers on curriculum and helping to create a comprehensive math program. Outside of school, Ann enjoys visiting family, traveling, hiking in National Parks, reading, knitting, and watching anything on BBC. She has one goal: to see all the Major League Baseball parks, although her favorite team resides in the Bronx.