Head of School Bill Hawkey announced the appointment of two new leaders of The Pennington School’s Alumni Association: Jacob Levy ’09 as president, and Coltrane Stansbury ’92 as vice president.
As president, Levy will also represent the alumni association as an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.
In these leadership roles, Levy and Stansbury will serve as members of the alumni association board’s executive committee, joining Diana Moore ’02, who has served as alumni association board secretary since 2020.
Levy and Stansbury have both served the school for many years as alumni volunteers. Levy has been a member of the alumni association board for over a decade, serves on the Campaign Planning Committee, and is one of the youngest members of the Francis Harvey Green Society, Pennington’s planned giving society, according to information provided by the school. Stansbury joined the alumni association board in 2015 and was instrumental in launching the school’s Alumni Diversity Committee, for which he serves as liaison to the alumni association board.
“Jacob’s passion for Pennington is invigorating, and I’m thrilled that he has agreed to lead the alumni association,” Hawkey said in the statement. “He has the energy and commitment needed right now to help grow the programs and volunteer opportunities which keep our alumni engaged and connected. With Jacob’s and Coltrane’s collective expertise, they are going to be a powerhouse team in helping build an even stronger alumni community. It’s gratifying for me to see two former students of mine taking on key leadership positions for Pennington and for our Alumni Association.”
After graduating from Pennington, Levy attended Syracuse University and co-founded Toin Coss Capital, a micro family office, in 2014. Levy lives in New York City and recently created the YouTube channel Complicated Things, which uses humor to educate professional and amateur photographers.
Stansbury lives in Edison and is the vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at MacMillan Learning.
Levy succeeds John Biddiscombe ’63, who served as president from 2014–21. During Biddiscombe’s tenure, the Alumni Association dedicated itself to the reengagement of alumni and completed an ambitious five-year strategic plan, according to the statement.
“Thanks to John’s tremendous leadership, we have been able to build a strong foundation of alumni engagement. We now have global programs, robust signature events, and this year—a pandemic year no less—we have had more than 150 active alumni volunteers and over fifty alumni speakers,” Hawkey said in the statement. “We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to John for his steady hand and seasoned leadership.”
Pennington will have the opportunity to continue to benefit from Biddiscombe’s contributions; he was named as a member of the Board of Trustees this month.