Miss Porter’s School

Katie joined Porter’s in March of 2019, after spending 8 years with an
early literacy nonprofit organization in Boston, MA. She received a
B.S. in Journalism from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from Boston
College Law School. Katie has worked in various roles in government
affairs and development throughout her career, and is excited to bring
these skills to the Office of Admission. Katie lives in Farmington
with her husband, Mike, daughter Maddie, son Graham, and 14-year-old
rescue pup, Bauer.

Georgia (she/they) graduated from Porter's in 2000 and went on to study Women’s and Gender Studies and Spanish at Kenyon College in Ohio, followed by a Nursing degree at New York University. Georgia is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at UMass Amherst with a focus on adolescent health and wellness curriculum and programming. Their professional interests include: stress reduction through hiking, sexuality education and wellness, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and encouraging self-care as a fundamental priority for all Porter’s students!  Georgia and her family live on campus and enjoy hiking, time spent outdoors and at their yurt in Vermont, and caring for their menagerie of rescue animals.

Michelle Coster is the Assistant Dean of Students in the Office of Student Life. Her main role is to coordinate ALL things fun! This includes aspects such as weekend activities, traditions, and student clubs. She also oversees the Nova Nine and serves as the 12th Grade Class Dean. Michelle believes that the purpose of education is to validate students' experiences and support their needs equitably. Her main goal each school year is to ensure that the students head into their summer vacation with lasting memories of joy from play with their peers. Michelle loves seeing the students smiles as they are brave and try a new activity such as singing karaoke on stage or joining a game of Ga-ga.
Michelle graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 2016 with a BSEd in Physical Education and strongly believes that her education at CCSU is what sparked her passion for social-emotional learning and wellness. Her professors imparted that physical, emotional, and mental health come before all else in creating successful young people and Michelle hopes to pass that mission and vision on to her Miss Porter's students as well. Michelle lives on campus with her wife, Sarah and their dog, Summer.

Amanda Friedman serves as the Dean of Equity & Community Life, and believes that fighting for more love, more connection, and more justice in this world means fighting for our collective humanity. What does it mean to belong? How do we learn and grow from our mistakes? In what ways do identity, perspective, and experience shape our view of the world and ourselves? These questions, and her journey to find the answers, build the foundation of what inspires Amanda as an educator. Along these lines, what she enjoys most about Porter's is the spirit of curiosity threaded through all aspects of school life. One interesting fact about Amanda is that she loves theater!

Mrs. Hillian earned a B.A. in Recreational Management from Springfield College in 2003. She began her career at an all-girls residential treatment facility, working as a supervisor and recreational activities organizer. During this time she recognized a desire to support these clients more clinically and returned to Springfield College to receive her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2006. After graduating from Springfield College, Mrs. Hillian continued her work in all-girls residential treatment as a clinician, clinical supervisor, and Interium clinical director. During her work in the residential treatment field, she also worked part-time at Westover School as a counselor, which led to her full-time position there as a lead counselor, director of diversity, and coach for multiple sports. Mrs. Hillian was delighted to join Porter’s community in 2018 as Assistant Director of Counseling. She lives off-campus with her husband, Kyle, and their three children, Kalynn, Kamryn, and Kaiden, and their dog, Kash, who is working on being a therapy dog. In her free time, she enjoys playing all and any sports, drawing, and social justice work.

It has been a joy to be part of the Porter’s community since 2011, serving as a college counselor, with some time in the admissions office as well. I’ve had the privilege of helping girls come to Porter’s and then prepare them as they move on to new adventures upon graduation. My own academic path included a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public health. Professionally, I drew on that passion for political science at The Washington Post and went on to positions in health care policy and academic administration at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University. My favorite work has centered on helping talented students investigate and plan for their own next steps. And most of all I enjoy when Ancients keep in touch to share their successes with us. At home, I live in Simsbury with my husband and two daughters.

She has an BA in Psychology and Latin American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from Bryant University. She has a certification from Boston College in Leadership for Change and a Digital Marketing Certification from Yale University. She lives off campus with her husband, Asante K. Mendes, M.D. and their four children Isabel '23, Ezra, Sarai and Matias. In addition to her background in Marketing, Ruth held roles in Human Resources, Organizational Effectiveness, and Pharmaceutical Sales. She's been an active member of the Greater Hartford Chapter of Jack and Jill, Inc. for 10 years and has served on the executive board as Community Service Chair and Editor for 8 years. She's been recognized nationally for her community service involvement and was the Greater Hartford Chapter's 2019 - 2020 Distinguished Mother. Ruth is fluent in Spanish and enjoys traveling, outdoor sports, dancing and is a second degree black belt in taekwondo.

• 2020 Undefeated dual meet season
• 2020 Founders League Champions (1st time in school history)
• 2020 New England Prep School Athletic Conference Division 2 Champions
• 2019 New England Prep School Athletic Conference Division 2 Champions
• 2018 New England Prep School Athletic Conference Division 2 Runner-Up
• 36 Founders League Champions
• 11 New England Prep School Athletic Conference Division 2 Champion

I came to Miss Porter's in 2009 as Dean of College Counseling, having previously worked in admissions and college counseling in both higher education and secondary schools. I was drawn here by the opportunity to return to an all-girls' setting, having graduated from The Ethel Walker School myself. Counseling young women as they begin to imagine the next steps in their educational and life journey is a joy and a privilege. I also serve as the Past-Chair of the Board of the National Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS) and regularly travel to colleges and universities around the country and across the world to build relationships on behalf of Porter's.

In my spare time, I volunteer for two foundations that raise service dogs for careers guiding the blind and supporting children with developmental disabilities.

Jeannie earned her B.S. in Mathematics and Economics from Haverford College. After graduating from Haverford, she worked at Pomfret School where she taught math, coached cross country and squash, and lived on campus as a dorm parent. While at Pomfret, she earned her master's degree in Mathematics for Educators at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Jeannie then worked at The Madeira School where she taught math, coached cross country, swimming, and track and field, lived on campus as a house adult, and contributed to student life as a lead advisor and diversity practitioner. More recently, she completed a dual degree Ed.M. in Private School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Before joining Porter's, Jeannie worked as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, advising large organizations across Strategy, Organization, and Leadership topics across sectors including education and social impact. She has also partnered with Enrollment, Development, and Business office leaders in schools to support student experience and drive systematic change in DEI curriculum and programming as a Partner of 120 Education Consultancy.

Kat came to Porter’s in 2015 after an early career of supporting international education both in the U.S. and in Spain, where she lived for five years prior to joining our community. Kat graduated from Holy Cross in 2011 with a double major in Spanish and International Studies and received her M.B.A from the University of Hartford in 2020. Kat is very passionate about advocating for and encouraging agency among international students as they enrich the Porter's community and supporting international families during their time at Porter's. Kat lives on campus with her husband, Pablo, daughter, Alba, and dog, Teddy, and she additionally serves as an Faculty Advisor, Assistant Dean of Equity & Inclusion, and International Student Advisor.