Mariandl Hufford joined ESF in 2009 as the Director of Education and Program Development after a 17 year career in independent schools.  Her past experiences include being a teacher, a school counselor and an administrator.  She holds an A.B. from Bryn Mawr College, an Ed.M. from Harvard University and an M.S.ED. from the University of Pennsylvania.  Since joining ESF, she has focused on the creation of The Innovation Project as well as curricula for all other ESF programs.

John DeFlaminis, Ph.D. served 17 years as the Radnor School District Superintendent, the second longest term in modern school time, and 37 years in education. Since his retirement, he serves as the first Executive Director of the Penn Center for Educational Leadership at the Graduate School of Education at The University of Pennsylvania.

Patsy Howard served as the Headmistress at, Greenwich Academy, a highly selective girls’ school in Greenwich, CT, for 16 years until her retirement in 2004.  Currently, Patsy is a partner at Educator's Collaborative, an independent school search firm. She serves on a number of boards including the Cum Laude Society, the National Association of Independent Schools, Green Farms Academy and Hotchkiss School.

Rusty McCarty is the Chief Operating Officer and Creative Director at Destination ImagiNation, Inc. Rusty is an award-winning international educator, speaker, facilitator, trainer and leader. He has dedicated his professional life to the evolution of education and teaching creative approaches to solving problems.

Hench Murray is the former Head of School at Woodlynde School, where he served two tenures as its lead administrator. He retired in 2009 and currently serves as the Coordinator for Professional Development for the Pennsylvania Association for Independent Schools.

Cinnie Slack is a Program Director with the Decision Education Foundation (DEF) and serves as liaison with several partner schools in the area. Before joining DEF, she was an account director and strategist in the software industry, where she worked to understand the needs and culture of her partner organizations to help inform their decision making. Cinnie previously taught history and economics in independent schools as well as art history at the college level.

Gina Smith is a partner in the Litigation, Department at Ballard Spahr, LLC. Before joining Ballard Spahr, Ms. Smith served for more than 18 years as an assistant district attorney in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, where she prosecuted high-profile, complex criminal cases.

Sandy Speicher is one of the leaders of IDEO’s Transformation practice, focusing on the design of learning tools and experiences. Sandy has led and contributed to a range of programs in industries such as telecommunications, healthcare and education. Much of her work has been with school teachers, students, and administrators, exploring how design thinking can contribute to systems of P-12 education.

Lt. Gen. Martin Steele, USMC (Ret.) retired from active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1999. As a Lieutenant General, he successfully led over 10,000 men and women during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. His formula for success is his amazing ability to motivate and inspire people to be their very best. His personal decorations include: The Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D. became the sixth president of Chestnut Hill College in 1992. Recently appointed to a fourth five-year term as President of the College, Sister Carol continues to ensure that the College provides students with a holistic education marked by academic excellence, shared responsibility, personal, spiritual and professional growth.