Alumni

List of 6 members.

• 

  Randy Bertin 

  Head of School

  978-827-7101

  rabertin@cushing.org

  Bio

  Randy Bertin has been a leader in independent boarding schools for the past two decades. He served for seven years as Head of School at Besant Hill School of Happy Valley in Ojai, Calif., before he assumed the role of Cushing Academy’s 13th Head of School on July 1, 2018. 
  
  Prior to becoming Head of School at Besant Hill, Dr. Bertin held multiple leadership positions there including Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Director of Advancement, and Assistant Head for Advancement. He also served as the school’s varsity basketball coach from 2007-2011, earning CIF-SS Division V coach of the year in 2010. During a seven-year career at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, Mass., Dr. Bertin’s many roles included Certified Athletic Trainer, Residential Faculty, Teacher, Coach, Dean, Director of Athletics, and Development Officer. 
  
  Recognized for his leadership during his tenure as Head of School at Besant Hill, Dr. Bertin was honored with the 2017 CASE District VII CEO Leadership Award. He is one of only two independent school heads to receive this award. An expert in the areas of International Fundraising and school leadership, he has presented a number of times on these topics and several others, including the Head of School’s Role in the Admissions Process, Integration and Immersion of International Students at Boarding Schools in the United States, and Perceptions of Independent School Leaders in California: Global Issues. 
  
  He lives on campus with his wife, Karen, and their four children.
• 

  Brett Torrey 85

  Director of Alumni & Parent Relations

  978-827-7239

  brtorrey@cushing.org

  Bio

  Brett Torrey, a four-year member of the Class of 1985, returned to Cushing Academy in the fall of 2015. Brett also served the school as Assistant Director of Student Affairs and as Athletic and Residential Director for the Native American Preparatory School (a Cushing summer program) in New Mexico from 1989-1991.

   

  A graduate of Springfield College and Framingham State University, Mr. Torrey has extensive experience in independent schools. A former special education and physical education instructor at Burr and Burton Academy in Vermont, he had a long run as a Physical Education instructor and administrator at The Fay School in Southborough, Mass., where he also served as a dorm head and coached varsity football. He then served as vice president of Concierge Services for Students in Boston, a role in which he managed the daily operations for the private firm, specializing in home-stay and vacation programs for students in over 25 boarding schools. He also acted as a consultant for many of the firm’s families regarding school placements for both prep schools and colleges.  Mr. Torrey returned to boarding schools as Director of Athletics and Afternoon Programs at Cheshire Academy, where he held a distinguished career from 2003 until 2015. His extensive responsibilities at Cheshire included managing the athletic department’s staff, budget, and facilities both on campus and off, as well as and an athletic and afternoon program with 60+ teams and activity offerings. At Cheshire, Brett also taught health, freshman seminar, and middle school physical education. Additionally, he helped design a multi-million dollar athletic and student center, and served as an advisory senior administrator, dormitory parent, class advisor, and coach of numerous teams.

   

  Brett maintained ties to Cushing through his service as a loyal alumnus, as an Alumni Council Member, and the lead class representative for the Class of '85. Brett lives on campus with his wife Laura and son Kyle; the Torrey’s older son, Matt, graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2018.
• 

  Jennifer Cronin 

  Communications and Events Coordinator

  978-827-7082

  jecronin@cushing.org

  Bio

  Jennifer Cronin oversees events and communications for alumni and parents. Previously she worked in public programs and special events in the Boston area, served as a political aide at the Massachusetts State Senate, and has taught college English as an adjunct faculty member. She holds a BFA in Communications/Writing from Emerson College and an MFA in English/Creative Writing from Syracuse University. She lives locally with her husband and three daughters.
• 

  Keo Kirby 

  Director, Development Services

  (978) 827-7184

  kkirby@cushing.org
• 

  Karen Lemieux 

  Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator

  978-827-7153

  klemieux@cushing.org

  Bio

  Karen Lemieux has been a member of the Cushing community since 1992.  After working for three years in the Academic Office, she took ten years off to be home with her children. In 2006, she returned to work in the library. In 2012, she joined the Development Office as Administrative Assistant.
  

   

  After living on campus for many years, Mrs. Lemieux and her husband, Bruce Lemieux '85, (Cushing’s Director of Technology), now live just a few miles off campus with their children Tim ‘13, Katherine ‘15, and Kevin.
• 

  Xiaofen Qiao 

  Classical & Modern Languages - Dept. Head

  978-827-7364

  xiqiao@cushing.org

  Bio

  
  Dr. Xiaofen Qiao, a veteran teacher of foreign language and a native of China, serves as Mandarin Teacher and Development Associate at Cushing. Dr. Qiao has a strong record of success at the high school and college levels as a teacher of Mandarin and English as a Second Language. She has taught at the Middlebury Monterey Language Academy in Vermont, the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, the Central New York Chinese School in Syracuse, New York, and at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology in Beijing.  

   

  Dr. Qiao earned a B.A. in English from North China University of Technology, an LL.B. in Diplomacy from the China Foreign Affairs University, an M.A in Education from the School of Education at University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction also from the School of Education at the University of Delaware. On the subject of foreign language curriculum and instruction, Dr. Qiao has presented at professional conferences such as the Annual American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies Conference, the Annual Curriculum and Pedagogy Conference, the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, and graduate research forums at the University of Delaware and Harvard University. Dr. Qiao's work has been published in a number of professional journals and she is the author of a textbook chapter published through the Chinese Ministry of Education.