A graduate of Beloit College (BA, 1976) and Columbia University Graduate School of Business (MBA, 1980), Steve enjoyed a 36-year career as a fixed-income investment professional. His experience included proprietary trading at a U.S. Treasury primary dealer, managing open- and closed-end mutual funds and institutional portfolios, and serving for 14 years as a principal in an emerging-market debt investment fund. He also managed emerging-market debt portfolios for an institutional investment manager.
A resident of Rowayton since 2016, he previously lived in Larchmont, New York, for 28 years. He and his wife of 45 years, Cynthia (Cindy) Graham Landis, have two married daughters and three granddaughters living in Darien and Rowayton Woods. Cindy, a graduate of Vassar College and Columbia University Graduate School of Business, is a retired real estate professional and former manager of Houlihan Lawrence’s Bronxville office.
An avid and accomplished sailor, he belongs to the New York Yacht Club, Cruising Club of America, Storm Trysail Club, and Norwalk Yacht Club. He previously chaired the New York Yacht Club’s Crossing Committee and served as treasurer and Cruise Committee chair of the Norwalk Yacht Club. His sailing accomplishments include podium finishes in Bermuda races in 2017 and 2018. He is also a former rock climber.
He looks forward to becoming more involved in the Darien community and drawing upon the considerable talents, experience, and interests of its residents.
Tim West has been a resident of Darien since 1998, having previously lived in Rowayton for 10 years. A longtime supporter of Darien youth sports, he served on the board of Darien Youth Lacrosse, coached numerous travel teams, and co-founded the Blue Wave Buddies program for first- and second-graders with Mike Connelly.
Tim is one of four boys, all of whom grew up in Darien and attended the Darien public schools. He began at Ox Ridge Elementary School and graduated with distinction before moving on to Middlesex Middle School. At the time, Darien had two middle schools—Middlesex and Mather, which was located on the site of the current Town Hall. Tim graduated from Darien High School in 1981.
Born and raised in Maryland, Peter Knipp attended Princeton University before pursuing graduate studies at the University of Chicago. He began his professional life teaching physics, first at the college level and later in high schools. He subsequently embarked on a second career as a web-development software engineer and has now moved on to what may—or may not—be his final career, as a pickleball instructor.
Peter J. Blank has made Darien his home for more than fifty years while pursuing a distinguished career in creative direction, design, and branding. He earned degrees in mathematics and advertising design from American University, followed by an MFA in advertising design from Pratt Institute.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Jay Shutts moved to Darien with his family in 1960 and has maintained close ties to the community ever since. He graduated from Darien High School in 1977 and earned a degree in Economics and Business from the University of Richmond in 1981.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, where he attended public schools, Sargent has called Darien home for the past forty years. He graduated from Columbia College in 1966 and earned his MBA from Columbia Business School in 1968.
Basil first became acquainted with Darien during his college summers, when he taught sailing at Noroton Yacht Club. Raised in Larchmont and New Rochelle, New York, he eventually made Darien his permanent home with his family after returning to the United States in the mid-1980s following several years in London.
Bob Lindberg and his wife Pamela have lived in Darien since 1990. Their 2 daughters went through the Darien school system, K-12. Their oldest daughter lives in Portland, Oregon and is the mother of 2 lovely grand daughters. Their 2nd daughter is a successful architect and designer based in Providence, RI. Pamela is an artist with a studio in Norwalk.
Mark McCarthy grew up in Springfield, Mass. He met his wife Leslie while attending graduate school in Chicago. They have lived in Darien for 32 years, and raised their three sons here. All three, Connor (32), Brad (30) and Ryan (27), attended the Darien public schools and were active in Post 53, lacrosse and golf throughout their school years. Today, they live in Manhattan, and Mark’s oldest son Connor is engaged, with a wedding date set for July 2027.
Allan Andersen was born and raised in Denmark, where he lived until 1997. A competitive swimmer and squash player in his youth, he remains an avid scuba diver today.
Jim Baclawski and his wife, Rebecca, maintain their primary residence in Amherst, New Hampshire, but have also made Darien a second home. They feel particularly fortunate that all three of their children live here in Darien—Diana Turowski and her husband, Edward; John Baclawski and his wife, Brittany; and James Baclawski and his wife, Christy—along with their nine grandchildren. With their entire immediate family in one town, having a place of their own here was an easy decision, as they spend a great deal of time with family.