Category: Members (Page 6 of 27)

I first came to Darien in the mid-70’s for a wedding, with no idea this would become my home for the past forty years.  I grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, graduated from Princeton University, followed by a year of active duty in the US Navy Reserve Hospital Corps, and graduation from the Harvard Business School. Health care, starting with the Navy, has been the single, continuing thread throughout my career – with numerous roles in management consulting, investment banking (First Boston), and 20 years as an investment research analyst (at Sanford Bernstein and Legg Mason) – all focused on the healthcare industry.  Eight years ago, my wife, now deceased, mentioned that we knew a lot of people who were confused by Medicare. That led to my current work in health and life insurance at Bankers Life.

I have a son who is a junior at Darien High School and beginning the college search and application process. Over the years, I have been involved in his sports and activities in Darien, and a member of the Noroton Yacht Club and St. Lukes Church.

Howard Courtemanche grew up in Oyster Bay, LI, Mendham, NJ, and Tuxedo Park, NY. He graduated from Delbarton School, Morristown NJ and Bowdoin College.

He has worked on Madison Avenue for 41 years. Rising to CEO and President of the Health. Divisions of J. Walter Thompson and Young and Rubicam for holding company WPP. Clients over his career have included Procter and Gamble, General Mills, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, and Merck.

He met his wife Amanda in Manhattan, and they married in 1992 in Newport, RI. They moved to Rowayton in 1995 and have raised their 3 children there. Marguerite, who lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband Lucien who she met at JP Morgan, Charlie, who lives in Boston and works in Biotech in Cambridge, Mass, and Win, who will complete his BA in Economics this May.

Howard has been an active member of St. Luke’s Parish since moving to Rowayton. He and Amanda are also members of Roton Point, Rowayton Yacht Club and the Yale Club of NYC.

Howard loves the NY Yankees and Bruce Springsteen in addition to his wonderful family.

I was born in Cambridge, Mass and grew up in Duxbury, Mass. I went to Phillips Exeter (’75) and then to Colby College (’79) where I majored in Economics and History. My first job after college was fracking oil wells in California (1980). After a year of that (and almost getting killed twice), I started my 43 year career on Wall Street where I held Managing Director roles at Greenwich Capital Markets, UBS, RBS and, for my last 9 years, at Citigroup where I was Head of US Rates Desk Strategy.

I met my wife at the Canadian Grand Prix in 1983 and we were married in 1984. We moved to Darien in 1987 and have no plans/desires to ever leave. We raised 5 daughters here, all of whom went to New Canaan Country School before scattering. I have 5 grandchildren. My interests include fishing, skiing, hunting (upland birds), swimming and cribbage. I’d love to add table tennis and other endeavors to this list…

David Earle was born in Williamstown, MA.,  and moved to Darien when he was three. He attended Darien High School, then Williams College and L’Ecole Normale de Musique as a music and theater major, graduating in 1968.  His career began with teaching high school French in Arizona and evolved into college text book publishing, arts administration, public television, cable television, broadcast television, technology consulting and human resources consulting.

I  was born in Berkeley, California. I lived in the Bay area until 1962. We then moved to Woodcliff Lake, NJ. We moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1965. I graduated from Albion College in 1972 with a degree in Religion. I then briefly attended Boston University Seminary.

In Boston I worked for the U.S. Defense Department and later I sold steel. In 1986 I received my MBA and MS in MIS from Boston University.

Later that year  I moved to the New York area and worked for Swiss Bank Corp which became UBS. At the bank I managed the FX trade processing department and helped design and install trade processing systems. In the IT department I was responsible for the bank’s US dollar payment and investigations systems. I also managed the bank’s MIS department and worked on some of the bank’s credit systems.

I met my wife Jane in a bereavement group. We married in 1999. My late wife Diana died a year after the bank moved us to CT in 1996. My daughter Katie died in 1990. My adopted son Dave was born in southern India. He and his wife Catherine live with their six year old daughter in Norwalk.  Jane’s son Derek  and his wife Judy also live in Norwalk. Their twin boys are both college freshmen. 

Jane and I are both members of the Noroton Presbyterian Church. I am currently serving as an Elder on the Mission team. I have been legally blind from birth and became totally blind in the early 2000s.

I play guitar, read extensively and am very interested in current events and in investing. I root for the Red Sox, Michigan and I am a disappointed Lions fan.

I have lived in Darien for 38 years in the same house on Allwood Road. We raised three daughters here and now have six grandchildren.

I was a research analyst in NYC for 45 years following consumer staples. I was on the sell side for 30 years mostly at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) where I worked for over 20 years. After that I worked at Banc of America Securities, Neuberger Berman and TIAA-CREF.

After 30 odd years on Metro North, I retired in 2017. I am currently on the boards of the Avon Movie Theatre and Orchestra Lumos (formerly the Stamford Symphony) in Stamford and Okemo Trailside and the investment committee of Kurn Hattin Homes for Children in Vermont. I was formerly on the boards of Northwood School in Lake Placid and the Norwalk Yacht Club and on the admission committee of the University Club in NY.

I graduated from NYU in 1973. We are currently members of Wee Burn CC, Ox Ridge Riding and Racquet Club, the Norwalk YC, the University Club in NY and the Coral Beach Club in Bermuda. I have been married to my wife, Cate, for 42 years. She was formerly a dancer with the NY City Ballet and is now a fine artist.

Jon was born and raised in Huntington, Long Island, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1980 with a B.A. in History, and given the limited choices of that degree, went to Stanford Law School, graduating in 1984. He then worked as an entertainment lawyer for 39 years in New York City, first at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison for 2 years, then as a business affairs attorney in-house at William Morris Agency until 2000, and then as head of Business Affairs at Disney Theatrical Productions until he elected to retire in September of 2023. 

In 2024, Jon undertook health and life coach training and is now a certified (not certifiable) health and life coach. 

On the personal side, Jon got married in 1988 to his first wife (whereabouts unknown), lived in Huntington and raised 2 kids. 

He got divorced in 2012 and moved to Long Island City, where he met his current wife, Ana. They bought a weekend home in West Norwalk in 2020 and now live there full time since his retirement in 2023 with their 2 goldendoodles, Lucy and Murphy. 

Jon’s interests include longevity, tennis, definitely NOT pickleball, paddle tennis, fitness, self-improvement and cooking. 

Jim Gleason

2 Careers – Financial Risk Management & 6th Grade Science Teacher post 9/11. Darien Resident for 32 years. Helped Sarah raise/launch four boys.  Retired 7 years now, yikes!  Passionate Sailor, Kite Boarder, Wood worker, gardener & DIYer.  Aspiring wing-foiler, scuba diver, traveler, writer & inventor.  Currently living in a cluttered, empty house (compared to before they fledged) with Sarah, 2 dogs and 3 cats.   

Richard Shear

Partner and Chief Creative Officer, Invōk Brands

Founding Faculty, Masters in Branding Program, School of Visual Arts

For the last 44 years Richard and his wife Pam have raised their family in Darien.

As a graphic designer his 50-year career has been influenced by a fascination with visual history, driven by a curiosity for the culture of retail brands, and guided by rich experience in brand identity and package design.

As a Founding Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Invōk Brands, his expertise lies in helping clients uncover the visual heritage of their most iconic brands and using this design equity to help them build and position brands in ways that inform, connect and motivate. He has had the privilege of working with a wide range of global CPG clients in the beauty, beverage, food, personal care, household product and retail private brand categories.

As Founding Faculty of the Masters in Branding program at the New York’s School of Visual Arts his course, focusing on the history of retail brands, builds an awareness of the rich legacy and growth of the global consumer culture and its intrinsic connection to the evolution of visual history. 

As an adjunct to his research he will be publishing, “A History of Brands: Origins of Consumer Markets”, scheduled for release by Rockport Publishers in July of 2025. He is also a Contributing Editor of “The Brand Bible, The Complete Guide to Building, Designing, and Sustaining Brands”.

He has been a frequent speaker at conferences including HOW/Dieline and the Design Management Institute consistently contributing to thought leadership on critical issues facing the retail brand design community. He has been a guest lecturer at colleges including Columbia Business School, Trinity College, and the Fashion Institute of Technology, as well as the President Emeritus of both the American Institute of Graphic Art’s  Branding Chapter and the Package Design Council.

Richard has a BFA from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and attended Yale School of Management’s AIGA program for senior design leadership.