Driven By Landmark’s Mission: Chair Charles Manley & His Board Envision Great Outcomes For Landmark Students
By Mary Kukovich
The first thing you notice about Charles Manley is the way he listens with great care and intent. The second thing you notice is that when he speaks—which is not often—his comments are insightful and precise.
That talent will serve Mr. Manley well in his new role as Chairman of Landmark College’s Board of Trustees, which he assumed in November 2006. Like many board members, his relationship with Landmark began when his daughter, Julia, enrolled as a student. After graduating from Landmark in 1996, she went on to Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, to complete her baccalaureate degree in education and now teaches kindergarten.
“My wife and I convinced Julia to attend Landmark’s summer program. It was a huge adjustment for her, being separated from her family and friends back in Texas. However, at the end of program, she told us: ‘This is where I need to be. For the first time in my life, I feel like I can learn in a new way.’ It was an incredibly brave thing for her to do and we’ll always be grateful to Landmark. What she learned here will sustain her throughout her life.”
Mr. Manley joined the College’s Board two years ago, though landmark had tried several times to involve him even sooner. “With my job demands, I knew I couldn’t commit the kind of time needed to do the job well,” he said. However, upon retiring in 2005 as Executive Vice president and Chief Administrative Officer at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, one of the world’s largest independent oil and gas exploration companies, he was ready to sign on.
“Based on our family’s experiences and those of others, I knew firsthand the tremendous impact Landmark can have on its students. There was never any doubt in my mind of the value of Landmark’s mission; when I retired, I finally had the time to get involved the way I wanted to,” he said. As Board Chair, he believes his primary task is to assure Landmark’s long-term financial stability. “We are a young college, so we lack the level of endowment other institutions have to develop new programs, fund scholarships and reduce dependence on tuition.” Key to achieving that goal will be to continue to expand the Board “with a full cadre of individuals who are willing to devote their efforts and commitment to Landmark’s vision.”
Today’s Board is largely comprised of individuals who are grateful parents of current and former Landmark students. “We’re making terrific progress with the added perspective new Board members like Dr. Tom Brown from Yale bring to the table,” he said. “Ultimately, though, I hope many successful alumni of the College will form the majority of our Board. They know and understand the power of Landmark better than anyone else.”
To help achieve that goal, the College recently held the first meeting of its President’s Alumni Advisory Board. “Seven very successful Landmark graduates attended that meeting,” Mr. Manley said. “We were greatly impressed by their energy and enthusiasm—and we’re looking forward to their insights and ideas.”
Mr. Manley also sees opportunity in further developing the Landmark College Institute for Research & Training (LCIRT). “I would like to see the Institute realize its full potential, because it plays an essential role in our ability to reach out beyond Putney to the rest of the world,” he said. “There’s a tremendous demand throughout the country and the world for help in teaching students with learning differences. We hope that Landmark will be at the front and center of this effort.”
Mr. Manley states that it is Landmark’s students, faculty and staff members who ultimately hold the key to Landmark’s future. “The degree of dedication at the College is unlike any I’ve ever seen. Landmark really is a place that changes the lives of the students who attend its programs and their families. We have set tall goals to help sustain and grow the College’s work, but I believe that we have the collective will and the people in place to make it all happen.”#
GARY MOONEY is a self-confessed “John Knox clone; a thundering evangelist for meaningful accessibility” in the world of alternative learning. His avowed mission is to bring the insight that is the Landmark charisma into every post-secondary institution in Canada. Gary comes by his missionary zeal honestly. He is a former Jesuit Priest, educated at Cambridge University, who has been in turn an academic, a lawyer, an entrepreneur, and is currently CEO of the Canadian Division of a Fortune 500 Company. His declared goal is to create affiliation agreements between Landmark and multiple Canadian Universities such that the “accessibility’ for the learning disabled which is guaranteed by both American and Canadian law is not merely a tinkling bell or clamoring cymbal. Gary is a member of multiple Public Boards, a Governor of the University of Toronto, and a member of the Board of Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, Canada. “Duces Caveant.”
ERNIE MARCUS
I am a real estate developer in Washington, D.C., focusing on urban mixed-use projects and affordable housing. My wife Madalyn is a painter. Landmark College has made a significant impact on our son Jacob’s academic life through its comprehensive approach to learning differences supported by its dynamic and caring teachers and staff. While I just recently joined the Board, from what I have learned thus far, I believe Landmark could play a major role in redefining the way schools approach certain aspects of learning in all schools. That enormous potential to change the way things are done on a national basis is what led me to accept an invitation to join the Board in November 2007. As a prior board member for the Edmund Burke School where my son Jacob attended in D.C., as well as being a parent of a child with ADD and executive functioning issues, I became exposed to the difficulties even the best schools go through in trying to meet the needs of kids who learn differently and the negative impact of that failure on the confidence of those kids. These creative, different kids deserve more and at Landmark College they have the opportunity to break through barriers and find success. I have seen my son take steady and sure steps from a disastrous first six weeks to significant improvement each semester (he is just entering his 4th semester). All this great work is going on in little Putney, Vermont—it’s pretty amazing. #
HOLLY HAYES
Drawing on her experience in both education and business, Holly Hayes is helping Landmark College look at ways of serving students outside of Vermont. A former high school English teacher, a recent member of the NSSED board in suburban Chicago and past president of her local school board, she understands the needs and opportunities of students. She holds a master’s degree from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Yale’s School of Organization and Management. A former corporate development executive at Kraft Foods, she thinks strategically, understands market economics, and knows how new markets develop. She has worked in and with schools for over 30 years.
STEVEN P. MOSCHETTA
I am an attorney specializing in admiralty and maritime law litigation. Although my office is located in Washington, Pennsylvania, I represent injured seamen and victims of river/ boating accidents from all states in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys to the Gulf of Mexico. I earned my undergraduate degree from Washington & Jefferson College in 1990. However, I struggled in high school and college but fortunately—almost five years after earning my undergraduate degree—I was diagnosed with ADD. I immediately enrolled at Landmark College where I remained for two semesters in 1994-1995. I became an effective learner for the first time in my academic career and actually enjoyed school. Because of the skills I learned and confidence I gained at Landmark, I was able to graduate cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1998, where I served as an editor of the Law Review. Landmark helped me realize my dream of becoming a lawyer. Based upon my experience, I know that Landmark can help those like me, who might have been able to graduate from college, but still lack the keys necessary to unlock their full potential.#
BELLE BROOKS O’BRIEN holds a B.A. in Speech and English Education and a M.A. in Communications. Before Belle began the full time position of child rearing, she held the position of Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Jones, Day Reavis and Pogue; for KPMG Peat Marwick; and for Americom, Inc. Prior to moving to the private sector, Belle served in the Federal Government for 16 years in a variety of senior consumer and public affairs positions at The White House, Department of Health and Human Services and The Federal Communications Commission. During her tenure in government, she served as the Executive Director of The White House Council on Consumer Affairs; the Chairperson of the Interagency Council on Citizen Participation and as President of the Washington Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television. She is currently Chair of the Suburban Hospital Foundation and a founding member of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. Belle became involved at Landmark when her son attended and graduated from the College. She and her husband, Morgan E. O’Brien, Founder of Nextel and now Cyren Call, became committed members of the President’s Council. She later joined the Board because she and Morgan believe the college made a profound difference in their son’s life and path to success. She believes that the expertise that Landmark has developed in helping students learn in different ways needs to be available to as many students as possible on the Vermont campus and shared throughout the world through the Landmark College Institute.#
