Educational Excellence Since 1912
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12
2016 Alumni Achievement Awards April 16!
JOYCE OLSON RESNIKOFF 1955
Joyce Olson Resnikoff 1955 is developer and co-owner of Olde Mistick Village, a foremost tourism destination in Connecticut, with her twin Hamden Hall alumnus brother, Jerry Olson 1955. Joyce’s older sister, the late Sylvia Olson Michaels, was a 1951 Hamden Hall graduate. In 2013, the Olson Family Gazebo was dedicated on the Hamden Hall Whitney Avenue campus outside Whitson Hall to honor the alumni siblings, along with the establishment of the Olson Family Scholarship Fund. Joyce is proud of Olde Mistick’s 40-plus years in business during which she helped many women open, own, and manage their own retail shops and boutiques. In addition to her role as mentor in the field of business, Joyce has been recognized as a champion for women and served on the board of the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut for many years. In 2006, she was honored by the center with its inaugural Woman of Distinction Award. Joyce was acknowledged for embodying the center’s mission to guide, mentor, and give to others. Joyce is well known in Southeastern Connecticut for her community service, having served on 15 advisory boards of local agencies, banks, and nonprofits. Among them is Summer Music at Harkness Park in Waterford where she was past board chair. She is a past board member of the Garde Art Center and co-chair of the restoration of the Garde Theatre in New London. She was a board member of the Bank of Mystic and president of the Mystic Chamber of Commerce. Joyce has four sons—Shaun, Keith, Joseph, and Christopher Regan—six grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. In the midst of her busy personal and professional commitments, Joyce quips that she clocks a lot of frequent flyer miles to Madeira, Spain, to visit the special man in her life, Eurico.
Joyce Olson Resnikoff 1955 is developer and co-owner of Olde Mistick Village, a foremost tourism destination in Connecticut, with her twin Hamden Hall alumnus brother, Jerry Olson 1955. Joyce’s older sister, the late Sylvia Olson Michaels, was a 1951 Hamden Hall graduate. In 2013, the Olson Family Gazebo was dedicated on the Hamden Hall Whitney Avenue campus outside Whitson Hall to honor the alumni siblings, along with the establishment of the Olson Family Scholarship Fund. Joyce is proud of Olde Mistick’s 40-plus years in business during which she helped many women open, own, and manage their own retail shops and boutiques. In addition to her role as mentor in the field of business, Joyce has been recognized as a champion for women and served on the board of the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut for many years. In 2006, she was honored by the center with its inaugural Woman of Distinction Award. Joyce was acknowledged for embodying the center’s mission to guide, mentor, and give to others. Joyce is well known in Southeastern Connecticut for her community service, having served on 15 advisory boards of local agencies, banks, and nonprofits. Among them is Summer Music at Harkness Park in Waterford where she was past board chair. She is a past board member of the Garde Art Center and co-chair of the restoration of the Garde Theatre in New London. She was a board member of the Bank of Mystic and president of the Mystic Chamber of Commerce. Joyce has four sons—Shaun, Keith, Joseph, and Christopher Regan—six grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. In the midst of her busy personal and professional commitments, Joyce quips that she clocks a lot of frequent flyer miles to Madeira, Spain, to visit the special man in her life, Eurico.
JORDAN HADELMAN 1972
Jordan Hadelman 1972, a member of the Hamden Hall Board of Trustees, is founding chairman of Witt/Kieffer, one of the nation's leading executive search firms. Named in The New Career Makers as one of America's top executive recruiters, Jordan was with Witt/Kieffer for nearly 30 years, building the organization into the ninth largest recruiting firm in the country. He became chairman and CEO in 1996 and was named founding chairman in 2009. He is now retired. Jordan received a master’s in hospital administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Georgetown University. Early in his career, Jordan served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and was charged with the oversight of 3,500 employees at Bethesda Naval Hospital. In 2003, he received the George Washington University Health Services Management and Policy Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding leadership and performance in the health-care field. In 2006, he was named recipient of the 70th annual Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from George Washington University, the highest form of recognition bestowed by the university for professional achievements of alumni. Jordan’s community service includes serving as the vice chairman of the Loyola University Health System in Chicago until 2012. He served on the Board of Trustees at Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center and the Board of Trustees at Schwab Rehabilitation Center. He was chair of the board at Schwab Rehabilitation Center from 1995 to 1997. He served on the Board of Commissioners for River Forest Youth Baseball/Softball. He joined the LUHS/LUMC board in 2004. Jordan is a board member and chair of the development committee at Chicago Jesuit Academy, a grade five to eight inner city school. He helps raise full scholarships to prepare the students to proceed to prep schools and charter schools. Jordan serves as board member and treasurer of the Christopher House that helps low-income children and their families succeed in school, the workplace, and life. He also chairs the Oak Park Country Club Caddy Foundation, providing scholarships to needy caddies. Jordan and his wife, Deborah, have two sons, Spencer and Benjamin, and live in Chicago. In 2012, Jordan and his brother, Hamden Hall past parent Allen Hadelman 2015, dedicated the Hadelman Family Multipurpose Stadium at the Skiff Street Athletic Complex. In 2007, Jordan served as co-chair of the Alumni Division of Hamden Hall’s Taking on Tomorrow campaign to build the Beckerman Athletic Center.
Jordan Hadelman 1972, a member of the Hamden Hall Board of Trustees, is founding chairman of Witt/Kieffer, one of the nation's leading executive search firms. Named in The New Career Makers as one of America's top executive recruiters, Jordan was with Witt/Kieffer for nearly 30 years, building the organization into the ninth largest recruiting firm in the country. He became chairman and CEO in 1996 and was named founding chairman in 2009. He is now retired. Jordan received a master’s in hospital administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Georgetown University. Early in his career, Jordan served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and was charged with the oversight of 3,500 employees at Bethesda Naval Hospital. In 2003, he received the George Washington University Health Services Management and Policy Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding leadership and performance in the health-care field. In 2006, he was named recipient of the 70th annual Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from George Washington University, the highest form of recognition bestowed by the university for professional achievements of alumni. Jordan’s community service includes serving as the vice chairman of the Loyola University Health System in Chicago until 2012. He served on the Board of Trustees at Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center and the Board of Trustees at Schwab Rehabilitation Center. He was chair of the board at Schwab Rehabilitation Center from 1995 to 1997. He served on the Board of Commissioners for River Forest Youth Baseball/Softball. He joined the LUHS/LUMC board in 2004. Jordan is a board member and chair of the development committee at Chicago Jesuit Academy, a grade five to eight inner city school. He helps raise full scholarships to prepare the students to proceed to prep schools and charter schools. Jordan serves as board member and treasurer of the Christopher House that helps low-income children and their families succeed in school, the workplace, and life. He also chairs the Oak Park Country Club Caddy Foundation, providing scholarships to needy caddies. Jordan and his wife, Deborah, have two sons, Spencer and Benjamin, and live in Chicago. In 2012, Jordan and his brother, Hamden Hall past parent Allen Hadelman 2015, dedicated the Hadelman Family Multipurpose Stadium at the Skiff Street Athletic Complex. In 2007, Jordan served as co-chair of the Alumni Division of Hamden Hall’s Taking on Tomorrow campaign to build the Beckerman Athletic Center.
DARCHELLE M. GARNER 1979
Darchelle M. Garner’s love for serving others is a passion that was nurtured by her family and supported throughout her years at Hamden Hall. As a nonprofit executive, she most recently served as the executive director of the IECA Foundation, providing grants to community-based educational programs throughout the U.S. In her prior work with The CHEST Foundation, she created and managed global educational partnerships and programs, with special focus on tobacco prevention, especially among children and teens, and disparities in health care. At Chicago Children’s Museum, Darchelle led the creation of award-winning educational programming and exhibits that empowered children and families. She established a nationally recognized community collaboration model built around partnerships with families in public housing communities and guided the development of a groundbreaking exhibit on prejudice and discrimination, ultimately yielding a national Association of Youth Museums award and significant partnership with the South African Museum in Cape Town. As a consultant to nonprofits, Darchelle has helped strengthen the work and operations of a variety of institutions, including Oprah Winfrey’s Girls’ Academy in South Africa. Most recently, Darchelle established, and now serves as managing director of, a consulting group that provides management, governance, and planning services for Christian faith-based nonprofit organizations. Passionate about mission work, Darchelle has reached people in need with her practical, life-sustaining assistance and with the good news of Jesus Christ. She was in Haiti nine weeks after the 2010 earthquake, rebuilding a destroyed church and comforting people who had lost their homes and were forced to live in “tent cities.” She has since touched lives in countries worldwide—building a church in the mountains of Guatemala, working with women who escaped lives of sex work in Ethiopia, supporting oppressed Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong, and educating orphans in Malawi. Darchelle has served on numerous boards and is past chair of Shared Interest, a social investment fund providing loan-guarantees and technical assistance for South Africa’s poor. She was privileged to attend the 2001 World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa. She has also worked with CARE on Capitol Hill to advocate for women and girls in developing countries. Darchelle earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University. She is the sister of Kevin “Esco” Garner, also a member of Hamden Hall’s Class of 1979.
Darchelle M. Garner’s love for serving others is a passion that was nurtured by her family and supported throughout her years at Hamden Hall. As a nonprofit executive, she most recently served as the executive director of the IECA Foundation, providing grants to community-based educational programs throughout the U.S. In her prior work with The CHEST Foundation, she created and managed global educational partnerships and programs, with special focus on tobacco prevention, especially among children and teens, and disparities in health care. At Chicago Children’s Museum, Darchelle led the creation of award-winning educational programming and exhibits that empowered children and families. She established a nationally recognized community collaboration model built around partnerships with families in public housing communities and guided the development of a groundbreaking exhibit on prejudice and discrimination, ultimately yielding a national Association of Youth Museums award and significant partnership with the South African Museum in Cape Town. As a consultant to nonprofits, Darchelle has helped strengthen the work and operations of a variety of institutions, including Oprah Winfrey’s Girls’ Academy in South Africa. Most recently, Darchelle established, and now serves as managing director of, a consulting group that provides management, governance, and planning services for Christian faith-based nonprofit organizations. Passionate about mission work, Darchelle has reached people in need with her practical, life-sustaining assistance and with the good news of Jesus Christ. She was in Haiti nine weeks after the 2010 earthquake, rebuilding a destroyed church and comforting people who had lost their homes and were forced to live in “tent cities.” She has since touched lives in countries worldwide—building a church in the mountains of Guatemala, working with women who escaped lives of sex work in Ethiopia, supporting oppressed Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong, and educating orphans in Malawi. Darchelle has served on numerous boards and is past chair of Shared Interest, a social investment fund providing loan-guarantees and technical assistance for South Africa’s poor. She was privileged to attend the 2001 World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa. She has also worked with CARE on Capitol Hill to advocate for women and girls in developing countries. Darchelle earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University. She is the sister of Kevin “Esco” Garner, also a member of Hamden Hall’s Class of 1979.
DR. SANDA LUJIC TOMAK 1989
Dr. Sanda Lujic Tomak 1989, a partner in Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists, is a surgeon specializing in foot and ankle reconstructive surgery. Sanda received a B.S. in biology from Yale University. She graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Sanda completed a fellowship in foot and ankle surgery at Emory University. She is a clinical Instructor at Yale University Department of Orthopaedics. Sanda is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Connecticut Medical Society, the New Haven County Medical Society, and the Yale Orthopaedic Association. Sanda’s subspecialty areas of interest and training include arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle, articular cartilage regeneration and repair, sports-related injury, as well as total ankle replacement. At Hamden Hall during football season, Sanda volunteers her time to attend to player injuries as the team doc! She says it requires being outside on a lot of cold, wet nights, but as a former three-sport athlete during her days under the pines, Sanda likes being able to help out the Hornets on the gridiron. Sanda and her husband, Dr. Patrick Tomak, are parents of three Hamden Hallers: Luke, a freshman; Sam, a seventh-grader; and Max, a fifth-grader. Sanda’s three siblings—all physicians—are Hamden Hall alumni: Dr. Katarina Lujic Curtis 1986; Dr. Denisa Lujic 1987; and Dr. Marko Lujic 1998. Sanda’s nine nieces and nephews attend Hamden Hall, with one nephew graduating in 2014. Sanda is the daughter of Dr. Petar and Joyce Lujic. In 2010, the Lujic Family Running Track was part of the dedication of the Beckerman Athletic Center.
Dr. Sanda Lujic Tomak 1989, a partner in Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists, is a surgeon specializing in foot and ankle reconstructive surgery. Sanda received a B.S. in biology from Yale University. She graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Sanda completed a fellowship in foot and ankle surgery at Emory University. She is a clinical Instructor at Yale University Department of Orthopaedics. Sanda is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Connecticut Medical Society, the New Haven County Medical Society, and the Yale Orthopaedic Association. Sanda’s subspecialty areas of interest and training include arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle, articular cartilage regeneration and repair, sports-related injury, as well as total ankle replacement. At Hamden Hall during football season, Sanda volunteers her time to attend to player injuries as the team doc! She says it requires being outside on a lot of cold, wet nights, but as a former three-sport athlete during her days under the pines, Sanda likes being able to help out the Hornets on the gridiron. Sanda and her husband, Dr. Patrick Tomak, are parents of three Hamden Hallers: Luke, a freshman; Sam, a seventh-grader; and Max, a fifth-grader. Sanda’s three siblings—all physicians—are Hamden Hall alumni: Dr. Katarina Lujic Curtis 1986; Dr. Denisa Lujic 1987; and Dr. Marko Lujic 1998. Sanda’s nine nieces and nephews attend Hamden Hall, with one nephew graduating in 2014. Sanda is the daughter of Dr. Petar and Joyce Lujic. In 2010, the Lujic Family Running Track was part of the dedication of the Beckerman Athletic Center.
LOU MANGINI 1995
Lou Mangini 1995 is a Hamden native who resides in New Haven along the Quinnipiac River in the old Yale Brewery building. He is a 1999 graduate of the University of Connecticut where he served as vice president of the student body (noting that his Hamden Hall 1995 classmate Liz Ehrhardt was president). A political science major, Lou says his experiences at UConn set the stage for his career in politics. He has spent most of his professional life in the political field working in both the state and federal arenas. For the past 14 years he has been a congressional aide to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in her New Haven office where he holds the titles of senior staff, constituent services manager, emergency response coordinator, and labor liaison. Under those titles fall the issues of outreach, economic development, transportation, labor, emergency response, and an occasional stint as driver. When not in the office, Lou can be found on the theatrical stage and behind the scenes with Ian Alderman, his Hamden Hall 1995 classmate, as an actor and producer for A Broken Umbrella Theatre. The New Haven-based ensemble creates completely original site-specific works based on New Haven history. Since 2009, Lou has appeared in nine shows, ranging from the pirate tale Thunderbolt, which was performed under Edgewood Avenue in New Haven, to Seen Change, which premiered at the Shubert Theatre in February 2015. Lou is active in alumni relations, having helped rally his classmates “back home” for the Class of 1995’s 20th reunion in October. He is a familiar face at school events, including those outside the realm of alumni relations.
Hamden Hall congratulates the five recipients of the 2016 Alumni Achievement Awards. The honorees uphold the highest standards and values in their pursuits, are passionate about their chosen undertaking, and are role models who inspire others. Through their individual efforts, they have affected the lives of many others, and they are indispensable “cornerstones” that form the foundation on which others may build. These award recipients represent the entire Hamden Hall alumni community and exemplify the finest qualities that our school instills in it students.
Lou Mangini 1995 is a Hamden native who resides in New Haven along the Quinnipiac River in the old Yale Brewery building. He is a 1999 graduate of the University of Connecticut where he served as vice president of the student body (noting that his Hamden Hall 1995 classmate Liz Ehrhardt was president). A political science major, Lou says his experiences at UConn set the stage for his career in politics. He has spent most of his professional life in the political field working in both the state and federal arenas. For the past 14 years he has been a congressional aide to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in her New Haven office where he holds the titles of senior staff, constituent services manager, emergency response coordinator, and labor liaison. Under those titles fall the issues of outreach, economic development, transportation, labor, emergency response, and an occasional stint as driver. When not in the office, Lou can be found on the theatrical stage and behind the scenes with Ian Alderman, his Hamden Hall 1995 classmate, as an actor and producer for A Broken Umbrella Theatre. The New Haven-based ensemble creates completely original site-specific works based on New Haven history. Since 2009, Lou has appeared in nine shows, ranging from the pirate tale Thunderbolt, which was performed under Edgewood Avenue in New Haven, to Seen Change, which premiered at the Shubert Theatre in February 2015. Lou is active in alumni relations, having helped rally his classmates “back home” for the Class of 1995’s 20th reunion in October. He is a familiar face at school events, including those outside the realm of alumni relations.
Hamden Hall congratulates the five recipients of the 2016 Alumni Achievement Awards. The honorees uphold the highest standards and values in their pursuits, are passionate about their chosen undertaking, and are role models who inspire others. Through their individual efforts, they have affected the lives of many others, and they are indispensable “cornerstones” that form the foundation on which others may build. These award recipients represent the entire Hamden Hall alumni community and exemplify the finest qualities that our school instills in it students.
—Jodi Amatulli
For more information about the awards ceremony, please contact Jodi Amatulli, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at jamatulli@hamdenhall.org or call 203.752.2619. Watch for your invitation in the mail, but save the date now! To register online for this event, click here.
Hamden Hall Country Day School
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
About Us
Hamden Hall Country Day School is a nurturing and inclusive community with a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
