Board of Trustees

President

Robert E. Butman is the President and Founding Partner of Second Moment Capital Management, a real estate investment firm. Bob was formerly in the quantitative investment management business for 30 years at Drexel Burnham Lambert and the Franklin Templeton organization before founding his own firm, TQA Investors. Bob received a B.S. in Operations Research from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Bob enjoys reading non-fiction books that focus on war history, science and technology. His latest favorite was The Splendid and the Vile about Winston Churchill and the bombing of London during WW2.

Vice President

Christine Seaver began her professional career in foreign exchange sales and trading at Irving Trust Co. in New York and in a progression of industries and functional capacities in the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Ballet, a computer start-up, and a boutique executive search firm. Seaver has served on the Board of St. Luke's School (including four years as Board Chair) and currently serves on the Boards of Amherst College and the Emily Dickinson Museum. She received a BA in Economics in 1981, magna cum laude, from Amherst College and an MBA in 1986 from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Among her ever-shifting list of top-five all-time favorite books, Foster, by Claire Keegan, always has a place.

Vice President

Life-long library lover and resident of New Canaan, Eileen Thomas spent her early career at McKinsey and Company. She has served on the board of WIN (formerly Women in Need), a public-private agency that is the largest provider of shelter and services to homeless families in New York City. She served four terms as Vice Chair and was a member of the leadership team that grew the agency from $8 to more than $125 million of annual revenue. Thomas is a member of the boards of both the Congregational Church of New Canaan and New Canaan Mounted Troop. She earned a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Eileen loves re-reading her childhood favorites Anne of Green Gables, The Chronicles of Narnia and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Treasurer

Robert Lowe is a Managing Director at Allen & Company, an investment bank in NYC, where he focuses on the healthcare sector. Previously, he was Director of Healthcare Investment Banking at Citigroup Investment Bank. He has lived in New Canaan since 2009 and has spent multiple years coaching his four children (and others!) in hockey and lacrosse. Rob received a B.A. in History and Economics from Colgate University and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. His recent favorite books are Edison, I am Pilgrim, The Premonition and Why We Sleep.

Secretary

Deborah S. Gordon is a former lawyer with Whitman, Breed, Abbott, and Morgan in Greenwich, CT, and New York City. She is a founding board member of Stamford Youth Tennis Academy, Inc., and currently serves on the boards of Norwalk/Stamford Grassroots Tennis and Education and the New Canaan Garden Club. She received a B.A. in English and History from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Her favorite book is The Great Gatsby which she re-reads every year.

Jon Barry is a partner at Goldman Sachs. He is responsible for overseeing senior coverage and strategy for many of the firm's key institutional investors and hedge funds within Global Relationship Management. Previously, he was head of US Leveraged Finance Sales. Jon serves on the Board of Overseers at Colby College and on the board of the New York chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization that helps parents and professionals teach kids life lessons through sports. Jon earned a BA in History and English from Colby College in 1998 and an MSC in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford. He enjoys reading 20th-century fiction and history.

Sarah O’Herron Casey taught at the Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan and at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT. She is a member of Impact Fairfield County, an all-female collective giving circle. Previously, she has sat on the Board of the New Canaan Winter Club, The Woodway Country Club Membership Committee and was co-chair of the Board of Governors of the Horizons Student Enrichment Program. Sarah holds an AB in Political Science from Middlebury College and a MA from Columbia University Teachers College. As a former elementary school teacher, she is especially partial to the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum.

Rachel L. Diehl was an Adjunct Professor for many years at Seton Hall University School of Law. Before that she was a Litigation Associate at McCarter & English, LLP in Newark, NJ. Rachel has been actively involved in many New Canaan charitable organizations, including the Fresh Air Fund, Horizons, the National Charity League, and the Norwalk Mentor Program. Rachel received a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Ohio Wesleyan, a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and an MSW from NYU. Rachel enjoys all genres but has a particular affinity for Joan Didion, Elizabeth Strout, and Mary Oliver.

Gary Engle is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Stoneleigh Capital, LLC. Mr. Engle is also a director of PLM International, Inc., a transportation company that leases marine containers, shipping vessels, commercial aircraft and other assets. He serves as a member of the executive committee of CBI Acquisition, LLC, the holding company of Caneel Bay, a luxury resort on the island of St. John, U.S.V.I. He also serves on the Board of Managers of DSC/Purgatory, LLC, Mountain Springs Kirkwood, LLC and Echelon Development Holdings, LLC. He received a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. Gary is an avid reader of the classics, and strongly believes in the value of open access to great literature for all.

William J. Fox is the President and owner of CONARD Corp., a specialty manufacturing business. Previously he provided financial and management services and was the financial officer for a national real estate investment company and he was a Manager with Price Waterhouse in Manhattan. Bill has been a director of eleven nonprofits including The Inner City Foundation, Catholic Charities and The Malta Justice Initiative. He is a CPA and earned a BA in Economics and an MBA from Iona College. Bill is a serial reader with a preference for contemporary non-fiction.

Crawford Hamilton currently works as a member of the digital ad sales team for Viacom/CBS. As a board member of the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, a Pennsylvania based charity that specializes in educational grants within the Philadelphia community, he was naturally drawn to the library’s mission and wanted to get involved right away. Crawford, a 2011 graduate of Washington College with a BA in Business Administration and Management, enjoys reading all of Tom Clancy's military thrillers and murder mysteries.

Lifelong New Canaanite Ian Hobbs is Co-Owner of Hobbs, Incorporated, a high-end residential construction company. Ian served on the boards of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, First Presbyterian Nursery School, the New Canaan Lacrosse Association, and as President of the New Canaan Winter Club. He is currently on the board of the Country Club of New Canaan. He attended Johns Hopkins University and Columbia Business School. Ian enjoys reading Western Fiction and counts Lonesome Dove as one of his favorite reads.

Tom Joyce is a Managing Director and Capital Markets Strategist at MUFG, Japan’s largest bank. Based in New York, Tom heads a team that provides customized content for multi-national S&P 500 companies on the global economy, policy and markets. Tom has over 25 years of Investment Banking experience in New York, London, Hong Kong and San Francisco. Tom is a member of the Holy Cross President’s Council, a Board member on the New Canaan Football (Soccer) Club, and coaches his four sons in numerous sports including basketball. Tom studied at Oxford University from 1991-1992, received a B.A. from Holy Cross College and an MBA from Kellogg Business School. Tom is an avid reader and two of his favorite books in recent years include The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.

Vicky Merwin is a former Senior Vice President of Client Development at S&P Capital IQ, a financial data and analytics provider in NYC. She moved to New Canaan with her family in 2017 and has pursued several volunteer roles in the community. Vicky serves on the boards of St. Mark’s Preschool and the Newcomers Club of New Canaan, most recently as President. She graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in International Business and Marketing. With three young kids at home, Vicky spends a lot of time reading children’s books and loves classics by authors such as Virginia Lee Burton, Robert McCloskey and Tomie dePaola.

Chris O’Connor is a Partner and Head Healthcare Advisory for Perella Weinberg Partners LP. Before that he was Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Banking for JPMorgan. He serves on the boards of O’Connor Capital Partners (real estate private equity) and Transplant Genomics (a private transplant diagnostics company). The father of six has lived in New Canaan since 2003. Chris received an AB in English/American Literature from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Chris enjoys biographies, historical fiction and all of Erik Larson’s novels in particular.

Fatou Niang is a realtor for William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty in New York and Connecticut. Along with her family she founded Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R.) a non-profit organization empowering New Canaan residents with resources and programs fostering the understanding of systemic racism, racial biases through awareness, education and advocacy. She serves on the Boards of the New Canaan YMCA and Norwalk/Stamford Grassroots Tennis. Fatou has a BA in Advertising and Communication from SAWI Switzerland. Fatou enjoys reading and some of her favorite books are The Bronze Horseman Trilogy, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Pillars of the Earth and All of Amadou Hampâté Bâ's books.

Maya Rao is a freelance Creative Director and Writer. She is a former award-winning Advertising Copywriter who has worked with Apple, Nike, Nissan, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, amongst others. She also serves on the boards of the National Charity League and New Canaan Soccer. Maya received a B.A. in Government from Cornell University. She is a voracious reader and counts Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie as her favorite book.

Lifelong New Canaanite David Rucci is a Partner at the law firm of Lampert, Toohey & Rucci, LLC. David is a current member of both the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of New Canaan, where he served as Fundraising Chairman, Allocations Board, Secretary, and President. He has also served on the Boards of the New Canaan Community Foundation, Lakeview Cemetery Association and The Getabout. David earned an undergraduate degree in history and philosophy from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Law degree from Quinnipiac College School of Law. One of Dave’s reading favorites is The Spellman Files series.

Treasurer

Tom Teles retired from Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) in 2018. He was the global head of Securitized and Government/Swap investment strategies and co-head of Cross-Sector Strategy within the Global Fixed Income team. He was also a member of the Fixed Income Strategy Group. Tom was named managing director in 2003 and partner in 2006. He serves on the board of the Touch Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen the healthcare system in Tanzania. Tom earned a BA from the University of Maryland in 1992 and an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1994. Tom enjoys narrative non-fiction books, particularly those with leadership and adventure themes. Endurance by Alfred Lansing and Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose are two of his favorites.

Anne Tseng is a Manager, Operations Technology and Self Service at Stripe. Prior to Stripe she worked at Paypal. Anne has been a donor and volunteer at the New Canaan Community Foundation and was on the board of the Shanghai Sunrise Scholarship Foundation. Anne received an AB at the University of Chicago and an M.B.A from M.I.T Sloan School of Management. Anne likes to read biographies, non-fiction studies and fiction. Her favorite books include Garden of Evening Mists and Never Let Me Go.

Peter R. Ziesing spent 41 years in the reinsurance business before retiring in 2020. His last 15 years were at Chubb Tempest Re in Stamford, CT. A New Canaanite since 1990, Peter has served on the board of the New Canaan YMCA for many years, ultimately chairing the board during their $7.8M Capital Campaign. He also served on the board of the Country Club of New Canaan from 2002 to 2013, including stints as Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Chair of the Nominating Committee. He is a volunteer and board member for Staying Put in New Canaan. Mr. Ziesing received a B.A. in History from Trinity College. Peter enjoys nonfiction and counts No Ordinary Time - Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in WWII by Doris Kearns Goodwin as one of his favorites.

Honorary Board Member

Prior to moving to New Canaan in 2001, Alicia had a career in publishing in New York City working for Newbridge Communications as Vice President of Continuity Programs and for Time Inc. as Executive Director of New Product Development. Alicia has been an active volunteer with the New Canaan Library for over a decade. Of those years, she served on the Development Committee for two, on the Board for six, and as the president of the Board from 2015-2017. After stepping down from the Board, Alicia became Co-Chair of the New Canaan Library Capital Campaign. In addition to her work for the Library, Alicia and her husband Bob chair the Parents Councils at their children’s colleges, Skidmore and Brown, where they are responsible for outreach and fundraising within the parent communities. Alicia is a graduate of Smith College and Columbia Business School. She loves nothing more than sneaking away from the hubbub of life to read a book. Alicia’s favorite books, if pressed, are Pride and Prejudice and The Killer Angels.