Society of the Alumni Amherst Fund Committee

John F. Klein '85, Amherst Fund Co-Chair (term expires 2024)

John currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for SkyRidge Re, a reinsurance company based in Bermuda. Prior to launching SkyRidge Re, John served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Eldridge Industries, a holding company founded and led by Todd Boehly with investments spanning the insurance, asset management, technology, mobility, sports & gaming, media & music, real estate, and consumer sectors. As CFO, John established the finance function for Eldridge and was an integral member of the Eldridge Leadership team seeking to drive results and facilitate communication across the underwriting, legal, finance, and human capital teams. John led capital initiatives at the Eldridge parent company and alongside subsidiary management teams including Security Benefit, which successfully raised third party capital from Banks, Note investors, and Preferred investors. 

With over 25 years of investment management and consulting experience, John has managed multiple investments and business operations with responsibility for strategy development and implementation, transaction negotiation, marketing, and capital formation.

John received a B.A from Amherst College and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. While studying at Amherst College he was a member of the varsity golf and varsity squash teams.

John currently lives in Connecticut with his wife, Jenny, and their three boys: Warren, William, and Bennett. He is an avid golfer, enjoys racquet sports, skiing, and coaching youth sports. Outside of work, he serves on the board of Squash Haven, a non-profit organization committed to educating, mentoring, and developing student-athletes; and has served as a volunteer for the Annual Fund for Amherst College for the last 20 years.

John currently lives in Connecticut with his wife, Jenny, and their three boys: Warren, William, and Bennett. He is an avid golfer, enjoys racquet sports, skiing, and coaching youth sports. Outside of work, he serves on the board of Squash Haven, a non-profit organization committed to educating, mentoring, and developing student-athletes. He has served as a volunteer for the Annual Fund for Amherst College for the last 20 years.

Rebekah Coleman '02, Amherst Fund Co-Chair (term expires 2024)

Rebekah Coleman teaches English composition at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), where she enjoys sharing her love of writing with freshmen. Prior to teaching at City Tech, Rebekah spent 10 years serving as the Coordinator of Special Projects and Editorial Supervisor at LitLife and LitWorld, organizations promoting literacy, where she had the pleasure of working with several other Amherst alumni. Directly post-college, Rebekah taught in several New York City high schools. She is also a co-founder of One State at a Time, a giving circle fundraising for state legislatures.

Rebekah lives in Brooklyn, New York. In her free time, she enjoys playing games, baking and hiking with her husband and three daughters, and can often be found trying to lounge on a couch with a new mystery novel. She also loves taking road trips and exploring new places with her family, especially if it means visiting with friends along the way.  

Rebekah graduated from Amherst in ’02 and earned her Master's in Social Studies Education from New York University in '03. At Amherst, she majored in American Studies and wrote her thesis on the question School Choice: Can Choice Bring Us Equality? under the venerable professor Jeffery Ferguson.

I look back at my time at Amherst with joy and gratitude. I deeply valued the collegial and academic community that inspired, challenged and guided me. I feel such joy and gratitude for the lifelong friendships I made, the experiences I had and love of learning that still sticks with me. I am delighted to join the Amherst Fund Committee to support the school that gave me so much.

 

Jessica Maposa '17, Amherst Fund Co-Chair (term expires 2025)

Jessica Maposa ’17 joined the Amherst Fund Committee in September 2019. Currently, she works at ClearGov, a company committed to making democracy work better by leveraging technology, as a client success manager. She previously worked at Motus, a B2B mobile workforce management software company.

While at Amherst, she was involved in the Center for Community Engagement, the Women’s and Gender Center and the 2017 Senior Class gift, where she co-led her class to 86.2% participation by graduation.

 Maposa graduated cum laude from Amherst, double majoring in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought (LJST) and Architectural Studies. In addition to this committee, Jessica serves as a Class Agent and the Class President for 2017. In her spare time, she enjoys Crossfit and volunteering as an election worker and clerk for the City of Boston.

 

Ed McCatty '75 (term ends 2024)

Ed’s enchantment with Amherst began in December of his senior year in high school. He had planned a trip for interviews at two New England colleges over the course of a few days; Amherst was the second stop. He took a bus from the first school to Amherst on a Friday afternoon. On the way, it began to snow. By the time the Peter Pan bus arrived at the center of town in Amherst, there was a blanket of fresh snow. That, combined with the Christmas decorations made the atmosphere magical. As soon as he stepped off the bus, Ed whispered “Yes. This is it.”

While at Amherst, life seemed to continue to be enchanted running the panoply of studying literature, science, math, and languages, and being arrested for protesting the Vietnam War at Westover Air Force Base, while also preparing for an African and Asian tour with the Glee Club all within the first year of college. There was no way of knowing it then, but another important event was occurring in Ed’s life: Some of the friendships he made during his first year would sustain him for the rest of his life.

After studying a broad range of subjects which ultimately lead to majoring in English, Ed went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. Ed’s affinity for words, ideas, and people then led him to teaching English at The Brentwood School in Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, Ed also worked as a freelance writer before heeding the call to return to New England and begin a 28 year career teaching at Choate Rosemary Hall.

While at Choate, Ed took a one-year sabbatical to live in England and earn a degree in Modernist literature from University College London.

Ed recently retired from teaching and moved to a small New Hampshire town in the Connecticut River valley.

Ed’s enchantment with, and dedication to Amherst has been manifested through his working as a class agent for many years. 

Lauri Lee '90 (term expires 2024)

Lauri Lee currently lives with her husband in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a Realtor with Residential Properties Ltd (RPL). Prior to joining RPL, Lauri was an educator for 28+ years, teaching at various levels and working in supervisory, development and admission roles in public, charter and independent schools. In addition to her paid work, Lauri serves on the Development Committee of the Rhode Island Center for the Book and the Community Outreach Committee for the Genesis Center, and she is actively engaged with both of her alma maters, Holton-Arms School and Amherst College. She is also part of the Member Experience Team for the Women in Leadership Nexus. Her hobbies include reading, weightlifting, hiking, photography and birding. 

At Amherst, Lauri majored in fine arts (history) and anthropology, with a concentration in contemporary African art. She was a tour guide and a part of the Emergency Transport Service. She has been a Class Agent for the record-breaking Class of 1990 for the past several years, and she served as Chair for the 25th Reunion Book and Co-Chair of the 30th Reunion. 

Although I was not always happy at Amherst, I have never doubted the impact that it had on me and my life. My professors were always engaging and warm, and the Amherst alumni network has been invaluable in opening doors for me and my family. I have many more Amherst friends now than I did when I was a student there! I am thrilled at the progress the college has made, both in its commitment to diversity and its replacement of all student loans with grants. It is still the college we knew, but with a much richer community.

Jessica Noyes McEntee '00 (term expires 2025)

 

Derek C. Prill '08 (term ends 2024)

Robert A. Sorrel '12 (term expires 2025)

 

Nneka Ugwu '16 (term expires 2025)

Jay Drain '18 (term expires 2024)

Jay Drain Jr. is an associate at Maven Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on consumer software, where he focuses on investments in crypto, fintech and marketplaces. Prior to Maven, Jay worked as an analyst in Goldman Sachs’ Global Markets Division for two years. 

Outside the office, Jay is a mentor coach for the non-profit America Needs You and serves as the Director of Programs for Project Love Chicago. He currently lives in San Francisco and in his spare time, you can find him playing basketball, running, exploring men's fashion, cooking or scuba diving. 

Jay earned a BA from Amherst in 2018, majoring in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought. He competed on the Amherst Men's Track & Field team and was a founding member of CACSAC (Council of Amherst College Student-Athletes of Color).

Lea Morin '21, (term expires 2025)