Faculty & Staff Directory

A graduate of the Taft School and Williams College, Army veteran William “Bing” Bingham spent over twenty years working in the entertainment industry before turning to teaching in 2001. Along the way, he took up high adventure activities like flying hang gliders and ultralights, and even competed in the National Hang Gliding Championships as the New York/New Jersey champion. His career as a singer-songwriter spans decades and, along with Taft classmate and longtime friend Joe Knowlton, includes five recording contracts as the act, Joe and Bing, two of which are still active. His songs, Alaska Bloodline and Barnstormer, were top 100 hits. In their early years, Joe and Bing were managed by the man who brought the Beatles to America, legendary impresario Sid Bernstein. The pair continue to actively perform, write songs and record, and their history and current activities can be found on their website, joeandbing.com.

Bing is also an award-winning (Clio, Emmy) composer of hundreds of advertising jingles as well as scores to documentary films and television shows. While living and working in New York City, he dabbled in acting as well, performing in over seventy television commercials and playing Alex on ABC’s popular Kids Are People Too series for four years.

In the early 1990s, Bing began working with a literary agent to write and develop stories for television and film. That relationship continues today and has generated a number of successes. In 1997, Bing’s story about the Flying Tigers of WWII, Earth, Wings and Fire, was optioned by Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures in a well-publicized deal. Three years and several stories later, Bing won the job of turning Senator John McCain’s memoir, Faith of My Fathers, into a screenplay. The film was eventually produced for A&E television in 2005 and nominated for five awards (Emmy, ASC). Bing has also written five, two-hour entertainment specials for A&E and a number of short stories. His tale, The Lesson, was published in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series in 2009. And recently another story, Sea of Dreams, which chronicles his transition from screenwriter to prep school teacher, won accolades in a popular online writing contest.

Bing teaches senior English and two electives: screenwriting and song writing. After coaching boys varsity tennis for many years, he now coaches golf, and serves as Director of College Counselor. His free time is spent working on a novel, summering in the Adirondacks, and staying in touch with family, most especially his two beautiful daughters, Elizabeth and Katherine.

Victor brings many years of experience in enrollment management and admissions to Marvelwood. His longest tenure was at his alma mater, the University of Bridgeport, where he served as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission. During his time there, he strengthened recruitment by forming viable relations. In addition, he was able to exercise his passion for civic engagement, serving as co-advisor for the Alternative Spring Break program which brought students to different parts of the country for public purpose projects.

"I feel that Marvelwood understands the importance of treating each student as a unique individual. During the admissions process, we guide and support students on their path to cultivate their greatness".

In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, hiking and spending time with his family.

Barbara has been with Marvelwood since 2005, starting in the Business Office as Accounts Payable Associate. She moved to the position of Assistant to the Head of School in 2011, which brought a whole new prospective to working at the school; she thoroughly enjoys interacting with and helping students and their families, and brings enthusiastic positive energy to the position. Barbara has two grown children, Lauren and Brian. Brian graduated from Marvelwood in 2010. She also has two grandsons, who are her pride and joy. She lives in New Milford with her husband Michael and silly goldendoodle, Abby.

Emma Devanny ‘16 joins the Marvelwood faculty in 2021 as an alumni intern for residential life and athletics. Emma is a 2020 graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT with a degree in Psychology and is currently enrolled at Post University, pursuing her masters in Counseling and Human Services. Emma will be a staple of the dorms on campus, interacting with students during dorm duties and evening study halls in Summit dorm, Sterling dorm and Star dorm. She will also be assisting with the girls soccer and softball teams, while serving as head coach of the girls varsity basketball team.

During Emma’s time at Marvelwood, she was an exemplary student and athlete. Her work ethic gained the admiration of her teachers and coaches, as she racked up award after award and record after record. In the classroom, Emma graduated from Marvelwood with high honors and was a member of the National Honor Society. On the sports field, Emma was a star soccer player, setting multiple school records in goals in a career and goals in a season. She was a team captain for all four years, was team MVP in 2014 and a four time All HVAL selection. On the basketball court, Emma was captain for two seasons and helped guide the team to 4 straight league championship games. She was an All HVAL selection three times. On the softball diamond, Emma was team MVP three times, All HVAL three times and won the HVAL championship with the team in 2015.

Emma resides in Summit dorm for this school year and is working hard on completing her masters program. In her free time, Emma loves dancing, working out and painting. She is also a horror movie aficionado, with her top 3 being Hereditary, Silence of the Lambs and The Witch.

Laurie has been with Marvelwood since 1987 and Chair of the Science Department for much of that time. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Lake Forest College and her M.Ed in special education from The University of Hartford. During her undergraduate years, she worked with Dr. Charles R. Brown on his pioneering studies focusing on the costs and benefits of coloniality in Cliff Swallows. Today, in collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Laurie and her students continue to engage in research on a different member of the swallow family, as well as purple martins, which are a threatened species in Connecticut.

Laurie is on the Board of Directors for the Kent Land Trust and is a consultant to the Kent Conservation Commission. Since 2001 Laurie and her students have operated a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) bird banding station on land trust property under the guidance of the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) and the Sharon Audubon.

In 2007 Laurie created, “Building Migratory Bridges” a program which brings Marvelwood students together with underserved children in eastern Panama to learn about birds and conservation efforts. The yearly trip to Panama and the Cocobolo Nature Reserve is a research, exploration, and community outreach trip that is unlike any other!

Over the years Laurie and her students have initiated numerous research projects for local communities involving aquatic macro-invertebrates, amphibians, birds, vernal pool ecology, and GIS mapping. These research projects have contributed to the Town of Kent’s Natural Resource and Buildout Analysis, as well as habitat management plans for local land trusts. She has also been the recipient of numerous conservation educator and volunteer awards, as well as Faculty of the Year at graduation.

Valentin joined the faculty at Marvelwood after earning his Law Degree from Romania, having discovered that he was drawn to teaching rather than practicing law. After two years of working in the Strategies Department, Valentin pursued graduate studies at the University of Connecticut, and earned an M.A. in International Studies. He returned to Marvelwood in 2009, and currently he is the Chair of the History Department. During summers, Valentin teaches at the Leysin American School in Switzerland.

Besides teaching History and Political Science courses Valentin also enjoys coaching the Marvelwood Varsity Soccer and Basketball teams, as well as being a Model UN Advisor. In 2016, Valentin was awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to study for four months in India. In 2017, Valentin received a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to participate in the Philosophers of Education: Major Thinkers from the Enlightenment to the Present Seminar at Boston University. In 2019, he received another National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to participate in a summer institute on Thomas Jefferson; The Private and Public Worlds of Monticello and University of Virginia at the University of Virginia.

Valentin is the proud father of Irine ‘25 and Bella ’19, who is currently enjoying her freshman year at the University of Denver. Valentin is a board member with the United Nations Association of the Northwestern Connecticut Chapter. His interests include: soccer, travel, reading, politics, and foreign languages. Valentin speaks French, Romanian, Russian, and some German.

Ben Eskind is a recent graduate from the Bard College Master’s in Teaching program with a certification to teach English Language Arts, grades 7 - 12. He earned his Bachelors of Arts from Bard College in 2010, majoring in political studies—his final project explored the relationship between American jazz music, democracy and citizenship. He later earned his Master’s in Science from the University of Rochester, in community mental health counseling.

He is an intellectually curious person with an abiding belief in student-centered learning and the value of a liberal arts and sciences education. Prior to teaching, Ben worked as a community-based mental health counselor in Rochester, New York, providing counseling services to youth and families. After graduating from Bard as an undergraduate in 2010, Ben began his career in sustainable farming—eventually founding his own small-scale organic farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Ben is teaching courses in English and American Literature at Marvelwood, and will also be teaching in the Strategies Department and the Connections Program. He will also be coaching Varsity Cross-Country.

Outside of his teaching and coaching roles, Ben is an appreciator of the arts, an avid cook and bread baker, and enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with family and friends.

Blythe worked in publishing for five years after graduating from Trinity College, but soon determined that teaching was her goal. With a Masters degree in hand, she joined the Marvelwood faculty in 1990. Twenty-eight years later, after having created an iconic Honors English 12 class, being named Female Faculty Member of the Year four times, and serving in most of the School's administrative positions, she was appointed Interim Head of School in 2018 and was officially named Marvelwood’s seventh Head of School in June, 2019. She is especially proud of the School's fiercely dedicated and infinitely talented faculty, and remains energized and enthusiastic about her responsibilities and the challenges inherent in school leadership.

Blythe has been grateful for the opportunity to work alongside her husband Mike, a fixture in Marvelwood's Mathematics department. She and Mike agree that their longtime dedication to Marvelwood is a testament to the fact that they feel that the School represents who they are as people. The Everetts live on campus, where they raised their two children: Sam ‘14, a graduate of Western Connecticut State University, and Maggie ‘16, who was her class’s valedictorian and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Roger Williams University. The family cherishes the natural surroundings of their Skiff Mountain home.

Mike never planned to be a teacher...especially a math teacher. He struggled through math in high school, but discovered a passion for it in college at Clark University and at the University of Connecticut. After several years working in the publishing business, he met his wife, Blythe, at a food cart on a corner in Philadelphia. When she quit her job to pursue a teaching career, he threw caution to the wind and followed her to Marvelwood. The School has been their home ever since.

Mike completed his Master's degree in Secondary Education at the University of New Haven before starting his Marvelwood career as a Strategies teacher. He soon moved into teaching math and was the Department Chair for over ten years. He considers his passion and his strength to be working with students who struggle to learn math, helping them break down the barriers to success. Mike coaches Varsity Soccer, and has assisted with the baseball and wrestling teams. In the summer months, his passion for teaching carries over into his gardening. He has strong opinions that the spectacular Skiff Mountain sunsets can best be appreciated from the seat of a John Deere lawn mower!