Board of Directors
Mary Arpe, Founder & President
Mary has experience in educational, corporate, legal, and nonprofit sectors. A graduate of Vassar College and the University of Florida Law School, she has worked for a large state university, for IBM, and for the law firm Gelfand and Arpe, P.A., where she has been an equity partner since 1991. Mary has served in leadership roles with the United Way, the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition, the Nelle Smith Residence for Girls, Toward a More Perfect Union, and the Palm Beach Habilitation Center. She is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County and has led local social justice initiatives and programs focused on diversity and inclusion.
From this experience, Mary was inspired to create Community Compact. The nonprofit originally focused on opportunities for establishing complementary partnerships between nonprofit organizations and college students. Subsequently, it created several initiatives including Gleaning Greatness, designed to provide college choice programs to high-potential high school students in rural areas of the country. Her desire to create Summer Scholars came, in part, from being a long-time summer visitor and resident at the Chautauqua Institution.
Chris Payne, Vice President & Scholar Alumni Network Advisor
Chris Payne attended Wilton High School in 2004 as a 14-year-old kid from the south side of Chicago via the ABC (A Better Chance) program of Wilton, CT. One of very few Black students in Wilton, he graduated as a member of the National Honor Society, president of the Wilton High School band, and a decorated football player.
Chris attended Amherst College in Amherst, MA, where he studied English and Music. After college, Chris moved back to Chicago and was under the mentorship of Will Garrett at the Kellogg School of Management.
Currently in Brooklyn, Chris leads the Audio Department for educational technology companies Nearpod and Flocabulary. He is most passionate about how storytelling can improve communities.
Chris has worked with our Summer Scholar Alumni Network which connects our alumni monthly to share ideas, opportunities, and strategies in reaching their personal & professional goals.
Ellen Kentner, Secretary/Treasurer
Ellen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Florida and worked promoting children’s books and planning authors’ appearances for Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Crown Publishers in New York City. After moving to Florida, she continued to promote education, working with schools, the Episcopal Church, Toward a More Perfect Union, and a rural branch of the Palm Beach County Library System.
Ellen has a passion for justice work. She initiated and coordinated civil rights attorney and author [Just Mercy] Bryan Stevenson’s first appearance in West Palm Beach in 2016 and co-facilitated the first Sacred Ground program in Southeast Florida in 2020-2021. Sacred Ground is a film and readings-based dialogue series on race, created through the Episcopal Church’s Becoming Beloved Community initiative, focused on racial healing, reconciliation and justice in our personal lives, our work, and our society.
Ellen is currently the Communications Coordinator for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach. She manages the church’s website, social media, and publications, and promotes the events and good works of the parish in the community and abroad.
Ellen has served on the board of Community Compact since 2011 and is inspired by the remarkable students she has met through the Summer Scholars program and by the extraordinary cultural, educational and spiritual opportunities at Chautauqua.
Leah Johnson
Leah is an experienced educator and leader committed to fostering growth, connection, and belonging in every community she serves. Her career spans early childhood through higher education, where she has focused on developing leadership, supporting personal growth, and building environments where people can thrive together.
Leah earned her Master’s in School Counseling from the University at Buffalo and is currently pursuing certification as a spiritual director. Her time with the Chautauqua Institution reinforced her belief in the importance of hospitality, rest, and reflection as essential components of effective leadership and community building.
A Mohawk and white woman raised in Western New York, Leah is deeply rooted in the region’s people and values. She is guided by the understanding that individual success and community well-being are interconnected, and she brings authenticity, compassion, and collaboration to all of her work.
Anne Law
Anne Law retired in 2024 from a career in higher education. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of New Hampshire. During her 40-year career at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, she held several roles including Department Chair, Special Assistant to the Provost, and Director of the Teaching and Learning Center. As a psychologist, Anne is most interested in human development, family, and gender. She co-authored the book Questions of Gender and received research grants from the NIH to explore the impact of various forms of childcare. As a campus leader, Anne was devoted to promoting student success in both academic and co-curricular outcomes, promoting evidence-based improvements in teaching and learning, improving diversity and equity in the curriculum and in classroom practices, and mentoring students and faculty.
In her personal life, Anne and her husband, Gene, have two adult daughters and are active members of St. Matthew's United Methodist Church of Valley Forge. They are involved in the local democratic party and volunteer through their church in food ministries. Anne and Gene made their first visit to Chautauqua thirteen years ago and have returned every year. Anne believes passionately that the arts, education, and civic engagement offered by the Institution's summer programming should be shared more broadly. Thus, the mission of Community Compact resonates strongly with Anne's professional and personal commitments.
Marcella Montesinos
Marcella Montesinos is an accomplished higher education leader with over two decades of experience in academic administration, student development, and leadership programming. She currently serves as the Director of the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College at Palm Beach State College, where she oversees honors curriculum development, student recruitment, articulation agreements, and community-based learning initiatives such as Panther’s Closet, a student-run thrift store.
Marcella has held multiple roles at the college, including Professor of Honors Community-Based Learning, Student Life Manager, and Student Development Advisor, consistently demonstrating her strengths in strategic planning, budget management, and student engagement. She holds a Master of Science in Business Management with a focus in Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication from the University of Central Florida.
Fluent in Spanish, Marcella is deeply involved in her community, serving on various advisory boards and educational committees. Her dedication to student success and community impact has earned her recognition, including the 2025 Our Wellington Award.
Dr. Deninne Pritchett
Dr. Pritchett's remarkable journey exemplifies unwavering dedication to professional growth, educational excellence, and student success. Since earning her PhD, she has relentlessly pursued innovative teaching methodologies and transformational leadership. Her commitment to fostering inclusive learning environments is evidenced by her attainment of the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Advanced Certificate in Effective College Instruction and her role as a Content Expert in Designing Learner-centered Equitable Courses.
Throughout her career, Dr. Pritchett has demonstrated her leadership and commitment to academic excellence. She served as a Faculty Fellow at Central Piedmont's Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, where she not only refined her own expertise but also played a pivotal role in elevating her colleagues’ professional development. Her dedication was further recognized when she received the prestigious Mary W. and Wilton Parr Faculty Teaching Award and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor—testaments to her exceptional teaching and her profound impact on student achievement.
To deepen her leadership capabilities, Dr. Pritchett earned the Wharton Executive Presence and Influence Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania and a Research Translator Certificate from the Bridgify Group. These accomplishments reflect her passion for bridging research and practical application to solve organizational challenges. Additionally, she actively contributes to the broader educational community as a member of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) Undergraduate Research Advisory Board and co-leads the Undergraduate Research Curriculum Development Program, exemplifying her commitment to expanding research opportunities and fostering innovation across community colleges.
Her journey is a testament to resilience and determination. Overcoming early life challenges, beginning her path as a young mother at 18 and facing multiple setbacks in her college journey, she persisted and ultimately transformed her life through education. Her perseverance led her to earn a PhD, serve as a Dissertation Chair for doctoral learners, and become the Founding Faculty Director of Central Piedmont’s Honors Program. Dr. Pritchett’s story underscores the vital role community colleges play in shaping future leaders and unlocking potential.
Nelly Thiman, Alumni Representative
Transfer Success Program
Dan Sullivan, Senior Transfer Advisor
Dr. Daniel F. Sullivan (Dan) is President Emeritus of St. Lawrence University (in Canton, New York), former president of Allegheny College (in Meadville, Pennsylvania), former chair of the board and senior fellow of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and former tenured faculty member and then Vice President for Planning and Development at Carleton College (in Northfield, Minnesota). He holds a B.S. in mathematics Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence, a Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University, and has honorary degrees from St. Lawrence, Clarkson University, and SUNY Canton.
From his St. Lawrence retirement in 2009 until very recently, he has been an advisor to over 30 independent colleges and universities and three independent schools, a mentor to several current college presidents, the author of numerous articles based on his higher education research, and a consultant with the Education Advisory Board (EAB).
He and his wife, Ann, have been property owners and devoted members of the Chautauqua Institution community since 1993. He became involved in Summer Scholars at Chautauqua in the summer of 2022 and leads the effort to facilitate the successful transfer of Summer Scholars from their two-year institutions to four-year colleges and universities with high graduation rates and welcoming student cultures.
Sherra Babcock, Transfer Advisor
Retired from Chautauqua in 2017, Sherra Babcock was Vice President and Emily & Richard Smucker Chair for Education, responsible for the 10:45 lecture platform, the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, Special Studies, the Writers' Center, the Chautauqua Prize, Smith Memorial Library, Oliver Archives, and programs for children and youth. Prior to Chautauqua, she was Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Southwestern University in Texas and founded a consulting firm (Project Partnerships) that assists liberal arts colleges in navigating change. She is experienced and trained in leadership consulting, including study with David Cooperrider at Case Western Reserve University in Appreciative Inquiry and with Cheri Brown at the National Coalition Building Institute.
She and her husband Jim live at Chautauqua May-September, and in Falls Church, VA October-April. They share four daughters, nine grandchildren, and one precious great-grandson.
Staff
Beth Brockman Miller, Executive Director
Beth loves introducing Summer Scholars to the Chautauqua experience and connecting them with Chautauquans. Her time in Chautauqua as a young person fostered her lifelong passion for peace, education, and community building. Beth graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace Studies, an interdisciplinary major combining the study of politics, sociology, anthropology, and religion. She then co-founded the Princeton Peace Prize which recognized remarkable people and organizations working locally and nationally for peace, economic justice, and environmental justice.
After college, Beth co-founded the PeaceWeavers, a nonprofit educational organization and community with a retreat center and organic farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She worked with this group for over 30 years to foster greater peace, well-being, and sustainable living for hundreds of individuals and families. During this time, Beth also helped start and facilitate several educational cooperatives.
Beth has been involved with Community Compact since the fall of 2021. In 2022, she and her husband moved to Chautauqua where, in 2023, she co-founded Chautauqua Common Grounds, a space for residents, staff, locals, and visitors to gather and connect in the off-season. In addition to being Executive Director, Beth is part of the management team of the Ecumenical Community of Chautauqua, an inclusive community which provides hospitality and affordable accommodations during Chautauqua's 9-week season. She enjoys photography and shares pictures of Chautauqua on FB and Instagram @Chq4u.
