Nancy Van Duyne ’76
Heritage Society Donor
“I see including Kent Place in my estate as an opportunity to affect the future education of young women,” says alumna and Trustee Nancy Van Duyne ’76. For Nancy, joining the Kent Place Heritage Society is a way to give back to her alma mater and help girls receive the type of life-changing education she did. “The woman I became, and the pathway I chose in my career — and then even some of the choices I made in my personal life — came out of my experience at Kent Place,” she says.
Nancy enrolled in Kent Place in seventh grade. Her parents both deeply valued education, and knew that Kent Place was the best option for their daughter. For the first couple of months, Nancy was hesitant about her new school, missing the kids she grew up with, who were in the Summit public school system. After Thanksgiving, she remembers now, a group of girls broke out into Christmas carols in the cafeteria. As an only child, that early memory of the Kent Place sisterhood has stayed with her. “I stood there and I sang with them,” she says, “and I really felt a part of something.”
After Kent Place, Nancy went to Williams College, and then on to a career that included serving as vice president of Congressional Affairs for both Continental and then United Airlines, in other senior public affairs positions in the transportation industry, and as special projects director for former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley. Notably, in the days immediately following 9/11, Nancy worked with other airline representatives, Congress, and the Bush administration to reimburse airlines for costs incurred by the government grounding of planes for four days, which preserved hundreds of thousands of aviation jobs and allowed the industry to survive this unprecedented shock. In 2016 — at her 40th reunion — Nancy was recognized with the Kent Place Alumna Professional Achievement Award.
“My writing skills carried me through my career,” says Nancy, and her ability to write well, to think critically, and to work hard was developed at Kent Place. When she was at Continental and United, she authored Congressional testimony, correspondence between the airline and various Members of Congress, public remarks for various airline executives, and policy related press releases. “That was all Miss Moulding,” she says, crediting the beloved Kent Place English teacher for being able to take on a wide variety of written tasks over her nearly three decades in the aviation industry.
In 2017, Nancy joined the Board of Trustees. Her experience as a Board member and working closely on fundraising for the school have helped to inform her own philosophy for giving and for her planned gift. “I feel really strongly that those who can, should,” she says. “What I can give back through my estate is something that gets paid forward that will benefit someone who may not even be at the school yet.”
As a Trustee in the COVID years, Nancy saw firsthand that endowment dollars and unrestricted gifts were critical to the school during an unpredictable period. Now, she’s working closely on the campaign to build the new Leadership Center for Athletics, Wellness, and Performing Arts. Because it’s impossible to predict what the needs of the school might be in future decades, she says, she’s decided to leave her planned gift undesignated: “While you certainly have the option, when you include Kent Place in your estate, to direct your gift, I chose not to. I have respect for the Head of School and the other members of the school’s leadership to make the decision for what the need is at the moment.”
Nancy has also seen in her time on the Board how fundraising for all-girls schools can be more challenging than it is for all-boys and co-ed schools. She’s passionate about growing Kent Place’s endowment to be in line with that of peer schools and encouraging other alumnae to give back.
“There are a lot of worthy causes out there,” she says. “We are living in a very globalized world and we learn every day about another cause or crisis that calls out for our support. I think that has only heightened my awareness that you can have your greatest impact when you focus on and support your community. And I believe because I went to Kent Place, it’s part of my community. Even if you’re not living in Summit or sending your child to Kent Place, it’s a part of your life experience — it’s a part of your community where your financial support can make a real difference. The world is a little bit better when we remember to support where we came from.”