Meet the Staff

Elizabeth is a dyed-in-the-wool Wyvern. She graduated from the school, married a fellow Wyvern, and four of her children attended the school. She’s always been involved with KO in some capacity, even while she worked for a time at her father’s, Thomas Fahy, Class of 1955, insurance company. Whether she was a class agent, member of the alumni council, president of the Alumni Association, or ex-offico member of the Board of Trustees, Elizabeth gives KO her all. She truly cares about the community. In 1999, she joined the development office and worked in alumni and parent relations, special events, and the business office. She spends as much time as she can with her family, needlepoints, and explores the Cape.

As a former employee of the Walt Disney Company, Meghan learned her craft well.  She is the perfect person to work in our Advancement Office with a winning combination of warmth and professionalism for ten years. Outside of work, Meghan paints and hikes with her best buddy, her dog, Charlie.

Prior to assuming the role at Kingswood Oxford as the Director of Institutional Advancement, Plapler served as the executive director for Connecticut and western Massachusetts and senior advisor mission advancement for the American Heart Association. Prior to that, she was the vice president of development and alumni relations at UConn Health. She also held key positions at numerous local non-profits and served as an adjunct professor at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She earned a B.S degree cum laude from New York University and a J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law School and practiced law for several years prior to her move to non-profit administration. She and her husband, Earl McMahon, live in West Hartford and have two adult sons.

Jayne spent the early part of her career in front of the camera working as a reporter/anchor for WTNH Channel 8. She said, “I enjoyed writing and connecting people to my reporting. In Advancement, I believe I have much the same mission by connecting alumni, parents, grandparents and community members to KO in a way that is meaningful to them – in essence, allowing them to tell their story.” Jayne spends much of her free time watching her three children play soccer and tennis. She loves being active, enjoys yoga, running and the beach.

Brenda is proud to be a faculty member at KO since 1982! She studied in Mexico and Spain and enjoyed her experience living with families there. She also traveled to Venezuela and Isla Margarita and organized the KO Venezuelan exchange program with the Avila and Guayamuri Schools and to Paraguay with Team Tobatí. She taught Spanish for four summers in Salamanca, Spain, with the TASIS program, and for eight more summers, was the assistant to the director for that same program, responsible for all the daily living experiences of the students. She particularly enjoyed many years as a coach of the KO FTC Robotics Team from its humble beginning to KO’s part as FIRST Robotics Affiliate Partner for all of Connecticut. For the past six years, she has been the KO archivist and loves learning about KO’s history, meeting with alumni, and preserving KO’s extensive archive collections. Her son, Matthew, graduated from the Class of 2005. She loves traveling, reading, her three cats, and spending time with her family.

Since graduating in 1990, Frances did a little bit of learning and moving before coming home to KO. She spent several years teaching in Bangor, ME, and Lake Placid, NY before joining the family business by becoming the fourth generation of van Huystee cigar tobacco brokers. Coming back to work with alumni and parents is a dream opportunity, made only better by watching KO become “home” to her children, Els, Jane, and Jack, all current KO students.

Melissa is a graduate of Westfield State University. Prior to coming to KO, she worked as the database manager for Avon Old Farms School. Melissa lives in West Hartford with her husband and three children. She enjoys reading, warm weather, and spending time with her family.