THREE NEW ALUMNI MEMBERS OF THE GREENHILLS BOARD OF TRUSTEES BEGIN THEIR TENURE

The 2022-23 academic and fiscal year marks the first term for three new members of the Greenhills Board of Trustees. The three alums span more than 25 years of history in the building and bring a robust set of experiences, accomplishments, and histories. What unites them is a shared belief in the power of service and working to ensure that a Greenhills education is available to all.

Robert Wang ’05, a senior investment analyst and portfolio manager with Marshall Wace, a London-based hedge fund with more than $60 billion in assets under management, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his wife, Jessica Park, and daughter, Chloe.

As Wang reflects on his seven years at Greenhills, he is struck most with how the school provided the space for him and his sister, Cynthia Wang ’10, to engage in a powerful and enriching process of self-discovery.

“The number one thing that Greenhills did for me was allow for academic, extracurricular, and social confidence-building ahead of college,” said Wang. “For most of my undergraduate classmates at Wharton, the college experience was the first opportunity they had to explore who they were, their interests and aptitudes. The tremendous Greenhills base allowed me to really hit the ground running and thrive in a very competitive college environment.

“When people talk about Greenhills’ college preparatory program, it’s not just about academics, it’s about developing the self assurance to go after what you value,” he continued.

For Wang, this ties back to some of the core goals for the School’s Board of Trustees, including more outreach to communities that may never even consider applying to Greenhills, greater support of the tuition assistance program, and investing in faculty recruitment and retention.

“Annual contributions fund all of these key initiatives,” said Wang, who since 2015 has helped boost Greenhills alumni participation and support through an annual alumni giving challenge.

“As a trustee, I look forward to activating more alumni giving, as well as strengthening alumni coaching and mentorship possibilities from coast to coast.”

Denise Fair Razo ’01, who joined her sister Malika Fair ’97 at the school, remembers Greenhills as a welcoming and nurturing space that shaped her outlook on life and its possibilities, even though initially she felt unsure about fitting in.

“The teachers at Greenhills were truly invested in pouring their energies and expertise into the students,” said Fair Razo. “They invited all of us to stretch and grow to become whatever we wanted to be. When I think about the last 20 years of my life since graduation, it was the cultivation of self-confidence at Greenhills that made all the difference.”

Fair Razo went on to earn her B.A. from the University of Michigan, M.P.H. from the University of California at Berkeley, and M.B.A. from the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University.

Today, Fair Razo serves as the chief public health officer for the city of Detroit Health Department and is a member of Michigan’s Public Health Advisory Council, appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She was included in Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” in 2020, and was a Michigan Chronicle “Women of Excellence” honoree in 2021. Denise and her husband, Rico Razo, live in Detroit.

“My interest in participating on the Greenhills Board of Trustees stems from my desire for others to be afforded the same opportunities I had,” shared Fair Razo, whose father also served on the board from 1999 to 2005. “I hope I can inspire and reach others who come from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds like I do. I want to ensure pathways to Greenhills for students who are driven to excel, but may not think the school is for them.”

Jeff Loomans ’85 agrees that giving back to Greenhills is his primary motivation for joining the Board of Trustees.

“I owe so much to Greenhills,” Loomans said, whose sister, Elisa Loomans Thomas ’88, also attended. “It had a huge impact on my professional success, and I am gratified to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to the board.”

A retired tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Loomans lives with his wife, Patricia Munter, and daughter, Kate, in San Francisco.

“My wife and I agreed that after we sold our first company we would support our high schools,” related Loomans. “Greenhills prepared me incredibly well for college—discipline, writing, math, and science–all of which were crucial when we went out to start a business. It was far more academically rigorous than college, which meant I could really stretch and challenge myself in my undergraduate and graduate studies at Stanford.

“Beyond that, Greenhills made sure that we were all grounded in a broad range of disciplines, which is so formative and allows students to develop into well-rounded young people with a variety of interests that they can draw upon for the rest of their lives.”

As a new trustee, Loomans hopes to continue to foster the priceless connections that develop organically between students and faculty—one of the hallmarks of the school that resonates for a lifetime as a Gryphon alum.