Meet the Team

List of 11 members.

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  Eric Long 

  Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

  508-291-8326

  Bio

  Eric Long joined the Tabor community as the Associate Director of Admission in 2007. In 2010, he was named the Director of Financial Aid. Eric is the head coach of the Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey team. Entering his eleventh year, Eric has built upon the strong tradition of the Tabor hockey program, which is considered one of the premier programs in Division I. Prior to his time at Tabor, Eric had an accomplished career playing professional hockey, ending his playing career in Europe, before moving on to Kimball Union Academy as an admissions professional and Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey coach. In his free time, Eric enjoys watching his children play their own sports, boating on Buzzards Bay, and living next to the Maker’s Lab where he can follow the progress and witness firsthand the handiwork of Tabor students’ creations. 
  
  

  Eric lives and works as a dorm parent in West House with his wife and four children. 
• 

  Laura Burgess 

  Director of Admissions Marketing

  508-291-8556

  Bio

  Laura Burgess came to Tabor in 2016 from Emma Willard School, her own alma mater, where she spent five years in admissions. Laura earned her B.A. from St. Lawrence University and an M.A. from Dartmouth College. Laura has worked in boarding school admissions since 2006 and loves sharing the boarding school experience with prospective families. Five generations of her family have attended boarding schools throughout New England. She is a frequent presenter at programs and industry conferences on topics ranging from the value of boarding schools to the empowerment of teen girls to women in the boarding school industry. Laura is an advisor, a dorm parent in Bushnell, a faculty Global Partner, and coaches JV girls’ tennis. Laura is a racquet and snow sports enthusiast, an avid reader, experimental vegan baker, and a lifetime runner who completed her first marathon in July 2019. Laura has traveled to 26 countries and counting. She lives on campus in Tenbrook Cottage.
• 

  Richard DaSilva 89

  History Teacher/Assoc. Dir. of Int'l Center

  508-291-8379

  Bio

  Rick DaSilva ’89 returned to Tabor in 1999, after a decade of college and teaching. He holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts and teaches history. In 2015, Rick became the Associate Director of the Center for International Students and enjoys working with and supporting the international student experience. Rick also works with Steve Downes, running the Summer Service Program, an annual opportunity for Tabor students to travel abroad and volunteer their time on a number of different projects. The groups have been to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bali. Rick has recently worked to gain Tabor’s entrance into a Global Citizenship Network. Headed by the Rysensteen Gymnasium in Copenhagen Denmark, Tabor joins 11 other schools around the world in initiatives that foster a greater understanding of Global issues. A houseparent in Lillard, he coaches lacrosse and sits on the Diversity Committee. Rick enjoys traveling, especially as a representative of Tabor, and iPhone photography.
• 

  Stephen Downes 

  Director, Center for International Students; Associate Director, International Recruitment

  508-291-8380

  Bio

  Steve Downes joined the Tabor faculty in 1985. He studied history as an undergraduate at Harvard, and international studies as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins. He teaches Chinese language, and has taught modern world history. In addition to teaching, he works with Tabor’s International Students, and coaches boys squash in the winter. Steve accompanies Tabor service programs in southeast Asia in the summer, and helps with summer and winter school exchange programs and international admissions work.
• 

  Amy Francis 

  Admissions Office Manager

  508-291-8300
• 

  Christian Garris 05

  Associate Director of Admissions, Multicultural Outreach

  508-291-8328

  Bio

  Christian returned to Tabor in 2017 after graduating in 2005. After earning a degree in English and Music at Amherst College, Christian spent some years teaching middle school and enjoying the local music scene in nearby New Bedford. Christian reports, "I am absolutely ecstatic to be back home in the Tabor community." Christian is eager to meet our many perspective students and families and sharing his enthusiasm for Tabor while assisting them throughout the admission process. In addition to his duties in Admissions, he is a dorm parent in Lillard Hall. You will likely find him after school helping out the boys in football and basketball, his favorite Tabor sports!
• 

  Alice Mattison 03

  History Teacher/Assistant Director of Admissions

  508-291-8595
• 

  Guillermo Moronta 02

  Assoc. Director of Admissions

  508-291-8599
• 

  RJ Swift 08

  Assistant Director of Admissions

  508-291-8323

  Bio

  RJ Swift '08 rejoined the Tabor community as the Director of Student Activities and a History Teacher in 2016, he joined our Admissions team in 2018. RJ is the head coach of the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse program as well and JV Hockey program. During his time at Lawrence Academy, RJ was named the 2015 ISL boys' lacrosse Assistant Coach of the Year. Upon graduating from Tabor, he studied at Providence College, receiving a BS in Health Policy Management and minoring in Political Science. Besides his coaching experience at Lawrence, RJ has also coached with the Top Gun fighting clams, Team Central, and the Groton youth lacrosse program.
• 

  Wiley Wakeman 68

  Associate Director of Admissions

  508-291-8325

  Bio

  Wiley graduated from Tabor in 1968. He returned to teach Mechanical Drawing and Nautical Science from 1973-1984. After a break from teaching, he returned to Tabor in 1996 as an Associate Director of Admissions. He coaches crew in the spring. He and his wife, Michele, were house parents in Bushnell House for twenty years where they raised three children: Tica ‘05, Sam ‘16, and Brooke ‘14.
• 

  Stefanie Whitworth 

  Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

  508-291-8329

  Bio

  Stefanie Whitworth joined the Tabor community as the Associate Director of Admission in July 2017. Prior to Tabor, she spent six years as an associate director of college counseling at Wasatch Academy in Utah. Stefanie has a rich history in education, both in private schools and in higher education. She was director of admission at The Winston School in Dallas, TX, and served as an assistant director of admission at Flint Hill School in northern VA. At the university level, Stefanie has served at Appalachian State University as a senior associate director of admissions and got her start in education during a six-year tenure at her alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, where she was a business/systems analyst and assistant director of admissions. Stefanie is passionate about education and enjoys helping students and families understand their educational options and find the right fit. Stefanie is a houseparent in Williams House where she lives with her husband, two children, and a big dog. Besides biking, hiking, and snowshoeing, Stefanie spends time watching her kids play sports, reading good books, and visiting museums.