![Ann Selvitelli]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1687890967/suffieldacademyorg/zgdsox9rshrntdcv7sbm/20230627_FacultyFridaySelvitelliHP.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1687890967/suffieldacademyorg/zgdsox9rshrntdcv7sbm/20230627_FacultyFridaySelvitelliHP.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1687890967/suffieldacademyorg/zgdsox9rshrntdcv7sbm/20230627_FacultyFridaySelvitelliHP.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1687890967/suffieldacademyorg/zgdsox9rshrntdcv7sbm/20230627_FacultyFridaySelvitelliHP.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1687890967/suffieldacademyorg/zgdsox9rshrntdcv7sbm/20230627_FacultyFridaySelvitelliHP.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1687890967/suffieldacademyorg/zgdsox9rshrntdcv7sbm/20230627_FacultyFridaySelvitelliHP.jpg","width":2200}])
Ann is a native of the town of Suffield and former faculty child. Prior to joining the Suffield faculty, she served as Associate Director of Admissions at Loomis Chaffee School, Dean of Students at Dana Hall School, and Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission at Babson College.
Ann joined the Suffield faculty in 2004 as a college counselor and dorm head. She was appointed the Director of College Counseling in 2005 and joined the senior administrative team. Outside of the college counseling office, Ann has also been a dorm parent, class advisor, leadership teacher, and coach. She is currently the Director of College Counseling & Leadership where she leads two of Suffield's signature programs. Ann is energized by the confluence of her work with the two departments and values balancing her administrative work with individual counseling and advising. She is also a member of Suffield's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. Ann lives adjacent to campus with her husband Dave, and their three children, Nicholas ’20, Hope ’22, and Maeve ’25, as well as her mother, Mardi Newman (former Suffield faculty member). Ann also enjoys volunteering her time on the Trinity College Women’s Leadership Council and First Church of Christ, Suffield.
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Where were you born?
My parents lived in Enfield, Connecticut when I was born (fun fact: Patrick Booth lived on the same street) and I was born in the Springfield, Massachusetts hospital. We moved to Suffield when I was 5!
What do you love about where you are from?
I love that Suffield is a beautiful farming town with so much land but yet we can be in several major cities or on the ocean within an hour or two. But mostly I love that community feel and pride of being from Suffield.
If someone was traveling to where you are from for 24 hours, what would you recommend? What would you tell them to do/where would you tell them to go?
I would invite them to sit on my front porch on Main Street and order pizza from Three Figs while we people watch. For the more touristy route, I would take them into Hartford to see the Mark Twain House, the State Capitol, Trinity College (my alma mater), and maybe a show at the Bushnell.
What do you love about where you live now?
I love that although I did move away from Suffield as a young adult and spent ten years in the Boston area, I still think Suffield matches my childhood perspective of a pretty great place to grow up. I am so happy I have been able to offer that same experience to my children.
What is your favorite thing about day-to-day life at Suffield Academy?
I love when students stop by to get a lollipop in my office and just chit chat about how classes are going, what the day’s stressor is, or whatever they feel like sharing.
What is the first thing you do every morning when you get to work?
If I arrive to the college counseling office first, I like to open all of the doors and turn on all of the lights. We have a beautiful welcoming space and it grounds my day to start there while it is quiet and appreciate all we have.
Who is your favorite artist?
I have always loved Vincent van Gogh. The colors, the scenery, the texture. Being able to walk among his paintings in the immersive experience in Boston was a recent trip highlight.
Which of your roles at Suffield Academy do you relish the most?
One of the things I love about my job the most is that the roles are varied and change regularly. I was a class advisor with Mrs. Tosone to the Class of 2023 and that is a unique role having followed the class for all four years and then helping them plan the prom, graduation festivities, and of course reading their names at graduation!
What is something your Suffield Academy family might not know about you?
I graduated from Suffield High School in 1987. My mom started working at Suffield Academy while I was already in high school so I had the best of both worlds—went to school with my lifelong friends during the day and went to games, dances, and of course ate in the dining hall at night. My two younger sisters both ending up attending Suffield Academy (Amy ’90 and Ellie ’94) and now I am the one who has worked here for twenty years! Life is full of twists and turns that create our unique journeys.
What is your favorite book?
Oh I feel like this is a college essay question, can I skip it? Hard to pick just one—I love books about women’s leadership and life lessons like Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In and Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. But I also love a good Elin Hildebrand or Colleen Hover beach read to escape it all!
What is the one word that you live by?
Balance. I keep a lot of balls in the air as a school administrator, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and community member. Some days I feel like I am juggling them all pretty well and other days, not so much. As long as the balls don’t totally drop and hit the ground, I think I am achieving balance. At least I try!
What is something you believe one can never over-invest in?
For me it is women friends, including my sisters and mother. Women need to support each other in this challenging world and time spent connecting and recharging together is incredibly important to me.
What is your favorite hobby?
I enjoy going for walks, listening to 80s music, gardening (I am learning!), and hosting holidays at our home.
What advice would you give a new teacher at Suffield Academy?
Be ALL IN! Embrace all aspects of life at Suffield. When we have time off, rest, recharge and learn something new.
What is the most important life lesson for someone to learn?
Be authentic. Just be you. Be with people who appreciate who you are as you are—the good and the messier parts.
What is/are your prized possession(s)?
Photographs of family and friends. I love to look back and remember times and places with people I love in places I have been whether it is our living room or a vacation destination.
What is your favorite song of all time?
“Dancing Queen” by ABBA. You just can’t be in a bad mood when that song comes on!
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I would like to visit as many National Parks as I can. There is such vast beauty that I have glimpsed but would love to expand that and see them all!
What is your favorite food?
Cheese. Anything and everything with cheese.