Elizabeth S. Silverman P’03 ’10 has completed her six-year tenure as chair of the Peddie Board of Trustees.
 
Head of School Peter Quinn said that part of Silverman’s legacy is her “full-on embrace and celebration of the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds for which we have for a long time said are important to us,” noting her efforts to bring inclusivity to the board and support for Peddie’s recent addition of all-gender campus housing. 

Silverman took over the chairmanship in October 2015 following Christopher J. Acito ’85. She served as board chair as Peddie began a strategic planning process in earnest. The board approved the plan in 2017.

Quinn said Silverman brought great stability to the board during extraordinary times, including helping to steer Peddie through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Without Elizabeth, it would not have gone as well,” said Quinn. “That is undeniable.”

Both Quinn and Silverman recalled last summer’s nationwide racial reckoning as a pivotal time for Peddie.

“Peter’s leadership and the support of the board’s executive committee got us through the heightened tension, led us to the hiring of a director of diversity, equity and inclusion, and to making the necessary changes to ensure that Peddie is a welcoming and inclusive community for all,” said Silverman.

Without Elizabeth, it would not have gone as well. That is undeniable.

A Peddie board member since 2010, Silverman served on the Committee on Trustees and Governance, which she co-chaired, and the Development Committee. Before joining the board, Silverman was an active parent volunteer, serving as class chair for the Peddie Fund and chair of the Senior Parent Endowment Fund and Parent Fund. 

Recently-elected board chair Douglas Davidson applauded Silverman’s “extraordinary ability to connect with people.”

“Elizabeth’s unique talent in bringing us together as a board and in fostering strong relationships with Peter, the administration and faculty have enabled us to achieve many notable successes during her term,” he said.

Since the first group of charter trustees of The New Jersey Scientific and Classical Institute (later Peddie Institute, later The Peddie School) elected its first president, 19 men have served in the role. It was not until 2015 that the first woman, Silverman, held the top seat.

“Almost all of the changes that have taken place at Peddie during my tenure are due to the incredible leadership of Peter Quinn and his administrative team,” Silverman praised. “That said, I feel particularly good about my efforts in building a board that is both more representative of the Peddie community and, I think, more cohesive and with more camaraderie than the one I joined in 2011 or began to lead in 2015.”

Silverman will continue to serve on the board as board chair emeritus.