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PETER WEISS & JULIANNE BEFELER
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NICOLE TONGUE
Peter Weiss & Julianne Befeler moved from New York City to Roxbury full time in 2020 after being weekenders for almost a year. They welcomed their son Wolfe that same August to the picturesque community. Wolfe has spent countless hours playing and creating at the wonderful children’s section of Gunn Memorial Library. Peter is a technology entrepreneur and Jules practices law in New York City.
Nicole Tongue trained at the Royal Ballet School, was a member of The Birmingham Royal Ballet Company, and a graduate of The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her career is both as a performer and a creative. As a choreographer, Nicole has created works in the world of ballet, opera, theatre, film and fashion both nationally and internationally with casts up to 200. In the community, Nicole has enjoyed working with the Connecticut Ballet Company, Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory in Torrington, Five Senses Festival, Hallmark movies in Norwich, CT and currently serves on the board of ASAP. She lives in Roxbury full time with her husband and son and loves spending time in nature, Connecticut’s four seasons and the community.
LAUREN & MARK BOOTH
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BEN NICKOLL & CHRISSY ARMSTRONG
Lauren & Mark Booth moved to Roxbury from London in 2010. They wanted a lifestyle steeped in nature while still having access to a city. The Booths have a big family and love the array of schools in the area as well as the wonderful people that our community attracts. Lauren is an artist and Mark is retired and sits on several boards.
Ben Nickoll & Chrissy Armstrong have had a home in Washington, CT for 25 years and became full-time residents in 2011. Chrissy is the lead singer of the mostly bossa nova band, A Lua, which performs around New York City and occasionally in Litchfield County. A former Wall Street banker, she is married to Ben Nickoll. Ben is a former partner at Morgan Stanley who founded the investment firm Ore Hill Partners which was subsequently sold to the Man Group in 2011. Since then, he has been running their family office, El Faro Partners. Ben and Chrissy are community activists and have together served on numerous boards in the local area. They have two children, Sophie and George.
VICTORIA ROWAN & JAMES BRALY
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CATHERINE BURNS
Victoria Rowan & James Braly have a home in Warren, where Victoria grew up taking out stacks of books from local libraries and working at Gunn Memorial Library, one of her favorite summer jobs. Their mutual love of words brought them together at a writing workshop Victoria teaches in NYC, where James developed autobiographical stories that became a New York Times Critics Pick show that toured 15 cities. James doesn’t like too many books in the house, but he and Victoria love supporting the libraries where Victoria can visit her old friends.
Catherine Burns is The Moth’s long-time Artistic Director and a host and producer of the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour. As one of the lead directors on the Moth’s Mainstage since 2003, she has helped many hundreds of people craft their stories. She is co-author of the New York Times Best Seller How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth, and the editor of the best-selling and critically-acclaimed books The Moth: 50 True Stories, All These Wonders, and Occasional Magic. Born and raised in Alabama, she now lives in Brooklyn.
MICHAEL DEL NIN & SEAN KREBS
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AMY CAMPANARO
Michael Del Nin & Sean Krebs discovered Washington while visiting friends for the weekend and began searching for a house in town on the drive back to the city. During the nearly two decades that followed, other than during a seven-year stint in Prague, they have spent as much time as possible in Washington (including probably hundreds of hours with their two children at Gunn Memorial Library). Michael has been a film and television executive for much of his career and is now the Head of Media Partnerships and Investments at Soros Fund Management in New York. Sean comes from the fashion world and was, most recently, International Editor of Vogue Czech Republic & Slovakia. Sean also serves on the board of Gunn Memorial Library.
Amy Campanaro is the Curator of the Gunn Museum. She is a public historian with decades of experience in the museum and higher education fields. Prior to joining the staff at the Gunn Memorial Library and Museum, she was the Executive Director of the Southeast Museum in New York. Amy has an affinity for sharing history and creating meaningful historical experiences.
ADAM & SYLVANA DURRETT
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SETH MEYERS
Adam & Sylvana Durrett live in Brooklyn but have been part-time residents of Washington since 2018. Along with their three young kids and two large dogs, they spend weekends and summers in the area. Sylvana founded and runs a children’s e-commerce business called Maisonette, and Adam has spent his career in private equity investing.
Seth Meyers is an Emmy Award-winning writer, New York Times bestselling author and host of NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Meyers began his TV career with “Saturday Night Live” in 2001, where he was a cast member for 13 seasons. He served as head writer for nine seasons and “Weekend Update” anchor for eight. In 2019, he released his debut standup special, “Lobby Baby,” on Netflix. Meyers executive produces Peacock’s “The Amber Ruffin Show” and IFC’s “Documentary Now!,” and in total has garnered 29 Emmy nominations. His children’s book, “I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared,” was released in March 2022.
JIM & JUDY HARPEL
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VICTORIA RISKIN
Jim & Judy Harpel live in both West Palm Beach and Washington, CT. Jim has been coming to the Washington area for over 30 years. Jim is Senior Partner of Two Roads Development which builds high-end residential and hotel projects in Florida and the Bahamas. In addition, he is a serial entrepreneur with interests in various industrial and commercial activities. Judy has owned an Interior Design firm, J/Howard Design Inc., for decades and has designed residential, commercial and hospitality interiors throughout the United States. Library Luminaries is one of their favorite events of the summer.
Victoria Riskin is the author of Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir, the highly praised dual biography of her parents published by Penguin Random House. Her memoir was nominated for Best Biography of the Year (2019) by the Los Angeles Times Book Festival. Riskin enjoyed a long career as a psychologist before becoming an award-winning writer-producer for television. Her credits include The Last Best Year, The Member of the Wedding, My Antonia, A Town Torn Apart and World War II: When Lions Roared for which she was named Television Producer of the Year by the Producers Guild of America. She is also a former president of the Writers Guild of America, West (2001-2004). She served on the international board of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and is currently a board member of the NPR station KCRW. Riskin lives on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband of forty years, Emmy-winning writer-producer David W. Rintels.
JACLYN LEVIN & ANDREW KANDEL
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STACY LONDON
Jaclyn Levin & Andrew Kandel, along with their children Theo and Greta, have spent many summers in Northwest CT and now call Lake Waramaug their home. Jackie, an Emmy and Gracie Award winning producer, spent over 30 years in the news business, at both ABC and NBC News, most recently as an Executive Producer at TODAY. She now works as the President of Shriver Media and is consulting with CBS Entertainment’s The Talk. Andrew, a graduate of Bronx High School of Science, was an aspiring bio-physicist turned criminal prosecutor, turned securities regulator, turned in-house counsel, and is now the Global Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Legal Counsel at Cerberus Capital Management, a NYC-based private equity firm. Theo is an emerging singer-songwriter and Greta currently works at Twill, a digital healthcare company that “weaves together the strands of mental and physical health.” Jackie and Andrew can usually be found on the tennis courts in the area or walking their dogs, Milo and Moose around the lake.
Stacy London is best known as the co-host of the iconic TLC show, What Not To Wear, a reality television program that ran from 2003-2013. Throughout her career, London has been an American stylist, fashion consultant, author, and magazine editor. She has also been a regular correspondent on the Today Show, The Oprah Show, Access Hollywood, and Rachael Ray. London has served as the spokesperson for numerous brands including Pantene, Dr. Scholls, Lee Jeans, and Woolite, and her 2012 book, The Truth About Style, was a NYT bestseller.
In 2020, due to her own debilitating experience with menopause, London co-founded State of Menopause, a non-hormonal product line for those experiencing menopausal symptoms. She sunset the brand in early 2023, recognizing the need instead to focus on education and healthcare advocacy for those in mid-life and menopause. Her next project, a media platform dedicated to these same issues will debut early in 2024.
JAY COLLINS & SUSANNA SALK
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JOHN KANELL
Jay Collins is Vice Chairman at Citi and a member of the Lake Waramaug community for 25 years.
Susanna Salk, who has been a Litchfield County resident for over twenty years, is a design author and host of the “Quintessence At Home With” channel on YouTube.
John Kanell is the founder and host of the internationally-watched “Preppy Kitchen” cooking series onYouTube. He will cook – with Jay as his sous chef – some of his favorite dishes and desserts from his New York Times bestselling cookbook, Preppy Kitchen: Recipes for Seasonal Dishes and Simple Pleasures. He lives with his husband Brian Dow and twin boys in Litchfield County.
INES DE SEROUX & MATIAS SANTA CRUZ
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ANTHONY CHAMPALIMAUD
Ines de Seroux & Matias Santa Cruz have been full-time Washington residents since 2020. They were both born and raised in Europe before moving to NYC over 20 years ago. Ines came to pursue a career in the contemporary art world while Matias chose investment banking. They have two young children at Washington Montessori.
Anthony Champalimaud is a co-founder and a Partner of Dutchfield, a real estate investment practice based in Litchfield, CT. He is an experienced real estate developer, investor, operator, and advisor specialized in the full lifecycle of hospitality real estate. Anthony acquired Troutbeck, the historic, country house turned hotel and residential community in Amenia, NY, in 2016. Troutbeck is an award-winning culture and community forward estate hotel, independently managed and a member of Design Hotels. Anthony serves as a member of the board of The Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield, CT. He also serves as a Commission Member of the Connecticut Semiquincentennial Commission created by Governor Ned Lamont. The Commission is responsible for planning of the State of Connecticut’s commemoration, celebration and reflections on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
DAVID & KELLY WILLIAMS
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ANDREW WEISSMANN
David & Kelly Williams live in Palm Beach, Florida and have been weekend residents of Washington, CT since 1999. Each of their three children spent many fun and productive hours at Gunn Memorial Library over the years. It was always Kelly’s dream to live on Lake Waramaug and in 2019, she and David finished their house on North Shore Road in New Preston. When they aren’t home enjoying the lake, the Williams can be found on one of the local golf courses, or they might be out fishing, hiking, barbecuing, gardening, birding, or biking.
Andrew Weissmann is one of the nation’s leading federal prosecutors. He is a frequent contributor on MSNBC where he also has a podcast collaboration, Prosecuting Donald Trump. He served as a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office (2017-19), Chief of the Criminal Fraud Section in the Department of Justice (2015-2019) and General Counsel for the FBI (2011 – 2013). Andrew was a special counsel to then-FBI Director Mueller in 2005. From 2002-2005, he served as the Deputy and then the Director of the Enron Task Force in Washington, D.C. Andrew was also a federal prosecutor for 15 years in the Eastern District of New York, where he served as the Chief of the Criminal Division. In addition to his work with MSNBC, Andrew is currently a Professor of Practice at NYU School of Law.
