Matt Coen ’88, Rob Glancy ’01, and Paige Roberts P’29, P’31 Join the Wheeler Board of Trustees
August 31, 2022
As we begin the 2022-23 school year, we are pleased to announce three new members of the Wheeler Board of Trustees.
Matt Coen ’88 arrived at Wheeler as a 2nd-grader, in 1976, when the school had just gone coed and basketball was played in Wheeler Hall. By his senior year, the Boys Basketball team, which he captained, had won its first championship. “It was fun to be a part of such dramatic change during my years at Wheeler,” Matt recalls. In addition to basketball, Matt was active in student government, and he was also an editor for the student newspaper, The Spoke. During his junior year, Matt was diagnosed with dyslexia. “The Hamilton School opened the year after I graduated,” he says. “To see it become the global leader in language-based learning differences that it is today is incredible.”
After starting out in politics following his time at Wheeler, Matt has spent the majority of his career as an entrepreneur at the intersection of media, marketing, and technology. He was the Co-Founder and longtime CEO of Second Street, an audience engagement platform for media and marketers. He is now the Founder of 142 Steps Ventures and Managing Partner of SLM Media Group, which publishes St. Louis Magazine and other niche digital and print publications and marketing services.
In 2006, Matt co-wrote and produced the award-winning documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?, which was broadcast nationally on the PBS series Independent Lens.
Matt and his wife, Emily, have three sons, Will, Henry, and Noah, and he is involved with their St. Louis schools, MICDS and Forsyth School, where he previously served as the Board Chair. Matt currently serves on the National Executive Council of the American Jewish Committee, the Board of Hawthorn School, and as an inaugural member of the Wheeler Leadership Council.
“The way that Wheeler has evolved over the decades has always been a source of inspiration for me, as someone whose career is focused on innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Matt. “I’m excited to serve with Head of School Allison Gaines Pell and the rest of the Board to chart the next phase of evolution for Wheeler students.”
Robin “Rob” Glancy ’01 joined Wheeler in the 9th-grade, and as a student, he was deeply involved in the Aerie Enrichment Program, Mock Trial, and a special course of study in Spoken French and Francophone Culture. He also co-founded the Culinary Club and was a member of Wheeler’s Golf Team for three seasons.
After graduating from Wheeler, Rob studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Leadership and Behavioral Economics at Harvard Business School.
Rob is currently the Director of Human Resources at The Field School, an independent day school for grades 6 through 12 in northwest Washington, DC. He lives in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC with his partner, Greg Sandoval, who is an Assistant Research Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at George Washington University.
Rob remains an engaged and active Wheeler alumnus, having served two terms on the Alumni Board, and he is currently a member of the Wheeler Leadership Council.
“As a Wheeler alumnus, I am incredibly honored to be able to serve the school as a Trustee,” Rob says. “Since graduating in 2001, I have enjoyed remaining engaged and connected to the school. To now have the opportunity to lean in even further to steward Wheeler as a member of the Board is a true privilege. Working in independent schools, it feels especially rewarding to have my personal and professional lives intersect at this moment to serve my alma mater.”
Paige Roberts P’29, P’31 is the President of the Wheeler School Parents Association. Paige and her husband, Mike, joined the Wheeler Community as parents in 2015. Her two children, Sophie ’29 and Zack ’31, are thriving at Wheeler, and Paige says she feels grateful to have landed in Providence as she and her family are enjoying all that Rhode Island has to offer.
Upon graduating from The George Washington University and completing a Masters degree in European Law and Economics at the University of Malta as a Rotary Scholar, Paige spent over a decade working in the fields of statistics and executive communication, most recently for Schneider Electric. For many years she enjoyed traveling around the world in pursuit of work and new adventures. When she decided to have children, she made the choice to be home with them, and Paige says she enjoys being there for school pick up, games at Wheeler Farm, field trips, the always entertaining job of carpool driver, and so much more.
In addition to her role as Mom, she also identifies as an entrepreneur (with a new brand launching this year), volunteer, and travel planner. If you live in Providence, you are likely to see her running the streets of the East Side.
“My role as WSPA President and Trustee is dedicated to supporting our parents and families, creating opportunities for connection, and strengthening our community for the benefit of its students,” Paige says. “As a Wheeler parent, I have chosen to be a part of this community, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to contribute to its vibrancy and to shaping Wheeler’s long-term vision for success.”
Rob and Matt were elected by the Board this spring and began their three-year terms on July 1, while Paige is serving as a Trustee this school year during her time as WSPA President. Please join us in congratulating them on their meaningful new roles at Wheeler!
