Meet the Admissions and Financial Aid Staff

Norma Dinnall, Associate Director of Admissions

A former ELL teacher and public school administrator, Norma begins her first year at CA. Her experiences include enrolling and advising students and parents from diverse backgrounds and developing programs and activities to promote cultural exchange. In addition to recruiting and interviewing prospective students, her responsibilities will include representing CA in the Boston area with a focus on multicultural schools and organizations. Among her interests are traveling, reading mystery stories, tennis (spectator), aerobic exercise and planning family projects. She lives in Lexington with her husband, Jamie Hoyte, and joins her daughter, Kirsten Hoyte, as a member of the CA faculty and staff.

Kristen Lewis, Associate Director of Admissions

Prior to joining the Concord Academy community in 2001, Kristen worked in admissions, financial aid, and development at colleges and independent schools in Indiana, Texas, California, and New Jersey. Kristen's responsibilities at CA include interviewing prospective students, visiting area schools, coordinating the parent tour guide program, and managing the day-to-day operations of the Admissions Office. Kristen enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and reading. She and her husband Brad live in Belmont, MA with their four-year-old son Everett and their one-year-old daughter Lynn.

Marion Matson, Admissions Office Coordinator

Marion has been a part of the Concord Academy Admissions Office for seven years. She has extensive experience with independent schools having worked at The Fenn School for four years prior to joining the staff at CA and having attended an independent school herself. Marion’s responsibilities include managing the work flow from the beginning of the application process right through to the final decisions. She may well be the first person you speak with on the phone should you call our office. The mother of two sons, Marion enjoys gardening, needlepoint, and reading in her free time.

John McGarry, Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admissions

John begins his tenth year at CA after working for several years at a boarding school in California. His responsibilities at CA include interviewing prospective students and overseeing the applications for and dispersions of grants and loans to all CA families receiving financial aid. In addition to his admissions and financial aid work, John is the head coach of the alpine ski team and is an advisor to four CA students. He lives on campus with his wife Suzanne and their children Tyler and Annie. When summer comes, John enjoys mountain biking and waiting for ski season to return.

Marie D. Myers, Associate Director of Admissions

This is Marie’s fourth year as a part of the CA community. Entering into her second year in the Office of Admissions, she also served for two years as associate director of college counseling. In addition to general admissions responsibilities, Marie serves as the Admissions Web site content manager and publication coordinator and as the athletic liaison for the Admissions Office. She also acts as the advisor to Umoja, CA’s African American student organization, and advises several CA students individually. Prior to her tenure at CA, Marie worked in the field of college admission in her native region of the Midwest and in Massachusetts. She lives on-campus with her husband and children and enjoys reading good books and watching “bad” television.

Lynn Orr, Admissions Assistant

Lynn is one of the new members of our admissions team. A long time resident of Concord, she is very familiar with the CA community. She studied English and Art History at Salem State College, where she spent four years working in the Admissions Office. Her responsibilities at CA are to assist with the processing of student inquiries, applications, and financial aid; she may be one of the friendly voices you encounter should you call the Office of Admission. She enjoys summer weekends on Cape Cod, reading, playing golf, and spending time with her ten nieces and nephews.

Pam Safford, Associate Head for Enrollment and Planning

In her eighth year at CA, Pam has worked at boarding and day schools for over twenty-two years and attended boarding school herself. At CA Pam's primary responsibilities include managing the Admissions Office, overseeing the school's communications and marketing efforts, and supporting the Board of Trustees and the school in its strategic planning work. Additionally, she is a member of CA’s senior administrative team, the weekend duty team, and is an advisor to five CA students. Pam enjoys spending time with family, reading, running, practicing yoga and playing golf. She lives on campus with her husband and two standard poodles.

Kristin Stiles-Hall, Associate Director of Admissions

Kristin has been a member of the CA admissions team since 2000, and she is now in the office part-time. She has a master’s degree in clinical social work, and prior to joining the CA admissions team she worked as a counselor with adolescents in a variety of settings. Her responsibilities include interviewing students and their families, visiting schools, organizing on-campus receptions, and supervising the student tour guide program. She lives on campus with her husband who is an English teacher at CA, their two children and their dog. In addition to her admissions work, Kristin is also an advisor, a house parent, and an assistant softball coach.