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Horace Mann School Welcomes New Trustees
Michael Colacino ’75
Michael Colacino ’75 is
president of Studley, Inc., a
national commercial real estate
firm specializing in tenant
representation. Michael
graduated from HM in 1975 and from Harvard
College in 1979. He has been on the faculty of
New York University, from which he has a M.S.
in Real Estate. He has also studied operations
research and statistics at the graduate level at
NYU’s Stern School. He is a trustee of the
International Center of Photography, a member
of the National Associational of Realtors
Commercial Advisory Board, the Real Estate
Board of New York and the Advisory Board of
the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton.
He participates in a variety of non-profit
activities, including New York Cares, Lee
National Denim Day, the Partnership for Parks,
Toys for Tots, and the Los Angeles Food Bank,
Michael is married to Deborah Colacino and
his twin daughters, Emma and Isabella, will
attend pre-k at Horace Mann in the fall, joining
the class of 2022.
Laurence S. Grafstein
Laurence S. Grafstein is
Managing Director and co-head
of the global Technology, Media
and Telecommunications Group
at the investment bank Lazard
LLC. Previously he headed the global telecommunications
practice at Credit Suisse First
Boston and was head of the technology, media
and telecommunications group at Wasserstein
Perella & Co. Larry lives in New York with his
spouse, Rebecca, and their sons Daniel ’11,
Edward ’12, and Isaac ’15. He is currently a
member of the Executive Committee of the
Wall Street Division of the United Jewish
Appeal, co-chairman of the Harvard Class of
1982, a member of the advisory board of
The New Republic magazine, a member of the
U.S. campaign board of Balliol College (Oxford),
a member of the Upper Canada College U.S.
Foundation board, and a member of the board
of Jabil Corporation. He has degrees from
Harvard (A.B.), Oxford (M.Phil, Rhodes
Scholarship) and the University of Toronto (J.D.).
Lawrence Otis Graham
Lawrence Otis Graham is an
attorney and New York Times
bestselling author of 14 books
on culture and politics. His
newest book, The Senator and
the Socialite, is a biography of 19 th -century U.S.
Senator Blanche Bruce. A graduate of Princeton
University and Harvard Law School, Larry is
contributing editor at Readers’ Digest, Uptown
and Westchester Magazine and Chairman of
the Westchester County Police Board and a
SUNY Purchase trustee. He practiced corporate
law at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and served on
the boards of the Red Cross, Princeton Center
for Leadership Training, and the Westchester
Holocaust Commission. He has taught
American Government, and African American
Studies as an adjunct professor at Fordham
University. A commentator for Cablevision
News 12, Larry has written for The New York
Times and U.S. News & World Report. At HM,
he served as PA board representative to the
Parents League, and on the Head of School
Committee. Larry and Pamela live in
Chappaqua and Manhattan with their children,
Gordon ’16, Lindsey ’20 and Harrison ’20.
Samona Joe Tait Johnson ’86
Dr. Samona Tait Johnson ’86
became Head of School at the
Bronx Preparatory Charter
School, a public charter school
serving students in grades 5-12
in the South Bronx, in July 2007. Prior to
becoming Bronx Prep’s Head of School,
Samona served the children of New York City’s
public schools as a principal and local
instructional superintendent. She is a proud
alumna and Past Trustee of Prep for Prep and
currently serves on the boards of Leadership
Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) and
Ananse Shield. Samona graduated from Horace
Mann in 1986, holds a B.A. (1990) and M.S.E
(1991) from the University of Pennsylvania and
an M.Ed. and Ed.D. (2000) from the Harvard
University Graduate School of Education. She
has served on the 2007 and 2008 Tina and
David Bellet Award for Teaching Excellence
Committee and was also a featured speaker at
the fall 2007 HM Alumni of Color event.
Justin D. Lerer ’95
Justin D. Lerer ’95 received his
BA from Harvard College in
1999 where he was graduated
magna cum laude and his JD
from Harvard Law School in
2002 where he served as executive editor of
the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduating,
Justin clerked with the Hon. Jon O. Newman,
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2 nd Circuit as well as
the Hon. Michael B. Mukasey, U.S. District
Court, Southern District of New York. Justin
has recently left his position at Paul, Weiss,
Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP where he
specialized in complex securities litigation and
white collar criminal defense. While at Paul,
Weiss, he also represented a prisoner on
Alabama’s death row on a pro bono basis.
Justin now serves as an Assistant United
States Attorney in the Eastern District of New
York. He is a member of the Board of the
Harvard Alumni Association. At HM, he was
Chair of the Governing Council and was
elected to the Varsity Club for his accomplishments
as captain of the cross country,
wrestling, and spring track teams. Justin and
his wife, Rachel Hannaford, live in Brooklyn.
Catherine Goodstein Wallace ’87
Dr. Catherine Goodstein
Wallace ’87 is a practicing
Obstetrician and Gynecologist
and is a partner of Downtown
Women Ob/Gyn Associates in
Soho. She is also on the faculty of the New
York University Medical Center. She is a
graduate of Horace Mann (1987), Stanford
University (1991), and New York University
Medical School (1996), and completed her
medical residency at Mount Sinai Hospital. At
HM, she has served as a member of the Head
of School Committee. Catherine is married to
Ian Wallace and is the mother of Piper ’22
and Nolan. $
Horace Mann Magazine Fall 2008
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