New Jersey SEEDS to Honor Pingry Headmaster, Nathaniel E. Conard, and Alumna Maite Amorebieta at 2019 Leading Change Benefit

February 26, 2019 – Newark, NJ – New Jersey SEEDS, an educational nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for high-achieving, low-income students, announced its 2019 Leading Change Benefit will honor SEEDS Trustee and Headmaster of The Pingry School, Nathaniel E. Conard, and SEEDS alumna and producer at CBS News, Maite Amorebieta. New Jersey SEEDS presents the Leading Change Award each year to those whose initiative and commitment have enhanced the educational opportunities of young people throughout the state.

Nathaniel (Nat) E. Conard joined The Pingry School as headmaster in 2005. He has guided the School through two major strategic plans, a comprehensive curriculum review, the largest fundraising effort in the institution’s history, and the School’s Sesquicentennial celebration. Before joining the Pingry family, Nat spent 10 years at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in Waltham, Massachusetts, and then eight years at the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. He began his career as a strategic management consultant with Bain & Company.

Nat received a B.S. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. He joined the New Jersey SEEDS Board of Trustees in 2005 and serves as the Co-Chair of SEEDS’ Academic and Student Affairs Committee. Nat’s wife Brenda Hamm is also a career educator, teacher, and coach. Their children, Rebecca and Benjamin, graduated from Pingry.

“Nat has been an integral part of the SEEDS family for nearly 15 years,” explains John F. Castano, Executive Director of New Jersey SEEDS. “As a member of our Board and one of the Co-Chairs of our Academic and Student Affairs Committee since its inception, Nat has helped to guide our organization’s programs and ensure the success of our scholars. We’re honored to celebrate the work he has done with SEEDS and all he has accomplished at The Pingry School at this year’s event.”

Maite Amorebieta is a SEEDS graduate who completed the 14-month Scholars Program in 1996. Today, she is a Producer at CBS News. Prior to CBS, she was a Producer for Fareed Zakaria GPS. In addition to working on this weekly CNN show, she produced 10 documentaries, including hours on ISIS, international gun laws, and Islamic fundamentalism. Before CNN, Maite was an Associate Producer at the investigative unit at Dateline NBC.

Maite graduated from Kent Place School and earned a B.A. in Urban Studies and History from the University of Pennsylvania. She holds an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York UniversityMaite has been recognized with a Peabody Award and has been nominated for five News & Documentary Emmy Awards. She is part of the Edward R. Murrow Awardwinning team that covered Hurricane Gustav for NBC News. She has won three National Headliner Awards and an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award. 

John Castano says, “I had the honor of first meeting Maite and her twin brother Aitor in 1996 when they were eighth graders living in Newark and finishing their SEEDS journey. In the years since, Maite has truly distinguished herself through her academic success at highly prestigious institutions and her professional achievements in the media industry. Our entire SEEDS community is incredibly proud of her accomplishments and honored to celebrate her.”

The Leading Change Benefit will be held at The Park Savoy on Thursday, March 28, 2019. For sponsorship information or to reserve your table, please contact Kristy Geoghan, at 862-227-9149 or at kgeoghan@njseeds.org.

ABOUT NEW JERSEY SEEDS
For more than 25 years, New Jersey SEEDS has provided educational access for highly motivated, low-income students and created a viable path for them to achieve their full potential. SEEDS strives for a world in which young people’s initiative, creativity and intellect can flourish without regard to socioeconomic status. Since SEEDS’ founding in 1992, more than 2,600 scholars have graduated from its programs. For more information, visit www.njseeds.org.