RE Log - Fall 2021

34 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2021 Alum, author, NBA legend, entrepreneur join trustees A bestselling author, a former NBA star, a global entrepreneur and a Fortune 500 company executive enshrined in the school’s athletics hall of fame became the newest members of the 2021-22 Ransom Everglades Board of Trustees on July 1, 2021. At a meeting in June, RE’s board welcomed the new additions: Sloan Lindemann Barnett, author of The End of Food Allergy ; Shane Battier, a former Miami Heat executive and 13-year NBA veteran; Chris Torto, who has found- ed major data and communications companies in Brazil; and former alumni board co-chair James G. Weaver, Jr. ’90 , a global sales director for the United Parcel Service. “We are fortunate to welcome talent- ed and accomplished new members to the board of trustees,” Head of School Penny Townsend said. “Their enthusi- asm rivals their expertise in their various fields, and we know they will put their diverse – and fascinating – career and life experiences to excellent use. I look forward to seeing the ways in which they elevate our school.” The school said goodbye to six trust- ees: Reuven Bigio, who departed after one year; Julie Franklin, who served six years; Randy Gumenick, who served six years and chaired the Building and Grounds Committee; Jennifer Kennedy, who served six years; Mark Meland, who served 12 years; and Betsy Murphy, who served for 15 years and chaired the board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. “Our departing board members together served Ransom Everglades for nearly 50 years,” said Board Chair Jeffrey J. Hicks ’84 , in his second year as chair. “They invested so much of their time and resources to help Ransom Everglades continue to develop as a world-class school. We are extremely grateful to all of them.” Sloan Barnett is the author of The End of Food Allergy and Green Goes with Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet . Barnett, who has been a television and print journalist for more than 15 years, began her career as an Assistant District Attorney after receiving her undergraduate degree from Brown University and her law degree from the New York University School of Law. Sloan is a member of the Board and the Executive Committee of NYU School of Law, and the President’s Council at Brown University. She was also the Chair of The California Pacific Medical Center Board. She and her hus- band, Roger Barnett, are the parents of three children: Spencer (Brown ’24), Violet (Yale ’25) and Lyle ’25 . Shane Battier is president and founder of ZEB, LLC, which provides advisory services in a variety of industries, and is the former Vice President of Analytics and Basketball Development for the Miami Heat. During his 13-year National Basketball Association career as a player, he appeared in 977 career NBA games and won back-to-back NBA titles with the Miami Heat. Battier was also a two-time recipient of the Magic Johnson Award for excellence on the court and cooperation with media and fans, and he won the Twyman-Stokes NBA Teammate of the Year Award. He and his wife, Heidi Battier, founded The Battier Take Charge Foundation in January 2010. Battier graduated from Duke with a bachelor’s degree in religion in 2001. A native of Birmingham, Mich., Battier and his wife have two children, Zeke ’26 and Eloise. Chris Torto is founder and CEO of Ascenty Data Centers, the largest provider of data center and fiber infrastructure services in Latin America. Prior to his tenure at Ascenty, Torto was the founder and CEO of Vivax, the second-largest cable TV carrier in Brazil; Torto also led Voyager, Inc., an internet company that went public in 1999 and was acquired by a U.S. telecom group in 2000. He currently serves on the board for Mission, a managed services and consulting company for Amazon Web Services; the Harvard Business School alumni; QMC Telecom, a leading provider of cell tower services in Latin America; and Sullabs, a medical diagnostic company in Brazil. Torto earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and an MBA from Harvard University. He and wife, Wanesko Torto, are the parents of Sophia and Julia Marie ’24 . James G. Weaver, Jr. ’90 is Managing Director of Global Sales in the Healthcare and Life Science Division for UPS at World Corporate Headquarters in Atlanta. Prior to his tenure at UPS, he was Vice President and General Manager at Birchtree LLC and spent 16 years at 3M Company. Weaver has been active at Ransom Everglades since he earned his bachelor’s degree at The College of Wooster and MBA at Tampa College. He has served as alumni board co-president, and co-founded, with classmate and fellow trustee Agustin “Konky” Arellano, Jr. ’90 , a fully funded endowment with a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Class of 1990 Equitable Experience Endowment Fund. In 2018, Weaver was inducted into the Ransom Everglades Athletic Hall of Fame for football, tennis and basketball. He and his wife, Janique Weaver, are parents of twins, James G. Weaver III and Jayden Weaver, who are studying business and pre-medicine at their respective universities. Eminent Additions