Trustee Profile
Dennis Hepworth
Often, parents of current and former Northwood students serve on our Board of Trustees. Dennis Hepworth, from Short Hills, New Jersey, joined the Board three years ago not long after his son John graduated. He chose this way “to give back to this wonderful school.” He notes that he and his wife Cathy were “impressed with the professionalism of his teachers and with the extraordinary curriculum offered to the students. We were so grateful to Brenda Cotton and Tara Wright of the Learning Center for providing John the necessary support so he could succeed.”
Dennis graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1985 with a degree in Business Administration before working on Wall Street (Merrill Lynch and Prudential Investment Management) for twenty years. He is currently a Broker-Associate at Keller Williams Midtown Direct Realty in Maplewood, New Jersey, focusing on single-family and multifamily investment properties. He has been married to Cathy for thirty-two years; they have two sons: John (22) and Matthew (27) and a twelve-year-old Chocolate Lab -Cooper.
The Hepworth family enjoys spending time in Lake Placid where they have had a vacation home for twenty-five years. Dennis first experienced the Adirondacks as a counselor at Camp Pok-O- MacCready, leading day and overnight trips in the High Peaks and canoe trips on Lake Champlain and the Saranac Lakes. Dennis also enjoys weightlifting and powerlifting. He will be in his first competition in the latter in 2022. He and Cathy enjoy skiing at Whiteface.
Dennis feels that Northwood’s greatest strengths are its faculty and staff, who, he feels, are “highly professional, very engaged, and extremely dedicated.” He noted that “As a Board, we continue to work to improve the school’s financial position following the building of the Innovation Hub and the impact of the pandemic.”
His advice to Northwood students: “Take advantage of the resources provided at Northwood. Engage regularly with teachers. Get involved with sports or clubs. Explore the wonders of the Adirondacks, including hiking a few of the High Peaks.”