Our Team

Jane Hulbert 

Jane is the founding partner at The Jane Group and has been the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) crisis communications consultant since 2000. She counsels independent, international, for profit, and charter schools on crisis and reputation management issues, crisis planning, messaging, media management, and media training. Jane and Jim conduct trainings across the US and internationally. Prior to consulting, Jane was a communications executive at McDonald’s Corporation responsible for the Crisis and Media Relations Department. She was the key spokesperson on high profile global crises including the “hot coffee” incident. Jane is a graduate of the Park Tudor School (IN) and a cum laude graduate of Boston University. Contact Jane.

 

JIM Hulbert, J.D. 

Jim is a partner and CEO at The Jane Group and a labor and employment lawyer by training. Jim manages the firm’s ongoing caseload, and he is the lead consultant on governance and board matters and complex legal matters in the US and throughout the world. In his role with boards, Jim works closely with chairs and executive committees and advises boards on complex issues involving leadership transitions, sexual misconduct investigations, and best practices in governance. Jim also oversees the firm’s international business. Since 2015, the firm has worked with schools in 38 countries and five continents. He has presented at numerous international education conferences. Jim works with international school leadership in all aspects of crisis management and is a member of the Child Protection Response Team for the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Jim graduated from Culver Academies (IN). He was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in American studies. Jim earned his law degree at Boston College, cum laude. Contact Jim.

Kim Newsome 

Before joining The Jane Group, Kim spent 19 years at The Madeira School, a girls’ boarding/day high school in McLean, Virginia.  While she held a variety of roles at Madeira, including Director of Summer & Auxiliary Programs and Director of Enrollment Management, for the past six years she was the Dean of Students, a member of the senior administrative team with responsibility for campus residents, residential life, health and wellness, the equestrian program and student leadership. She coordinated all student safety protocols as well as the Student Parent Handbook. Last year, as a senior member of the school’s COVID Response Team she managed the restructuring of the Health Center and the creation and implementation of COVID testing and mitigation protocols. Kim graduated from cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in religion and a certificate in African American studies. After graduation she joined the executive training program at Macy’s and went on to spend the next decade in executive positions there. Kim and her family recently returned to New Jersey, after her husband retired from a long career in the United States Secret Service to take on an opportunity in the private sector in New York City.
 

Patty DeViva 

 Patty DeViva is a consultant and director of content at The Jane Group. With almost three decades of marketing and communications experience in education, including 23 years at Wyoming Seminary, a day and boarding school in Pennsylvania, Patty brings an extensive knowledge  base that includes writing, PR and crisis communications, social media management, digital marketing,  graphic design, video production, motion graphics and digital publications production. Most recently Patty served as communications director at Wilkes University, overseeing its marketing programs, social media and serving as editor-in-chief of the Wilkes magazine. At Sem, she wore many hats including communications director, magazine editor, webmaster, photographer and videographer, served on the school's senior leadership team, and led its crisis committee and marketing committee. Patty began her career in education and discovered her love of technology at Cornell University's Center for Advanced Computing as the assistant to the executive director.  She has a master of education degree with a focus in instructional technology from Wilkes University with an undergraduate degree in communications from King's College.  Contact Patty DeViva

JACK MODZELEWSKI 

Jack Modzelewski is the newly appointed strategic advisor to The Jane Group (TJG). He provides counsel in communications, crisis management, media relations and strategy. Jack serves as a valued thought partner in managing complex issues and crises in schools.  Jack’s consulting firm, JackKnifePR, manages all facets of business communications: public relations and public affairs, corporate communications, media training and marketing for a wide variety of clients.  Jack spent 27 years leading FleishmanHillard, a leading global communications firm where he was president of the Americas, the firm’s largest group of regions. Jack’s relationship with TJG goes back 30 years ago when Jack managed the McDonald’s account and worked with Jane Hulbert and the media relations and financial teams. He has worked during his career with a wide spectrum of clients across many industries, including education and not-for-profit organizations. He is considered an expert on crisis management and has assisted Fortune 500 clients around the world.  His book Talk Is Chief – Leadership, Communications & Credibility in a High-Stakes World  was published in 2019 and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Jack’s recent commentaries have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and other newspapers. As an author and expert on leadership and communication, he has been featured in the Financial Times, Forbes, Fast Company, Investor’s Business Daily, and business podcasts and radio programs. His undergraduate degree in communications is from the University of Illinois, and he earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.  He is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement and has served on the Medill School of Journalism’s board of advisors since 2003. After positions on numerous boards and associations, Jack is currently co-chairman of the Communication Leaders of Chicago. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club.              

 

 Dr. Tekakwitha M. Pernambuco-Wise 

Dr. Tekakwitha Pernambuco-Wise is a certified executive coach, consultant with The Jane Group and Head of The Wyndcroft School (PA). She is also a faculty member of The Heads Network's Women in Leadership Seminar. Tekakwitha was previously Head at Sea Crest School (CA) for 7 years, followed by Acting Head at Helios School (CA). In addition to serving on the boards of Trinity School (CA) and Archbishop Mitty High School (CA), Tekakwitha serves on the boards of The Heads Network, the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools, is the secretary of the National Association of Independent Schools’ Board.

Tekakwitha was born and raised in British Guiana (now Guyana) and graduated from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and mathematics. While a faculty member at the Agnes Irwin School (PA), she studied at the graduate education department of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s from the University of Toronto, Canada, and a doctorate from St. Mary's College of California with her dissertation concentration on the experience of female heads of NAIS schools. She earned a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University and is an elected member of the Heads Collegiate Forum. 

Based out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Samantha brings over 20 years of communications experience to TJG, 18 of which have been spent internationally. Samantha has worked in community development, marketing, admissions, advancement, and crisis communications for international schools in the Middle East, North America, and SE Asia, most recently at United World College Thailand. Prior to working in education, Samantha worked in communications agencies on leading international brands, before spending almost a decade in the UAE driving PR, branding, and communication strategy for IFA Hotels & Resorts, the largest foreign investor on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah. Samantha graduated with honors from Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto before studying marketing at Ryerson University. Most recently, she finished a certificate program in Digital Disruption from Oxford University’s Said Business School.

With over 20 years of academic and professional experience in response to violence against vulnerable populations, Katia is a leading expert in Child Protection in youth-serving organizations. Katia has worked for the International Centre for Missing and exploited Children, where she led global and regional efforts to prevent and respond to missing children’s issues including child abuse and online child abuse and exploitation. Katia has also acted as Executive Director for Program Monitoring and Evaluation and has worked as Program and Policy Director for Latin America and Caribbean, managing the articulation and implementation of ICMEC’s multi-disciplinary program across the region. Awarded a Rotary Peace Fellowship, Katia has extensive experience presenting at regional, national, and local events on missing children’s issues and online abuse and exploitation. Katia earned her Master of International Development Policy from Duke University.

Alison Bennie 

Alison has been of counsel for The Jane Group for many years, providing writing and consulting services on an as-needed basis. As associate vice president for communications at Bowdoin College, Alison is responsible for the leadership and supervision of the conceptual and creative processes. She maintains the College’s brand, works to ensure excellence and consistency across all platforms, and serves as executive editor of the alumni magazine. Her work has earned awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, including a Circle of Excellence Gold Award. Alison is also co-principal of Whitney MacDonald Communications Consultants, a consulting group specializing in marketing, crisis communications, writing of all types, and development of photographic resources. She earned her AB in English and American literature and languages at Harvard and is a graduate of the Radcliffe Publishing Course.