Meet the Summer Programs Office

Susan Peel Farrell, a graduate of Yale (B.A.) and Wesleyan (M.A.L.S.), first came to Choate as a teaching intern in the Summer of 1987. She returned in 1990, joining the faculty and serving as an Associate Director of College Counseling and a coach for girls soccer and lacrosse. In the ensuing years, she worked in the Choate Admission Office and in Development and Alumni Relations before returning to Summer Programs in 2010. 

Susan lives near campus with her husband Stephen, long-time member of the faculty, and has four children, all of whom attended Choate Summer Programs and are graduates of Choate Rosemary Hall: Garrett ’12, Dylan ’14, Caitlin ’15, and Tagan ’20. In addition to her work in Summer Programs, Susan is Assistant Coach for Girls Varsity Soccer, a Student Life adviser to several Choate students, the adviser to Choate’s Women Student-Athlete Association, and a former coach of co-ed Varsity Sailing. Outside of Choate, Susan was appointed in May 2020 to the board of Hoyas Unlimited, the alumni relations and fundraising arm of Georgetown University Athletics, and is now in her second 3-year term. She also continues to serve each year as an alumni interviewer for Yale University and recently concluded service as an at-large delegate to the Yale Alumni Association Assembly.  

Julia Pucci received her BA from Yale University, where she later returned to complete a Ph.D. in Italian Language & Literature. Over the years, she has taught a variety of Italian language and translation courses and published articles related to Italian literature, film, and memory studies. She joined the Choate faculty in 2022 as the Summer Programs Associate Director, Teaching Internship Coordinator, and Dean of Academic Affairs. 

Beyond the classroom, Julia is an avid hiker, published poet, and classically trained violist. In addition to her work with Summer Programs, she serves as an adviser to Choate students and occasional collaborator with the Choate Symphony Orchestra and New Music Festival. She also volunteers her time as an ASC alumna interviewer for Yale College. 

Julia lives a short distance from the Choate campus in Rockfall, CT, with her husband, Matthew, and their darling cat, Phoebe. 

Wes Jenkins is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (B.A.) and the University of Southern New Hampshire (M.S.).  Throughout his nearly twenty-year career, Wes has held several roles within the Deans’ Office at various schools including as a Director of Residential Life, an Assistant Dean, and the Dean of Students.  At Choate Rosemary Hall, Wes teaches U.S. History, serves as a dorm head in Pitman House, and coaches wrestling and weightlifting.  He began his journey with Choate Summer Programs in the summer of 2023 and served for two years as a high school dean before becoming the Summer Programs Dean of Students in 2025.  Outside of work, Wes enjoys time with his wife and daughter, Jill and Nova.  He is prone to be found gardening in his backyard or going for runs with his dog Loki around Wallingford. 

Debbie Carpenter is a graduate of Choate ’85, The University of Connecticut (B.A.) and Southern Connecticut University (M.S.). She worked in the Development Office at The Foote School for 9 years and was co-chair of Foote’s diversity organization MOSAIC (Multicultural, Open-Minded, Supportive, Accepting, Inclusive, Community) 2018-2019. She returned to Choate in March 2019 as a member of the Summer Programs Office. Most recently, she was a member of the Generative AI Collaborative (Staff) group in 2024 that worked to develop policies for using AI responsibly in the workplace. Debbie lives in Hamden with her husband, John and their son Nicholas. 

Jennifer Sutera has recently joined our Summer Programs team as the Systems Coordinator. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University and an MBA from Texas Woman’s University. She has spent the last 9 years as an independent consultant in database development. Her background is in Training and Development as well as data management. After living in Houston, TX for 10 years, she has returned to CT and now lives here in Wallingford with her husband Paul and their two children, Tony and Ava.