Meet the newest members of the Alumni Association Board of Trustees:
David Longridge '88 and Danielle Topliss '91
David Longridge was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1970, and at the age of five moved to the UK with his parents and brother Mark (SMUS 1983 – 1990). After attending schools in the UK, the family moved back to Seattle though their parents thought David and Mark would be happier at one of Shawnigan, Brentwood, SMUS, or St. George's (father Chris grew up in Victoria, and was at St. Michael's 1950-1955, Shawnigan 1955-1959; his two brothers attended both schools as well). Luckily for them, their parents chose SMUS.
Life at SMUS was fantastic; David thrived at debating (BC champion in 1988) and bicycle racing, as well as being lucky enough to be nominated as School Captain in Grade 12.
David attended UBC following SMUS, graduating with a degree in Engineering Physics in 1993, and went to work for Boeing as an engineer.
He's been at Boeing ever since, working in engineering, marketing, and sales, where he is currently. He was lucky enough to have Air Canada (as a salesman) for almost seven years, and currently works with a large aircraft lessor based in Los Angeles. He's married to Gretchen, and has a one year old son named Declan. He lives in Seattle, and enjoys boating, flying, and collecting cars.
Danielle Topliss graduated from SMUS in 1991, from University of Alberta in 1996 with a B.Sc. in Environmental Conservation Science, and from UBC in 2001 with her LL.B. During those “years between” Danielle worked for businesses and law firms to assist her endeavours. In 2001-2002, Danielle served as a Superior Court Judicial Law Clerk in Victoria before completing her articles and entering a mixed practice ranging from federal drug prosecutions and complex civil litigation to corporate/commercial and estates planning practice. In 2006, Danielle joined Stewart Johnston at SJ Law in Victoria where they provide legal services in matters of business, real estate, and wills, trusts and estates law.
Danielle's outdoor adventures include golf, rowing, skiing, mountaineering and sailing. Her most recent achievement took her to the summit of Pico de Orizaba (18,490') in Mexico. She has a dedicated interest in community service, working with local residents, businesses, community groups and charitable organizations. She has served as a volunteer for various groups, including Tourism Victoria, the Cormorant Street Neighbourhood, Heart & Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association, Hoop-Law! and the Vancouver Island MS Society. Danielle currently serves on the board of directors of Ballet Victoria.
Danielle has stayed connected with SMUS as a student resource since 2000 and is looking forward to actively contributing her experience, time, energy and resources as a member of the SMUSAA Board of Trustees.
Doug Peden, US 34
Doug Peden, University School 33-34, is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of British Columbia. He excelled in tennis, basketball, rugby, baseball and cycling. In 1936 he became the first Canadian ever to score a try against the New Zealand All-Blacks. That same year he won silver at the 1936 Berlin Olympics playing for the Canadian basketball team.
While still in school, he was the under-14 B.C. champion and Island champion in tennis. At 16 he played for the powerful Victoria Blue Ribbons and Dominoes basketball teams, eventually helping them to the Canadian championships in 1934 - 1935 and again in 1945 - 1946. Peden won the Canadian cycling sprint championship in 1939 and was a winning, professional cyclist with his brother “Torchy” before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball organization.
Doug was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, and Canada's Hall of Fame, where he joins his brother, Torchy Peden.
Doug Peden was born in Victoria on April 18, 1916 and died on April 11, 2005 a week before his 89th birthday.
Shanti Atkins '92
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"I joined St. Michaels University School in the sixth grade – the first year girls arrived at the Junior School. I can, say without hesitation, that my experience at SMUS formed the core foundation for my success and has been the most influential academic experience of my life – surpassing all three of my degrees. The school’s commitment to excellence and it’s ability to push students to achieve their highest potential profoundly impacted my development as a student, and who I am today. Most importantly, I developed confidence in my abilities and learned the fundamentals of leadership. SMUS ingrained in me a deep love of learning, and the desire to value academic achievement and innovation above all else. The dedication and quality of the teachers at the school are what makes it so special. I feel truly indebted to so many of the school’s phenomenal educators. If I come back to Victoria, my kids are going to SMUS." |
Shanti is the President & CEO of ELT, a San Francisco-based company that specializes in online ethics and legal compliance training. A former employment lawyer with her LL.B. from Queen's and a Masters of Law from Harvard, Shanti left her litigation practice to join the roller coaster world of tech start-ups . A founding member of ELT, Shanti has grown the company to become a leader in its field, now servicing more than 1,000 employers around the world, and training more than 3,000,000 employees. ELT's client list reads like a Who's Who in business, with companies like Charles Schwab, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, Nokia, Sony, United Airlines and Zurich all turning to ELT for their compliance training needs.
Well-known in the legal, ethics and HR communities, Shanti has been a featured expert for Fox News, CNN, Fortune Magazine, CNET, MSNBC, CNBC, The San Francisco Chronicle and The LA Times. Shanti is a frequent lecturer and writer for a variety of legal and HR associations, and hosts regular webcasts on legal compliance issues that consistently draw several thousand participants.
An entrepreneur at heart, Shanti is dedicated to continuing ELT's explosive growth – but is also committed to making time for her family. Shanti lives in the Bay Area with her husband Doug, her daughter Sam, and their two dogs, Poppy & Darwin.
Timothy Williams '83
Tim is an award winning composer and orchestrator. He has written the music for numerous films, video games, live spectacle shows and commercials. Recent feature film projects include; Watchmen, The Black Freighter and The Day the Earth Stood Still. He is currently scoring the Tom Hanks produced film, Beyond All Boundaries and The Secret of Skull Island for SONY.
He is also currently creating a new show for the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and has worked on live shows for Disney, Universal Studios, Seaworld and other independent producers.
There are over 20 sound tracks of his work released.
“SMUS is a very forward thinking school. I don't know of many schools who would allow a Hollywood feature film to be made on its premises. The film, of course, was Ups and Downs (aka Prep School), which was the first film I wrote music for. It was here that I fell in love with film music and knew this was my dream job! I know many others who went into the entertainment industry after being involved in this film. I thank St. Michael's for giving me this amazing opportunity and encouraging the arts at the school!”
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