Our Board, Staff & Committees

The Community Foundation's 2018 Board of Trustees: front row from left, Mary Broderick, Secretary Cathy Bokoff, Treasurer Edwin Higgins III, President and CEO Maryam Elahi, Ex Officio, Anne Rash; back row from left, Govind Menon, Lynn Malerba, Vice Chair David Schulz, Elsa Nunez, Board Chair Stephen Larcen, Sandra Rueb and Harry Ferguson. Missing from photo are Ulysses Hammond and John Pritchard.

Expertise & Experience

They say an organization is only as good as the people who are involved with it. We have been blessed with an abundance of Board members, volunteers, professional counsel, and staff who not only possess intelligence and integrity but also, caring hearts and compassion. They are vital to our continued good governance, regional growth and meaningful community impact.

Board members are selected for their professional expertise, integrity, sound judgment and knowledge of community issues. They serve without compensation and are appointed to three-year terms (renewable only once) to help ensure a continuous flow of new ideas, as well as promote public accountability.
Staff members are selected for their extensive experience and expertise in the nonprofit sector.
Committee members, who include both board members as well as other members of the community, are selected for their expertise, integrity, dedication, judgment and understanding of community issues.

The staff at the Community Foundation: front row from left, Director of Strategic Initiatives Michelle Puhlick, Director of Development Lillian Rhodes and Chief Financial Officer Janet Grant; back row from left, Office Manager Pam Mola, Program Officer Deb Battit, Vice President & Chief Development Officer Alison Woods, President & CEO Maryam Elahi, Systems/Finance Assistant Kathy Duggan, and Program Director Jennifer O'Brien.

Meet the members of our Board, staff and committees:

Board of Trustees

Community Foundation Officers: Stephen Larcen, Chair; Edwin Higgins III, Treasurer; Cathy Bokoff, Secretary; David Schulz, Vice Chair.

Cathy Bokoff
Secretary
Human Resources Consultant
Joined board in 2016

Thomas A. Borner
President & CEO, Putnam Bank
Joined board in 2014

Mary Broderick
Education Advocate
Joined board in 2018

Harry Ferguson
Retired Attorney
Joined board in 2018

Ulysses B. Hammond
Retired, Vice President for Administration, Connecticut College
Joined board in 2016

Edwin Higgins III
Treasurer
Attorney with Bachand, Longo & Higgins
Joined board in 2017

Stephen Larcen
Chair
Retired, Senior Vice President, Behavioral Health Network, Hartford HealthCare
Joined board in 2013

Lynn Malerba
Chief of the Mohegan Tribe
Joined the board in 2018

Govind K. Menon
Retired VP, Operations & Strategy, Pfizer Inc.
Joined board in 2014

Elsa Núñez
President, Eastern Connecticut State University
Joined board in 2017

John Pritchard
Retired Corporate Litigator
Joined board in 2017

Anne L. Rash
Retired School Administrator & College Professor
Joined board in 2016

Sandra Yarrow Rueb
Retired Real Estate Professional
Joined board in 2016

David Schulz
Vice Chair
Retired, Executive Director, Neurosciences Drug Discovery Group, Pfizer Inc.
Joined board in 2016

Maryam Elahi
President & CEO, Community Foundation of Connecticut
Ex Officio

Staff

Office of the President

Maryam Elahi
President & CEO | Read Bio
maryam@cfect.org

Development/Donor Services

Alison Woods
Vice President & Chief Development Officer | Read Bio
alison@cfect.org

Michelle L. Puhlick
Director of Strategic Initiatives | Read Bio
michelle@cfect.org

Community Impact

Jennifer O’Brien
Program Director | Read Bio
JennOB@cfect.org

Deb Battit
Program Officer | Read Bio
deb@cfect.org

Finance & Administration

Janet Grant
Chief Financial Officer | Read Bio
janet@cfect.org

Pam Mola
Office Manager | Read Bio
pamela@cfect.org

Kathy Duggan
Systems/Finance Assistant (part-time) | Read Bio
kathy@cfect.org

Committees

(An asterisk indicates a current board member.)

Executive Committee
Cathy Bokoff, Secretary
Ulysses Hammond, At Large
Ed Higgins, Treasurer
Stephen Larcen, Chair
David Schulz, Vice Chair
Maryam Elahi, Ex Officio

Governance Committee
Ulysses Hammond, Chair*
Mary Broderick*
Anne Rash*
David Schulz*
Claire Warren
David Zuckerbraun
Maryam Elahi, Ex Officio

Audit Committee
Harry Ferguson, Chair*
Jason Cote
Ed Higgins*
Bill Mencer
Paul Vaida

Development Committee
Cathy Bokoff, Co-Chair*
Elsa Núñez, Co-Chair*
Harry Ferguson*
Stephen Larcen*
Lynn Malerba*
Dyanne Rafal
David Schulz*
Lee Terry
Carol Williams

Finance Committee
Ed Higgins, Chair*
Tom Borner*
Sue Corrice
Susan K. Jones
Patricia Rodgers-Longo

Investment Committee
John Pritchard, Chair*
Leigh Bonney
Sam Childs
Harry Ferguson*
Nicholas Fortson
Martha Gibson

Program Committee
David Schulz, Co-Chair*
Maryam Elahi, Co-Chair
Bridget Baird
Cathy Bokoff*
Mary Broderick*
Harry Ferguson*
Kathy Parker
Larry Reiter

Real Estate Gifts Committee
Sandra Rueb, Chair*
Brian Carey
Sam Childs
Harry Ferguson*
Marc Ginsberg
Stephen Larcen*

Southeastern General/Environmental/Animal Welfare Grants Committee
Kathy Parker
Mary Broderick*
Rosie Martinez
Govind Menon*
John Pritchard*
Larry Reiter
Sandra Rueb*
John Sargent
Linda Sargent
David Schulz*

Norwich Youth Grants Committee
Cathy Bokoff, Co-Chair*
John Duggan, Co-Chair
Greg Boyd
James Chadic
Nick Fortson
Martha Healy
Denise Magario
Jim Sawyer
Charles Seeman

Willimantic Welfare Bureau Fund Grants Committee
Lee Ellen Terry, Chair
Ray Aramini
Fran Bowen
Mary DeMarco
Rosie Hernandez
Barbara McGrath
Kim Silcox
Carol Williams

Southeast Scholarship Committee
David Schulz, Chair*
Amy Akiode
Rochelle Duyan
Kerry Garofano

Women & Girls Fund Committee - Northeast Area
Paige Billings Mador, Co-Chair
Tonya Brock, Co-Chair
Laura Moorehead, Co-Chair
Kendra Bonnette
Pam Brown
Linda Colangelo
Donna Copeland
Laura Crosetti
Christie Deary
Karyn DiBonaventura
Leia Faucher
Mae Flexer
Donna Grant
Fran Gustavesen
Sara Gustavesen
Erica Kesselman
Tina Lajoie
Anne Miller
Amanda Garcia Rice
Jill Shamback

Women & Girls Fund Committee - Southeast/Norwich Areas
Ruth Crocker, Co-Chair
Valerie Grimm, Co-Chair
Sue Corrice
Lynn Cravinho
Jeanette Dostie
Naima Gherbi
Christine Grady
Pam McNulty Hennessey
Barb Holt
Nancy Lathrop
Denise Lindell
Adrianne Loweth
Theresa Madonna
Maria Miranda
Jane Moriarty
Sandra Rueb*
Barbara Sahagan
Jeanne Sigel
Karen Stone
June Strunk

Women & Girls Fund Committee - Windham Area
Starsheemar Byrum
Leigh Duffy
Josephine Fox
Sandy Hale
Marsha Hilsenrad
Leigh Jones-Bamman
June Krisch
Toni Moran
Anne Rash*
Kimberly Silcox
Donna Snell
Lee Ellen Terry
Joanne Todd
Mary Weinland
Carol Williams

Trustees Emeriti

Walter V. Baker*

Bridget Baird
Timothy Bates
Jane R. Bredeson
Laurel Butler
Ann den Tex*
Mary A. Doherty
Anthony Enders
James English
Marcia H. Gardiner
Marc Ginsberg
Richard Gipstein
Albert Glassenberg*
Eleanor Harvey*
Myron Hendel
Chester Kitchings, Jr.
Lee Kneerim*
Doris Levinson*
Rosalind Mallove*
Robert Marrion
Ellen McGuire
Granville Morris
Francis J. Pavetti
Stephen Percy
Constance Pike*
Dyanne Rafal
Laurence P. “Jim” Smith*
William Blunt White
George Willauer
John Zimmerman*

*Deceased