FCCF Announces New Board Members to Join the Team

(Norwalk, CT) By promoting philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation strongly relies on the generosity of their donors, the creativity and dedication of their staff along with the area’s nonprofit community, and the special talents of their Board members who volunteer their expertise to enhance the organization’s mission.

Each year, new members join Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, bringing with them a plethora of unique and diverse skills and talents – much like the Fairfield County community. The Board works in concert, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community.

“I am delighted to announce the addition of six new individuals to Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Board. Each one brings a special capacity and a unique perspective coupled with a dedication to see Fairfield County thrive and flourish,”says Juanita James, CEO and President of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.

“This is an exciting and challenging time for our community. We are honored to be able to add to our already committed and gifted Board who give of themselves so generously, with these new members.”

The new Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Board members were elected to serve a three-year term. They include: Vincencia Adusei of Bridgeport; Edwin L. Ford of Stamford; Joel Green of Fairfield; Craig Henrich of Darien; Jennifer Pagnillo of Carmel, NY; and Richard Wenning of Redding. They bring a wealth of expertise to help make an impact throughout the region. They are leaders in the business community and actively involved with nonprofits in their towns and across the country.

Together we thrive.

ABOUT NEW FAIRFIELD COUNTY’S COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS

Vincencia Adusei will serve on the Economic Opportunity Committee as an FCCF Board member. She joins FCCF’s Board with over 15 years of experience in the management, consulting, and development of housing and community development programs. Born in Ghana, West Africa, she now resides and works in Bridgeport.

Vincencia spearheads a successful, diverse small business enterprise that provides an array of services ranging from construction management and general contracting services to consulting services; and designing and providing a web-based bid portal for agencies and construction businesses. Her leadership, organizational, background, and project management capabilities give her a unique combination of skills that are a great addition to the FCCF Board.

Edwin L. Ford will serve on the Finance and Audit Committee as an FCCF Board member. He is a retired senior financial services professional with over thirty years of capital markets; derivative products; structured investments; risk management and regulatory experience. He served with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission monitoring large banks and broker dealers. Previously, he co-founded Harvest Global Partners (HGP), an advisory firm that provided risk management, portfolio and capital markets valuations to financial services and institutional clients. A resident of Stamford, FCCF is honored to have Edwin L. Ford as a member of the FCCF Board. His background will be an invaluable addition to the organization.

Joel Green will serve on the Governance Committee and the Education & Economic Opportunity Program Committee as an FCCF Board member. For more than thirty years, he has practiced law in Bridgeport concentrating on civil litigation and land use matters, successfully representing countless individuals, neighborhood and community groups in an effort to promote responsible development throughout Fairfield County and New Haven County.

Joel, presently, also serves on the Board of Commissioners of the Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District and the Board of Directors of the Bridgeport Field of Dreams Foundation. He lives in Fairfield with his wife Erica and two daughters.

Craig Henrich will serve on the Investment Committee as an FCCF Board member. He is a Partner at KSL Capital Partners, LLC. Formerly he was a Senior Managing Director of CW Capital Investments, LLC, where he led their single asset group specializing in the acquisition and management of debt investments. Including high yield and mortgage backed securities, and over saw a portfolio in excess of $4.6 billion.

Craig’s expertise in the financial world is a welcome addition to FCCF’s Board. He resides in Darien.

Jennifer Pagnillo will serve on the Development Committee as an FCCF Board member. She is co-chair of Day Pitney’s Tax-Exempt Organizations and Charitable Giving practice group that helps families and individuals in Connecticut and New York with tax and estate planning and estate and trust administration with an emphasis on charitable giving and the creation and operation of nonprofit organizations, including family foundations.

She has represented nonprofit organizations from inception through attainment of tax-exempt status and has facilitated the development of charitable fund-raising programs. From her office in Greenwich, straight to the FCCF Boardroom, Jennifer is an asset that FCCF is proud to welcome.

Richard Wenning will serve on the Arts Committee as an FCCF Board member. He is a national expert on education policy design and implementation, and the Executive Director of BeFoundation, a family foundation devoted to dramatic improvement in the education of underserved children in Connecticut and the vitality of their communities. He also leads SpreadMusicNow, a fund that supports music education for underserved youth, helping to shape their futures and build lifelong success. His expertise and dedication in the area of the arts and education will be a great advantage for FCCF’s mission to enhance the arts in Fairfield County. He resides in Redding.

About Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Community Foundation is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards, and has awarded over $185 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond.