Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Announces New 2019 Board Chair, Officers & Members

(Norwalk, CT) Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF) has announced the appointment of a new Chair for its Board of Directors, as well as, the addition of three new Board members. A new slate of officers was also appointed.

As a nonprofit partner and thought leader since 1992, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation brings passionate people and trusted resources to solve our region’s challenges through innovative, collaborative solutions. FCCF aspires to close the opportunity gap in Fairfield County by eliminating disparities in income, education, employment, housing and health.

“The Community Foundation is fortunate to engage talented, philanthropic individuals who are truly committed to improving the quality of life for all residents of Fairfield County,” stated Juanita James, President & CEO, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.  She continues, “We welcome Jennifer Hill, Mark Riser and Mary Woods to our Board of Directors. And we are also pleased to announce our newly elected officers to lead us in pursuing  FCCF’s goal to close the opportunity gap in Fairfield County.”

Martha Olson

A resident of Darien, Connecticut, will serve as Chair of the FCCF Board and Chair of the Executive Committee. Ms. Olson joined the Community Foundation’s Marketing Council in 2013 and the Board in 2014.  As a Board member, she led the planning team comprised of Board members and staff in developing the organization’s new three-year Strategic Plan. Her career spans over 30 years in the consumer packaged goods and apparel industries. She is known as a consumer-focused strategist with a track record of growing global, iconic brands and delivering top-line sales growth and superior shareholder returns. In addition to FCCF, Ms. Olson serves as a member of the Lawrence University Board of Trustees, and is a Visiting Professor in Fashion and Fashion Business at the NYU Gallatin School.

Briggs Tobin

Briggs has been a Board member since 2015, will serve as Vice Chair, as well as Chair of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Council and a member of the Governance Committee. Mr. Tobin, a former GE Executive, is Chief Financial Officer for Ridgefield Academy and resides in Ridgefield.

Clayton Fowler

Clay joined the board in 2015, will serve as Vice Chair and as a member of the Finance Committee. He is a founding partner of Spinaker Real Estate Partners and works in South Norwalk.

Edwin Ford

A board member since 2016, Edwin was appointed Treasurer and serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. He is a retired senior financial services professional with over thirty years of capital markets, derivative products, structured investments, risk management and regulatory experience. Mr. Ford resides in Stamford

Johnna Torsone

Johnna joined the board in 2017,  was appointed Secretary and serves as Vice Chair of the Community Impact Committee and as a member of the Development Committee. Ms. Torsone, a resident of Stamford, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Pitney Bowes, Inc.

The Board of Directors  welcomes its new members which include Jennifer Hill, Mark Riser and Mary Woods.

Jennifer Hill

Jennifer will serve as a member of FCCF’s Finance Committee. She is Chief Financial Officer for Global Banking and Global Markets at Bank of America, supporting its trading, corporate and institutional banking businesses. She seves on the Board of Trustees for Hamilton College, and the board of Advisors of BuildOn. Ms. Hill resides in Darien.

Mark Riser

A resident of Ridgefield, Mark will serve as a member of the Development Committee. He is involved in all platform and add-on investments at Morningside Private Investors, and serves on the boards of all portfolio companies.  His prior experience also includes Trigen Energy Corporation, International Paper, PRC Engineering and the U.S. Navy, where he was an officer aboard the nuclear powered fast attack submarine, USS San Francisco (SSN 711).

Mary Woods

Ms. Woods is resident of Rowayton, serves as Vice Chair of the Fund for Women & Girls (FWG) Steering Committee. Ms. Woods retired from a 32-year career in corporate and investment banking, where she held senior management positions with Citibank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Royal Bank of Scotland.  Her expertise includes strategic planning and execution, governance and policy setting, risk management, business development, relationship management, project management, performance metrics and reporting, team development, and regulatory compliance.

Ms. Hill, Mr. Riser and Ms. Woods were elected to serve three-year terms on the FCCF Board.