Our board members feel a deep personal commitment to Fairfield County. They lead the Community Foundation through their expertise, community knowledge, and conviction that philanthropy and the power of many can change lives.
Maya Reddi, Chair
Dr. Reddi’s core competencies are her ability to bring in a blend of corporate, consulting and academic experiences. A career spanning 30 years in International companies, she worked in Asia, Europe and North America, with her primary expertise being in Human Resources, Operations and IT. Her corporate associations have been with Novartis and HP, which gave her core project experiences as well as manufacturing in distinct industries such as pharmaceutical and computer hardware and software.
Reddi started her career in management consulting and later set up her own consulting practice, where she helped several start-ups set up their base in India and the US. Some of these multinational corporations included Unilever, Hoechst, ANZ Bank and Millipore.
Her academic background includes two graduate degrees and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, in Systems Planning and Development. As an academician, in her last career phase at Berkeley College New York, retiring in 2022, she was one of the founding faculty members of the MBA program.
She is passionate about her work with nonprofits and served on the board of the Connecticut chapter of Girls Scouts and is an AARP Tax Aide Volunteer in the town of Greenwich. The combination of her academic, management and volunteerism steered her way to East African countries, where she trained women entrepreneurs in marketing, operations and customer service.
Clayton Fowler, Vice Chair
Clayton Fowler joined the board in 2015 and previously served as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee, and as a member on the Finance Committee. He is a Founding partner of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners.
Mr. Fowler has over 30 years of experience in acquisition, development, construction, and management of commercial and residential projects. He is also the managing development partner of several projects in Portland, OR, among them Hoyt Street Properties, a 3,000-unit urban development with 2,300 units completed, and Spinnaker St. Louis.
Mr. Fowler is a leading advocate of affordable housing and has served on affordable housing committees and study groups throughout Fairfield County. He has been the Chairman of the Planning Board for the Town of Pound Ridge, NY for almost 20 years. He currently serves on the Boards of the Housing Development Fund of Lower Fairfield County, the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, and the Maritime Aquarium. Mr. Fowler is a Founding Board Member of the Fairfield/Westchester Real Estate Finance Association and is a Member of the Urban Land Institute.
Chris Whitney, Treasurer
Chris Whitney currently serves as Board Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. He is the Chief Financial Officer of Liberation Programs, one of Fairfield County’s leading behavioral health organizations specializing in treatment for all types of substance use disorders including alcohol, opiates, depressants, and stimulants.
Before joining Liberation Programs, Chris founded and managed Lake Point Capital, a commodity trading hedge fund based in Darien, CT. Prior to launching Lake Point in 2016, Chris was the co-founder and co-portfolio manager of Perennial Capital, a $500+ million discretionary commodity trading hedge fund located in New York City.
Before entering the hedge fund industry, Chris worked for six years at Cargill, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, in the strategic planning and business development division. There he performed a number of business unit strategic reviews including reviews of Cargill’s global energy, sugar, and coffee trading businesses.
Chris graduated from Cornell University in 1987 with a B.S. (with distinction) in Applied and Engineering Physics and received his MBA from Stanford University in 1994 where he graduated in the top 10% of his class. Chris also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program from 1987 to 1992, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant.
Previously, Chris served on the Board of Directors of Person to Person for six years, the last five of which were as Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee. He lives in Darien, CT, with his wife and three children.
Jon Fraade, Secretary
Jon Fraade is a managing director at JPMorgan Chase and is the Chief Operating Officer of its Retirement Plan Investment Group. This Group has responsibility for the investment of over $60 billion of retirement and benefit assets that relate to JPMorgan’s US employees. Prior to joining JPMorgan, Jon has held a variety of positions at UBS, AIG and Bankers Trust.
Jon holds a BBA from George Washington University, an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and is a CPA.
Jon has been a resident of Fairfield County for 30 years and has been honored by the Anti-Defamation League, the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and, along with his wife Rita, the Elayne & James Schoke Jewish Family Service of Fairfield County for his involvement in the community and in a variety of different non-profit organizations.
Anthony L. Bennett
Anthony L. Bennett is a Pastor, Preacher, Teacher and Organizer. A graduate of Morehouse College, he holds a MDiv from The Union Theological Seminary and a DMin from The United Theological Seminary. He has served in pulpits and universities throughout the state and country, including Yale and Harvard Divinity Schools; and as guest chaplain for the House of Representatives.
Following his tenure at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, he was called to serve Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport. He led Mount Aery to partner with Optimus Healthcare to form the Hollow Community primary healthcare center, the first of its kind in Connecticut.
Pastor Bennett serves as Co-Chair of Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut. He is Past President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Greater Bridgeport and Vicinity; past board member of the United Way of Eastern Fairfield County; and Past Chair of Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Amanda Castellano
Amanda Castellano is a Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management. She is committed to empowering her clients with the expert guidance and resources of a global firm while providing the personalized attention of a boutique wealth manager. Thinking beyond the balance sheet and streamlining the complex financial lives of her clients, including biotech executives, diverse founders, non-profits and foundations and professional athletes.
Amanda began her career in the fitness industry, working with professional athletes and entertainers across the country to exceed their fitness goals through careful planning and thoughtful execution. After more than 15 years as the owner of her concierge personal training company, she transitioned to a career as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, where she provided thoughtful investment advice and guidance to her clients through goals-based financial planning and tailored portfolios. At Bernstein Private Wealth, Amanda continues to utilize her deep understanding of the challenges that come with being a first-generation wealth creator to bring to bear the solutions and expertise to give her clients peace of mind. She commits her time to creating streamlined solutions and forward thinking to solve even the most complex of financial lives and works tirelessly to earn her reputation as their trusted advisor.
Outside of work, Amanda enjoys supporting individuals and businesses in her community. She currently serves on the Board of the Westport Young Woman’s League, is an executive board member with the Women’s Business Development Council and is a regular supporter of the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and Gillespie Center for those in need.
Amanda’s other passions include education and the arts. She currently serves on the committee that oversees the Westport Public Arts Collection and is an annual supporter of the Westport Country Playhouse. Amanda enjoys volunteering at the local schools as well, volunteering with the ArtSmart program, charitable programs, and sustainability initiatives.
Terrence Cheng
Terrence Cheng was appointed President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system in July 2021. He received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Miami, FL, where he was a James Michener Fellow, and his BA in English from Binghamton University. Previous to joining CSCU, he served as Director of the UConn Stamford campus for five years.
He has also served in various administrative leadership roles at Lehman College, and Brooklyn College, both part of the City University of New York. Cheng is the author of two novels: Sons of Heaven (2002), and Deep in the Mountains (2007). His short stories and essays have appeared in various literary journals and collections. In 2005 he received a Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Steve Edwards
Steve Edwards serves as Chair of the Investment Committee, and previously served as Board Vice Chair.
Steve is a senior investment strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management at the firm’s home office in Manhattan. He supports Morgan Stanley’s 15,000 Financial Advisors throughout the United States by creating and managing investment portfolios and providing strategy insights on market outlook, asset allocation, manager selection, and portfolio construction. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2015, Steve co-founded Frontera Management, a systematic global macro firm, where he served as a principal and portfolio manager. He started his career at Bridgewater Associates and later served as a portfolio manager and researcher at Spruce Private Investors, an Outsourced CIO firm, where he designed a systematic investment process and managed client portfolios and a global macro overlay.
Steve received an A.B. degree in history from Princeton University, earning magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors, and played on the school’s varsity golf team. From 2001-2002, Steve served as a Christian missionary in Maracaibo, Venezuela, where he became fluent in Spanish. Steve became a CFA charterholder in 2006 and is a
member of both the CFA Institute and the Stamford (Connecticut) CFA Society. He actively supports the work of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale Divinity School and was a contributor to the Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia, published in 2017. He has served on the board of his local church and led several humanitarian relief trips to the Gulf Coast following major hurricanes. Steve and his family live in New Canaan.
Laura Farrelly
Laura Farrelly is the current Chair of the Fund for Women & Girls (“FWG”) Steering Committee, and has served on the Committee since 2019. Prior to joining the Steering Committee, Laura served on the Advisory Council for the Financial Economic Security Program (“FESP”), which was a highly successful signature investment under FWG.
Laura grew up in Fairfield County and has always been passionate about giving back to the community. During her school years, she regularly served meals at the Gillespie Center, participated in annual initiatives such as Toys for Tots and Share The Pie, and served on the board of A Better Chance of Westport, among other initiatives as a Girl Scout & active member of the community. In more recent years, in addition to her service with FWG, she ran the TCS New York City Marathon to raise funds for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Gulf Beach Half Marathon to raise funds for children undergoing treatment at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital.
Laura is a Managing Director of Colter Lewis Investment Partners, a multi-family office that specializes in private market investment opportunities. Over her career of nearly 15 years, Laura has worked closely with ultra-high-net-worth families and institutions to advise them on investment strategy (with an expertise in the private markets), estate planning, tax optimization, and philanthropy.
Prior to joining Colter Lewis, Laura was a Private Wealth Senior Relationship Manager with The Erdmann Group within Merrill Private Wealth Management. In her role, Laura worked directly with senior executives, company founders, entrepreneurs, and multi-generational families to help them navigate the complexities of their financial lives.
Laura started her career at Algonquin Advisors LLC (now part of Cerity Partners), where she evolved from Analyst to Managing Director over her tenure. As a Managing Director, she co-led the firm’s private investment due diligence & implementation process and played a key role in forming & communicating the team’s investment strategy. She helped establish Algonquin’s Private Markets Investment Program, which built bespoke & diversified private investment portfolios for clients.
Laura earned her bachelor’s degree at Davidson College, where she majored in English. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Charterholder and a member of the CFA® Society Stamford.
She lives in Greenwich, CT with her husband, two daughters, and Irish terrier.
Carolyn Gonzalez
Carolyn has devoted most of her career to community and economic development in underserved communities, with a focus on Connecticut and especially, her hometown, Bridgeport. For over 20 years she has directed community and economic development programs, projects and funding in support of small business, affordable housing development, and neighborhood redevelopment in the nonprofit, quasi-public/public and community development finance (CDFI) sectors.
Carolyn was a founding member of Groundwork Bridgeport and the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network where she served on the board since its founding in 2003 and served as president from 2015-2019. She currently is a board member of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the Bridgeport Economic Development Corporation and the Fairfield County Community Foundation.
Carolyn attended the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and holds a bachelor’s degree (Political Science) from the University of Bridgeport.
Mindy Houck
Mindy is a current Chair and previous Vice Chair of the Fund for Women & Girls Steering Committee, and Chair of the Fund for Women & Girls Advisory Council. She has been a member of the Fund for Women and Girls since 2018.
Mindy has given her time as a community volunteer and leader since moving to Connecticut in 1996. She has volunteered her time and resources for organizations in Norwalk including Family Children’s Agency, The Carver Center, Person to Person and the Domestic Violence Crisis Center. She is an active member at Noroton Presbyterian Church where she has held several positions of leadership including Chair of the Nursery School Board, member of the Board of Deacons and is a commissioned Stephen Ministry Leader. In association with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), Mindy was a team leader in a community co-sponsorship that assisted a Syrian refugee family’s resettlement in Norwalk.
Mindy graduated with a BA in Psychology from Wittenberg University. She worked in the travel industry in Alexandria, VA until moving her family to Rowayton, CT in 1996.
Christopher Johnson
As the leader of Financial Services (FS), Christopher has accountability for all aspects of the business, including strategy, growth and operations. This includes strategic analysis in global markets, assessing current capabilities against future opportunities, determining priorities for investment, organizational development and business culture. In this role, he is also responsible for payments and shipping finance for the enterprise.
Christopher has held multiple business leadership and C-level roles at leading companies and has a proven track record of developing effective business strategies to accelerate growth. Prior to joining Pitney Bowes in April of 2016, he was President, Terex Financial Services, a global captive financial services company with multi-billion-dollar assets under management in over 30 countries. Before that, Christopher spent 15 years with GE in both the industrial and financial segments of their business. For 11 years of his tenure, he was with GE Capital, holding a number of executive leadership positions in their international commercial and consumer banking organizations. Most notably, he was Managing Director, GE Capital and Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance. Prior to GE, he also held M&A, corporate and business development roles of increasing responsibility at Lincoln Financial Group and Markowitz & McNaughton.
Christopher has a BA from Georgetown University. He also completed the executive professional development series at GE’s Jack Welch Executive Leadership Institute.
Joette Katz
Joette Katz is Chair of the Governance Committee, and previously served as Board Secretary.
A partner in Shipman & Goodwin’s Business Litigation Practice Group, her distinguished legal career and service to the State of Connecticut provide her with considerable knowledge and experience that make her a valuable resource to clients and attorneys throughout the state.
Joette focuses her practice on appellate work, mediation and investigations. She advises clients on the appellate process, positioning, and strategy at both the trial and appellate stages of a matter. Joette serves as a mediator to resolve a wide range of conflicts for clients that do not require litigation. Her critical thinking on the value of post-judgment mediation was published in the Connecticut Law Tribune in February 2019. In addition, using skills from her government experience, Joette advises clients across a variety of industries on handling government, internal and other investigations.
During her 18+ years as an Associate Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court, Joette heard approximately 2,500 cases and authored nearly 500 opinions. In addition, she served as an Administrative Judge for the State of Connecticut Appellate System and as a Judge for the Connecticut Superior Court. While serving as the Chief of Legal Services for the State of Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services, she co-authored Connecticut Criminal Caselaw Handbook: A Practitioner’s Guide (published by The Connecticut Law Tribune).
Prior to joining the firm, Joette served as Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families for eight years, where she was responsible for children in the Department’s custody and under its guardianship, as well as overseeing the Department’s services for children and families throughout the state in need of assistance. In addition, she was involved in all appellate matters related to the Department, including regularly advising on legal strategy. Joette also demonstrates her longstanding commitment to supporting at-risk populations as a significant contributor to the firm’s award-winning pro bono efforts, providing legal services on behalf of the underserved and underprivileged members of the community.
Throughout her career, Joette has been a frequent speaker, both nationally and in Connecticut, at many events sponsored by legal and professional associations as well as symposia hosted by colleges and universities. She has lectured on a wide range of topics, including appellate advocacy and professional responsibility, and has been a presenter at national convenings on child welfare. Joette has also taught at all three of the state’s law schools and is an Associate Fellow of Trumbull College at Yale University.
Katharine Sachs Lumby
Katharine was born and raised in Fairfield County and brings with her a wealth of knowledge of the local nonprofit community via her involvement with Impact Fairfield County (Impact FFC), a women’s collective giving circle that has provided over $2m in funding to Fairfield County-based nonprofits since 2016.
Katharine attended The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut and then Loyola University in Maryland, graduating with a BA in Communications. Upon graduating, Katharine spent five years in Colorado working for The Given Institute, managing the institution’s events and working with their development office, and then worked with a charter school, Aspen Community School, on their Capital Campaign. Katharine moved to Sydney, Australia for three years and pursued her career in public relations and events working for a lead Australian agency. When she returned to Connecticut in 2013, she continued focusing on both corporate and private event planning and production with Van Wyck & Van Wyck in New York City.
In 2016, Katharine shifted her focus back to nonprofit work and became heavily involved with Impact FFC, which allowed her to learn about all areas of need within our community. Katharine spent time on various committees within the organization, chaired a Review Committee, joined the Board of Directors, and spent three years as Co-President of the Board. In this role, she worked on board governance defining board roles and policies and procedures, co-managed an 18-member Board, grew the organization to over 250 members and managed an average of 65 nonprofit applicants in the grant application process annually. Katharine became well versed in the local community, including the needs and desires to create a more equitable place to live, and has connected with the nonprofit leaders of Fairfield County who continue to pursue positive change within our community. She lives in Stamford, CT with her husband and two children.
Charles MacCormack
Charles MacCormack joined the Board in 2019. He served as a Senior Fellow at The Jackson Institute for Global Affairs from 2017 – 2018. MacCormack is currently the Senior Fellow for NGO Futures at Interaction, the national association of over 200 U.S. Humanitarian and Development organizations. Throughout 2016 he served as an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University. He served as Executive-in-Residence at Middlebury College from 2012 to 2016, and works with a number of international think tanks. Each of these activities advances knowledge, teaching and practice of the role of corporations, foundations, NGOs, universities, philanthropists and media in global health and development. From 1993 through 2011, Professor MacCormack was president of Save the Children, the world’s leading independent nonprofit organization serving children in need. MacCormack received his doctorate in Political Science/Comparative Politics and master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and his undergraduate degree from Middlebury College.
Neil R. Marcus
Neil R. Marcus joined the Board in 2019. He is a principal in Cohen and Wolfs Real Estate, Land Use & Zoning, Municipal and Family Law Groups. Resident in the firm’s Danbury office, Mr. Marcus practices in the areas of commercial real estate, planning & zoning, and family law. He is admitted to practice law in Connecticut; the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
Mr. Marcus is a member of the American, Connecticut and Danbury Bar Associations. He served on and chaired the Land Use Committee of the Danbury Bar Association, and served on the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association. He also served on the Danbury Regional Advisory Board of the former Bank of New England and on the Danbury Regional Advisory Board of First Fidelity Bank.
Mr. Marcus is a former member of the Danbury Hospital and Danbury Health Systems Board of Directors and served as Chairman from 1987 to 1991 and from 1999 to 2003. He is a member of the State of Connecticut Milk Regulation Board and a member of the Wooster School Board of Trustees since 1984. He serves on the Board of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (prior Chair) and Chairman of Leadership Giving for the Western Connecticut Health Network Foundation. Mr. Marcus has been active in many community-based social service organizations including Interlude, Inc., Association of Religious Communities (ARC) the United Way of Northern Fairfield County.
Charles Presbury
Charles Presbury serves as chair of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Committee.
He has over 30 years of executive experience in senior human resource operations, leadership development, and strategic change in a variety of industries and firms including Preferred Health Care, NBC, Pitney Bowes, and the McGraw-Hill Companies. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Jack Welch School of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University, where he teaches leadership and other subjects in the MBA program.
Charles sits on the advisory boards of Executive Development Associates, The Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce and FCCF’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence. He is a former Co-Executive Director of the Talent and Leadership Development Network run by Executive Networks.
Charles received his bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross College and his master’s from Columbia University. He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a service organization supporting civic advocacy, education and youth in underserved communities. He is also a member of 100 Black Men of Stamford, Columbia University Business Alumni Network and the College of the Holy Cross Alumni Network.
Marie Rocha
Marie Rocha is the visionary founder behind Realist Ventures, a Connecticut-based venture fund dedicated to funding early-stage biotech and software startups.
With a remarkable career spanning over 20+ years, Marie brings a wealth of expertise in both business and technology. Her journey began as a software engineer, where she honed her skills before venturing into entrepreneurship. Marie has co-founded multiple successful ventures, including a sustainable e-commerce store and IMAK software, a startup focused on providing software solutions for small businesses and nonprofits. In 2022, Marie’s passion for supporting entrepreneurs led her to establish Realist Lab, a tech incubator to provide aspiring business owners with the necessary funding, technology resources, and practical tools to scale their ventures. Recognizing the importance of giving back, Marie has served on several boards, including the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Greenwich Academy, HAYVN, VestHer, Live Girl, and CT Next.
Marie Rocha’s impressive track record as a software engineer, serial entrepreneur, and dedicated mentor showcases her commitment to driving innovation and fostering the growth of promising startups. Through Realist Ventures and Realist Lab, she continues to profoundly impact the entrepreneurial landscape, empowering founders to realize their visions and make a lasting difference in their industries.
Preston Tisdale
Preston Tisdale joined the Foundation in 2017 and serves as Chair of the Community Impact Committee. He is an attorney at the law firm of Koskoff, Koskoff & Beider in Bridgeport. Previously, he spent 28 years practicing criminal defense law, directing the Fairfield Judicial District Public Defender’s Office and serving as the first director of special public defenders for the State of Connecticut. A 1973 Brown graduate and Brown parent, Tisdale concentrated in public policy and was a member of the Afro-American Society, Rites & Reasons Theatre, and the Pre-Law Society. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law. Tisdale is the immediate past resident of the Brown Alumni Association, and a Trustee of the Brown University Corporation. He is past president of Brown’s Inman Page Black Alumni Council. He served on the University’s advisory councils on admission and diversity, the President’s Leadership Council as well as on the Brown Club of Fairfield County and the Association of Class Leaders.
Tisdale received the first Joseph M. Fernandez ‘85 Award for bringing diverse alumni together to make a positive contribution to the University community. Beyond Brown, Tisdale is a member of the Public Justice Foundation board of directors. He serves on the Connecticut Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparity in the Criminal Justice System, and as chair of the Regional Youth/Adult Social Action Partnership. He has also served as
Corporate Secretary of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony Board, and he is the recipient of the NAACP Distinguished Service Award.
Nathaniel Yordon, CPA
Nathaniel Yordon, CPA is a Partner at Capossela Cohen, LLC a public accounting firm in Southport, CT and lives in Easton, CT with his wife, Mary Yordon, President of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers. They have four children- Andrew, Minnie, Charlotte and Henry. Nate began his volunteering with Community Accounting Aid Services of the CT Society of CPAs over 30 years ago, volunteering to help a new non-profit, Letters for Peace, receive tax exempt status. His “most generous” hours take place out of the office in his volunteer time. Inspired by his late parents, V.V and Reverend Henry Yordon, Nate dedicates his free time working with various non-profits in the areas of homelessness, housing and the same matters of social justice that his parents dedicated their lives to. Nate was a board member at the Open Doors in Norwalk, CT from 1985 to 2002, serving as their treasurer for many years and president for 7 years. He was also treasurer and a board member at Connecticut Housing Partners for 10 years, a former deacon and moderator at the First Congregational Church of Norwalk, chairman of the City of Norwalk Ad-hoc Audit Committee, and the treasurer of Friends of Rilling- a mayoral campaign committee for Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. He also served on the City of Norwalk Common Council from 1985-1987. Nate is committed to giving back to non-profit organizations through service and financial support and strongly believes that generosity is the key to vibrant and successful communities.
Emeritus Directors
Edwin A. Bescherer Jr.
Ann S. Mandel
Sheila A. Perrin
