New Directors

At last week's Annual Meeting, five new Directors were elected to the Foodshare Board of Directors:

Mary Kate Cox is a fundraising/development professional who currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Saint Joseph College.  She has previously worked in the development offices at the University of Hartford and the University of Connecticut.  Mary Kate has expressed a desire to help Foodshare strengthen our fundraising and development programs, particularly in the area of major gifts.  She has experience with campaigns like the one we are considering.  Mary Kate has a real passion for Foodshare’s work and an understanding of the larger issues around creating a hunger-free community. 

Brian DuPerre is the Chief Privacy Officer and Senior Legal Counsel at United Healthcare Group in Hartford.  Brian worked with Foodshare two years ago through the Pro Bono Partnership as part of our  evaluation of privacy concerns, policies, and procedures.  Brian worked specifically on the HIPAA compliance question.  For the last year, Brian has served on Foodshare’s Finance Committee as a volunteer, a role he plans to continue to play if elected as a Director.  Brian has been very active with the Somers Housing Authority, including serving as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners.  Last year, Brian helped Foodshare staff connect with the right people in Somers, resulting in our providing food to a pantry in town and establishing a new Mobile Foodshare site in Somers.

Judy Greiman is President of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges.  In this roles she handles public relations, research, public policy development, government relations, and purchasing coordination on behalf of sixteen member colleges.  Judy has experience on a number of Boards of Directors, including the Wadsworth Atheneum, where she serves on the Finance Committee.  Judy has been an active volunteer at Foodshare for several years, including working at our Regional Market facility and helping with the Turkey and a Twenty campaign.  For the last year, she has been an active member of the Strategic Implementation Committee.  

Gina Collopy O’Connell is the Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance, at The Phoenix Companies.  She recently completed a term on the board of the Hartford YWCA, where she served as Treasurer and chaired the Finance Committee.  She also had some experience with fundraising both through that Board and the board of the Manchester Community College Foundation, where she is still active.  Gina noted that her passion for Foodshare’s mission runs in the family, as her father was a founder of the food pantry in Westbrook.   She looks forward to keeping Phoenix connected with Foodshare.  

 

Stephanie Stone is a marketing and public relations professional.  Stephanie’s expertise is in grassroots public relations including social media, in relationship building, media relations, and writing.  She is interested in helping Foodshare better use social media to promote a conversation about our work.  Stephanie has worked at the Capital Region Education Council, Carmody & Torrance, Pepe & Hazard, Whittlesey & Hadley, and Day, Berry & Howard, all in marketing and communications.  She does not have a lot of prior Board experience, but does bring volunteer experience with several organizations, and a real passion for Foodshare’s mission.