HARTFORD, CT -- During its April board meeting, the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy elected Elaine V. Mintz, vice president of operations, Fairfield County's Community Foundation, as its new board chair to succeed outgoing chair Kathryn Luria, senior vice president of community affairs and director of philanthropy, Webster Bank.
“We are delighted to welcome Elaine Mintz as our new board chair,” said CCP President Karla Fortunato. “Elaine brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the public and nonprofit sectors. She deeply understands philanthropy, nonprofits, and government, and how they can work together for greater impact. We are very fortunate to have her leadership as CCP helps guide our members, and the nonprofits they support, through these uncertain times.”
“I’m excited and honored to serve as Chair of CCP’s amazing board," said Elaine Mintz. “CCP is doing critical work to connect and coordinate philanthropic resources to address the challenges facing our state. Given the current Covid-19 crisis, CCP’s leadership is needed now more than ever.”
Also joining CCP’s executive board leadership are:
- Vice Chair Tiffany Donelson, vice president of programs, Connecticut Health Foundation
- Secretary Lauren Patterson, president and CEO, New Canaan Community Foundation
- Treasurer Paul Suter, vice president of operations, Children’s Fund of Connecticut
In addition, CCP welcomes six newly elected members to the Board of Directors:
- R. David Addams, executive director, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
- Joseph Rivero Baker, vice president for finance and administration, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
- Mary Kay Curtiss, partner, BlumShapiro
- Jill Hutensky, senior vice president, Hartford market manager, Bank of America
- Judy Hartling, civic affairs lead analyst, civic affairs for Cigna Foundation, Cigna
- Susan Thomas, president, Melville Charitable Trust
“This new class of board members brings extensive experience, diverse perspectives, and valuable expertise to our leadership. I look forward to working with our board and the CCP membership to support Connecticut philanthropy and the communities we serve,” said CCP’s President Karla Fortunato. “We extend our deepest thanks to our six outgoing board members, and are grateful to Kathryn Luria of Webster Bank for her leadership, chairing the board during CCP’s 50th Anniversary year and a period of organizational transformation.”
CCP recognizes retiring Board Members for their service:
- Paul Ballasy, partner, CohnReznick LLP
- Janice Elliott, recently retired president, Melville Charitable Trust
- Kathryn Luria, senior vice president of community affairs and director of philanthropy, Webster Bank
- Richard Porth, president and CEO, United Way of Connecticut
- Judy Rozie-Battle, recently retired senior vice president, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
- Fahd Vahidy, advisor, Graustein Family Office
Access a complete listing of the CCP’s 18-member Board at https://www.ctphilanthropy.org/about/leadership.
Biographies for CCP’s newly elected board members and board leadership may be found below.
About the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, the state’s association of grantmakers, promotes and supports effective philanthropy for the public good. In 2020, CCP is looking forward to the next 50 years, after having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. CCP membership includes foundations, business and corporate giving programs, individual philanthropists, and those serving the philanthropic sector. CCP members annually grant more than $1.3 billion from assets of more than $9.5 billion. Learn more at www.CTphilanthropy.org.
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Contact:
Karla Fortunato
President
Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
860-525-5585
kfortunato@CTphilanthropy.org
New CCP Board Leadership Biographies
CCP Board Chair Elaine V. Mintz began serving on CCP’s board in 2018, and served as vice chair in 2019.
Elaine Mintz serves as vice president of operations for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. She oversees the Foundation’s human capital management plan, the strategic goal setting process and the administrative operations of the Community Foundation. She joined the Community Foundation in 2011 to lead the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and served as the program director for arts and culture before being named vice president of operations in July 2016. Elaine served as a key liaison to the Fairfield County nonprofit community and is dedicated to strengthening the region’s nonprofit sector.
Elaine a variety of work experiences in the nonprofit and public sector. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the director of the Greater Danbury Nonprofit Resource Center providing training, consulting and volunteers for nonprofit organizations in northern Fairfield County. She led the Greater Danbury Nonprofit Resource Center from its inception in 2005 to its merger with the Community Foundation in 2011. Prior to her nonprofit work, Elaine served at the state level as a research consultant with the Office of Policy & Management and as a staff member to the Appropriations Committee with the CT General Assembly. She also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Political Science Department at Norwalk Community College. Elaine serves as the co-chair of CCP’s Fairfield County Funders Network.
Elaine holds a Master’s degree in public administration and a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut.
CCP Board Vice President Tiffany S. Donelson, began serving CCP’s board in 2018 and served as Board Secretary in 2019.
Tiffany Donelson is vice president of program for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She sets the foundation’s programmatic strategy, which includes grantmaking, the leadership program, and evaluation. She works to continuously ensure that CT Health’s grantmaking practices are equitable, transparent, and advance the organization’s strategic objectives. Tiffany previously held several leadership roles at Aetna, Inc., including as the deputy chief of staff for Aetna’s National Businesses Office and as a director in corporate strategy. Before joining Aetna, Tiffany was a consultant at Ingenix Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In addition to the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, Tiffany also serves on the boards of the United Way of Connecticut and Hartford Performs. Tiffany received her M.P.H. in health policy and management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, and her B.S. in biology at Georgetown University.
CCP Board Secretary Lauren Patterson began serving CCP’s board in 2018.
Lauren Patterson joined the New Canaan Community Foundation as president and CEO in October 2016. She has worked in community philanthropy for more than a decade, working in the Washington, DC region prior to moving to Connecticut. Her past experience includes serving as director of programs at Washington Area Women’s Foundation where she led the foundation’s grantmaking, advocacy, and research, which focused on the economic security of women and girls. Previously, Patterson managed grantmaking and donor engagement at The Community Foundation for Montgomery County, an affiliate of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. She has worked with or served on many coalitions, cross-sector efforts, and funder collaboratives, including those focused on early childhood, workforce development, and women’s issues. Lauren holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology from the College of the Holy Cross.
CCP Board Treasurer Paul Suter, began serving CCP’s board in 2019.
Paul Suter is vice president for finance and operations for Children’s Health and Development Institute (CHDI) and its parent organization, the Children's Fund of Connecticut. In addition to managing accounting and finances, Paul oversees contract management and human resources for both organizations. He joined CFC/CHDI in 2004 with twenty years of experience in public accounting as a partner in Filomeno and Company, P.C., where he was director of the Audit Department and the firm's Business Valuation practice. Paul is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CSCPA).
Newly Elected CCP Board Member Biographies
CCP Board Member R. David Addams is executive director of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, where he has worked with the dynamic team of staff and trustees to transform our mission, strategy and culture in service to responding to these challenging times and persistent structural barriers of racism and poverty.
He spent his early career as an attorney and a specialist in negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution. Over the prior 20 years, he has served in various nonprofit management positions including executive director of the Oliver Scholars Program, executive director of Associated Black Charities and vice president of the New York Urban League. David was also deputy Manhattan Borough president and chief of staff at the Manhattan Borough President's Office, deputy director of the New York Civil Liberties Union and director of Affiliate Diversity and Strategic Initiatives for the American Civil Liberties Union. He served as a visiting distinguished professor of public policy and administration at Brooklyn College and an adjunct professor of public policy and law at Brooklyn College Graduate Center, City College of New York's Center for Legal Education and City University of New York Law School at Queens College.
David received his B.A. magna cum laude from Princeton University, his M.S.J. from Columbia University School of Journalism and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
CCP Board Member Joseph Rivero Baker joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in May 2019 as vice president of finance and administration. In this role, Joe oversees finances, investments, human resources and operations for the foundation. Joe has worked in the community foundation field for 13 years and brings a background in nonprofit finance, development and community initiatives. He previously worked for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater New Britain, both in Connecticut. Joe has also led United Ways, nonprofit service organizations and developed Danbury Children First, a parent-led community initiative. Joe earned his M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and Spanish from Colby College. He lives in Sheffield, Massachusetts with his family.
CCP Board Member Mary Kay Curtiss, is a partner in the Non-Profit Services Group of blumshapiro where she provides audit services to a wide range of non-profit organizations, including private and community foundations, membership- and admission-driven organizations, human service agencies, healthcare providers and educational institutions. Mary Kay’s experience includes auditing non-profit organizations subject to the compliance and reporting requirements of both Uniform Guidance and the State Single Audit Act.
CCP Board Member Judy Hartling is a lead analyst with Civic Affairs at Cigna. In her role with Cigna, Judy develops and executes Cigna’s philanthropic strategy throughout the Eastern coast of the United States. She is responsible for more than $1 million in philanthropic investments and stewarding relationships with non-profit partners. Judy brings nearly twenty years of experience in grant-making, strategic planning, project management, volunteer leadership, fundraising, communications, and public relations.
CCP Board Member Jill Hutensky is the senior vice president, Hartford market manager for Bank of America. In her role, Jill works with the local market leadership team to connect businesses, families and individuals to the resources and expertise across the Bank. She oversees brand reputation, communications, volunteerism and community impact, and stewards Bank of America Charitable Foundation in Hartford, which contributed more than $2 million in 2019. She came to this position after nearly twenty years in corporate communications, marketing, and corporate social responsibility. Jill has participated as a board member with several nonprofit organizations, including the Jewish Community Foundation and the Center for Children’s Advocacy, and currently serves on the board of the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.
CCP Board Member Susan Thomas, is president of the Melville Charitable Trust. Formerly the Melville Trust’s program director, Susan led the Melville Trust’s housing and racial equity efforts for five years, while managing a state and national portfolio of grants supporting solutions to homelessness. Susan has been instrumental in the creation of Funders for Housing and Opportunity, a national non-partisan, cross-sector funder collaborative focused on tackling the housing affordability crisis by supporting advocacy, narrative change work, and efforts to scale effective practices at the intersection of housing, health, economic mobility, and education. While at the Trust, she was also selected to participate in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Fellowship program targeting leaders working to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Prior to joining the Trust, Susan was project officer for Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta, where she was responsible for leading “Unsheltered No More!,” an initiative to dramatically reduce street homelessness that placed over 1,000 homeless men, women, and children into permanent housing. As the former president of Providence Consulting Group, she helped launch a statewide foundation to assist foster families, and co-chaired an effort for the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Atlanta Housing Authority to rehouse 420 families as part of a major HOPE VI redevelopment project. Susan is a former vice president of community investment and area development at the United Way of Greater Atlanta. Prior to her nonprofit career, she worked for 15 years in the areas of accounting, management consulting, and strategic planning. She holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and B.S. in accounting from the University of Maryland.