Board photo courtesy of Fred Ortoli

Valley United Way elected Michael Marcinek, Chief Financial Officer of Fletcher Thompson as chair of the Board of Directors for a second term at the 41st annual meeting and awards dinner on April 28, 2009.  Marcinek previously held the position of community fund raising campaign chair for a longer duration than anyone in the Valley United Way’s history in addition to serving as a chair on the finance committee. 

A native of Seymour, Marcinek has a keen understanding of the importance of giving back to the community and has spent hundreds of hours volunteering his time.  He is a board member for Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut County, The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, The Shelton Economic Development Corporation, and The Dan Orlovsky foundation.

Prior to Mike's election, the members in attendance elected the Corporators for 2009-2010. Click here for the full list.

At the meeting, the members also elected seven new members to the Board of Directors:



Fred Ortoli, Adrienne Cabral, Eileen Lopez-Cordone, Johanne Henderson,Jean Axtell  and Greg DeStefano

(Bill Bubbico is missing from the photo.)

 

The Board then elected the following officers for the upcoming year in addition to Marcinek:

Vice Chair - David M. Grant
Treasurer - Bill Nimons
Secretary - Melissa Pucci

Click on video to hear Mike's address at the Annual Meeting.

Valley United Way is governed by an independent Board of Directors. The board is responsible for making all policies and decisions for Valley United Way. Board members are chosen from a cross section of community members who are Members of the Corporation (Corporators).

Valley United Way's Board of Directors is composed of up to 32 members including the immediate Past Chairman as an ex-officio member. Board Members are elected to serve a maximum of two, four year terms. The election of board members and officers took place at the annual meeting held on April 28, 2009.

Board members meet monthly, serving without compensation, to set policy and review the performance of the organization. The current board consists of the following members: 

Board of Directors 
Member Biography

Jean Axtell
Sales Planning Manager
Energizer Personal Care

Jean has been employed by Energizer Personal Care for 12 years.  Currently she is the Sales Planning Manager for Playtex Infant Products.  Jean has her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Haven.  She has been involved in many community activities, and currently serves as the Chairperson for the United Way Campaign at Energizer’s Shelton facility.  Jean has served on several Boards at St. Gabriel School in Milford and is active in many of their fundraising events.


Bill Bubbico
Vice President Strategic Business Transformation
Pitney Bowes Information Based Solutions

Bill Bubbico is Vice President of Business Transformation with Pitney Bowes Inc.  Bill has a B.S. in accounting from Nichols College and has been with Pitney Bowes for 32 years.  His focus is on operational excellence through technology and process improvements.  He served as Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) Co-Chair from 2006-2008 and continues to lead the Pitney Bowes volunteer initiative. 
 


Jennifer Bull
Dworken Hillman LaMorte & Sterczala, P.C.
Manager

Jennifer Bull is responsible for the planning, supervision, and evaluation of engagements in various industries.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. 

 


Adrienne Cabral
Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P.
Public Relations Representative

Adrienne Cabral has been employed by Iroquois Gas for the past 18 years and is the Public Relations Representative.  She has been a past board member at Birmingham Group Health Services and the Connecticut Association of Paralegals, Inc.  Adrienne has been a company representative on the VUW Corporate Volunteer Council for over ten years and served as CVC co-chair of from 2006-2008.  She currently serves on the Valley United Way’s Allocation and Nomination Committees and is also an active volunteer with other Valley agencies.


Robert Casagrande
GE Supply
Chief Information Officer

Robert Casagrande is Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Rexel and a lifetime resident of the Valley.  Rob has been involved with numerous volunteer activities, including the renovation of The Recreation Camp in Derby.

 


John DeGray
Kerite Company
President

John DeGray is the president of The Kerite Company and has spent 21 years with the company.  He received his Bachelors of Science from Bryant University before completing a Masters at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

 


Gregory P.  DeStefano
Kownowitz, Kahn & Company
Principal

Gregory P. DeStefano, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), is a principal of the firm who serves as the firm's chief financial officer and oversees its technology planning function.
Greg earned his Bachelor's degree in accounting from Southern Connecticut State University. He has been practicing accounting for more than 20 years and serves clients in many industries.
Active in several community outreach initiatives, Greg is a member of the Shelton-Derby Lions Club, treasurer for the Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation (CLERF), and a finance committee member for the Valley United Way in Shelton, Connecticut.


Peter Galla
Naugatuck Savings Bank
Senior Vice President Commercial Lending

Peter Galla has been with Naugatuck Savings Bank for the past 14 years.  He has served on several Boards including The Recreation Camp, Robert A. Cole Boys Basketball League, Boy Scouts, St. Michael’s Parish Council and Men’s Club, Lions Club of Beacon Falls, and the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce. 

 


David Grant
David M. Grant Caterers
Owner

President of David M. Grant Caterers, David Grant also serves on the Boards of Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Shelton Economic Development Corporation.  Dave is a founding Board member of the Valley Community Foundation as well as an editor of their newsletter. 

 

Johanne Henderson
 

BIC Corporation
Manager, Training & Organizational Development

Johanne Henderson has been employed with BIC Corporation for 15 years.  In her role as Manager for Training and Organizational Development, she has broad responsibilities in organizational effectiveness including training design and delivery. Her professional affiliations include the Human Capital Institute, American Society of Training & Development, and Society for Human Resource Management.  Johanne has chaired and/or participated in the United Way Fund Raising Campaigns at BIC for the last 9 years.


Eileen Lopez-Cordone

 
United Illuminating
Community Development Specialist

Eileen was elected to the Board at the Annual Meeting held on April 28, 2009. Her biography will be added soon.


Joseph LoPresti
Barnum Financial
Agency Director

Joseph LoPresti is the Senior Agency Sales Director at Barnum Financial Group and leads a team of over 100 representatives.  In 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Joe has been recognized as the number one Sales Director in the country.

 


Mike Marcinek
Fletcher Thompson
Chief Financial Officer

Michael Marcinek is Chief Financial Officer and Managing Partner for Fletcher Thompson and Chair of the Board of Directors for Valley United Way.  He is Treasurer of the Dan Orlovsky Foundation, an active Board member for the Valley Chamber of Commerce, Parent Child Resource Center, Shelton Economic Development Corp., and Chairman of the Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut Valley Chapter.

 


Lynn Miller

Lynn Miller formerly the Chief Financial Officer for the Housatonic Lumber Company has a great backgound in community involvement. In addition to being the President of the Shelton Education Fund she is also a Director of Birmingham Group Health Services.  Lynn has been active in other various community organizations for the past thirty years and now co-chairs the Marketing Committee at Valley United Way..

 


Cheryl Nickerson
People’s United Bank
Vice President Financial Services

Cheryl Nickerson is Vice-President, Financial Services Manager for People's United Bank and has been employed there for 30 years.  She was a past member of the Allocations Committee for the VUW.  In addition to being a board member, she has been on the Board of Directors for the West Haven Chamber of Commerce, CARP Inc. and the Spooner House.  She also served for several years on the Finance Committee for the March of Dimes of Greater New Haven and has volunteered over the years for many other organizations.

 


William C. Nimons
Naugatuck Valley Savings & Loan Association
Vice President

William Nimons is the Senior Vice President of Naugatuck Valley Savings & Loan.  He has also served the Birmingham Group Health Services’ Board of Directors, the Boys & Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley, and the Derby/Shelton Rotary Club. William is also a corporator of Griffin Hospital, the Housatonic Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the American Red Cross. 

 


Fred Ortoli
Fred Ortoli Photography
Owner

Fred Ortoli is the Valley's "Community Photographer" who shares his time and talents with a variety of Valley nonprofit organizations. He recently received the Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award. He has long been active with Valley United Way and will be serving as the Chair of the Annual Community Fund Raising Campaign for 2009-2010.


Joseph A. Pagliaro, Jr.
Edward F. Adzima & Riverview Funeral Homes
Owner

Joseph Pagliaro Jr. joined United Way Board of Directors in 2004 and worked on the campaign for the past four years.  He is a member of the Valley Community Foundation Board and the Boys and Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley.

 


Bill Partington
Naugatuck Valley Savings & Loan Association
Vice-President/Business Development Officer

William Partington is Vice President of Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan and has been in the banking industry for 40 years.  He is a member of the financial advisory board at Good Shepherd Church, Corporator for Derby Shelton Boys and Girls Club and Treasurer for the SEDC board.


Melissa Pucci
Yale Divinity School
Assistant Director of Admissions

Melissa Pucci is the Assistant Director of Admission and Recruiting at Yale Divinity School.  She serves as the secretary of the Board of Directors, co-advises the Youth Leadership Program, and serves as Chair of the Volunteer Action Center’s advisory committee.

 


Bill Purcell
Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce
President

William Purcell is the President of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.  He has also been involved in many community services and programs, including Special Olympics of Connecticut, Junior Achievement, Boys and Girls Club, and The Workplace Inc.

 


Janice Sheehy

Webster Bank
Vice President of Business & Professional Banking

Janice Sheehy is Vice President, Business and Professional Banking at Webster Bank.  She is currently a member of the Board with the Birmingham Group Health Services, The Birmingham Foundation, The Hewitt Foundation, Ansonia Economic Dev. Corp, and Shelton Economic Dev. Corp.

 

Dominick Thomas
Cohen & Thomas
Principal

Dominick Thomas is an attorney and owner of Cohen and Thomas Law Firm.  He has served the Boys and Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley for over 28 years and the Birmingham Group Health Services for over 25 years.  Dominick has also been affiliated with numerous volunteer activities throughout the Valley.


 


Robert VanEgghen
PerkinElmer Instruments

Robert VanEgghen has worked for PerkinElmer for 34 years and is currently a Senior Quality Engineer.  He has dedicated fourteen years of volunteer work to Americares HomeFront and the CVC as well as serving as the CVC Co-chair from 2004-2006.


Ron Villani
University of New Haven
Executive in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Management

Ron is currently Executive in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Management at the University of New Haven.  He has served Valley United Way as a Board member, Vice Chair, and Chairman over the past nine years.

 


Phil White
Better Packages
President

Phil White has been the President and CEO for Better Packages, Inc. since 2003.  He was previously the General Manager of Better Packages and Vice President of Ascom Hasler Mailing Company where he was also the Director of Financial Services from 1991 to 1997.

 

Photos by Fred Ortoli


Valley United Way Home Page


Valley United Way can be reached by E-Mail at valleyunitedway@valleyunitedway.org.