Dave Hunt
President

Dave Hunt and wife Sara have been residents of New Canaan since 1976. Dave spent thirty-six years working as an actuary for Hewitt Associates, a management consulting firm. Earning a BA in Math from the University of Iowa, he is a past Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Dave joined NCCF from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan. Asked what makes NCCF’s process different and unique to other organizations, Dave said, “I believe in its fund distribution system as being a very effective way for us to donate money to organizations in our broader community. I also believe the local impact we have as an organizer, catalyst, etc. is very valuable to New Canaan and the surrounding area.”

Rich Townsend
Treasurer

Rich Townsend and his wife Catherine have been residents of New Canaan Since 1986, raising their three daughters here in town. Rich is a partner at Rangeley Capital, a boutique investment partnership located here in New Canaan. Prior to joining Rangeley Capital, Mr. Townsend served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Loral Space and Communications. He spent the majority of his career with IBM where he held various positions, including Controller of Europe, Middle East, and Africa in Paris and Assistant Controller responsible for financial planning and measurement for the corporation. He began his career as a mechanical design engineer at General Electric’s Nuclear Energy Division. Mr. Townsend earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and an MBA from Stanford University.

Rich joins the NCCF as Treasurer for the Foundation and serves on the executive committee. Rich is actively involved with local and national charitable interests including the United Methodist Church of New Canaan, Habitat for Humanity, and the Rotary Club of New Canaan.

Lindsey Heron
VP of Distributions

A native of California, Ms. Heron moved with her family to New Canaan in 2006. Lindsey quickly became involved in several organizations, including holding Board positions with Magical Music for Life Foundation and the South School PTC. Lindsey is involved with the Library and is a member of the Congregational Church. Before joining the NCC Board, Lindsey was a committee member for the 2008 and 2009 NCCF’s Philanthropy Luncheon held in November. Having worked for both Gap Inc. and Macy’s, Ms. Heron has over 14 years of experience in retail merchandising and financial planning. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with degrees in History and Political Science. Her family includes her husband John and two young boys Peter and Fletcher.

Cindy Charas
VP of Development

Ms. Charas has lived in New Canaan for the past 15 years. She served as President of the Newcomer’s Club of New Canaan and as President of the National Charity League, Canaan Parish. She has also served as VP Philanthropy for the Service League of Boys (SLOBs). She is past President of the Fairfield/Westchester County Alumni Association of the University of Virginia. She has also served on the board of the Outback Teen Center and the Middle School Youth Committee at the Congregational Church, where she taught Sunday school for several years.

Ms. Charas has two children who have attended the New Canaan Public Schools. Before living in New Canaan, Ms. Charas worked in the Reagan administration as a Congressional Liaison Assistant for the Secretary of Commerce after graduating from the University of Virginia. After leaving DC she worked for PaineWebber in New York City and Alex, Brown and Sons in Greenwich.

Amy Wilkinson

Amy sees volunteering as a way to lend her talents to help nonprofits with missions that are important to her. While living in Rowayton, she served as Treasurer of the Rowayton Civic Association for four years and as Treasurer of the Greens Farms Academy Parents Association. She joined the Rotary Club in 1999 when working in New Canaan at the Bank of New York’s office on Elm Street and served as their President in the 2007-08 year. She continues on their Board and serves on their Allocations Committee. She served for three years on the United Way Board of Directors. She has been on the Advisory Board of the New Canaan Darien Magazine since its inception in 2002. She has been an Alumni Admissions Representative for Andover interviewing kids who want to go to Andover and serves on Andover Alumni Council. She and her husband Bruce moved to New Canaan in 2010.

In 2008, Amy began planning her transition from 28 years in banking into the nonprofit world. She wanted to help those less fortunate who need another voice advocating on their behalf. She joined the AmeriCares Development office where she worked for a short time before AmeriCares began a series of major workforce reductions due to the slowing economy. She joined Domus in 2009 as their grant writer and is now their Manager of Institutional Giving, writing grants for all of Domus’ programs, to foundations, corporations, City of Stamford and the State.

Susan Boston

Mrs. Boston is a native of New Canaan and has been active in the community for many years. After graduating from Bucknell University, Susan was a Mortgage Bond Trader, Municipal bond trader and Interest Rate Swaps Trader with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith.

In addition to serving on the NCCF Board, Susan is currently a Board member of the ABC (A Better Chance) program, the New Canaan Food Pantry, and the National Charity League, New Canaan Chapter. Ms. Boston spent 14 years serving the New Canaan Service Unit of Girl Scouts of America in many key roles. Girls Scouts of America have given her numerous awards, including Outstanding Leader, Youth Community Service Award, Outstanding Volunteer and the Council Award. Working with the Veterans of Foreign Wars for nearly 10 years she has coordinated the annual program of replacing the flags on the 800 graves of veterans in New Canaan, and was instrumental in initiating the Wreaths Across New Canaan project three years ago. In 2009 Susan received New Canaan’s Asset Builder Award “Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth” and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) awarded her with their “Community Service Award” in 2012. She has been actively involved as a volunteer in the school system, in the National Charity League, New Canaan Soccer Association, Newcomers Club and Young Women’s League.

Kathleen Corbet

Alan Haas

Alan graduated from Wesleyan University, served in the U.S. Navy, taught at Hotchkiss School, helped start the Peace Corps Program in Micronesia and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Alan and his family moved to New Canaan in 1971 when Alan was appointed as Principal of New Canaan High School. After four years as principal, Alan became Deputy Director General of the International School of Geneva in Switzerland. The family later moved back to New Canaan, and Alan took over as principal of Weston High School before Alan became the Corporate Director of Communications for TIE Communications. Alan then built on his experience with counseling and guidance and college admissions and formed an international advisory service for boarding school and college placement called Educational Futures. He works actively with local, domestic and international students out of his New Canaan office.

Alan’s volunteer experience includes serving as president of the board at Vitam Center in Norwalk, founding president of the Shelton Economic Development Corporation, member of the U.N. Committee of New Canaan, initiator of ABC in New Canaan and, recently, Vice President of Ethics and Professional Practice for the Independent Educational Consultants Association. Alan joined the Board of the N.C. Community Foundation in 2013.

Alan is married to Loni Elisabeth Sondergaard of Copenhagen, and they have two grown children and six grandchildren.

Diane Hanauer

Diane Hanauer has been an active volunteer in the New Canaan community for many years, after having a distinguished professional career in international private banking. Diane attended Boston College and then attended Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, earning an MBA in Finance and Marketing. Diane was a Vice President at American Express Company and then VP, Director of Marketing for Private Bank Asset Management and Trust and Estate Planning at JP Morgan/Chase.

Diane and her husband John and family have lived in New Canaan since 1996. Diane is a past board member of New Canaan Cares, ABC (A Better Chance) of New Canaan, National Charity League and the Young Women’s League. She is also a member of the Country Club of New Canaan and the St. Andrews Society and has been an active volunteer and fund raiser in the West School PTC, St. Luke’s School and The Hotchkiss School. Diane also served on the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan.

Cathy Irwin

Cathy joined NCCF from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan where she served as Chair of the United Way Fund Distribution process. She is currently the Chair of the Sapienza Scholarship Committee, and serves on the NCCF Marketing Committee.

Cathy Irwin has lived in New Canaan since 2000. After spending five years volunteering at the high school, Cathy currently works as a tutor of children with reading disabilities. She previously worked as banker at PNC Bank in Cincinnati, Ohio, and as a Montessori pre-school teacher. She holds a MEd from Xavier University and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.

Leo Karl

Leo joins the New Canaan Community Foundation board with a long history of local volunteering and an impeccable reputation for contributions to the community. Leo is currently the past President of the Rotary Club and member since 1985; a current Board Member, Executive Officer, and past President of the New York Chevrolet Dealer Association since 1996; and a current Board Member and Coach, as well as past Vice President, of the New Canaan Lacrosse Association since 2000.

Previous volunteer positions include past Board Member New Canaan Nature Center, past Board Member United Way of New Canaan, past Advisory Board Member Bank of New Canaan, past Advisory Board Member Stamford Hospital, past Board Member New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, past Board Member Stamford Chamber of Commerce, past Annual Appeal Board Chair for the New Canaan Community Foundation and past volunteer for Junior Achievement of Southwestern Connecticut.

Leo Karl is President of The Karl Chevrolet Company, a third generation family business located in New Canaan since 1927.

Kevin Moynihan

Mr. Thunem grew up in New Canaan and graduated from New Canaan High School in 1975. He and his wife, Cynnie, have lived here since 1997. Eric is a Managing Director at Portfolio Advisors, LLC, a private equity investment firm headquartered in Darien. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Groton Partners and a Principal with Benedetto, Gartland & Co. in New York, after working at Chase Securities (now JP Morgan Chase). Prior to moving back to New York in 1989, Eric spent several years in the oil and gas industry in Midland, Texas. He received a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Eric and Cynnie have been active members of the New Canaan volunteer community for many years, through church and service organizations. Together, they co-chaired the St. Mark’s May Fair for two years. Eric is a former Vestry Member at St. Mark’s and has chaired the annual giving program there; he is also involved with the Boy Scouts of Troop 70, where he was a member and Eagle Scout. During his time in Texas, Eric served on the Boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Junior Chamber of Commerce (the “Jaycees”), and was active in the Midland Community Theater. He is currently President of the Gridiron Club of New Canaan, which celebrates and promotes community service in our town.

John Murphy

Mr. Murphy and his family have lived in New Canaan since 1974. John is a Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager at the Boudreau Murphy Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Previously, he was Managing Director of Nortel Networks and Advisory Marketing for IBM. John received a B.A. from Hamilton College and a M.B.A from Columbia University Business School.

John is an active leader in the community with several Connecticut-based not-for-profit organizations including the Gridiron Club, First Presbyterian Church, Connecticut Challenge and Swim Across America. Previously, John served on the boards of A Better Chance, New Canaan Republican Town Committee and New Canaan Soccer Association.

Ed O'Neil

Ed and Fran O’Neil moved to New Canaan with their six children in 1973. Ed enjoyed a long career in Sales and Marketing with Mobil Oil. Ed and his family quickly became involved in community activities in Town. Ed focused on sports, and Fran joined Parent Teacher activities at West School. The whole family became active members of the Winter Club and the Field Club. Ed donated his time to fund raising efforts for at STAR and the Special Olympics, and was on the Board of New Canaan Youth Baseball/ Football.

Ed volunteered for many years as a member of a Distribution Team interviewing and evaluating grant requests from local non-profits, first with the United Way of New Canaan and more recently with the New Canaan Community Foundation. This work gave Ed insight into the needs faced by many of our New Canaan neighbors. He learned about the many non-profit organizations in our area and the wide range of services they provide to help children, seniors, and everyone in between when they need help.

Ed and Fran have 10 grandchildren, 2 of whom live in New Canaan, which has allowed them to once again become in school functions and in many local activities. Ed feels that serving on the Board allows him to give back, in a small way; to the community that has given so much to him and his family.

Don Smith

Don Smith was a member of the senior management team of Odyssey Re Holdings Corp. and its reinsurance and insurance subsidiaries for 15 years. Upon his retirement in 2010, he had served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for 13 years. Prior to joining OdysseyRe, Don was an attorney in private practice in New York City.

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Don earned his B.A. from Colgate University, and was a Graduate Fellow at Cornell University for three years. He and his wife, Sue, have resided in New Canaan since 1984, and their two children are graduates of New Canaan High School. In prior years, Don has served as a Deacon in the First Presbyterian Church, and as a member of the New Canaan Town Democratic Committee.

Tom Stadler

Mr. Stadler and his wife Jan have lived in New Canaan for 22 years. Tom is a retired partner from Deloitte LLP where he worked for 40 years. Tom currently serves as the Administrative Officer as well as Risk Manager for the town of New Canaan.

Tom has held several positions on the board of New Canaan Baseball/Softball, Inc. including President and Treasurer. He has also serves as Chairman of the New Canaan Family Fourth Committee and has served as a Member of the New Canaan Park and Recreation Commission and was elected Chairman of the Commission in 2007.

Karen  Stevenson

A resident of New Canaan for the past 9 years, Karen served as President of the New Canaan Library for three years and on the Executive Committee of the organization for seven. She is also a past board member of the League of Women Voters, Friends of New Canaan Public School Theater, and Kids Empowered by Your Support (KEYS), a non-profit program providing musical instruments and 1:1 music instruction to children in the Bridgeport Public Schools who would not otherwise have access to such opportunities. She has been an active volunteer in the community, including work with youth athletic programs and at NCHS in the College and Career Center and with the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.

Professionally, after earning a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University, Karen has held management roles at Accenture, Merck-Medco and WebMD. She currently leads Global Sales and Client Service Delivery for Vitech Systems Group, headquartered in New York. Karen has two daughters, both of whom attended the New Canaan Public Schools and are now in college.

Sharon Stevenson

A resident of New Canaan since 2007, Sharon Stevenson’s professional career has spanned various positions in Sales, Sales Management, Marketing and Corporate Communications positions within the technology field in both international and domestic markets for over 25 years. While living abroad in Budapest, Hungary and later Warsaw, Poland, Sharon assumed several executive board positions within nonprofit expatriate organizations devoted to children’s charities including hospitals, orphanages and schools. These initiatives cultivated and shaped her passion for philanthropy and volunteerism and inspired her continued local non-profit service.

Since 2008, Ms. Stevenson has served as co-chair of both the New Canaan Women’s Platform Tennis League in Waveny Park as well as the New Canaan Women’s Competitive Tennis League in Mead Park. Together with a partner, she championed and established a non-profit – public/private partnership dedicated to renovating the Mead Park tennis facility in New Canaan. Over the course of two years and through the support of many organizations and fund raising efforts, the organization successfully raised more than $100,000 to complete the project. Throughout this process Stevenson saw first-hand the positive impact of the New Canaan Community Foundation, and joined the NCCF Board soon thereafter in 2011. She currently serves upon several New Canaan-based non-profit boards and committees.

Eric Thunem

Mr. Thunem grew up in New Canaan and graduated from New Canaan High School in 1975. He and his wife, Cynnie, have lived here since 1997. Eric is a Managing Director at Portfolio Advisors, LLC, a private equity investment firm headquartered in Darien. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Groton Partners and a Principal with Benedetto, Gartland & Co. in New York, after working at Chase Securities (now JP Morgan Chase). Prior to moving back to New York in 1989, Eric spent several years in the oil and gas industry in Midland, Texas. He received a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Eric and Cynnie have been active members of the New Canaan volunteer community for many years, through church and service organizations. Together, they co-chaired the St. Mark’s May Fair for two years. Eric is a former Vestry Member at St. Mark’s and has chaired the annual giving program there; he is also involved with the Boy Scouts of Troop 70, where he was a member and Eagle Scout. During his time in Texas, Eric served on the Boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Junior Chamber of Commerce (the “Jaycees”), and was active in the Midland Community Theater. He is currently President of the Gridiron Club of New Canaan, which celebrates and promotes community service in our town.

Tom Turrentine
Advisory Board

Susan Valk

Susan has always been an active member of the community having served on the Board of Directors at Waveny Care Center as well as the Advisory Board of the Frisbee Foundation. She has been a Board member of the Saxe Middle School PTC, the West Elementary School PTC and the National Charity League. Her volunteer activities have also included fund-raising efforts and events for the New Canaan YMCA, Norwalk Community College, Young Women’s League and the New Canaan Nature Center.

Susan is currently a full-time real estate agent with Halstead Property in New Canaan and Greenwich. She previously spent over 20 years in product marketing, magazine sales, advertising, and sports promotion for various corporations including Time Warner and American Express. She graduated from Duke University, has lived in New Canaan for over 24 years and has two college-aged children.

Cynthia Gorey
Executive Director

Cynthia Gorey has been the Executive Director of the New Canaan Community Foundation (NCCF) since 2002, and has years of experience in both not-for-profit and for-profit management. She received an undergraduate degree from Brown University in Human Biology and a graduate degree from the Harvard School of Public Health, in Health Policy and Management. Ms. Gorey worked as the Manager of Grants and Research at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the nation’s largest home health agency. She submitted grant proposals for health and social service programs to public and private funding sources, and was successful in obtaining significant resources to support the agency’s efforts. Ms. Gorey also worked at the New York Hospital in New York and for its affiliated organizations, doing program development and planning, including seeking grants and other financial support for new program initiatives.

Ms. Gorey also worked in the health insurance field at Oxford Health Plans and IntelliClaim. At Oxford, she was responsible for management of a program that measured and rewarded quality physician performance, and oversaw data management activities. She worked in product and business development at IntelliClaim, a company that provides automated analysis of medical claims for insurers, to avoid overpayment, fraud, and claims errors.

Mrs. Gorey and her husband Steven have three school-age children, and have lived in the area for over 15 years. She is an active volunteer in her children’s schools, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and her family’s church, as well as in local community organizations.

Jeanette Chen
Website Content Manager

Jeanette joined NCCF on a part-time basis in January 2012. She has four sons and has lived in New Canaan for twenty years.