Julianne Grace
President

Ms. Grace has lived in New Canaan with her husband Dan since 1965. Their two children attended New Canaan public schools and graduated from NCHS. Her daughter and her family also live in New Canaan. In 1995, Ms. Grace retired from the Perkin Elmer Corporation, as VP, Corporate Relations, after 25 years of service. During her tenure, she was responsible for the global investor relations and communications, public affairs ad human resources management of this diversified, instrumentation, optical science and biotech company. She started JAGCOM GROUP in 1996, providing financial communications and investor relations support to small and micro-cap companies as well as communications consulting with executives of public and non-profit firms. Prior experience included academic teaching and administration. Ms. Grace has served on the board of Waveny Care Network and was Past President of the Waveny Care Center Board of Directors. She is currently a member of Waveny’s Development and Nominating Committees. She has served on the Board of Metropool, served as Vice Chair of the Fairfield 2000 Transportation Committee, the Board of Governors of the Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club and is currently a Fleet Captain and Chair of their nominating committee. She was elected to the YWCA of New York’s Women’s Leadership Council in 1994 and is a member of the New York Road Runner’s Club and the Sports Car Club of America. Ms. Grace graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a B.A. in Economics; and was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Fordham University, where she earned an M.A. in Economics.

John Rice
VP Distributions

Mr. Rice is the retired President and CEO of Unilever of the Americas. He retired from the consumer products company in April 2007, following a twenty-six year career with the concern. He was a member of Unilever’s Executive Committee. He was also President of the Unilever United States Charitable Foundation and served on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. Mr. Rice and his wife Pat moved to New Canaan from the United Kingdom in 1994. Their four children have grown up in town and have been students in the New Canaan school system. Mr., Rice is a member of the Exchange Club of New Canaan and the Southern Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association and serves on the Board of Directors of Johnson Diversey Holdings and the National Park Foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.

Ann Lobdell
VP Development

Ms. Lobdell has lived in New Canaan for 12 years and has been an active volunteer in many philanthropic organizations. In 2003, she established the New Canaan Women’s Platform Tennis League that has attracted 180 members. She was instrumental in working with the Town of New Canaan as part of a ‘public-private partnership’ to acquire new platform tennis courts and the renovation of Waveny Lodge for the enjoyment of our entire community. Ms. Lobdell served as chair of the Waveny Lodge Renovation Fund from 2004–2008 which raised $520,000 with contributions from over 500 individuals, families, community groups and business. The Waveny Lodge renovation effort became the first recipient of NCCF’s ‘Spirit of New Canaan Fund. Ms. Lobdell and her husband, Spike, have a second home in Stonington, CT. She served on the Stonington Village Improvement Association as co-chair of the Beach & Parks Committee from 2003–2006, overseeing the fundraising and renovation of the borough beach. Ms. Lobdell was co-chair of the Stonington Historical Society Gala in 2004/2005 which is the largest event of its kind in the area providing support for the preservation of the community’s rich history. Ms. Lobdell and her husband have been married 25 years and have two children.

Richard  Townsend
Treasurer

Mr. Townsend and his wife Catherine have lived in New Canaan from 1986 to 1989 and from 1992 to today. They have three daughters. Mr. Townsend graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and has as MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California Berkeley and holds an MBA from Stanford University. Mr. Townsend’s career began at Ford Motor Company where he was a plant engineer in a transmission plat. We went on to work for General Electric as a mechanical design engineer in the Nuclear Energy Division where he primarily worked on Safety System Design and Licensing for new and operating boiling water commercial nuclear power plants. From 1979–1996 Mr. Townsend worked for IBM in the finance function in many different capacities. Key jobs held were Controller of Europe, Mideast and Africa as well as Corporate Assistant Controller responsible for financial planning for the corporation. From 1996 to 1998 he served as Corporate Controller for ITT Industries. Mr. Townsend served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Loral Space and Communications from 1998–2007. Mr. Townsend is actively involved with local and national charitable interests including the United Methodist Church of New Canaan, the Appalachian Service Project, Habitat for Humanity, Girl Scouts, the Exchange Club of New Canaan and the Powerhouse Players of New Canaan.

David Rucci
Secretary

Mr. Rucci has lived in New Canaan since Kindergarten and his father is from New Canaan. He and his wife Barbara have three children. Mr. Rucci is a partner at the law firm of Rucci Burnham in New Canaan, specializing in land use, real estate, commercial transactions, business transactions and not for profit representation. Mr. Rucci has an undergraduate degree in history and philosophy from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Law degree from Quinnipiac College School of Law. Prior to law school Mr. Rucci worked as a Diver in Newport, Rhode Island and then an associate at Daymon Associates a private label food supplier. He is a member of both the New Canaan Bar Association and the Rotary Club of New Canaan where he served as fundraising Chairman, Allocations Board, Secretary and now currently the President through July 2009. In addition, he has served on the Lakeview Cemetery Association for the past six years. He also served on the Getabout Board for 3 years and is currently on the board of the United Way of New Canaan.

Benjamin  Bilus

Joining the NCCF Board from the former United Way of New Canaan Board, Benjamin brings a background in law to our Board. Ben has lived in New Canaan since 1992. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, BA, 1971 and holds a law degree from Boston University School of Law, JD, 1974. Since 2006, he has been counsel to a private investment fund manager in New Canaan.

Ben began his legal career at White & Case law firm in NYC and worked there from 1974–79. From there, Ben spent the next twenty two years at Champion International Corp. in Stamford as Senior Counsel on Environment and Energy and, thereafter, represented New England industrial energy consumers for Preti Flaherty in Portland, ME from 2001–04. Private real estate investing occupied his professional life from 2004–06.

Ben and his wife Elizabeth, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Pepsi Co. in Purchase, NY, have three grown children and two grandchildren. Alexander, 31, and his wife live in Philadelphia with their two sons, three and one years of age; James, 28, just married, lives in Los Angeles; and, Caroline, 27, married last December, lives in Paris. Ben says he especially enjoys traveling to Europe with his wife on singing tours of great churches with the Greenwich Choral Society. The couple also has a beloved, honey-colored English cocker spaniel named Molly.

In his spare time, Ben is a lover of golf and movies and also belongs to the Rotary Club of New Canaan. He chose to volunteer for the former United Way of New Canaan and now for NCCF because of the local focus of grant making.

Barbara Burns

Ms. Burns has lived in New Canaan since 1979. She has served as the VP and Sectary of the St. Aloysius Parish Council, Catholic Family Service Board in Norwalk for the past 10 years and has held numerous volunteer positions with Waveny Care Center including Director as well as Founder of the successful Charity Golf and Tennis Tournament. She has also been an active volunteer with Meals on Wheels. Ms. Burns is a graduate of Simmons College in Boston, MA and currently serves as a Trustee. She was also a founder of Elm Street books in New Canaan. She is married to John Burns and they have 5 children.

Cindy Charas

Ms. Charas has lived in New Canaan for the past 12 years. She served as President of the Newcomer’s Club of New Canaan and currently serves on the board of the League of Women Voter’s and is an active member of the National Charity League, Canaan Parish and the Service League of Boy’s (SLOB’s). 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 has also taught Sunday school for several years. Ms. Charas and her husband Ethan have two children, both whom attend 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.

James Duffy

Mr. Duffy has lived in New Canaan since 1994 with his wife Deborah and three daughters. He graduated from Pace University with a BBA degree in 1975 and joined Price Waterhouse in New York as an auditor. In 1980 he joined Melville Corporation and became the CFO of one of its subsidiaries, Linens and Things. He later worked for Medco as EVP of Finance as well as Vertrue, Inc as their CFO and currently is CFO of Oakleaf Global Holdings. Mr. Duffy is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in New York and a member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the Financial Executives Institute. He is also a member of the Capital Campaign Executive Committee of Pace University. Mr. Duffy has served as the Treasurer of Meals on Wheels in New Canaan. He also was a partner with the New Haven Ravens Class AA Baseball Team from 1995 until the franchise was sold in 2003.

Tom Ferguson

Tom Ferguson received his Sc B in applied mathematics from Brown University and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. He has spent his professional career in the consulting and insurance industries. Prior to retiring in 2002, Tom spent fifteen years with Mercer Human Resources Consulting, where he was a worldwide partner and regional leader of the firm’s healthcare and benefits practice. From 1969 to 1987, he worked at Equitable Life in a variety of roles including seven years as Vice President of Marketing for the group health insurance division.

Tom is also a member of the Town Health and Human Services Commission, the New Canaan Elder Care Council, Vice President on the Board of Staying Put and Treasurer of the Lake Club. Married in 1969, his wife Karen spent a career in banking, most recently as a senior banker in the Citigroup Private Bank before her retirement. The couple has lived in New Canaan since 1987 where their Matthew attended Saxe Middle School and graduated from New Canaan High School in 1994. Matt now works as an attorney in Westchester.

Asked about Tom’s hobbies and he mentions he is an avid tennis player while other interests include hiking, science, nature and wildlife, weather watching and travel. His secret, he adds, “I’m a pretty good cook”. He, unfortunately, didn’t reveal his specialties! Tom joined the NCCF board from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan. Commenting about his experience with the United Way, Tom admitted
“volunteering at the United Way was the best way for me to learn about all the great organizations and the dedicated people that serve our community in so many wonderful ways.”

Jean  Grzelecki

Ms. Grzelecki has been a resident of New Canaan since 1985. She has served as a member and past board member and officer of the New Canaan Women’s Republican Club. She is a past board member of Nursing and Home Care and a past board member of the Nursing and Home Care Foundation Board. She is a member of the New Canaan Long Range Planning Task Force which is responsible for Open Space and Land Use. She has been a member of the New Canaan Planning and Zoning Commission since 1991 and currently serves as Secretary and sole member of the Sign Task Force. Ms. Grzelecki has experience in Secondary education and text book sales and is a graduate of Gettysburg College. She and her husband have 2 children and 6 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 finance and marketing. From 1989 to 2003, she was Vice President of International Private Banking Marketing at Chase/JP Morgan. Diane came to that position after working as a Vice President at American Express from 1981–1986. She was trained at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, earning an MBA in Finance and Marketing, in 1987 after receiving a BS in Economics from Boston College in 1981.

Having lived in New Canaan since 1996, Diane is a board member of New Canaan Cares and a past board member of ABC House of New Canaan and the Young Women’s League. She is also a member of the St. Andrews Society and has been an active volunteer and fund raiser in the West School PTC.

Diane has four children: Kate, 26 years old, a student in the Boston University MA program in occupational therapy; Keith, 23, graduating from the University of Virginia; Paige, 11, a student at St. Lukes School and Grant, 8, at West School. In her spare time, Diane enjoys skiing, golf, tennis and needlepoint.

Diane comes to the NCCF from teh Board of teh former United Way of New Canaan. When asked why she chose to volunteer for the United Way, she said, “I liked the holistic approach to giving money, and what I call, the mutual fund manager approach – I loved the due diligence process we went through”. NCCF is thrilled to have Diane joining the Board and bringing this great enthusiasm.

Lindsey Heron

Mary Anne Hersam

Mary Anne Hersam joins the NCCF Board from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan. She is a fifth generation New Canaanite and is an owner and Assistant Advertising Director for Hersam Acorn Newspapers. Her Great Grandfather founded the New Canaan Advertiser in 1908. The Hersam family, along with their partner, the Nash family, continues to own and operate the newspaper, along with nineteen other newspapers in Connecticut and publications in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Mary Anne is married to Richard Vasko and has a daughter, Mary Kate Junget and a stepson, Steven. The couple has two grandchildren, Hannah and Zizi, from Steven and his wife Jackie. Mary Anne served on the New Canaan Village Association Board and currently serves on Board of the New Canaan Kiwanis Club and is a member of PEO. Her special interests include working in community theatre make-up/technology for Theatre Genesius, as well as, for Troupers Light Opera. She also enjoys golfing and, naturally, has a passion for New Canaan history.

When asked why she chose to volunteer for the former United Way of New Canaan, she said, “because of the overall support to the agencies that serve New Canaan and surrounding communities”. We welcome mary Anne to experience the same level of community support at NCCF.

Dave  Hunt

Dave Hunt has lived in our town since 1976. Now retired, Dave spent thirty-six years working as an actuary for Hewitt Associates, a management consulting firm. Having 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. He is also currently a volunteer driver for the American Red Cross.

Dave and his wife Sara, unquestionably skilled in southern cooking, raised their two children, both now married, in the elementary and secondary New Canaan school system. Daughter Mary Beirne (Rewcastle) lives in Darien with her husband, David, and the couple’s granddaughter, Sara, while their son, Lee, and daughter-in law, Amanda, live in New York City. Dave says he likes to travel, play bridge, enjoys photography and admits to being a big sports fan, especially football.

Dave joins NCCF from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan, where he was a past Chairman. Asked why he chose to give his time to the United Way, Dave said, “I believed in its fund distribution system as being a very effective way for us to donate money to organizations in our broader community. I also believed the local impact we had as an organizer, catalyst, etc. was very valuable to New Canaan and the surrounding area.” Dave brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the NCCF Board.

Cathy  Irwin

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 four mornings a week at the Stanwich School in Greenwich. She holds a MEd from Xavier University and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. She worked as a Montessori pre-school teacher from 1994–2000 and as a banker at PNC Bank from 1980–1989.

Cathy is a Board member of the Mount Holyoke Club of Fairfield Villages and is a member of the New Canaan Field Club and Encore Club. She actively participates in New Canaan Women’s Paddle Tennis and is also a runner and gardener.

Cathy’s world encompasses a youth growing up in Holland, Finland and Belgium. After spending two more years in Rotterdam, Holland from 1989–1991, she then spent three years in Seoul, Korea from 1996–1999 before taking up roots in New Canaan.

Cathy joins NCCF from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan where she served as Chair of the United Way Fund Distribution process. Cathy brings a tremendous amount of energy and distribution experience to the NCCF Board.

Elizabeth Ker

Ms. Ker has lived in New Canaan for 14 years with her husband Rab, whose family has lived in New Canaan for 40 years. She has three children between the ages of 8 and 13 who attend the New Canaan Country School. She has been involved at school as Mentor to new families joining the school, Class Parent Representative and Co-chair of Community Service Day. At the First Presbyterian Church in New Canaan, she serves on the Children’s Ministry Committee. On the board, Ms. Ker brings the perspective of a parent with young children active in the community. She has a business degree and marketing background.

Chip Perkins

Mr. Perkins grew up in New Canaan and his mother Sally resides in New Canaan. Mr. Perkins is a Principal of MKP Capital Management. Prior to the founding of MKP Capital Management, Mr. Perkins worked at Salomon Brothers Inc. from 1983–1996, serving as Managing Director in the Fixed Income Securities Department, where he headed the central United States region of the Mortgage Sales Department. Mr. Perkins received a B.A. degree in Economics from Denison University and completed an internship at the London School of Economics. He is a former Board member of A Better Chance of New Canaan and served as its President for 4 years. He and his wife Debbie have 2 children.

Jennifer Purdy

Ms. Purdy has lived in New Canaan with her husband and twin daughters since 1986. She is a graduate of Lesley College with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She had a career at Smith Barney and McConnell and Miller prior to her current position of assistant to the Executive Director of New Canaan CARES. She has been active in the community serving as PTC President of East School, a Brownie/Girls Scouts leader and President of the National Charity League, Canaan Parish.

Susie Repko

Susie Repko joins NCCF from the Board of the former United Way of New Canaan. She was born and raised in Manhattan and settled in New Canaan ten years ago. While having a full volunteer plate for many years, she joined United Way Board in 2004 and was Chair of the Touch-A-Life Fund, a United Way women’s initiative that raised funds for those with emergency needs which will continue at NCCF. Concurrently, Susie was in charge of Programs on the Saxe Middle School PTC Board and was formerly Chair of the Saxe Beautification Project. She has also served on the Magical Music for Life Advisory Board, the NCHS Sports Council Board, was a past Co-Chair of the St. Aloysius Mercedes Raffle and past Chair of the House Tour organized by the Newcomer’s Club of New Canaan.

Susie has accomplished all of this while raising six children ages 13 to 30, taking care of her family’s yellow Lab Jasmine and Grandma Repko who has lived with her family for fifteen years and is wonderful, she adds. Susie has a Latin major and Archaeology minor and graduated in the second class of women at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, in 1976. She then immediately worked as a Latin teacher for three years at North Yarmouth Academy in Maine. After briefly living in Evanston, IL and working in Business Development at State National Bank, Susie moved back to her roots in Manhattan. From there, she continued her career at Manufacturers Hanover Trust before taking a position in Stamford, Ct in the Treasury Dept of the Continental Can Co.

If she has any free time left, Susie enjoys tennis and paddle tennis, golf and photography. When asked to comment on something not evident about her life, Susie says she grew up in the same apartment in NYC for twenty-one years, all while her future husband moved twenty times during his own childhood. Size, proximity to NYC and the educational system drew the couple to New Canaan, who plan on staying here, but will travel more when the kids are grown. Welcome to NCCF!

Tom Stadler

Mr. Stadler and his wife Jan have lived in New Canaan for 18 years. They were both born and raised in Cincinnati. They have two children Mr. Stadler is a retired partner from Deloitte LLP where he worked for 40 years. He has his CPA in Connecticut and Ohio. Mr. Stadler has held several positions on the board of New Canaan Baseball/Softball, Inc. including treasurer and President. He has also served in the board of New Canaan Family Fourth and has been a Commission Member of New Canaan Parks and Recreation since 2005. He was elected Chairman of the Commission in 2007 and was recently appointed commissioner and town administrator.

Amy Wilkinson

Amy Wilkinson grew up in New Britain, CT and Mystic, CT. She is the youngest of four children and her dad worked for the Stanley Works for his entire career. She attended Phillips Academy, in Andover, Mass. in the first class of girls admitted to Andover. After Andover she attended Smith College where she majored in Economics and minored in Art History. She spent a semester abroad studying at the London School of Economics. She met her future husband as a Freshman at Smith, while he was a senior at Williams.

Following graduation from Smith, Amy joined the Bank of New York’s credit training program. She worked at BNY for four years and then went to work at Citibank in their middle market lending group in Manhattan. Her husband Bruce was transferred to London, and Amy couldn’t wait to go back to London. Their two children were born there. Bruce’s job at Sony ended in the successful culmination of the purchase of CBS Records, which meant a return to the States. In 1992 Amy returned to the Bank of New York, working as Assistant Division Head for the Credit Risk Review Division. In 1998 she transferred to Greenwich where she helped establish Private Banking in Connecticut after the Bank of New York purchased the Putnam Trust Company. Expansion into New Canaan allowed Amy to become involved in the New Canaan community through her Bank work and volunteer work.

Amy sees volunteering as a way to give back. She served as Treasurer of the Rowayton Civic Association for four years and as Treasurer of the Greens Farms Academy Parents Association. She joined Rotary in 1999 and served as their President in the 2007–08 year. 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. She has been an Alumni Admissions Representative for Andover interviewing kids who want to go to Andover but can’t get there for an in-person interview. She was recently elected to the Andover Alumni Council.

In 2008, Amy began planning her transition from banking into the nonprofit world. She realized that no amount of volunteering could satisfy her desire to help those less fortunate who need another voice advocating on their behalf. She had an opportunity to join 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 last summer as their grant writer and has had a chance to write grants for all of Domus’ programs, to foundations, corporations, and the state and federal governments.

Amy’s son David graduated from Andover and then Wesleyan, with a double major in Math and Economics. He is currently living in Boston working at a privately held company researching institutional investors for hedge funds and private equity companies. Her daughter Ariana attended Andover and just graduated from Elon University with a major in Biology, and minors in Chemistry and Religion. She serves as an EMT in the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps and a volunteer triage nurse at the AmeriCares Free Clinic in Bridgeport. She will begin a Masters in Arts in the Medical Sciences at Boston University in late August. Amy’s husband Bruce works in Wilton, as a Vice President responsible for strategy, marketing, and partnerships for the Media and Communications group within Nielsen’s Claritas product family.

When Amy isn’t working, enjoying her volunteer work or spending time with her family and dog, she spends her time working out, playing tennis or paddle tennis, gardening, reading, or needlepointing.

Lisa Wrenn

Ms. Wrenn has lived in New Canaan for 15 years. She and her husband have two children. Ms. Wrenn has served as President of the Young Women’s League of New Canaan and the Outback Teen Center. Ms. Wrenn has also been intensely involved with fundraising efforts for the New Canaan Library and New Canaan Cares. Ms. Wrenn graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with degrees in Fashion Marketing and Marketing. Before children, Ms. Wrenn enjoyed senior positions in advertising at Ted Bates, Baker Speilvogel Bates in strategic planning working on worldwide package goods clients.