BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PETER G. KELLY
Board Member
Peter Kelly has long been active in Democratic politics at the local, state and national level, in the world of business on a national and international level and the practice of law in Connecticut, New York and Washington, D.C. He has served as Treasurer and National Finance Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and was a member of that Committee for sixteen years. He has served as a senior political advisor to Albert Gore, Jr., in 1988 and 2000 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Peter is a graduate of Georgetown University, magna cum laude, and The Yale Law School where he served as an Editor of The Yale Law Journal. He is a senior principal of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.
Miyuki matsumoto, MBA
Board Member
Miyuki is a managing director in the Goldman Sachs Investment Partners Venture Capital and Growth Equity team in the Investment Management Division (IMD), and is focused on sourcing venture and growth equity investments in technology companies. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2000 as an analyst in Private Wealth Management and was named managing director in 2011. Miyuki was co-head of the IMD Women’s Network from 2009 through 2013. Miyuki earned a BA in Political Science from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
JOAN SPEAR
Founding Member
Joan is COO of Cloudburst Wine, award-winning biodynamic wines from Western Australia. She is also a Facilitator for the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream symposium and is a permaculture and wellness home consultant. Joan is the mother of 3 sons, the wife of William Spear, and a composer, and received her BA in Music from Yale University.
WILLIAM SPEAR
Founder Member
See Our Team page.
JENNIFER STEVENS
Board Member
Jennifer is an award-winning teacher and leader in her community. She has been teaching for twenty years at Warner Elementary School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Nominated by her colleagues, Jennifer won the prestigious Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Teaching. She also has served as the chairperson of her department, on the Leadership Team and School Centered Decision Making Team. Jennifer is married and stepmother to a wonderful 11-year-old boy.
MARTHA HACKETT, MD
Board Chairperson
Martha is the founder and CEO of Hackett Medical, Martha has dedicated over 30 years to caring for her patients and has created one of the largest private medical practices in NE Ohio. She completed a two-year Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and created LivAwareMD, an all-encompassing wellness center opening the hearts and minds of thousands in her community. Martha holds an MD from Case Western University Medical School.
Evan dobelle, M.Ed, Ed.D, MPA
Board Member
Evan’s career has spanned politics, education, public administration, private business and diplomacy. Currently, Evan is Senior Advisor to the Chairman of Allied Energy LLC and a board member of Countable where he previously served as the Managing Director. He also serves as a consultant to Gensler Architecture and Design in Education, Arts and Culture where he previously served as the Director. Evan has been committed to higher education investment fostering the "College Ready" model that helps students graduate from high school and college. He is the author of "Saviors of our Cities," concerning how colleges are anchor tenants of urban renewal and economic development in cities across America. He has served as President of Middlesex Community College, City College of San Francisco, Trinity College, The University of Hawaii, Westfield State University and the New England Board of Higher Education in Boston. He received his B.A., M.Ed. and Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his M.P.A. from Harvard University.
Sarah e. Gager, MBA
Board Member
Sarah currently serves as the Dean of Students at Naugatuck Valley Community College and as the Dean of Student Services at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. She has been steadfast in her efforts to improve student services, and ultimately student success. She is a long-time resident of Connecticut actively involved in local politics and environmental issues in the region. Sarah holds a MBA from the University of New Haven.
ANTHONY HOLLAND
Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
Anthony is COO/CTO of Cornerstone Agency and The FADER. Cornerstone is an award-winning global creative agency built on the belief that to reach consumers, you must inspire. It represents Fortune 500 clients across multiple disciplines, with an emphasis on the consumer products / services and music / entertainment industries. Anthony holds a BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
GAEA LOGAN,MA, LPC-S
Gaea is Founder and Executive Director of International Center for Mental Health & Human Rights. Dedicated to humanitarian relief, she has trained hundreds of health workers in communities facing the terror and heartbreak of war, genocide, and natural disaster, as well as political asylum seekers and refugees for over 30 years. She recently co-authored the book, “Self Regulation for Kids K-12: Strategies for Calming Minds and Behavior.”
JAMES MCWILLIAMS, PH.D
James is a professor of history at Texas State University, San Marcos. Author, journalist and historian, and contributor to numerous national publications including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, and The New Yorker. James holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Georgetown University, Ed.M. from Harvard University, M.A. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and Ph.D. in History from Johns Hopkins University.
ROBERT F. SHERMAN, PH.D
Robert F. Sherman Ph.D. works as a consultant to foundations and nonprofits in the areas of education reform, youth development and leadership, and civic engagement. His particular interest is in bringing isolated yet related perspectives and strategies into productive alignment for greater impact. Sherman served as Director of the Initiative for Social and Emotional Learning at the NoVo Foundation, and prior to NoVo, he served as Executive Director of the Action Center to End World Hunger, a division of Mercy Corps. Robert holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University and a BA from Haverford College.
H. ROBERT SILVERSTEIN, MD, FACC
Robert is a practicing cardiology and internal medicine doctor with the St Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology as well as the American College of Preventive Medicine, a member of the board of directors of the Connecticut Holistic Health Association, and founder of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Center.
REV. MARY TARBELL-GREEN, MA, BCCC
Mary is an ordained interfaith minister particularly called to pastoral care for end-of-life issues and concerns. She is currently Volunteer Chaplain at Radys Children’s Hospital, a full-service pediatric health center in San Diego. Previously Mary was Hospice Chaplain and Spiritual Counselor at the San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine.
JOHN TINDALL-GIBSON, PH.D
John is the Staff Associate for Operations at the Connecticut Association of School Superintendents, supporting education reform work with State Legislators and State Department of Education officials while providing support to 169 state school superintendents. John earned Masters and Doctoral degrees in Education at the University of Arizona, where he also completed his Bachelors degree in Psychology.
VICTORIA D. WEISFELD, MA
Vicki is Co-Principal, New Associates LLC and an author, and has worked in the healthcare field for more than 30 years, in research and policy institutions, for non-profit organizations, and in philanthropy. Vicki is a past president of Communications Network in Philanthropy and she served as an executive with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Institute of Medicine in Washington, DC.
PAUL WINTER
Paul is an award-winning saxophonist, has played in 37 countries and wilderness areas around the world and is currently artist-in-residence at the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, St. John the Divine in New York City. Paul has received a Global 500 Award from the U.N., the Joseph Wood Krutch Medal from the U.S. Humane Society, and 7 Grammy Awards for his Living Music albums. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Hartford.
JOHN BAUMAN
As Executive Director of the Bauman Family Foundation, John is extremely active in philanthropic interests. He is also President and CFO of real estate firm Great Hill Development LLC. John received his BA in Economics from Fairfield University.
RONY BERGER, Ph.D.
Rony is a senior clinical psychologist and faculty member of Emergency Medicine at Ben Gurion University and of the Stress, Crisis and Trauma program at Tel Aviv University. He is also the Director of Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Unit at Brit Olam (an Israeli International Relief organization).
SCHUYLER BROWN
Schuyler is a communications advisor and trends analyst who has worked with leading global brands including Facebook, Microsoft, Sony Pictures, and Levi’s. She teaches in the Design for Social Innovation masters program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Schuyler is a founding partner and the Strategy Director of Sightful where she applies her skills as a “brand therapist”.
GAVIN DE BECKER
Gavin is a senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and, a Senior Advisor to the Rand Corporation on public safety and justice matters. His consulting firm, Gavin de Becker & Associates, advises government agencies, universities, police departments, corporations, and media figures on the assessment of threats and hazards. Gavin is the best-selling author of “The Gift of Fear” and specialist in security issues, primarily for governments, large corporations, and public figures.
CLIFFORD COOPER, AIA
Clifford is the founder and Owner of Clifford A. Cooper Architecture, Litchfield, CT. An active member of the community, Clifford is President of the Litchfield Community Greenway and a member of the Rotary Club.
DAVID L. EIGEN
David is the founder of Post Road Capital Management, an investment firm in Westport, Connecticut. David has a BS in Economic from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a JD in Law from Yeshiva University.
ELLEN GOLDSMITH, M.S.O.M, L.AC
Ellen is Board Chair of the National College of Natural Medicine. A licensed acupuncturist and co-founder of Pearl Natural Health, Ellen developed a distinct method for cultivating body/mind health for emerging performing artists at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in her program, Body Coaching for Performing Artists. Currently, she teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
SISTER ROSEMARIE GRECO, MA
Sister Rosemarie is Administrator of the Wisdom House, a retreat and conference center in Litchfield Connecticut. She holds an MA in Theology from Manhattan College, NY and an STL (Licentiate) in Theology from the University of Dayton and the Pontifical Marianum University.
TERESA HARGRAVE, BA
Teresa is the founder and facilitator of Women Upfront, Atlanta, GA and Leadership Advisor / Consultant at Being Upfront and is the Greater Atlanta Chapter Chair of Women Presidents’ Organization. Formerly, she was a senior consultant for Franklin Covey.
DAVID R. JOHNSON, PH.D
David is Co-Director of the Post Traumatic Stress Center, LLC. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. David received his PhD from Yale University.