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News Release

February 15, 2006

Community Foundation Elects New Directors & Officers

The Middlesex County Community Foundation has elected new officers and four new members to serve on its board of directors. Herbert T. Clark III was re-elected to serve as Board Chair. Clark, an Essex resident, is president of The Clark Group. He is a Founding Board Member of the Foundation and has served on the board of directors since the Foundation's inception in 1997. Robert L. Kirkpatrick, Jr. of Middletown and Sari Rosenbaum of Portland, both Founding Board Members, were elected as Board Vice Chairs. Kirkpatrick, a consultant in philanthropy, serves on several Foundation committees and will chair Grants and Executive Committees. Rosenbaum will continue her leadership of the Fund for Women & Girls Committee. Patrick J. Crowley of Lyme, was re-elected as Treasurer; Thomas J. Pastorello of East Hampton, was elected Assistant Treasurer; and Ralph H. Shaw II of Middletown was re-elected as Secretary.

Newly elected to serve were Janice Atkeson of Essex, Thomas P. Kannam of Durham, Thomas J. Pastorello of East Hampton and Anita Ford Saunders of Middletown. “We are delighted to have these committed community minded leaders join our board.” stated Patti Anne Vassia, Community Foundation President. “These new members join a dedicated board that has given 100% support of time, energy and commitment to establishing our Foundation. They have already been supportive and we know they will help us reach new audiences and grow the Foundation into a vital and significant grantmaker to benefit the people of the county.”

Atkeson is a consultant in Financial Services applying her Columbia MBA finance and marketing education to provide new and mature businesses with strategic analysis, planning and product marketing. She was active in Fairfield County non-profit organizations prior to moving to Essex. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Essex Historical Society and is an Old Saybrook SCORE volunteer. She is serving on the Foundation's Development Committee and assisting with Fund for Women & Girls activities.

Kannam is the Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Wesleyan University where he is responsible for investment of the University's $550 million endowment. He is a cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Amos Tuck School of Business Administration. He serves as the investment leader on the Foundation's Finance and Investment Committee and is chair of the Investment Committee for the Rockfall Foundation.

Pastorello is chief financial officer of Liberty Bank, where he has served for 23 years. He is a C.P.A. and presently serves on the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants' Financial Institutions Committee. He is the President of the Liberty Bank Foundation. He spent over ten years in public service, mostly in elected office including two years on the East Hampton Town Council and eight years on the East Hampton Board of Finance, chairing it for four years. He serves on the board of directors of the Rushford Center and Northern Middlesex YMCA where he is also Treasurer. He serves on the Foundation's Finance and Investment Committee as well as serving as Assistant Treasurer.

Saunders’ consulting business, Anita Ford Saunders Communication, focuses on strategic public relations and communications for individuals and organizations. She served as Senior Communications Consultant for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and as Vice President of Corporate Communications for Connecticut Public Television & Radio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from American University and a Master of Science degree in Organizational and Managerial Communication from Central Connecticut State University. In addition to serving on the Foundation's Fund Development Committee, she serves on the Core Services Team at Middlesex United Way, the Board of the Hartford Courant Foundation and the Board of Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Board members serving as committee chairs for 2006 were announced as Willard McRae, Audit Committee; David Preston, Development Committee; Patrick J. Crowley, Finance and Investment Committee; Robert L. Kirkpatrick, Jr. Executive and Grants Committees; Sari A. Rosenbaum, Fund for Women & Girls Committee. Other members continuing to serve on the Board and committees include: Liz Petry and Susan Merrow.

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County. The Foundation assists donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives through the creation of restricted and unrestricted endowments. Income from these endowments is used to award grants to charitable organizations that have a positive impact on our community. The Foundation also works cooperatively with other funders and non-profits to enhance philanthropy and improve conditions in the county. Since its founding in 1997, Middlesex County Community Foundation has provided over $615,000 in grants to more than 125 local organizations for the arts; cultural and heritage programs; educational activities; environmental improvements; and for health and human services. For more information call 860.347.0025 or email info@MiddlesexCountyCF.org.

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