Board of Directors
John Walsh (Chairman) retired from Pfizer where he worked for the Warner Lambert Company for 30 years in a variety of management positions. Most recently he was President of the Schick Wilkinson Sword Group in Milford, CT. John also is a Trustee of Fairleigh Dickinson University and the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. John graduated from Boston College, BS and Seton Hall University, MBA. John lives in Westport with his wife Sara and their three daughters: Connie, 22; Elizabeth, 19; and Alexandra, 18.
Jeff Scanlan (Vice Chair) lived in Westport for 23 years before moving to Easton. His careers have included Financial Services - as Executive Director at UBS and Managing Director at PaineWebber, Publishing - as editor and publisher of several business newsletters, and libraries - as Head of Information Services at the Greenwich Library. Jeff is a graduate of Fairfield University and the Pratt Institute Graduate School of Library Science. He and his wife, Pat, have three children, Brendan, Dana and Siobhan – all of whom attended Staples High School, and three grandchildren. Pat is Past President of Project Return in Westport and serves on its board. They are avid boaters, and Jeff is Past Commodore of Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club.
Bruce Hennemuth (Treasurer) moved to Westport in 1987. Following his graduation from Princeton University, he has been employed in the financial services sector. Currently, he works in the fixed income division at Morgan Stanley. Bruce and his wife, Roxie, have two children, Britt and Grace Ann. He coached various youth soccer, baseball and basketball teams.
Bruce Gaylord (Secretary) is a Senior Legal Counsel in the Legal Department at Terex Corporation in Westport. Before joining Terex, Bruce was a Vice President & Assistant General Counsel at JP Morgan Chase in New York, where he was a member of the Legal Department for more than thirty years. Bruce and his wife, Gail Kelly, have lived in Westport since 1982. They have two sons - Jesse and Cameron, both of whom are graduates of Hamilton College. Bruce graduated from Hamilton with an AB degree and then earned a JD from New York Law School and a MBA from New York University. Bruce has served as Co-President of The Family Center of Westport-Weston, Inc., as a member of the Board of Directors of Staples High School Tuition Grants Committee, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Westport Basketball Association. He is currently Chair of the Hamilton College Fairfield County Alumni Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Law School Alumni Association.
Elena Adams lives in Westport and is a senior at Staples High School. She is a member of the National Charity League and has served as President, is a member of St. Luke's Youth Group and participated in Catholic Heart Work Camp for 1 year. She has been an active member of Builders Beyond Borders for 3 years and serves as a member of the organization's Advisory Board. She has traveled extensively with B3 and will be going to Nicaragua in February 2012. Elena has also danced ballet with the Westport Academy of Dance and has been given several leading roles in their annual production of The Nutcracker; attending several pre-professional summer programs and camps. She was also a member of the Staples High School field hockey team in her freshman and sophmore years. This is Elena's second year on the Homes with Hope board.
Janis Collins moved to Westport ten years ago after retiring as Managing Director at JP Morgan where she ran the business incubator to launch new e-finance companies, in New York City, to raise her three children. She had a successful 25 year career in the financial services consulting sector. She has ten years ofcommunity service on many Westport boards and committees. Her leadership roles include: Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, PTA co-President at Greens Farms Elementary School, Board Member of the Westport Farmer's Market, co-Chair of the PTA Council Technology, Bedford Middle School Executive Board as co-Treasurer and is a Westport Sunrise Rotary member.
Cheryl Eldh a mother of four and grandmother of ten. She has been a resident of Westport since 1973 and a realtor since 1974.
Martha Ercole and her husband Don have lived in Westport since 1994. For over four years, Martha has been volunteer tutoring twice a week at Family & Children’s Agency of Norwalk’s After School Program (ASPIRE) for middle school students. While raising her daughter Leigh, she was active in the Westport school community as a volunteer, PTA board member, and Girl Scout troop leader. Martha has both an MBA and a BA (Mathematics) from UCLA. She had a 15 year career in the financial services industry, beginning as a CPA at a Big Eight firm. She then held staff and management positions at money center banks in consulting, strategic planning and operations management.
Ryan Greenberg lives in Westport and is a Junior at Staples High School. He is the president of the Staples Debate Team and is a member of the Junior State of America, Staples Latin Club and Sciencebowl Team. Two summers ago he did a community servise program with the organization Overland Summers, where he helped underprivileged children, homeless families, aided in reforestation and helped in state beach clean-up efforts in Oahu, HI. This is Ryan's first year on the Homes with Hope board.
Jonathan Mathias lives in Weston with his wife Gail and their two children Lily 10 and Zac 7. Gail is a kindergarten teacher in Bronxville, NY and Jonathan is a local caterer. He is a 1981 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and currently is the proprietor of “a dash of salt” catering.
Steven Paymer is currently a Social Worker for Richard C. Briggs High School in Norwalk, CT. He has spent the last decade working in Social Services, focusing on substance abuse prevention and treatment. Steven received his MSW from Fordham University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Prior to beginning his career in social services, he worked on the trading floor of the NY Mercantile Exchange in the energy division. In addition to working for the Norwalk Public Schools, Steven also has a private practice counseling individuals and families in recovery from substance abuse and alcoholism, as well as those touched by serious and terminal illnesses. He has served on several Boards and Steering Committees, including the Norwalk Weed and Seed Initiative, the Connecticut Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and the Norwalk After School Alliance. Steven lives in Trumbull with his wife Shannon and two daughters, Jocelyn, 8 and Cayden, 6.
Tracy Porosoff and her family moved to Westport in 2008. She previously practiced corporate law at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Ernst & Young. She is currently the Community Services Chair and board member of the Cornell Club of Fairfield County. While living in New York City, Tracy was an active volunteer with New York Cares and Recieved their Leadership Award in 2006. Tracy is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law.
Patrice Schramm recently moved to Fairfield after having lived in Westport for 33 years. During that time she has been on the Board of the Westport Country Playhouse where she was chairman of several fund raising events. She has served as Treasurer, Fund Raiser and Ways and Means Chairman for Westport Young Women’s League. She is past President of American Cancer Society and has chaired several Cancer Balls. She has served as President of the St. Francis of Assisi Women’s Guild and President of the Home-School Association for Assumption School. Currently Patrice is a member of the Levitt Pavilion Governing Board and has Chaired 13 major Summer Concerts. She is also the Co-President of The Cotillion Club. Patrice has two children and has been a realtor for 23 years.
Hal Shupack, his wife Sheila and 3 children moved from Forest Hills, NY to Weston 39 years ago. Over the years Hal has served the community in many capacities. He was on the Weston Charter Revision Commission in 1976, on the Board of Finance for 14 years and on the Board of Selectman for 6 years before becoming First Selectman. He served on the boards of the Nature Conservancy and Weston Kiwanis Club and the treasurer of the Weston Historical Society. Hal was Chairman and CEO of American Hinge Corporation. He is presently a member of the Weston Police Commission and chairman of the Facility Planning Committee for the Town of Weston. He graduated from American University with a BS in industrial engineering. Last, but certainly not least, he’s the proud grandpa of 6 grandchildren.
Lauren Soloff moved to Westport with her husband, Wes Malowitz, in 1994. They have three children, Jake, Hannah and Benji, all of whom attend the Westport Public Schools. Lauren is an owner and the Executive Vice President of Sonics & Materials, Inc., an ultrasonics equipment manufacturing company located in Newtown, CT. Prior to her work with Sonics, she was a practising attorney in the field of labor and employment law, working in both the public and private sectors. Since moving to Westport, Lauren has served on the PTA Executive Committee of Saugatuck Elementary School, as well as, the board of The Conservative Synagogue in Westport. She is a graduate of Tufts and the Washington College of Law at American University.
Andrea Terrillion moved to Westport in 1998, where she lives with her husband Scott and their son Zach. Andrea is a graduate of Georgetown University and Albany Law School of Union University. She practiced Labor and Employment Lasw for many years in Upstate New York, Westchester County and New York City and has worked in higher education for the last 10 years. She is currently Director of Labor-Management Relations at Yale University. This is Andrea's second term on the Board. She has previously worked with and served on the Boards of several non-profit organizations, including programs serving ex-offenders and victims of domestic violence.
J. Douglas Watt and his wife Marjorie have been residents of Westport since 2004. They have four children ranging in age from 29 to 15. Their 23 year old daughter, Megan, is a 2007 graduate of Staples High School and son, Kevin, is currently in 9th grade at Coleytown Middle School. As a partner in the Banking and Capital markets practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Doug has lived and worked in a number of locations, including New York, Sydney, Jacksonville, Beijing, Houston, Chicago and Memphis. In 2004, when moving to the New York metropolitan area, the family chose Westport because of its strong commitment to education, the arts, the beach and sense of community. Doug is a graduate of Pace University in New York where he received a BBA in Accounting.
Chan Wheeler has 30 years in senior executive roles with Maxicare, CIGNA Healthcare and finally spent 10 years with UnitedHealth Group as CEO of the Uniprise Division, responsible for claims, service, technology, web development as well as serving a customer base of corporations with 5,000 or more employees. He has a BA and BS from Stanford University, a Master in Health Communications Research from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA. He retired from UnitedHealth Group in 2005 and most recently spent a year in England working for the UK Department of Health as its Commercial Director General. He serves on the board of the Hyde Schools, is chairman of the Afghan Stray Animal League and an investor and board member for HealthPlanOne, a health care technology firm. He lives in Westport with his wife Leslie.
