With the change of the seasons, comes the change in many nonprofit boards, including Gifts of Love. The statewide charity that provides food, clothing and household items to Connecticut individuals and families facing a financial crisis, recently named three individuals to its Board of Directors: Joan Lazar Kemler of Avon, Vaughn Robbins of West Simsbury and Nestor Leon of Newington.
“Each of our new board appointees brings such a diverse background to the table and we know that their collective intelligence will help us solidify our underlying mission of helping more neighbors in need,” said Lisa Gray, executive director of Gifts of Love. “We openly welcome their input and ideas in growing our organization in both geographic and donor reach.”
Gray further notes that the combined expertise of three new Board Members encompasses health care, social justice, diversity and inclusion, management, mentorship and financial proficiencies with each possessing strong volunteerism and leadership within the homelessness, food scarcity and unemployment sectors.
• Kemler spent the last 20 years of her career as a nurse practitioner in geriatric and family psychiatry and subsequently started the Learning Disabilities Association in the Farmington Valley. She has served as both a board member and volunteer at Gifts of Love for the last 20 years.
• Robbins is a retired actuary with a strong background in leading the development of new products and marketing strategies in both the U.S. and international markets. His competencies include financial analysis, risk management, strategy development, problem solving, collaboration and project management, leadership and team building. =
• Leon is project director with Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) in Hartford in which he manages the Health Horizons program, a statewide $35-million health-care initiative with more than 20 institutions of higher education. In this role, he has negotiated over 63 agreements to expand nursing and social work practitioners over the next three years. He previously served as vice president of operations for The Workplace Inc. in Bridgeport where he directly managed over $25 million in federal, state and corporate funding and was in charge of overseeing the nationally recognized Southwestern Connecticut American Job Centers, which serve more than 33,000 customers yearly.
