Greenwich United Way Welcomes New Members to Board of Directors at Annual Meeting

Mario Forlini named Board Chair

 

GREENWICH, Conn., JUNE 17, 2021 – The Greenwich United Way (GUW) Board of Directors Annual Meeting was held on June 16 at Burning Tree Country Club in Greenwich, CT. Members of the organization’s staff and Board welcomed seven new Board members: Jeffrey Coviello, Kristina Gabelli, Carey Wunsch Giannetti, Alyssa Keleshian, Patrick Kerney, Cory Anne Logan and Karin McShane. Mario Forlini was named Board Chair and former Board Chair Eileen Kim transitioned to the GUW Advisory Board.

 

“In many ways, the GUW has been training its whole life for a year like the one we just finished,” said Kim. “In the face of COVID, the organization stayed focused on its long-standing mission… we just operated at a slightly faster pace than in the past and accomplished so much.”

 

“Even before joining the board, I have always been impressed with the way the Greenwich United Way is there for the community. I am especially excited with how much progress ECAGS has made in three short years,” said Forlini. “I look forward to serving in my new role as the organization expands its focus on the unmet needs highlighted by the recent Needs Assessment and develops lasting solutions to serve our town.”

 

GUW CEO David Rabin provided highlights of the work conducted in the past year.

 

“Our dollars into the community totaled more than $2 million this year through grants and our own programming, positively impacting the lives of 28,254 town residents,” said Rabin. “We raised and granted more than $900,000 with our COVID Relief Fund, which was a true testament to why the Greenwich United Way is here – to step in in times of crisis and help as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.”

 

Rabin delivered an overview of the organization’s efforts to close the achievement gap in town that exists among at-risk children entering kindergarten. The Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions (ECAGS) program began three years ago and has since proven uniquely effective in addressing its mission.

“The return on the investment we make in ECAGS is a more vibrant, productive group of people who are able to lift themselves up and break the cycle of poverty, helping everyone in the community,” said Rabin.

 

Rabin provided details on the 2020 Needs Assessment unveiled in February and how the data on human services needs in Greenwich will help in creating a blueprint for the GUW’s future programming.

 

In addressing the high costs of childcare, Rabin reported on the new childcare provider now operating in the space vacated by the YMCA at St. Roch’s. Grace Day Care and Learning Center is now up and running and accepting GUW scholarships for qualifying families.

 

Visit Greenwich United Way online for more information (greenwichunitedway.org) and engage on Facebook (facebook.com/greenwichunitedway), Twitter (twitter.com/GreenwichUW) or Instagram (instagram.com/greenwichunitedway) to learn more about the work the organization is doing and the people it serves in real time.

 

2021 Upcoming Events

 

Community Investment Grant Recipient Reception

Wednesday, July 7 at 8:30 am

 

Campaign Kickoff

Wednesday, September 15

Location and Time TBD

 

2021 Brew Ha Ha

Friday, September 24

Eastern Greenwich Civic Center

 

Fifth Annual Golf Tournament

Tuesday, October 12
Shotgun at 1:00 pm

Greenwich Country Club

 

Annual Legislative Breakfast

December 2021

Greenwich Town Hall

 

Sole Sisters Luncheon

April 2022

Greenwich Country Club

 

Annual Meeting

June 2022

Location and Time TBD
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Bios for the new members to the Board of Directors:

 

Jeffrey Coviello

Jeff was born and raised in Harrison, NY. He received his BA at Amherst College, where he was a member of the football team, and JD at Fordham University Law School, where he was a member of the Fordham Law Review. Jeff is a Partner at Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP law firm in New York City, focusing on complex commercial and finance litigation. Jeff and his wife Lisette have attended and supported numerous GUW events and Lisette has volunteered on several committees. Jeff is a member of the Board of Directors of the Westchester Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. He also volunteers as a mentor to current Amherst College student-athletes and coaches local youth sports programs with the OGRCC. He loves sports and the outdoors, especially golfing and skiing with family and friends, and watching his kids compete on their sports teams in town. Jeff and his wife live in Greenwich and have a daughter and a son.

Kristina Gabelli

Kristina was born and raised in New Jersey and earned her BA from Seton Hall University and MBA from Fordham University. Kristina previously worked in the publishing industry at American Express, Fairchild, Conde Nast and Scholastic Publishing as an account manager focused on business development and marketing and sales. Most recently, she spent time in the financial services industry as a Registered Representative. Kristina has supported and attended many GUW events. She has been involved volunteering with local schools and has served on various committees and organizations in the community. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich and the Skyway Foundation. Kristina loves traveling and spending time with family and friends. She enjoys areas of fitness, health and wellness. Kristina’s most fulfilling role is as a wife and mother of three.

 

Carey Wunsch Giannetti

Carey was born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). Finance and Financial Management Services, and later her MBA in Financial Management from Sacred Heart University. Carey has worked at a major Wall Street firm in Greenwich since 2000. Previously, she was a PT Adjunct Professor at Sacred Heart University in Finance. She has been an active GUW volunteer, serving as co-chair of the 2020 Brew Ha Ha Comedy Night and as a committee member on the Sole Sisters and past Brew Ha Ha committees. Carey is a former Junior League member and has served on Greenwich Hospital Under the Stars event committees. She enjoys spending time at the beach with her family where they summer in New Jersey, her passion for fitness (teaching HIIT classes), travel and watching her kids grow up. Carey and her husband live in Greenwich and have two sons and one daughter.

Alyssa Keleshian

Alyssa was raised in Greenwich and attended Convent of the Sacred Heart and Babson College. Alyssa is the CEO of K Investments, Inc, a local commercial real estate & investments firm. Alyssa previously worked in senior marketing roles at Inc. Magazine, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Working Woman Magazine, and Travel + Leisure Magazine. Alyssa was a community volunteer on the GUW Nominating Committee and has attended past GUW events. She has served on a variety of local and regional boards including the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce  Board, Armenia Fund USA Board, Armenian Church Endowment Fund Board, Greenwich Initiative For Tomorrow (GIFT) Board, Greenwich Community Projects Fund  Board (current), and has volunteered with local schools and with many community organizations, including Bruce Museum, Red  Cross, Convent of Sacred Heart Alumni Board, Putnam Indian Field School, Brunswick School, Greenwich Green & Clean, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, St. Gregory Armenian Church White Plains and Babson College. Alyssa currently lives in Greenwich with her husband and two sons. She is proud to be following in the footsteps of her father, who was actively involved in the Greenwich United Way in the ’70s and ’80s.

 

Patrick Kerney
Patrick was born and raised in Yardley/Newtown, PA. He received his BA at the University of Virginia and his MBA at Columbia University. Patrick is a Principal at Kerney Insurance Agency, LLC, which focuses on commercial, personal and life insurance. Patrick was formerly a professional football player as a Defensive End in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons. He also previously worked as a Director of Business Development at NFC Investments, LLC, and as a VP of Player Benefits at the National Football League. Patrick has previously participated in the GUW Golf Tournament. He volunteers with the Christ Church Greenwich Vestry and with local youth sports, coaching Greenwich Youth Lacrosse and Greenwich Country Day Football. He enjoys fitness, golf, tennis and fly-fishing. He and his wife live in Riverside and have three daughters and one son.

 

Cory Anne Logan

Cory was born and raised in Palos Verdes Estates, CA. She earned her BA at the University of Michigan, Master of Science in Social Work/MSW at Columbia University, and Certificate in Executive Coaching and Organizational Development at New York University. She is a certified Executive and Career Transition Coach and is the Founder of Cory Logan Coaching and CAL Consulting LLC. Carey also is a Senior Coach for Women Interested in Leaving Law (WILL). She previously worked at Wildfire Strategies, Corporate Counseling Associates, Weill Cornell Hospital, Lincoln Hospital and LIFT. Cory has participated in the GUW Community Investment Process since 2017 and as a Reading Champions volunteer. She has also volunteered with the North Mianus PTA and First Presbyterian Nursery School Board. She loves traveling, skiing, reading, doing anything near the ocean, seeking out the perfect hamburger with her husband, playing sports with her kids, and cheering for her beloved Michigan football and basketball teams with her family. Cory and her husband live in Old Greenwich and have two sons.

 

Karin McShane

Karin grew up in Weston, MA and received her BA at Wesleyan University and JD at the University of Connecticut School of Law. She recently started her own private law practice in Greenwich providing legal counsel to small businesses, helping them manage legal risk. Previously, Karin worked as an Associate Counsel for hibu Inc. (formerly Yellowbook Inc.) and got her start in law as a commercial litigator in New York City at the boutique law firm Christy & Viener (now Salans) and later with the New York office of Torys LLP. Karin is a current member of the GUW Advisory Board and has been an active Sole Sisters committee volunteer, chairing the Community Outreach Committee since 2019. Karin has volunteered in several roles on the Old Greenwich School PTA First Church Preschool Parent Committee and as Manager of the OGRCC Thunder Soccer Team. She is a foodie, wine enthusiast, Crossfitter, and occasional racetrack driver. Karin and her husband live in Old Greenwich and have twin sons.


About Greenwich United Way

The Greenwich United Way shares a name with approximately 1,400 other similar organizations across the nation, although the Greenwich, Connecticut division is a privately incorporated, locally governed, nonprofit agency. As a volunteer driven organization, the Greenwich United Way exists to help identify and address the human service needs specific to its local community and to create and affect meaningful solutions. Through various fundraising efforts, the organization is able to directly allocate the funds necessary to accomplish this goal. The Greenwich United Way also invests in and conducts collaborative efforts to address broad based community needs with partnering nonprofit agencies.

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