Board Leaders Elected at GCC Foundation Annual Meeting

Tom Beirne, Chair
Rev. Hiram Brett, Vice Chair
Helene Augustine, Treasurer
Mimi Lines, Secretary

(December 2022)

At the Dec. 7 Annual Meeting of the Gateway Community Foundation Board of Directors, a new slate of officers was named. The Executive Committee will lead the Foundation’s 30th anniversary celebrations in 2023.

The Foundation Board, which has 21 members, raises, and manages approximately $2 million in charitable funds that benefit Gateway Community College, the largest community college in Connecticut. The Foundation provides vitally important scholarships, professional development grants, equipment, and program support for the college’s students, faculty, and staff.

The newly elected Executive Committee is:

· Chair: Thomas Beirne III, CFP®, Vice President, Senior Wealth Management Planning Officer and Business Development Officer, The Washington Trust Company

· Vice Chair: Rev. Hiram Brett, Spiritual Care Coordinator and Chaplain, Connecticut Mental Health Center

· Treasurer: Helene A. Augustine, Manager of Development, Administration, and Research, Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center; outgoing GCC Foundation Board Chair

· Secretary: Mimi M. Lines, Community Volunteer; retired Real Estate Counsel at Robinson + Cole, LLP; past GCC Foundation Board Chair

In addition to the Executive Committee, standing GCC Foundation Board Committees are Finance, Scholarship, Nominating and Resource Development.

“Our members represent the best of the Greater New Haven area. They are a cross-section of seasoned leaders in business, education, government, and health care,” according to Beirne. “Their voluntary efforts, leadership skills, and dedication provide vibrant, productive connection between the college and its community.”

“The Board touches lives so meaningfully,” he added. “I’m struck by the amazing, effective involvement of this truly ‘all-star’ team, and I’m grateful to every one of them for their continued support for the Gateway Community College family.”

Beirne especially thanked Augustine, his predecessor as chair. “I’m grateful to Helene for her ongoing engagement,” he said. “Her previous Board leadership, along with her extensive experience in finance and banking, will serve us well as we chart our future.”

You too can share your time and talents on behalf of the Gateway “family”! For example, volunteers help the Board’s Scholarship Committee read and evaluate hundreds of student applications for scholarships! For more information, email Victoria Dancy, Development Associate who administers the scholarship program at vdancy@gwcc.commnet.edu.

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