Welcome
Welcome to the 21st annual Girl Within event!
Hundreds of girls and women connect to The Village each year for help coping with trauma. They are students, daughters, sisters, mothers, neighbors and, for us here at The Village, they are family.
During the next hour you will get a chance to hear from some of these inspiring women—and see how your support is helping them build resilience, confidence and independence, which is needed now more than ever. You will also meet our Woman of the Year and Young Woman of the Year – who are impacting lives and inspiring others to follow suit.
Thank you for joining us today. We hope that you and your family have a safe and peaceful holiday season.
Jeanmarie Cooper
Co-chair, Girl Within Event Planning Committee, Village Board of Directors
Dr. Elsa M. Núñez
Co-chair, Girl Within Event Planning Committee, Village Board of Directors
Program
Welcome
Jeanmarie Cooper
Chair, Girl Within Event Planning Committee
Village Board Member
A Message from our Presenting Sponsor
Beth Costello
Executive Vice President & CFO, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Village Board Member
Spotlight Video
Liza Huertas
Village client
A Message from our President & CEO
Galo Rodriguez
Village President and CEO
Woman of the Year
Paula S. Gilberto
President and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut
Young Woman of the Year
Saher Ashraf
Real Talk and Vernon ROCKS Coalition
Audience Activity
Dr. Laine Taylor
Village Medical Director
Spotlight Video
Davine Manson
Village client
2021 Woman of the Year
Paula S. Gilberto
United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut
Paula S. Gilberto, President and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, joined the organization in 1998 as Vice President, Community Services and subsequently Senior Vice President. Her focus has been on developing public/private partnerships to advance grade-level reading, student achievement, financial security, and workforce development.
Paula is a founding member of United Way’s Women United, which raises resources for comprehensive financial capability services for women and families. She chairs Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford; serves on the boards of Capital Workforce Partners and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions; is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Development Council and CHEFA’s Community Development Corporation Advisory Council; a corporator for Hartford Hospital and Hospital of Central Connecticut, and a volunteer for the National Conference for Community and Justice. She also serves on United Way Worldwide’s Membership Accountability Committee and various teams developing organizational resources for the network.
Paula holds a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior, University of Hartford; a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Psychology, University of Bridgeport; and is Family Strengthening for Success Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
2021 Young Woman of the Year
Saher Ashraf
Real Talk and Vernon ROCKS Coalition
Presenting Sponsor
We are grateful to The Hartford for being our presenting sponsor for the past nine years.
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Aspen
CohnReznick
Eastern Connecticut State University
Jean & Ed Cowles
Future Benefits
Gowrie Group
Hartford Hospital at Hartford HealthCare
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation
KPMG LLP
Liberty Bank
Robinson+Cole
Rossmore
Smith Brothers Insurance
Webster Bank
Patron Sponsor
Connecticut Health Foundation
The Toczydlowski Family
Special Thanks
Challenge Donors
Anonymous
Andrew Baldassarre
Wendy Carberg
Carrie Casciani
Anthony & Ann Cooper
Jeanmarie & Colin Cooper
Beth Costello
Bob & Judy Coughlin
Dan & Joanne Eudy
Jonathan Formanek
Larry & Connie Gavrich
Kevin & Elizabeth Grenham
Hartford Federal Credit Union
Leah Hartman
Bob & Jean Hester
George & Diana Jepsen
Rich Kaplan
David & Jan Klein
Charlie Klippel
Cathy Iacovazzi
Barry Lastra
Bill Husic/Lockton
Mintz & Hoke, Inc.
Marty Morrissey
Dr. Elsa M. Núñez
James & Bonnie Parry
Jeff & Lindsay Paul
Reid & Riege
UBS
About The Village
The Village’s impact lies in the thousands of children, adults and families who have overcome enormous challenges to achieve real and meaningful change for themselves with help from the treatment, services and advocacy of The Village.
Our wraparound approach includes individual and family counseling; group home, residential and outpatient treatment; school-based support programs; and in-home family strengthening.
Our goal each day is to do whatever it takes to improve the health, well-being and success of children, adults and families. We help people become resilient and able to overcome the challenges that life throws at them.
Our mission is to build a community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.
Our Executive Team
Galo Rodriguez, MPH
President and CEO
Hector Glynn, MSW
Chief Operating Officer
Martin Morrissey, MHA, CPA, FACHE
Chief Financial Officer
Deborah Bradley
Vice President, Human Resources
Tammy Freeberg, MSW
Vice President, Strategy and Planning
Steven Moore, PhD
Vice President, New Business Development
Derek Slap, MBA
Vice President, Advancement
Laine Taylor, DO, MBA
Medical Director
Our Board
- John Turgeon, CPA, HCS*
Board Chair
Partner, CohnReznick - Curt Cameron*
Board Vice Chair
President, Thomas Hooker Brewing Company - Cathy Iacovazzi*
Board Secretary - Galo A. Rodriguez, MPH*
Village President & CEO - Ellie Benson
Village Auxiliary Representative - Andrew G. Baldassarre*
Principal & Chief Market Strategist, Rossmore Private Capital, LLC - Jeffrey A. Brine, Esq.
Member & Attorney at Law, Kurien Ouellette, LLC - Richard (Jerry) Bundy
Community Volunteer - Wendy Carberg
Vice President Group & Worksite Markets, Guardian Life Insurance Company - Carrie M. Casciani
Sr. VP Corporate Internal Audit & Chief Risk Officer, Cigna - Jeanmarie H. Cooper*
Community Volunteer - Beth A. Costello*
Executive Vice President & CFO, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. - Thomas Daugherty
Partner, KPMG - Kim DiPietro
Community Volunteer - Margaret Pearl Douglas, CPA
Certified Public Accountant and CEO, Canoville Consulting, LLC - William D. Field
President, FieldActivate - David L. Friar, Architect
Community Volunteer - Lawrence J. Gavrich
Founder & President, Home on The Course, LLC - Stephen E. Goldman, Esq.
Managing Partner, Robinson + Cole - Frederick E. Jenoure, Jr.
Owner, FEJ Consulting - Diana Sousa Jepsen, MBA
Associate Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs, University of Saint Joseph - Richard M. Kaplan, Esq.
Associate General Counsel, United Technologies Corp. - Patrick Kinney
Community Volunteer - Charles H. Klippel, Esq.
Community Volunteer - Barry N. Lastra
Community Volunteer - Zachary Malet
Associate Director, Disney Platform Distribution, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution - Patricia Marealle, Esq.
Staff Attorney, Immigrant Children’s Justice Project Center for Children’s Advocacy - Dr. Elsa M. Núñez
President, Eastern Connecticut State University - Brian P. Reilly*
Chief Auditor and Sr. Vice President, Travelers
*member, executive committee
Second Chance Shops
Looking to have fun, give back and help children in your community? Become a Member at our Second Chance Shops! Donate new or gently used clothing and household items.
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