Board of Directors

Directors

The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) is governed by a 15 member Board of Directors as provided by statute.

CHFA Board of Directors

Found: 15 matches Displaying: 1 - 15

Photo	Member
	Catherine Smith - Chairperson Catherine Smith is the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the lead state agency responsible for attracting and retaining businesses and jobs, revitalizing neighborhoods and communities, expanding affordable housing opportunities and fostering appropriate development in Connecticut’s towns and cities. Governor Dannel P. Malloy appointed her to the position in April 2011. Commissioner Smith’s top economic development priorities are to strengthen the state’s efforts to nurture and drive innovation; effectively promote and market the state’s many business advantages within Connecticut and beyond its borders; and place a renewed emphasis on all aspects of customer service in order to make the state more business-friendly and attractive for investment. Her community and housing development priorities include increasing the supply of affordable housing while also preserving the quality and affordability of existing units, improving the state’s ability to redevelop brownfields, and continuing the state’s commitment to responsible growth and transit-oriented development. The commissioner will forge new, closer working relationships with other state agencies and private sector partners to realize these objectives and to maximize the return on state investments. Prior to joining DECD, Commissioner Smith had a distinguished career in the insurance and financial services industry. She began her career at Aetna in 1983 and held various management positions, including chief financial officer for Aetna Financial Services. Later at ING she served in numerous leadership positions including chief operating officer for ING U.S. Financial Services, president of Health, Education and Government Distribution, and CEO of the U.S. Insurance businesses. In 2008 Smith was named CEO of ING U.S. Retirement Services, one of the largest defined contribution plan managers in the United States with more than $280 billion in assets under management and administration. Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and received a Master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut. Smith has been a frequent speaker at industry conferences and in the media and has been recognized by U.S. Banker magazine’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Nonbank Women in Finance” and the The 401kWire “100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution.” Smith is the Vice Chair of Outward Bound, USA.

	Benjamin Barnes Benjamin Barnes was appointed by Governor Dannel Malloy to serve as the Secretary of the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) effective January, 2011. OPM is the Governor's staff agency in Connecticut and is responsible for all aspects of policy, planning, budgeting and management of state government.

	Kathleen A. Corbet Kathleen A. Corbet is a business entrepreneur with over 30 years of leadership experience in financial markets, information and technology. She is the founder and principal of Cross Ridge Capital, LLC, a firm specializing in private equity investing and strategic consulting in the alternative energy and financial information industries. Corbet also recently co-founded Municipal Enterprise Solutions, LLC which provides consulting services in financial and operational best practices for municipalities and non-profit enterprises. Previously, Corbet spent nearly 25 years in the financial services industry as President of Standard & Poor's from 2004-2007 and at AllianceBernstein L.P., as Executive Vice President and head of the Fixed Income division. Corbet is as a member of the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Pro Mujer International, Inc. and the New Canaan Community Foundation. She also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Jackson Laboratory and Boston College and is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the New York Community Trust. Corbet is a past member of the New Canaan Board of Finance. Corbet, a graduate of Boston College and New York University Stern School of Business, serves as a Justice of the Peace for the State of Connecticut and is a resident of New Canaan.

	Heidi DeWyngaert Heidi DeWyngaert, President of Bank of New Canaan, EVP and Chief Lending Officer of BNCFG, the holding company has been with the Banks for the past eight years. She is a career Banker with over 34 years of experience. Originally credit trained at JP Morgan, she has experience as both a commercial/middle market and commercial real estate lender. Prior to joining the Banks, she managed the Commercial Real Estate Group for Webster Bank in Fairfield County.

	Nuala Droney Nuala Droney is an attorney at Robinson & Cole LLP. As a member of the firm's litigation section, Ms. Droney focuses her practice on complex litigation in federal courts, including antitrust, patent, trade secret, trademark, unfair trade practices, fraud, and contract disputes. For the past two years, Connecticut Super Lawyers® has named Ms. Droney a Rising Star in Business Litigation. In addition to her civil litigation practice, Ms. Droney maintains a criminal practice, representing clients in government and internal investigations. Ms. Droney is also active in pro bono legal matters. She recently developed a pilot program in Connecticut state court to provide victims of domestic violence with free legal representation. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Droney served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alfred V. Covello, United States District Judge, District of Connecticut. Ms. Droney received her undergraduate degree from Yale College, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, and her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a member of the bars of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Ms. Droney is a resident of West Hartford.

	Orest T. Dubno - Vice Chairman Orest T. Dubno has spent more than 40 years in the field of Financial Management. Mr. Dubno has undertaken the financial management of large organizations including government, investment banking and real estate holding companies. In 1985, Mr. Dubno was appointed President and Executive Director of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and served in that capacity for seven years. Previous to that Mr. Dubno was appointed and served as Commissioner of Revenue Services for the State of Connecticut where he was responsible for the collection of all State revenues, compliance of tax issues, interpretation of tax issues and the management of central and regional office employees. During his extensive career Mr. Dubno has worked in a number of financial institutions where he has implemented sound financial policies, provided key organizational decisions and successfully managed investment income, corporate revenues and municipal bonds. Mr. Dubno is committed to his community and serves on many boards and commissions including the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority Board where he has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1996. Mr. Dubno also serves as a Board Member Emeriti on the Board of Governors for the University of New Haven, is a board member of the Connecticut Maritime Coalition and is the New Haven Representative on the Policy Board for the South Central Regional Water Authority. Mr. Dubno received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science Degree in Public Administration from The University of New Haven. More recently The University of New Haven awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Law.

	Jeffrey Freiser Jeffrey Freiser is Senior Advisor to the Connecticut Housing Coalition, from which he retired as the Executive Director at the end of 2010, after serving in that role for 21 years. The Coalition, a statewide network of over 250 community-based affordable housing organizations, is Connecticut’s leading membership organization dedicated to low and moderate income housing issues. Mr. Freiser has played a leading role in many housing initiatives, including creation of the $100 million Connecticut Housing Trust Fund, enactment of the Affordable Housing Appeals Procedure (the state’s anti-exclusionary zoning statue), expansion of the state’s Housing Tax Credit Contribution Program, building the Public Housing Resident Network, and founding of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. He has been a frequent testifier on housing issues before the Connecticut General Assembly.

	J. Scott Guilmartin J. Scott Guilmartin is an independent developer of energy and real estate projects predominantly in the Northeast.

	Meghan K. Lowney Meghan Lowney, MSW, is Principal of Ripple Effect Consulting in Fairfield, Connecticut, a leadership and organizational development company specializing in services to enhance social impact. Engagements include leadership coaching and next generation leadership development, strategic action planning and organizational development with nonprofit organizations, foundations and individual leaders. Prior to opening her consultation business in 2006, Ms. Lowney served for ten years as the Executive Director of Operation Hope of Fairfield, a nonprofit providing innovative solutions to homelessness, including supportive housing, in Fairfield and the surrounding communities. She also serves on the Steering Committee of HOMEConnecticut, an affordable housing campaign of the Partnership for Strong Communities. Ms. Lowney earned her BA from Boston College and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.

	Barbara S. McGrath, Esq. Barbara McGrath is currently the Assistant Director of the Connecticut Urban Legal Initiative (CULI), a nonprofit legal clinical organization located on the campus of the University of Connecticut Law School. CULI educates law students through involvement in community development legal work and provides effective legal services to nonprofit groups engaged in reducing urban blight. Ms. McGrath previously served as founder and Executive Director of the statewide public-private partnership, the Community Economic Development Fund. From 1991-1993, McGrath was Connecticut’s Deputy Banking Commissioner during a period of significant turbulence in the Connecticut banking landscape. She serves on a number of nonprofit boards and as Chair of the Board of Finance in Windham, Connecticut. McGrath has a B.A. from Yale College and a J.D. from University of Connecticut School of Law.

	Denise L. Nappier Denise Lynn Nappier, the 82nd Treasurer of the State of Connecticut, is the first African-American woman elected to serve as a State Treasurer in the United States and the first African-American woman elected to statewide office in Connecticut. Elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 and 2006, Treasurer Nappier is also the only woman to be elected Treasurer in Connecticut history. As Connecticut’s chief elected financial officer, Nappier oversees $50 billion in state funds, including the $22 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds. Treasurer Nappier is the architect of wide-ranging reforms to Connecticut’s system of pension fund governance. Her high standards and financial expertise brought integrity back to the Treasurer’s office and professionalism to the management of state resources, and Treasurer Nappier’s innovative and effective leadership has saved taxpayers and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars. Treasurer Nappier was the architect of the coalition of housing, business, community and municipal leaders who worked with legislators in 2005 to establish a $100 million Housing Trust Fund for Growth and Opportunity, aimed at increasing affordable housing for working families in Connecticut. She is one of the nation’s leading institutional investors working for corporate reform on issues including executive compensation, independence and diversity of board members, financial reporting and auditing, and disclosure of financial risks of climate change. Treasurer Nappier previously served as Hartford City Treasurer for nearly a decade. She holds a B.A. from Virginia State University and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati.

	Kimberly Neilson Ms. Neilson has been with McCue Mortgage since 1986 and currently serves as Executive Vice President. She started with the company in the Retail Production Department supervising the Processors and Underwriters. In 1994, she developed McCue's wholesale business channel. After 4 years in the Wholesale Department working with Brokers and Correspondents, Ms. Neilson became manager of the Retail Customer Service department and developed it into an Inside Sales department that produced over 60 million dollars in originations the first year. In 1999 Ms. Nielson took over the Secondary Marketing Department and implemented a hedging program. Ms. Neilson’s current responsibilities include pipeline management and daily assessment of pipeline risk position, analyzing mortgage sales to increase profit margins, exploring new loan programs with investors for increased market share opportunities, and ongoing review of current modeling used for posted rate and point structure to insure the pricing used is profitable yet competitive. In addition to Secondary, Ms. Neilson oversees the daily management of the Quality Control Department to maintain adequate internal audit and management control systems to assure that mortgages are originated, sold, and serviced in accordance with sound mortgage banking and ensure the company operates within local, State and Federal regulations. Ms. Neilson is currently the co-chair of the CMBA Secondary Marketing committee. She also has FHA Direct Endorsed underwriting status and has completed various MBA Correspondence courses throughout the years. Ms. Neilson served on the Fannie Mae Secondary Market Advisory Council from 2001-2003. Also in 2003 she completed and graduated from the MBA Futures Leaders program. Ms. Neilson has lived in Connecticut for most of her life and currently resides in Meriden with her husband, Kyle and two children.

	Richard F. Orr Richard F. Orr is the General Counsel of the University of Connecticut and the first person to hold that position since it was created in 2012. He is responsible for providing strategic legal advice and coordinating the delivery of legal services in all areas of law affecting the University. Prior to joining UConn, Orr was Vice President and General Counsel of a regional architecture and engineering firm where he managed the purchase of the company by management from the founder and, subsequently, conversion of the company to an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). His private legal experience includes business, commercial and complex litigation matters as a partner with the Connecticut firm of Tyler Cooper & Alcorn and with the Washington, D.C. firm of Arnold & Porter. His public legal experience includes serving as Senior Counsel to Speaker of the House Tom Ritter in the Connecticut House of Representatives; special advisor to Governor Rowland; trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Public Integrity Section, prosecuting corrupt public officials; Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C. prosecuting street crime; and serving as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge (now U.S. Court of Appeals Judge) Jon O. Newman. Orr serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Connecticut Legal Services, serves on the Board of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Advisory Council of CT-N television, the Board of the UConn Health Center Finance Corporation and the Commission on Judicial Compensation. Rich is a cum laude graduate of NYU Law School where he was an Editor of the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif academic honorary society. He is a fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. He has taught trial advocacy for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Orr is a resident of West Hartford.

	Howard Pitkin Howard F. Pitkin was appointed Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Banking by Governor M. Jodi Rell in September 2006 after a 30 year career with the Department. As Banking Commissioner, Mr. Pitkin has jurisdiction over Connecticut’s laws pertaining to commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, consumer credit, broker-dealers, investment advisers, securities, tender offers and business opportunities. In his capacity as Banking Commissioner, Mr. Pitkin serves as an Ex officio Member of the Board of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Economic Development Fund Foundation and as a member of the Connecticut Economic Conference Board and is a member of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), a professional association of state banking regulators.

	Ann Foley Anne Foley is a 24-year veteran employee of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM). As Under Secretary for Policy Development and Planning, she represents OPM Secretary Benjamin Barnes on CHFA’s Board. Foley specializes in health and human services policy and she provides information and analysis that the Secretary uses to formulate public policy goals for the state, prepare the Governor’s budget and legislative proposals, and implement and monitor the execution of the budget and legislation as adopted by the General Assembly. Her responsibilities include coordinating the state allocation of over $100 million in federal block grant funds, chairing the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund Board and overseeing disbursement of those funds, and representing OPM on various statutory committees such as the Interagency Committee on Supportive Housing which has been responsible for the development of approximately 2000 units of supportive housing in Connecticut. Prior to joining Governor Malloy’s administration, Foley served as Senior Policy Advisor to the past three OPM Secretaries from 2003 to 2010. She began her career at OPM as a planning analyst in the human services planning unit from 1987 to 1999 where she staffed the Governor’s Human Service Cabinet, coordinated the state’s response to new federal legislation on homelessness and AIDS, and developed and implemented a major reorganization of state health and human services agencies. From 1999 to 2003, she was Legislative Program Manager for OPM and served as the agency’s liaison to the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committees on Public Health, Human Services, and Appropriations. Foley is an adjunct faculty lecturer at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. She received her B.A. in Social Work from Providence College in 1983, a M.S.W. degree in Policy and Planning from the University of Connecticut in 1987, and a M.A. degree in Social Policy from Brandeis University in 2001.
Photo	Member

Found: 15 matches Displaying: 1 - 15