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MEET
OUR PRESIDENT
Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq., joined United Way of Eastern Fairfield
County as President and Chief Executive Officer May 15,
2001 following a 6-month regional and national search by
United Way’s Board of Directors.
She immediately assumed the challenge of implementing
United Way’s recently completed strategic
plan.
Trained as a lawyer, she has served
as municipal attorney for the City
of New Haven, in private practice and as corporate
general counsel for the JR Robert Company. Appointed by Governor William O’Neill,
Berke-Schlessel served as a Hearing Officer for the Commission
on Human Rights and Opportunities, hearing cases of discrimination
in housing and the workplace. She has served on numerous
boards and commissions. Berke-Schlessel contends that while her
career opportunities have been both diverse and personally
fulfilling, it is her lifelong role as an active community
volunteer that drives her commitment to community impact.
United Way’s role demands that
it serve as an honest arbiter of community needs and solutions.
Berke-Schlessel sees United Way’s obligation to finding innovative
solutions to the toughest problems as the most rewarding
challenge of her position.
“It is our job is to bring people, service
providers, community partners and financial resources together
to improve the quality of life for every member of this
community."
A
lifelong New Haven resident, Berke-Schlessel recently
relocated to Branford.
She is the mother of two, daughter Arna of New York
City and son David, a graduate student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Her husband Robert is a surgeon in private
practice and is a clinical instructor at Yale Medical School. She laughingly
describes herself as an "avid bad golfer" who also enjoys
skiing and kayaking.
Quick
Facts About Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq.n
- Special Student,
Yale University Divinity School
- Juris Doctor,
magna cum laude, Quinnipiac University College of Law
- Master of
Arts, summa cum laude, University of Toledo
- Bachelor of
Arts, Boston University
Professional and Related Experience
- Executive
Director (1999 - 2001)
Women &
Family Life Center, Guilford, CT
- Vice President
for Development and Strategic Planning (1997-1999)
Jewish Home for the Aged, New Haven, CT
- Executive
Director (1996)
City of New Haven Livable City Initiative,
New Haven, CT
- Vice President
and General Counsel (1992-1996)
J.E. Robert Company of New England, Milford, CT
- Assistant
Vice President and Counsel (1991 – 1992)
Connecticut Savings Bank, New Haven, CT
- Private and
Municipal Attorney (1986-1991)
Regional Planner (1975 – 1983)
South Central Criminal Justice Supervisory
Board and New Haven Department of Police Service,
New Haven, CT
- Hearing Officer
(1989 – 1997)
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities,
Hartford, CT
Selected Board Participation
and Affiliations
- Congregation
Mishkan Israel, Hamden, Conn., Immediate
Past President
- Connecticut Anti-Defamation
League, Development Chair, Executive Committee
- Bethesda Nursery School, New Haven, Conn., Board of
Directors
- Admitted to
practice in Connecticut and Federal
Courts
- Connecticut Bar Association,
Member
Awards
- Community
Service Award, Music and Arts Center for Humanity
(2004)
- FLECHAS, Inc.
Award for Leadership and Service to the Hispanic Community,
New Haven, Conn. (2001)
- Award of Merit
from Congregation Mishkan Israel Brotherhood
in Recognition of Service to the Congregation (2000)
- Official Citation
from the Connecticut General Assembly in Recognition of
Contributions and Dedication as a Hearing Officer (1999)
- Certificate
of Merit and Appreciation from the Commission on Human
Rights and Opportunities (1999)
- Governor’s
Award for Distinguished Service to the Department of Children
and Youth Services as Chair of the Advisory Committee
(1979)
- Outstanding
Young Woman in America (1978)
Letter
to the Editor.
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