United Way CEO Names Community
Impact Implementation Manager
BRIDGEPORT, CT - (July 23, 2007) United Way of Eastern Fairfield County President & CEO Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq., announced that Eileen Lopez-Cordone will serve in a newly created position, Community Impact Implementation Manager. As such, she will help plan and oversee the activities for Success By 6®. Operation Graduation, Destination Home, and Supporting A Caring Community. She will coordinate community education campaigns, a mentoring coalition, the Hunger Initiative, and other relevant programs.
Previous to accepting this position, Lopez-Cordone was the Regional Director of the 2-1-1 program. She was the liaison between the eight United Ways in Fairfield and New Haven Counties and the United Way of Connecticut. Berke-Schlessel believes that Lopez-Cordone’s former position will serve her well in this new one: “We are excited to have Eileen spearheading our Community Impact agenda. Because of her Infoline background, she is very knowledgeable of our mission and the work we are striving to accomplish.”
Lopez-Cordone, who earned her Bachelor's Degree at Fairfield University, has served on many committees throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties, including the Stamford Human Services Planning Council, Darien Human Services Planning Council, City of New Haven Helping Working Families Initiative, Senior Services Coordinating Council in Norwalk, RYASAP Substance Abuse Prevention Committee in Bridgeport, Regional Homeless Council in Bridgeport, Collaborative Alliance of Greater Stamford and the Bridgeport and New Haven Real Choice Task Force for Community Inclusion.
Lopez-Cordone, who lives in Shelton with her husband and two children, is extremely active in the community. She is the co-founder and President of the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network, which educates the public, private, and nonprofit sectors about the various social and economic issues affecting Latinos. She is the Secretary of the Hispanic Advisory Council of Greater Stamford, Past Chair of the RYASAP Prevention Committee and is involved in the development of a resource guide for people facing eviction and the homeless population to help them locate the essential services they may need in the community.
In 2001, Lopez-Cordone received the Above and Beyond award from the Regional Youth and Adult Substance Abuse Project (RYASAP) for her leadership in collaborating with RYASAP to create the youth yellow pages for high school students in the Greater Bridgeport Area. In 2004, she received an award from the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network’s (GBLN) Board of Directors for her vision and leadership in creating the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network and in April 2007, Lopez-Cordone received the Woman of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Housatonic Council for her community service in the Bridgeport area.
United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s mission is to mobilize a stronger, more caring community across Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. Our focus is on what matters. We are bringing people together from all across the community – people from government, business, faith groups, nonprofits, and ordinary citizens – to tackle the issues that matter most. United Way is committed to the bottom line results: the lives we change and the communities we shape. Find out more at www.thewaytocare.org.
