UNITED WAY WELCOMES NEW DIRECTORS

United Way of Eastern Fairfield County welcomed 11 new nominees to its Board of Directors during the agency's Annual Meeting March 16. Nominees in attendance took the stage at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard during United Way's Celebration of Community Builders to accept their nominations, and be ratified by voice vote to join the board.
United Way's new directors include:

• Rev. Dr. Anthony Bennett of Bridgeport - Mount Aery Baptist Church
  
• James Benson of Stratford - Merit Insurance, Inc., Bridgeport
  
• Michael Blake of Westbrook - Sikorsky Aircraft, Bridgeport
  
• Gregory Buckis of Shelton - UIL Holdings Corp., New Haven
  
• George Estrada of Bridgeport - City of Bridgeport
  
• Adrienne Farrar Houel of Bridgeport - The Sable Group, Bridgeport
  
• Paul Huo of Bridgeport - University of Bridgeport's School of Business, Bridgeport
  
• Stephen M. Jakab, CFRE of Trumbull - Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, Bridgeport
  
• Peter Longo of Farmington - Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford
  
• Anne O. McCrory of Fairfield - The Southern CT Gas Company, Bridgeport
  
• Daniel Neaton of Monroe - Aquarion Services Co., Bridgeport
  
  According to United Way's President and Chief Professional Officer (CPO), Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq., the new directors are each uniquely qualified to help the local agency serve its six communities through a multitude of partnerships and community impact initiatives.
  
  "Every individual touched by United Way partners or services, roughly one out of every three people in our service area, will benefit from the backgrounds and leadership these new Directors bring to our Board," said Berke-Schlessel. "When you examine the overall Board makeup at United Way of Eastern Fairfield County, it's easy to see that we enjoy a fantastic diversity of talent among individuals, many of whom bring with them a lifetime of community service experiences which will positively impact the quality of life throughout our entire region."
  
  United Way Board Chairman, Mark Fries, of Beardsley, Brown and Bassett, expressed his gratitude toward the new board members' desire to serve United Way of Eastern Fairfield County.
  
  "Their commitment to the board is reflective of their confidence in United Way's community impact initiatives," said Fries. "Considering that virtually every company represented by these new board members has a long-range stake in the future of the Bridgeport region, and the significant contributions each of these individuals has already made in the public service or nonprofit sector, I believe we can stand proudly as having one of the most experienced and capably-staffed boards of any agency in the region."
  
  For further information, please contact: Andrea Kovacs, Sr. VP, Marketing and Community Relations at United Way, 334-5106, ext. 309 or via email (preferred) at akovacs@thewaytocare.org.