2025 Annual Meeting and Trustee Nominees

Dare to Thrive

Meeting Minutes

Click here to view Minutes of the 101st Annual Meeting.

Trustee Nominees

First Term Nominees

Patricia Lindenman‘s vocation in Health Care began when she joined the faculty as an educator in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at County College of Morris, New Jersey. Moving to Connecticut and having a vibrant family life, Trish pivoted to a 20+ year career in Health Care Administration and is now retired. Trish is a long-standing resident of Middlebury and has been a dedicated and active volunteer in her community. As a lover of the Arts, Trish was a founding member of the Marquee Society of Women at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. As a member of the Middlebury Greenway Committee, she proposed a large-scale public art mural project that will be completed in the summer of 2025 by a local muralist. Trish currently serves on the Middlebury Poet Laureate committee, the Steering committee of the Woman’s Giving Circle of Connecticut Community Foundation, and is a yearly Literacy Volunteer at Long Meadow Elementary School of Region 15.

 

Dr. Steven Minkler retired after 38 years with the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities System, serving in leadership, management, and executive roles at four of its campuses. Most recently, Steve was Dean of the School of Engineering, Science, and Technology at Central Connecticut State University, following a decade as Chief Academic Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Middlesex Community College in Middletown. Throughout his career, Steve has led diverse teams, forged strong community partnerships, advanced strategic initiatives, and cultivated sustainable resources — all in support of student access and success. Steve serves on Connecticut Community Foundation’s Building Equitable Opportunity grant committee, the Middlesex Community College Foundation, and as Board Vice Chair of the Midstate Chamber of Commerce, where he also chairs the Education & Technology and Scholarship Committees. He is an active member and musician at St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Waterbury. Steve and his wife, Karen, have lived in Waterbury for 35 years, where they raised their now-adult daughter.

 

Bill Rybczyk born in Bristol, and raised in Torrington, earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications at Eastern Connecticut State University. Bill began his involvement with nonprofit service work through the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) with projects across the country. 

Bill joined the New Opportunities, Inc. team in 1998 and has served in several roles and worked on many projects over the years. Serving as the President and CEO of New Opportunities, Inc. since 2021, Bill remains committed to Building Relationships to End Poverty. Among the major projects during Bill’s tenure at New Opportunities is the development of CT Food 4 Thought, Inc., a hydroponic operation providing high nutrition produce along with employment training in an emerging agricultural field and the establishment of the agency’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Site, which has been in operation for over 15 years. 

Bill is a Nationally Certified Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) trainer providing performance and evaluation for community action agency activities. Bill currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Waterbury Development Corporation, the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce, Greater Waterbury Habitat for Humanity, and the Waterbury School Readiness Council. 

Second Term Nominees

James A. Higgins is a resident of Naugatuck. He serves on Naugatuck’s finance board and is involved in parent-teacher organizations across four of the Naugatuck public schools. James serves on committees and boards of several organizations, including, Young Professionals of Waterbury Region (YPOWR), Exchange Club of Waterbury, Credit Union League of Connecticut, and Connecticut Community Foundation’s Building Equitable Opportunity grant committee. 

James became a licensed foster parent in 2019 and has cared for multiple youths by opening his home and providing care to those in need. James is the President and CEO of Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union and looks to serve the community further with financial wellbeing for all. James graduated from Albertus Magnus College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and a Master of Business Administration in Business and Leadership. 

 

Janie L. McDermott is a partner at Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP, in its Waterbury office. Her practice focuses primarily on trusts and estates, nonprofit matters and land use matters. Janie is a member of Carmody’s Pro Bono Committee and DEI Committee. Previously Janie worked with the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (AppalReD), the ACLU of Connecticut, and was a fellow at Yale Law School’s Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization. 

Janie resides in Litchfield and currently serves on the board of the Litchfield Community Center, and volunteers with Pro Bono Partnership and Lawyers for Children America.

 

Adrienne Parkmond is a Waterbury resident and Chief Operations Officer of The WorkPlace, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience in the field, Adrienne has developed and implemented nationally recognized, state of the art workforce development programs. Adrienne currently serves as board chair for Waterbury Promise, president of the New Haven Pearls of Excellence Foundation and a member of Connecticut Community Foundation’s Building Equitable Opportunity grant committee. In addition to these roles, Adrienne has served as a board member or volunteer at several other organizations over many years of service to the community. 

Adrienne holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Villanova University and a Juris Doctor from Quinnipiac University School of Law. Adrienne was named among the NAACP’s 100 Most Influential Blacks in CT in 2021.