Beth Messina

After a year of working as a communications consultant for the Foundation, Beth joined the staff in July of 2025. In her role she is focused on evolving the esteemed brand and voice of the Foundation, and telling the stories of its impact, as it evolves to face its second century of serving the people of the Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills region. Beth brings over 30 years of experience as a business owner consulting in media design, editorial and creative direction, website and print campaign development, and strategic communications. For much of the last decade she worked for Connecticut’s statewide public media company, Connecticut Public, in roles including Vice President of Content & Media Strategy, and Vice President of Audience Experience & Donor Growth. Beth was the founding publisher of The Valley Book and The West Hartford Book, and the original creative director for Seasons magazines. She ran a web startup with major grant funding from the National Science Foundation. Beth has a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and is passionate about design and the visual arts. She and her husband, Richard, are proud to have launched three adult children who are hard-working, creative, and kind.

Favorite Experience in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills

Beth and her family enjoy walking the trails at White Memorial Foundation and Topsmeade State Forest, and watching how each season brings its own beautiful expression of life to our natural surroundings. She loves to hit a late-season plant sale at some of the wonderful nurseries like White Flower Farm, Earth Tones, The Garden, or Tower Farms. (And there is no better chocolate ice cream than Arethusa’s. Prove her wrong.)

Ask Beth about

The critical, under-appreciated work that local nonprofits do to improve everyone’s lives, and the vital generosity that powers a network of caring, sharing, and celebrating our common humanity. And also, flowers.