Janie L. McDermott, James A. Higgins. Not pictured: Adrienne Parkmond. Photo courtesy of Allan Vega.
Three Community Leaders Join Connecticut Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees
Connecticut Community Foundation’s members have elected three community leaders with a history of community service to join its Board of Trustees. James A. Higgins, Janie L. McDermott and Adrienne Parkmond will join a board composed of local residents from across 21 towns in the Foundation’s service area in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills.
The trustees lead the Foundation in its mission to foster an equitable and inclusive community by inspiring giving, supporting local organizations, and cultivating effective leaders.
Kathy Taylor, chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said, “I look forward to welcoming and working alongside Adrienne, James, and Janie on our board. Each of them is talented and involved; , yet, most important, they are committed leaders who are excited about the Foundation’s mission of fostering an equitable and inclusive community in Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills. They represent Litchfield, Naugatuck, and Waterbury. As the Foundation prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary, I am confident that they each bring much to the board and position the Foundation to continue to support organizations, cultivate leaders, and convene stakeholders around important issues facing our communities. In generously sharing their expertise, time, networks, and unique perspectives and background, they add to the rich diversity of our board where we exemplify that we are always better together!”
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 well-being 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 an attorney 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 currently serves on the board of the Litchfield Community Center, and volunteers with Pro Bono Partnership and Lawyers for Children America. She lives in Litchfield.
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.
In addition to electing new trustees, the Foundation’s members re-elected Kathy A. Brochhausen of Naugatuck to serve a second three-year term on the Board of Trustees. Reginald Beamon, Valerie Friedman and Kathryn Kehoe will be departing the Foundation’s board, having completed the maximum six years of service.
Bios of all of the Foundation’s trustees can be viewed at www.conncf.org/board.
