Durham Residents Elected as New Officers for MxCC Foundation

The Middlesex Community College Foundation board of directors elected two Durham residents as its new officers:
George M. Eames IV (president of Lee Manufacturing in Wallingford) as chairperson, and Anne Cassady of Durham (professor emerita from MxCC) as secretary. The board also elected Dr. Mark D. Benigni (superintendent of schools in Meriden) as vice chairperson.

As chairperson, Eames will oversee the ongoing activities of the foundation, which includes fundraising and resource development to support scholarships, campus projects and academic programs at MxCC.  

“Middlesex Community College contributes a great deal to the 18 towns in our service area by preparing individuals for immediate employment in high-demand fields including manufacturing,” said Eames.  “It makes sense for the business community to support this college so it can continue to fulfill this vital role.”

As new vice chair of the foundation, Benigni welcomes the opportunity to help MxCC fulfill its mission.  "Middlesex
Community College continues to provide an exceptional educational opportunity for so many students,” he said. “I have been most impressed with the college’s continuous improvement efforts and their expansion in downtown Meriden. I look forward to helping MxCC build partnerships that will provide opportunities for all students.”

Anne Cassady is the foundation’s new secretary.  After spending 35 years in MxCC’s classrooms as an English professor, Cassady welcomes the opportunity to serve the College in this new capacity. 

“In this challenging economy, the community must actively support MxCC, so that the college can, in turn, better serve the community,” she said.  “We need to have a symbiotic relationship.”

Garrett Birdsey, assistant manager of Liberty Bank’s Higganum branch, and Sheila Iglesias, assistant vice president and manager of TD Bank in Middletown, joined the foundation board earlier this year.  Birdsey serves as the foundation’s treasurer.  He is also involved with the Friends of Russell Library and Haddam Emergency Food Bank.  Iglesias also volunteers with the Durham/Middlefield Exchange Club and Junior Achievement. 

Former Foundation secretary Judith Felton, current MxCC chair of human services and professor of human services
and psychology, remains as one of two faculty representatives on the board. 

The MxCC Foundation bid farewell to three outgoing board
members who have been longstanding supporters of the foundation and the college: David R. Hampton (MxCC class of 1972) of Meriden, Roger Brewer of Rockfall, and
Michael Waller of Middlefield.

Hampton has participated in many college and foundation
fundraising activities over the past 40 years. Hampton was a member of the original Alumni Steering Committee, and signed the state document that legally created the MxCC Foundation, Inc., in 1979.  He served as foundation chairperson from 2007-2011.

Brewer is a long-time friend of the foundation who has retired after serving as the board’s vice chair and scholarship committee chair.  His energy and enthusiasm for the foundation and its mission were valuable assets for years.  He grew up in a sharecropping family in rural (and
racially segregated) Georgia and went on to become a successful trial attorney and lawyer for a leading insurance company. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and co-author (along with his daughter Nicole) of Withstanding the Lie, written as a tool to help readers protect themselves from acts of bigotry.

During his 19 years on the MxCC Foundation board, Waller served in multiple ways – from treasurer, to board development, to special events, to board chairperson.  For the past nine years he has served as co-chair of the foundation’s golf committee.  His efforts have raised more than $150,000 to benefit MxCC students and programs, and brought countless new friends to the college.  Waller is a retired officer from Lyman Farm.

“The Foundation thanks Dave, Roger and Mike for their years of dedicated service to the Foundation in support of MxCC and our students. We wish all three the best in retirement,” said Greg Kline, director of advancement and staff liaison to the MxCC Foundation. 

Dr. Anna Wasescha, president of MxCC, expressed her enthusiasm for the new board and appreciation for the exiting volunteers.  “We are fortunate to have such exceptional support in our community,” she said.  “The work of the foundation is far-reaching and has a direct and indirect affect on countless lives, on and off campus.  Even in the short time I have been here I have seen the impact of this organization – from opening our new interactive
classroom in the Jean Burr Smith Library to hosting a wildly popular 5K road race – and know they are capable of great things for our school.  I look forward to working closely with the foundation’s new board of directors as we tackle some great challenges together.”

Middlesex Community College Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) single-purpose public charity dedicated to the support of students and programs at MxCC.  For years
the Foundation focused its efforts on raising support for student scholarships, helping to ensure access to public higher education for students in the 18-town service area of the College.  As state support for MxCC’s operating budget declined to 39 percent from 64 percent in recent years, the Foundation expanded its priorities to include developing support for campus projects and academic programs, in addition to student scholarships.  Incorporated in 1979, the MxCC Foundation is led by a volunteer board of directors.  Resource development is the Foundation’s sole priority and a key part of the college’s
Strategic Plan in support of student academic success.

Founded in 1966, Middlesex Community College (www.mxcc.commnet.edu) is an independent member of the Connecticut Community College System. The
school offers more than 50 degree or certificate programs on its main 38-acre campus in Middletown, and at the Meriden Center in downtown Meriden.