Family Y Welcomes 9 New Community Leaders to Its Governing Boards of Directors and Trustees

The Westport Weston Family Y has announced the appointment of seven new members to the nonprofit charitable organization’s Board of Directors and two new members to its Board of Trustees. The new board members gathered for an orientation meeting on Sept. 6 at the Westport home of Mary Ellen and Jim Marpe. Jim is the Chairman of the Family Y’s Board of Trustees.

“Our Family Y benefits immensely from the energy and expertise of our governing boards, and our newest board members continue that legacy of commitment and service,” said Rob Reeves, Family Y CEO. “Having three M.D.’s among these new volunteers will help us enhance our ongoing focus on health and wellness, and the skills our other new board members bring from their professional careers and public service locally is truly impressive. We welcome all of these community leaders to our Y family.”

Ann Reuther Onton joins the 16-member Board of Trustees, which has oversight of the Family Y’s investments, endowment fund and capital projects. A pioneer in the biotechnology field, Onton is Senior Scientist at NanoViricides, a West Haven firm focused on creating polymeric structures used in targeted drug delivery applications. A veteran long-distance swimmer, Onton is a U.S. Master’s Swimmer and holds more than 95 national top-10 swimming records. In 2011, Onton presented the Family Y’s Building What Matters capital campaign with its first million-dollar gift. In recognition of her philanthropic support, the 25-yard lap pool at the new Family Y will be named the Ann Ruether Onton Pool. A native of Bridgeport and graduate of Purdue University, Onton lives in Woodbridge, CT.

Rosemary Halstead, a former president of the Board of Directors and Ex-Officio Board Member, will now serve as a Trustee. Halstead also is co-chair of the Family Y’s Building What Matters capital campaign to fund and construct a new Y at its 32-acre Mahackeno campus.

The Family Y’s Board of Trustees will next meet on Sept. 10.

The following volunteers have joined the 25-member Board of Directors, which governs the Family Y’s ongoing operations. The Board is headed by Bonnie Strittmatter, of Fairfield, and will next convene on Sept. 24.

David R. Blansfield is president of F+W Media. Prior to joining F+W Media in 2007, he launched and sold several media properties independently and for larger media companies. Blansfield was first a member of the Family Y in 1987 and for the past eight years has served on the board of the Family Y’s Water Rat Swim Team Parents’ Club. Blansfield earned a BS from Boston University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He and his wife, Lourdes, and their two children live in Westport.

Diana Coyne is a CPA who holds an undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. An active PTA volunteer in the Westport School system, Coyne has also volunteered in various capacities for local youth sports teams, including the Water Rat Swim Team. A Westport resident since 1997, she and her husband, Jim, have two college-age children attending Bates and Yale, and two children attending Staples High School.

Elise B. Gabriele graduated from Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management and worked in marketing for L’Oreal in New York City. Gabriele has been active in local PTA and preschool boards. She and her husband, Neil, and their daughters have lived in Westport since 2005 and are involved with the Water Rats.

Megan Loffredo is an M.D. who received a B.S. degree from Vanderbilt University and graduated from Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine. She completed her OB/GYN residency at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. Loffredo is an active volunteer with the Girls Scouts, Hopkins School, Water Rats and Westport schools. She also serves as a USA Swimming official. Loffredo has lived in Westport since 2001. She and her husband, David, a Westport native and Water Rat alumni, have three children; all take part in a variety of YMCA programs.

Becky McCain is a junior at Joel Barlow High School in Easton. An active member of Barlow’s Student Council, McCain will head up the school’s annual “Catwalk for a Cure” fundraiser in 2013. A two-year varsity swimmer at Barlow, McCain has been swimming with the Family Y’s Water Rat team for the past eight years. McCain is one of two high school students who serve on the Y Board of Directors, with full voting rights.

Elizabeth J.R. McKinnis is an M.D. who graduated from Yale University before receiving her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. McKinnis has served on numerous local committees and boards, including the Junior Woman’s Club of Fairfield, and has volunteered in various teaching capacities with young children. She and her husband, David, and their four children are all active Family Y members. They reside in Fairfield.

Anandi Subramanian received a B.S. in neurobiology from Yale and an M.D. from State University of New York at Stony Brook. She was a partner in Woman’s Health Care of New England in the towns of Norwalk, New Canaan and Ridgefield. A Westport resident for 22 years, Subramanian and her husband, Thomas F. Wimmer, are active volunteers in school and town activities. They have three children, all involved in Family Y programs and activities.

The nine new members were voted to the boards at the Family Y’s Annual Meeting in June. At that time, nine members retiring or stepping down from the boards were recognized and honored for their service. They are Robert H. Allen, Steven L. Ezzes, Jennifer Gabler, William Galle, H.T. (Ted) Hampe, Lisa K. Krakoff, Sue M. Nadel, David B. Rosenthal and Ronald Wimer.

For further details about the Family Y’s volunteer leaders and governance, please visit the About Us section of www.westporty.org. For more information about the Building What Matters capital campaign, visit our website or contact Paul Bernetsky, Chief Development Officer, at 203-226-8981, ext. 115, or pbernetsky@westporty.org.