VolunteerConnect Welcomes New Board Members, Thanks Departing Trustees

VolunteerConnect has named five new trustees to its board: Kim Bruno, Heidi Joseph, Heather Kisilywicz, Elsie Sheidler and Ann Zawartkay. 

“We are thrilled to welcome these five outstanding members of the Mercer County community,” Executive Committee Board Chair Robin Fogel said. “This diverse and energetic board will help us drive the refocused VolunteerConnect mission to expand the reach, impact and capacity of community organizations through effective and recognized volunteerism.” 

Bruno brings deep professional experience in fundraising and development. She is development coordinator for the Bridge Academy and serves on the board of the Recreation Foundation of Hopewell Valley where she has organized a successful public outreach and fundraising campaign.  Among other civic affiliations, she volunteers coordinating the Pennington’s Youth Advisory Board in Pennington, where she lives. She is a graduate of Nichols College.

Joseph, a long-time Princeton community activist, has raised funds for CASA of Mercer County, Jewish Family and Child Services and is the founder of the Brunch at Home fundraiser for Princeton Senior Resource Center. She also volunteered for Princeton Community Works, Hadassah and Trinity Church. Before retiring, she had a successful marketing career at Merrill Lynch. She holds a BS from Rutgers and a JD from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.

Kisilywicz serves on the YWCA board and is an active Princeton volunteer. She is past president of Nassau Nursery School and has served on committees with Johnson Park Elementary School, Princeton Public Library and Mercer Hill Historic Association. She previously worked at Merck & Co., where she focused on training and online promotion. She received a BS in Marketing from the University of Rhode Island.

Elsie Sheidler is assistant director at the Princeton University PACE Center for Civic Engagement and has been with the University since 2004. She is responsible for university-sponsored public service internships and public interest post-graduate fellowships. This year, the class of 1976 nominated and unanimously elected her a honorary classmate. Before joining the Pace Center, she spent 15 years in the private sector working with technology companies and at the Princeton Center for Leadership Training, developing state-wide curricula for middle and high school leadership programs. She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University.

Zawartkay is a certified public accountant for Mercadien, where she specializes in nonprofit clients. She has been an active volunteer with Boheme Opera and the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives and is co-chair of the Robbinsville Chapter of the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce. She served on the finance committee of VolunteerConnect for two years prior to joining the board and holds a BS in Accounting from Lehigh University. 

The board also named its new executive committee. Robin Fogel will continue as board chair, with Ted Deutsch as vice-chair, Phyllis Frakt as secretary and Ann Zawartkay as treasurer.

The new board members and executive board are supported by continuing trustees, Rachael Benevento, Michael Pidgeon and Joanne Meehan.

VolunteerConnect expresses its deep appreciation to departing long-serving board members, Annette Buchanan, Liz Erickson, Gil Gordon, Nancy Robins, Antonino Scarpati and Marge Smith. 

“We have been incredibly fortunate to have such a committed board over the years,” Fogel said. “We are deeply indebted to these departing board members for their years of passionate service, which has enabled us to make such a positive impact on nonprofits and volunteers in Central New Jersey.”

VolunteerConnect’s mission is to expand the reach, impact and capacity of community organizations through effective and recognized volunteerism, thereby enriching the lives of Central New Jersey. For more information about skills-based volunteering or leadership education workshops, visit www.VolunteerConnectNJ.org or contact Executive Director Amy Klein at amy@VolunteerConnectNJ.org.