The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the region’s community endowment and largest grantmaker, announces the appointment of James E. Ryan by the Trustees Committee to its Board of Directors.
Mr. Ryan is replacing Alan Tyma, whose seven-year term ended in 2011 and who served as past Board Chair and liaison to The Community Foundation’s affiliate, the Valley Community Foundation.
Leadership of The Community Foundation’s Board for 2012 remains unchanged; Rolan Joni Young Smith and David I. Newton will continue as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. For more information about The Community Foundation’s 2012 Board of Directors, visit www.cfgnh.org.
“Jimmy served as Chair of our Valley Advisory Committee for many years and his generosity, depth of experience and local knowledge are well-known throughout the community and to our affiliate the Valley Community Foundation. I very much look forward to working with him in his role as a member of the Board of Directors,” said Will Ginsberg, President & CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
“It is a pleasure to follow in the footsteps of community leaders, such as Alan Tyma, Ken Schaible, Mary Pepe, Ed Miller Sr. and other leaders from the Valley who have committed themselves to the meaningful distribution of financial assistance where it is needed most, and to the encouragement of new philanthropic growth,” says Mr. Ryan. “The Community Foundation fosters strategic investments and collaborations in our communities that are critical to our long term success.”
Mr. Ryan is President of the Shelton Economic Development Corporation and has served in that capacity since 1984. He also served as Executive Director of the Ansonia Redevelopment Agency from 1997 to 1984, managing the City of Ansonia Community Development, Downtown Revitalization, Neighborhood Development and Fair Housing programs. The Shelton Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) is a private not-for-profit local development corporation that provides economic and community development services to the City of Shelton specifically related to downtown revitalization, brownfields redevelopment, and infrastructure programs. He also manages local and regional economic development programs consistent with the SEDC mission.
Mr. Ryan is a Past Chairman of the Valley Community Foundation and one of its Founding Directors. He has provided service to the Valley Community as Chairman of the Valley Advisory Committee of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, for many years, and is a member of the Katharine Matthies Foundation’s Advisory Committee. He has previously served as a member and past Chairman of the Central Housing Committee of the State of Connecticut, member of the Connecticut Housing Authority, Past President of the Connecticut Community Development Association, former Director of the Valley United Way and former Trustee of Hewitt Hospital.
Mr. Ryan has been recognized by the Valley Community for his public service by the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce as a Gold Seal Award recipient; he is also a recipient of the Good Scout Award from the Housatonic Council, Boy Scouts of America and Service to Youth Award from the Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center. He is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University and lifelong resident of Ansonia.
The Community Foundation’s Board consists of eleven members, appointed either by the Board itself or by external appointing authorities as specified in The Community Foundation’s charter.
Since 1928, donors to The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven have built the Greater New Haven region’s community endowment valued at approximately $340 million as of December 31, 2011. For more information about The Community Foundation, visit www.cfgnh.org.