Program Department

Karen Brown
Vice President of Programs

Email Karen
Call her at 203.750.3200

Karen joined the Foundation in 1998.

She previously served eight years of nonprofit work at two community-based organizations in the South Bronx - the Citizens Advice Bureau, a settlement house, and a school-based Beacon center affiliated with Bronx Community College. At Bronx Community College, she managed an out-of-school youth employment training program and raised funds for other Beacon youth initiatives, such as a new community garden. At Citizens Advice Bureau, Karen helped launch a family child care network for Spanish-speaking providers, designed and delivered agency-wide staff training in workforce development/welfare-to-work, and conducted economic development/nonprofit enterprise feasibility studies in her role as project champion for a Ms. Foundation-led organizational development project.

Karen currently serves as a board member for the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, as a member of the Programs Committee for the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, as a Steering Committee Member for the Fairfield County Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing and on the Connecticut Committee of the Regional Plan Association

. Karen is a 1990 graduate of Brown University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She also holds a master’s degree in public and nonprofit administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, where she was a Dean’s Scholar. Karen co-founded the Wagner Alumni in Philanthropy Network, a professional network for Wagner NYU alumni working in philanthropy in the tri-state area.

In May 2008, the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy awarded Karen the Martha S. Newman Award for sustained and exemplary staff performance at a Connecticut foundation.

Karen lives in Norwalk with her family.

Dorcas Blue
Program Director,
Education & Youth Development and Environment

Email Dorcas
Call her at 203.750.3210

Dorcas joined the Foundation in 2008. She previously served as a Community Development Specialist at The United Illuminating Company, where she administered community outreach and corporate grantmaking to the Greater Bridgeport and Lower Naugatuck Valley areas. Prior to that, she was the Director of Institutional Giving at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

As Program Director, Dorcas is responsible for the Foundation’s grantmaking in Environment, Early Childhood Education and Education/Youth Development. She earned a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Michigan.

Dorcas lives in Bridgeport and enjoys participating in a variety of community initiatives.

Suzanne Brown Peters
Director, the Fund for Women and Girls

Email Suzanne
Call her at 203.750.3208

Suzanne joined the Foundation in 2010 as Director of the Fund for Women and Girls.

She most recently served as a senior strategist and corporate relationship manager for INROADS, an international nonprofit that recruits, develops and places minority college students in a wide range of internships and professions.

Prior to her nonprofit career, Suzanne worked was vice president and senior program manager for Citibank / Citigroup’s global transactions services businesses.

A longtime Stamford resident, Suzanne is president of the Fairfield County Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta public service sorority, a board member of the Stamford Hospital System and past president of the board of Childcare Learning Centers in Stamford. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University School of Education and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Elaine Mintz
Director, Center for Nonprofit Excellence
Program Director, Arts & Culture

Elaine joined the Foundation in July 2011 to serve as director of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and program director for arts and culture.

She previously served as director of the Greater Danbury Nonprofit Resource Center providing management support, training, consulting and volunteers for nonprofit organizations in northern Fairfield County. Prior to her nonprofit work, Elaine served as an adjunct faculty member in the Political Science Department at Norwalk Community college, as a research consultant for the Office of Policy and Management in Hartford and as a clerk of the Appropriations Committee in the Connecticut General Assembly.

Elaine holds a Master's degree in public administration and a Bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut.

She lives in Redding with her family.

Nancy von Euler
Program Director,
Arts & Culture, Bridgeport Public Housing Residents' Support Fund
and Beard Award for Teaching Excellence

Email Nancy
Call her at 203.750.3207

Nancy joined the Foundation in 2008. She previously served as Grant Manager for the Center for Women and Families in Bridgeport, where she led special project initiatives, including the development of the Yale Street housing project and the successful Safe Start collaborative grant application process.

Nancy also served as Grant Coordinator for the Norwalk Health Department and Program Coordinator for the Bridgeport Health Department.

A graduate of Vassar College, Nancy earned a Master of Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, from New York University.

She and her family live in Southport.

Tricia Hyacinth
Program and Development Associate
The Fund for Women and Girls

Tricia joined the Foundation in 2012. Prior to the Foundation she served as Project Manager and then Program Manager for Community Engagement at a non-profit in Hartford.   She has extensive experience working with volunteers and organizing/executing large scale service events. Additionally, she also has experience in academia and has served as both an administrator and instructor as well as in corporate as a marketing consultant. She holds an MBA in Marketing/Management from the University of Connecticut and degrees in Political Science. She enjoys traveling and lives in Monroe with her family.

Sharon Jones
Program Administrative Assistant

Email Sharon
Call her at 203.750.3219