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Karen Brown, Vice President of Programs
Karen joined the Foundation in 1998.
She had 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, and as a Steering Committee Member for the Fairfield County Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing. .
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 and Youth Development and Environment
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 the Arts, Environment, Early Childhood Education and
Education/Youth Development. She earned a BA in English from the
University of Michigan.
Dorcas lives in Bridgeport and enjoys participating in a variety of community initiatives.
Yolanda Caldera-Durant, Program Director, Economic Opportunity, Health and Human Services and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence
Yolanda has more than 12 years experience in the nonprofit, human services and public sectors. She joined the Foundation in 2004 after serving as grant writing consultant for ASPIRA of Connecticut, a statewide Latino youth leadership development organization. Prior to that, she was Senior Grant Writer for the Salvation Army of Greater New York.
As Program Director, Yolanda is responsible for pre-application assistance to nonprofits, researching and presenting recommendations on grant requests, assisting with evaluation and monitoring of past grants, and assisting with the design and implementation of strategic grant making initiatives. She earned a BA in Sociology from the University of Connecticut and an MS in Nonprofit Management from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy.
In 2005, Yolanda received the TRIO Achiever Award from the Connecticut Association of Educational Opportunities Program in recognition of her professional accomplishments and was named Alum of the Month for the Council for Opportunity in Education in January 2007. She is a co-founder and past board member of the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network and served as a board member for the Hispanic Professional Network.
Suzanne Brown Peters, Director, the Fund for Women and Girls
Suzanne joined the Foundation in 20101 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.
Nancy von Euler, Program Director, Arts & Culture and Bridgeport Public Housing Residents’ Support Fund
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.
Sharon Jones, Program Administrative Assistant
Sharon joined the Foundation in 2008. She previously served as Nursing Scheduler for Family Care Visiting Nurse Agency, and Office Manager for Bindi Desserts, Inc.
As Administrative Assistant, Sharon provides administrative support to the Program staff.
She lives in Norwalk with her son, Cameron, and her daughter, Jade.
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2009 Annual Report: Stories, photos, feats and financials
