Board of Trustees

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Angela Piscitello, President

Angela Piscitello is a management consultant and entrepreneur with over 25 years of professional experience. She began her career as an equity research analyst at CS First Boston, worked as a senior manager at Deloitte Consulting and an executive in J.P. Morgan Chase’s global services business. Since adopting two children, Angela has worked as a philanthropist and consulted to small businesses and nonprofit organizations across a wide range of issues, including financial management, product development, business planning and marketing. Active in the community, Angela is an active volunteer in the schools, most recently running the annual spring event auction for The Children’s School, an independent Montessori-based school in Stamford, Connecticut. Angela has also initiated musician-in-residence and author-in-residence programs from The Children’s School and organizes STEM Night and chairs a fundraising committee for East Elementary School. Pro bono consulting work through Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut’s Community Partners affiliate includes developing a strategic plan for the Woodcock Nature Center, leading a project for Make-A-Wish Connecticut to develop a plan to attract young adults, ages 22 – 40, as volunteers, donors, advocates and leaders, and brainstorming for Thrown Stone, a theatre company dedicated to cutting-edge new plays that is looking to address mission-critical issues including volunteer support, organization structure and development results. Angela holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics from Colby College. Angela also serves on the boards of Audubon Connecticut and Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut Community Partners, an organization that provides pro-bono consulting support, grants and scholarships to Connecticut nonprofits. Angela lives with her family in New Canaan, Connecticut.

 Anderson Kenny, Vice President
Anderson Kenny is an Architect with a practice based in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut. He launched his firm five years ago after two decades of working for industry leaders such as Peter Marino and Michael Graves. His practice encompasses a range of commissioned residential, cultural and commercial projects.

He lives with his wife and two children in New Canaan.

Allison Donaldson, Secretary
Allison Donaldson joined the New Canaan Society for the Arts as a Trustee in 2015 and is currently a member of the Board’s Finance Committee. Her interest in the arts stems from living in Paris during her junior year of college, where she not only took her first art class, but also visited many of the spectacular Parisian museums. She continued to study art and art history for her remaining years at school as well as during her young adulthood. Her grandmother and father were both art hobbyists. Art remains an important diversion in her life.

Collene Torres, Treasurer

College Torres is currently a manager with Reynolds & Rowella, LLP, a regional accounting and consulting firm based in New Canaan and Ridgefield. A certified public accountant and certified valuation analyst, Collene serves businesses and their owners in tax planning and compliance and business valuation needs. Collene also works with high net worth individuals and their families with complex tax issues, estates/trusts, multi-state, and foreign tax concerns.

Originally from Southern California, Collene holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Husson University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College. She currently serves as treasurer and board member for the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and Southern Connecticut Wellesley Club. Collene also sits on the board of directors of the Town Players of New Canaan where she also performs occasionally. She lives in the Silvermine part of Norwalk with her husband Mark, a professional actor and director, and their dog Miss Dashwood.

TRUSTEES

Ruth Bagshaw
Ruth is a Marketing and Communications professional who specializes in commercial property and construction. Prior to relocating to the US in 2016 with her husband she was based in London for 15 years. During this period Ruth headed up UK Marketing for Arcadis a Global Engineering and Management Consultantcy and launched Worldwide Project Consulting for the brand. Ruth continued to consult within the professional services sector for architects, designers, developer’s, Investor’s, occupiers, and commercial agents. Throughout her career she gained experience of the strategic and commercial aspects of marketing and business development both in Professional Services and the Arts sectors. 

Patrick J. Boyd
Patrick J. Boyd is the founding partner of The Boyd Law Group, PLLC (“BLG”) which was opened in 2005 and is a labor and employment law firm with locations in Stamford, CT and New York City.  Prior to founding BLG, Patrick practiced labor and employment law at a large, nationally recognized law firm and for the Office of the General Counsel at The New York City Board of Education. He has represented individual executives including many CEOs and other high profile clients (including many from Westchester and Fairfield County), Fortune 100 companies and small businesses in employment and labor law matters.  He speaks and writes frequently on employment related issues, and is featured often on television and in prominent publications including the Forbes and the New York Times relating to this area of practice.  Patrick has been recognized as a Super Lawyer in the field of labor and employment law since 2014.  This is an honor bestowed upon the top 5 percent of practitioners in the field.  In 2016 he was recognized in the New York Law Journal’s Top Settlements of 2016 for a top verdict and was selected in 2019 as one of New York Magazine’s Leaders In The Law.

Sveinn Bragason
Sveinn Bragason a New Canaan resident, currently works with special needs Children in the New Canaan School system after spending some time as a stay at home parent.  A position which gave him time with his two daughters and to focus more on his love and interest in art, photography and community involvement.   Having interest in variety of arts and history from childhood made Sveinn a frequent visitor to Museums, art exhibits and galleries where ever he has traveled internationally, both personally and for work as an IT professional.  Interest in the arts was fueled by Sveinn’s focus on Asian, Middle Eastern, African history and culture whilst pursuing his BA and MA in History.   Ever since childhood in Iceland Sveinn could be spotted with a book in his pocket and when budget allowed some form of camera in hand.   A trend that has continued through his life, travels and work ,where he has found that sometimes a elusive solution to a complicated  work related project or problem, emerges when one switches gears for a moment to look at and enjoy a piece of art or nature.   Having mostly shared his photography work on social media or to select groups,  Sveinn has also had some of his work displayed in Carriage Barn shows in the past. 

 

When Sveinn is not at work or spending time with his family and other hobbies, he can be found engaging in various community related venues.  He was a part of the Art Committee for the New Canaan Library Curtis Gallery from 2014 – 2018, where he was a co curator for some shows and assisted in setting up others.  From 2012 – 2016 Sveinn volunteered in various roles at the New Canaan Nature Center, including feeding and taking care of the birds of pray.  Currently Sveinn’s community involvement is primarily as an active volunteer Firefighter in New Canaan. He is currently serving his second year as the Fire Company Vice President.  Sveinn is also a active Volunteer EMT in the neighboring town of Wilton amongst other activities.

Connie Brown
Connie is a working artist and a native New Canaanite.  She fell in love with art as a young child, watching her grandfather spend hours painting at her mother’s dining room table.  This eventually led Connie to receiving a BFA from the University of Arizona.

While raising three children, Connie freelanced as a graphic designer as well as continuing to paint and sculpt.  She spent twelve plus years teaching art to homeless men and women in South Norwalk CT and New York City, realizing that all humans benefit hugely by having a creative outlet.

She has been on the Board of Directors of the New Canaan Outback Teen Center, New Canaan Red Cross and the New Canaan Winter Club. Connie also spent countless hours volunteering at the local schools. Connie’s first experience at Carriage Barn was through exhibiting there. She is looking forward to being involved with all artists from all venues, sharing ideas on how to enhance the art community through the New Canaan Society for the Arts for the town of New Canaan and surrounding communities.

Afsie Djabbari-Aslani
Iranian born artist Afsaneh Djabbari-Aslani attended USC’s Roski School of Art and Design, at the onset of the Iranian revolution. The upheaval in her native country culminating with the US embassy hostage crisis dramatically transformed her world, with significant influence on her artistic work. After earning her BFA, she moved to New York and began working at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in the Public Affairs Division, where she learned more about the plight of third world countries and their socio-economic issues. She also earned her Master’s Degree from NYU’s Robert Wagner School of Public Service.

Afsaneh moved to New Canaan and became an active volunteer in the community, and an art history teacher in the public school system. This reconnected her with her passion for the arts and she started painting full time in 2009.  She enjoys painting still lifes and playing with texture and color: “I don’t think of these simple objects as just a bowl or a vase but containers which hold life. We have always created containers to carry our grains and water. Bright colors, light, water, texture and reflections are an integral part of my work, tracing back to my Persian roots where color and decorative art are part of its rich history.”  Afsaneh has also been influenced by her father who was Minister of Art and Culture in Iran and dedicated his life in preserving the arts, music, culture and historical sites in Iran.  She is also a member of the Loft Artists Association.

Serena Gillespie
Serena Gillespie, past president of the New Canaan Society for the Arts, has been involved since Spring of 2013. She has served in the capacity to coordinate membership development, exhibitions and event committees. She has also served as Co-Chair of the NCSA’s fundraisers. Ms. Gillespie’s interest in art comes from her father. Her parents’ home is filled with pieces that connected her father with important periods in his life. She has followed the same path, seeking art that connects her to a recent travel adventure or a more distant memory. She travels extensively with her husband, seeking art from different parts of the world that approaches similar subject matter from a different perspective. While Ms. Gillespies’s taste in art can be considered traditional from the 20th century, she seeks pieces containing non-traditional elements that make them unique.

Serena brings her professional background of project management, analysis and communications to help maintain the Carriage Barn Arts Center’s growth and promote exciting possibilities for the future. She works for Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company, in their Quality Review group which performs document review of clinical documents in preparation of regulatory filings to US and international regulatory authorities. In addition, Serena currently serves on the Board of Directors of New Canaan Cares.

A native of Lyme, Connecticut, she holds a B.S. degree in Biology and Community Health from Tufts University. Ms. Gillespie has lived in New Canaan since 2011 with her husband, Doug Gillespie (a NCHS graduate) and their two children.

Suzy Lavieri
Suzanne is a 28 year resident of New Canaan, CT,  holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont and is a 2018 graduate of the Art Business Program at Christies, New York.  She has held numerous board positions in the New Canaan Community including the East School PTC, Outback Teen Center, New Canaan Sports Council, Service League of Boys ,and the Fairfield County Alumnae Board of Kappa Alpha Theta. 

Having grown up in a family of art and antique collectors,  Suzy developed a passion for art and particularly studying history through studying art.  Her educational experience at Christie’s New York exposed her to the financial, legal, valuation and marketing aspects of the art world.  Suzy continues to be fascinated about what the human mind can create and feels strongly about highlighting and supporting arts education in the schools.   The Carriage Barn is particularly important as it provides a unique venue to showcase artists while engaging and educating the community.

A former human resource professional, Suzy’s experiences included National Human Resource positions with Price Waterhouse, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, and Career Services at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

Rona Siegel (ex-officio)

Philip Williams, Trustee
Philip Williams is a New Canaan resident, independent merchant, and active member of the community.  He and his wife Amy moved to New Canaan in 2001 to raise their family.  In 2013 Phil, a music enthusiast, opened New Canaan Music.  He sensed there was a void that needed to be filled to support the musical needs.  Since opening the store, Phil has grown the business from a quaint back alley shop to a prominent retail destination located on Main Street.  It provides all levels of musicians with lessons, band and orchestra rental instruments, as well as sales and service of top quality instruments and accessories.  Phil serves on the Board of Directors of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce as well as on the Board of Trustees for the New Canaan Society for the Arts.  He is an active supporter of local causes, organizations, and charities and a promoter of the arts.

Prior to opening New Canaan Music, Phil had a 20+ year career in television production in New York City.  His first position out of college was in Production for Paramount Television assigned to the Maury Povich Show.  From there he went on to work on site at the studios as the Production Controller for CBS Television’s Montel Williams Show and then The Rachael Ray Show.  He was also the Head of Finance for Little Airplane Productions, an animation studio founded by Josh Selig, the multi Emmy award winning children’s television talent.  Little Airplane creates and produces numerous children’s television programs including The Wonder Pets, and Third & Bird.  In his spare time Phil enjoys spending time with his family and playing music with his band.

ADVISORY BOARD

Dan Bergfeld, John Dunn, James Durkin, Katherine Kend, and Jeanne McDonagh, Art Potts, Sue Stone

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