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OFFICERS

Diane Aubin, President
Diane offers a lifetime of experience in the field of special education and is a tireless supporter of The Arc Eastern Connecticut. Her commitment is rooted in her early days as a teacher when she received a scholarship sponsored by The Arc. Since that time, she has served in various leadership positions on the Board, including President for The Arc New London County, The Arc Quinebaug Valley, and The Arc Connecticut. Diane currently works at the university level as a clinical supervisor for student teacher candidates throughout the state.  ​

Gene Michael Deary, Vice-President
Gene Michael is Chief Administrative Officer, Consumer Lending and Payments at Berkshire Bank. He serves on The Arc ECT’s Finance Committee as well as the Golf Committee. He volunteers his time and secures top sponsorships for all major fundraisers from area businesses that support The Arc. This will be his 14th term on The Arc Eastern Connecticut’s Board.

Shannon Aiello, Treasurer
Shannon has been an active volunteer with The Arc for twelve years and has served on the Board Directors for the last six. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Radford University; her graduate work at the University of Wisconsin focused on Special Education.  Shannon also holds a Master Gardener Certificate through the University of Connecticut; this is a rigorous 16-week program designed to train volunteers committed to sharing their passion and enthusiasm for gardening, education and outreach with their communities. Her volunteer work includes education and landscaping projects for local non-profits, including several of The Arc’s group residences, as well as coaching The Arc’s Special Olympics bowling team. Shannon continues to donate her time and artistic talent to making The Arc a beautiful place for both staff and participants.  She has also served as a special education teaching consultant and contractor for The Lighthouse Vocational Education. Recently, Shannon became a member of the Camp Harkness Foundation in addition to being on its Advisory Committee.


Attorney Ray Baribeault, Secretary
Ray is a Director at the New London law firm of Suisman, Shapiro, Wool Brennan, Gray & Greenberg, P.C. He concentrates his practice in the areas of contracts, business, commercial transactions, corporate law and municipal law. Ray received his Bachelor of Science magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut in 1986 and received his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Vermont Law School in 1989. He is a member of the bar in Connecticut (1989) and Rhode Island (1991) as well as the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut (1990). He is currently a member of the Connecticut and New London County Bar Associations, the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee, the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors Commercial Committee, the New England Land Title Association, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the Norwich Rotary Club, and sits on the Franklin Inland Wetlands and Watercourses and Conservation Commissions.

Linda Rhodes, Immediate Past President 
Linda is a retired Public School Administrator and Speech and Language Pathologist. Throughout her professional career in both the public and private sectors, she has been passionate about ensuring positive educational outcomes and expanded opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As Immediate Past President of The Arc Eastern Connecticut’s Board of Directors, she welcomes the opportunity to continue to advocate and work in partnership with adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities as they pursue their dreams. 

DIRECTORS
 
Rebecca Durham

Rebecca is the currently the Senior Director of Clinical and Operational Integration for Hartford Healthcare in their Eastern CT region where she has worked for over 20 years. Starting her career out as a registered nurse, Rebecca has been in many roles within the health care sector. Her newest role includes overseeing Community Health and developing strong relationships within the community. She is passionate about equal opportunities and inclusion for all individuals and is excited to help further The Arc Eastern Connecticut vision and mission. She lives in Stonington with her husband and three children.

Senator Paul Formica

Paul represents the residents of the 20th Senatorial District, which includes Bozrah, East Lyme, a portion of Montville, New London, Old Lyme, a portion of Old Saybrook, Salem, and Waterford. Senator Formica has been the owner and operator of Flanders Fish Market & Restaurant since he opened it in 1983. He previously served as First Selectman of East Lyme, crafting balanced budgets, encouraging bipartisan participation and reaching regional solutions with neighboring communities to improve transportation, public safety and environmental policies. Prior to his terms as First Selectman, he served as a member of the Zoning Commission and the Board of Finance. Senator Formica has been Chairman of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, where he chaired the regional rail committee and served on the regional water committee that resulted in a tri-town interconnection to conserve and share water. Currently, in his last term as a Connecticut State Senator, he is serving as Sen Republican leader Pro Tempore and ranking member of the Energy and Technology Committee. 

Senator Formica has also served in a leadership capacity for many organizations, from Chambers of Commerce to The Heart Walk, and through membership has supported great causes from Rotary to Little League.

At the State Capitol, Senator Formica is pushing to make state government more efficient through fiscal discipline, working to ease the regulatory burden on businesses, and fighting to preserve essential services for local communities.


Emily Morrison

Emily is the Director of Development at United Services, Inc. in Dayville, CT. She was previously President of Board of Directors of The Arc Quinebaug Valley. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Maryland and was previously the President of the Quinebaug Valley Regional Rotaract Club. This will be her eighth year on The Arc’s Board.

 

Abby Snyder

Abby is The Arc’s Receptionist at the Danielson office and participates in Special Olympics Quinebaug Valley. She was adopted from El Salvador when she was 5 ½ months old.  She serves on The Arc’s Golf Committee as well as the Safety Committee. 

Mary Ellen Snyder
Mary Ellen was previously the Secretary of The Arc Quinebaug Valley’s Board of Directors. This will be her 11th year on The Arc’s Board. She is semi-retired from Day Kimball Healthcare, where she worked for over 46 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Annhurst College and a Nursing Diploma from what is now called St. Vincent’s College at Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport. Her daughter Abby was adopted from El Salvador when she was 5 months old, and now receives services from The Arc and works as The Arc’s Receptionist. Mary Ellen is a tireless volunteer at both The Arc’s major fundraisers and The Arc Emporium.

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