September 5, 2024 |Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF), News, Non-profits

ECCF elects four new community leaders to its board of trustees

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Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF), a grantmaking organization serving the 34 cities and towns of Essex County, is pleased to announce that Chat Reynders of Hamilton, Luis Román of Boston, Doneeca Thurston-Chavez of Salem and Rosario Ubiera-Minaya of Beverly have recently been elected to the organization’s board of trustees.

“We are very fortunate at ECCF to have such an incredible group of dedicated individuals focused on ensuring that Essex County is a place that offers opportunity for all. Chat, Luis, Doneeca and Rosario bring unique talents, perspectives and experience that will significantly increase ECCF’s capacity to serve Essex County and its 800,000+ residents.”

Dick Sumberg, ECCF’s board chair

Chat Reynders

Chat Reynders is the chairman and CEO of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, a full-service sustainable investing and wealth management firm focused on creating tailored portfolios with a core of socially progressive investments.

An advocate for the environment and a conservation film producer, Reynders is currently a director on the board of the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Fund, an organization committed to leveraging the power of film, television and grassroots education to increase awareness of the delicate state of our oceans and environment.

Reynders is also a longtime partner of ECCF. He has served on the foundation’s County Leadership Council, the impact investing working group and ECCF’s investment committee.

“I believe in the power of the systems-based philanthropy that ECCF has pioneered and championed,” said Reynders. “ECCF has designed and helped to fund foundational infrastructure that lifts communities across Essex County. I am so proud to be a part of the ECCF team as we work to create new models for community advancement that can be replicated in other counties across the country.”

Luis Román

Luis Román, a seasoned wealth advisor with a passion for helping people, is a wealth management advisor with the Boston office of Opus Private Client, LLC. He focuses on asset protection, asset building and retirement income distribution strategies. 

Román became involved with ECCF as a member of the small business coalition formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped dozens of small business owners in the Merrimack Valley and Boston area by developing strategies to pivot, stabilize or grow their companies. 

Luis has been further engaged with ECCF as a member of the Professional Advisors Network, which brings together dedicated, talented professionals who want to learn more about strategic philanthropy. He is also an ad hoc member of the foundation’s investment committee.

“I am excited and humbled to join the ECCF Board,” said Román. “As a member of the investment committee, I had the privilege of interacting with the ECCF team and learned firsthand how dedicated, thoughtful and caring they are. ECCF is a welcoming organization that constantly and actively explores ways to strengthen the sense of community, collaboration, social impact and harmony of all the citizens of Essex County.”

Doneeca Thurston-Chavez

Doneeca Thurston-Chavez, an established and vibrant creative leader who consistently seeks to work with and for her community, is the executive director of Lynn Museum and Arts Center, a hub of creativity, history and community in the heart of downtown Lynn.

Thurston-Chavez, who has a long history of giving back, currently serves as a board member of the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, New England Museum Association, Essex National Heritage Area and MassCreative. She is also a member of the Salem Arts Festival Planning Committee.

Currently a member of the steering committee for ECCF’s NextGen initiative, which aims to inspire and empower rising generations to give back in diverse ways, Thurston-Chavez is also the co-founder of the foundation’s Creative County ChangeMakers, an immersive leadership support program that fosters participants’ roles as creative leaders building a more inclusive and sustainable arts and culture ecosystem in Essex County. She also served on ECCF’s Creative County steering committee.

“Working in Lynn and living in Salem, I have witnessed ECCF’s impact on our communities and the invaluable partnerships with funders, nonprofits and community leaders that power this critical work,” said Thurston-Chavez. “I look forward to building upon the many successes of the past 25 years and working towards sustaining the organization for generations to come.”

Rosario Ubiera-Minaya

Rosario Ubiera-Minaya is a community activist with more than 25 years of experience advocating for systemic change, social justice and equity in the arts, education, housing, voter engagement and health sectors.

She is currently the executive director of Raw Art Works, a Lynn-based youth arts organization that inspires more than 400 youth each year to use their voices, create and build confidence. Prior to her role at RAW, Ubiera-Minaya was executive director of Amplify Latinx, a statewide nonpartisan movement aimed at increasing Latinx civic engagement and representation in leadership positions.

Ubiera-Minaya currently serves as a trustee for North Shore Community College and has vast board and volunteer experience that spans the public policy, cultural and business sectors. A recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, Rosario is an inaugural member of the Nonprofit Executive Directors of Color by TSNE-Mission Works. She is also a member of the LEADS North Shore cohort network, the North Shore Latino Business Coalition, the Juneteenth Association of the North Shore and Massachusetts Creative Collective. Her roles at ECCF have included advising the foundation’s Creative County Initiative and ECCF’s racial equity strategy group.

“As a nonprofit leader, I have witnessed ECCF’s dedication as an engaged partner, focused on a community-aligned approach and maximizing resources,” said Ubiera-Minaya. “Through thoughtful conversations and engagement, ECCF fosters connections and strengthens the great work already taking place across Essex County. I am honored and excited to serve as a trustee of ECCF alongside esteemed regional colleagues and leaders. Together, we will continue to address the root causes of systemic social issues and contribute to long-lasting, positive change in our communities.”

Reynders, Román, Thurston-Chavez and Ubiera-Minaya are now part of a dedicated 19-member board of community, business and philanthropic leaders, each committed to volunteering their skills, experience and knowledge of the region to strengthen the communities of Essex County.

“I’m looking forward to working with this passionate group of community leaders,” said Stratton Lloyd, ECCF’s new president and CEO, appointed in June. “We are so grateful to have people of this caliber step up to serve Essex County and are excited about the skills and talents these new members bring to the foundation.”

To learn more about our new trustees, and all those who serve on the ECCF board, please visit www.eccf.org/team/.

About ECCF

The mission of Essex County Community Foundation is to inspire philanthropy that strengthens the communities of Essex County. We do this by managing charitable assets, strengthening and supporting nonprofits and engaging in strategic community leadership. In 25 years, ECCF and its growing family of 300+ charitable funds have granted $169 million to nonprofits, schools and students in Essex County and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to have 34 thriving cities and towns in Essex County and to improve the quality of life for the region’s 800,000+ residents. Learn more at eccf.org. 

The above press release & images were submitted to us by the Essex County Community Foundation.