CLF was a household name for my family. My father worked as a corporate lawyer but spent his free time enjoying New England’s waters. He also felt a calling to serve the community, which led him to serve as a CLF board member for many years. 

He shared this love and appreciation of New England’s waters and coastlines with me and my siblings, and today, my sister and I have chosen to carry on his legacy with our involvement at CLF. 

When I retired from my career in finance, my passion for being outdoors and on the water grew. I volunteered with the Darien Coastal Commission, where we started a water quality program and hosted clean-up events. Realizing that I wasn’t ready to retire fully, I reached out to CLF about participating in its Senior Fellows program. 

The fellowship was transformational. I gained a new appreciation for CLF’s work. I have always been impressed by CLF, but seeing the organization take on Shell Oil showed that they can lead with solutions for the 21st century. Following my fellowship, I was inspired to join CLF’s Champions Club with a monthly gift and to join the inaugural Connecticut State Advisory Board. 

There are so many environmental groups, both small and large in Connecticut, but CLF is the only regional organization, which makes it small enough to help individual communities, but powerful enough to make transformational changes. 

We are at a critical point in stopping the impacts of climate change, and CLF is poised to accelerate that across the region. I am excited to lead the charge along with my fellow state advisory board members in Connecticut.