Susan Riggs serves as the Senior Director for Human Resources Operations at Yale University. She became involved with New Haven Reads as a volunteer tutor in 2016. Susan is on the steering committee for Yale’s DiversAbility Affinity group and is as running guide for athletes with disabilities with Achilles Connecticut. Susan earned a degree in English Literature and Communications from University of Richmond. She lives in Branford with her two children.
Archive for the ‘Board of Directors’ Category
Annette holds an MPP/MSW from the University of Michigan and has worked for over 20 years with nonprofits, units of government, and foundations on strategic planning, community engagement, program and policy design, impact evaluation, and operational improvement. When she is not building community, spending time with her husband Kerwin and two sons (Lucas and Cyrus), or getting to know New England, Annette works in public interest consulting at Aim and Arrow Group out of Chicago. Recent planning engagements related to child learning and well-being have included: local and state health or education-related departments, professional associations, and local or statewide collaborative groups, public and private schools, and nonprofits providing after school programs.
Amy joined the Yale Investments Office in 2014 and focuses on the Endowment’s leveraged buyout and venture capital portfolios, particularly in foreign markets. She graduated from Princeton University in 2012 with a degree in Operations Research and Financial Engineering and a certificate in Sustainable Energy. Before joining YIO, she worked at the Princeton University Investment Company. She became a CFA® charterholder in 2016. Amy co-teaches ECON 450: Investment Analysis at Yale College.
Amy enjoys playing tennis and walking around East Rock with her husband Dan and two lively corgis, Rocky and Archie. She is also a member of the Junior League of Greater New Haven and served as the League’s Finance Director from 2021 to 2022.
Oscar Suarez is a partner at the law firm of Halloran Sage, where he practices in the area of commercial litigation. As an immigrant and one of three children raised by a single mother in an area similar to New Haven, early opportunities were few. However, Oscar was fortunate to have what would be a life changing advantage in his own home—his grandmother, who instilled in him a love of reading. Oscar’s son Jack is now a student New Haven Reads, where his reading skills and love of reading have both increased.
Ted first joined New Haven Reads as a tutor in 2018. He is a Professor of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health (http://tedcohenlab.org). He obtained his MD from Duke University School of Medicine (2001), a master’s degree in public health at the University of North Carolina (2001), and a doctoral degree in epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health (2006).
Janet Gipson is the Head of Talent Acquisition for Yale University. She leads a team of TA professionals and is responsible for all aspects of staff hiring for Yale including the function and placement of recruiting technologies, processes and people that deliver talent for the organization. Janet chose Talent Acquisition after a successful career in sales engineering, business development, and finally as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. She pivoted to the recruitment space to help large, Fortune 200 companies put their best brand forward to attract talent and has been in this space for the past 6+ years. Additionally, she is passionate about helping candidates achieve their desired personal and professional goals. With degrees in math, engineering and business, Janet applies her technical
background to the data driven marketing and people talent space to deliver consistently for organizations. A compassionate professional that always looks for ways to give back, she holds or has held memberships in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and other professional and community organizations. Janet is a student member of the Pilates Method Alliance while she is working on her mat certification after being introduced to Pilates 10 years ago. Janet has been married 27 years to Marcus, and they have three children, one son in-law and 1 grandchild. They currently live in Middlebury, CT.
Having joined Yale in 2022 as Head of TA, Janet has made it a priority to reinforce and enhance the talent pipeline from New Haven to Yale. Investing in the youth of New Haven is an obvious extension of that work with New Haven Reads serving a critical aspect of the educational health of our students. Personally and professionally, Janet aligns with the vision of New Haven Reads to create a more just community where all children can achieve lifelong success through the power of reading.
Dara joined the team at Nappo Wealth Advisory Group in July of 2018 after spending 10 years with Prudential Annuities and 7 years with Peoples United Bank. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Haven. Dara holds the following professional certifications: Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), Accredited Wealth Management Advisor℠ (AWMA®) and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor SM (CRPC®).
Dara strives to provide exceptional financial service to help families navigate their journey through life and takes a client first approach predicated upon not making assumptions and taking time to truly understand the client’s personal and professional goals.
In her free time Dara loves to travel, read, and volunteer. Dara has served as an Executive member on the Board of Directors for Neighborworks New Horizons, an organization with a mission to strengthen neighborhoods by developing quality, affordable homes and supporting community-building initiatives. Dara currently serves on the Board of Directors for Leeway Inc. an organization that cares for the individuals and families suffering with the HIV/AIDS virus in the New Haven Community.
Caroline is Deputy General Counsel of Yale University. She joined the University’s Office of the General Counsel in 1990. Her work focuses primarily in the practice areas of labor and employment, litigation, and student and academic affairs. Prior to coming to Yale, Caroline was an Associate at Foley Hoag in Boston and clerked for Justice Ruth Abrams of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Caroline earned her B.A. from Yale College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Caroline has lived in New Haven for almost 30 years and has a keen interest in serving her community. Caroline served on the Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Music School when her kids were students there years ago, she more recently served for 9 years on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater New Haven, serving as chair of the Governance Committee, and she volunteered for 7 years with New Haven Reads.
Charlie is the CEO of Mason, Inc. an integrated brand communications firm located in the Bethany, CT. Charlie is best known for his strategic thinking and business-building acumen leading marketing programs for clients such as: Yale New Haven Health, Scandinavian Airlines, SAAB, Duracell, Commercial Credit, Konica, NewAlliance Bank, Delphi Automotive and Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.
Charlie has served as Board Chair for the United Way of CT/2-1-1, United Way of Greater New Haven and the VNA of South Central Connecticut. He has also served on the Advisory Council of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, and advised LifeBridge Community Services, L.E.A.P., Autism Spectrum Resource Center (ASRC), Clifford Beers Clinic, the New Haven Symphony and Liberty Community Services with respect to strategic issues.
Charlie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from American University. He also attended Cornell University in their Chemical Engineering program and Johns Hopkins University in their Masters of Administrative Science program.
Alex is a New Haven native and resides downtown with his wife, son, and daughter. He has spent the majority of his professional career as a technology investor and currently serves as a Partner at Rubicon Technology Partners. At Rubicon, Alex manages investments in software companies and provides strategic and financial oversight as a member of the Board of Directors of numerous Rubicon-owned businesses. Previously, Alex worked in a similar capacity at Vector Capital in San Francisco, OpenView Venture Partners in Boston, and Merrill Lynch in New York. Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in History, cum laude, from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from the Harvard Business School.
