Kathryn Van Sickle is the Director of Parent Gifts at Yale University. Prior to working at Yale, Kathryn worked at The Chapin School as the Director of Major Gifts. Kathryn started her career at her alma mater, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, followed by six years at Columbia University. During her tenure at Columbia, she earned a masters in strategic communications. She is currently on the Board of Fellows at Trinity College and a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals- NYC. When she is not working, she is recording her sponsored podcast, The Development Debrief and enjoying living in downtown New Haven.
Archive for the ‘Board of Directors’ Category
Karla currently serves on the local New Haven and Northeast Regional executive boards for The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Inc., (B&P). In addition to her work with B&P, she very happily serves as a Volunteer with New Haven Reads at the Bristol location since 2023.
Karla has garnered affiliations with countless other worthy organizations, including Girl Scouts, the National Action Network, NYC Homeless Veterans Outreach Services, The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, Act Blue, Planned Parenthood, and The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (ORCF), serving with her time and financial contributions. Her expertise has taken her across Europe and North America, leading fashion and beauty ecommerce teams in Stockholm, Sweden and Vancouver, Canada.
Karla — who majored in and started her career in Early Childhood Education — holds professional & technical certifications from The Fashion Institute of Technology, The College of Westchester, and Google, and is a Certified Agile Scrum Master and Product Owner. Above all, her most prized accomplishment is that of mother to her daughter, Aniyah. She credits her success to ambition and a dedication to being the foremost example of excellence and perseverance for her daughter to model. Karla’s expertise and life experience has afforded her opportunities to speak to students at LIM Fashion College and the High School for Fashion Studies, both in NYC. She also took pride in speaking to students at Hamden High School annual career fairs. After a move to West Haven during the pandemic, Karla is now a proud Westie with her daughter.
Sebastian is a New Haven native and a former New Haven Reads student until the 4th grade. Sebastian became a tutor at New Haven Reads as soon as he turned 16 and is now a Readers to Leaders intern, where he continues to work with students in both literacy and math, and also runs the New Haven Reads chess club with his two younger brothers. Sebastian is currently the Board of Director’s Co-Chair for New Haven-based non-profit, Students for Educational Justice, which is a youth-led, intergenerational organizing body that drives efforts for racial and educational justice. Sebastian is currently on a gap year and has been interning in the office of Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the Ron Brown Scholar Program. He has also spent time as a counselor at Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership. Sebastian will be matriculating at Yale University in the fall of 2022.
Andre spent several years serving clients in the private wealth practices of leading institutions such as the Northern Trust Company, Merrill Lynch, and Deloitte Tax LLP before establishing his own firm. He also served in the esteemed US Army Special Forces.
Andre holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics from Wesley College and a master’s degree in Taxation & a master’s degree in Computational Finance from DePaul University. In his free time, he enjoys pursuing outdoor pursuits such as long-distance running, golf, and sailing. Andre is also committed to giving back to my community through volunteering and serving on several non-profit boards.
Gary Winfield was elected to represent the 10th State Senate District (New Haven & West Haven) in a special election held February 25, 2014, replacing former senator and now New Haven Mayor Toni Harp. Prior to that special election, Gary had served as a state representative for the 94th Assembly District of New Haven and Hamden since his election in 2008. Originally from Bronx, New York, Gary lives in New Haven.
Peter Goldsmith is a 1955 Yale graduate who then spent two years in the army. Peter followed his service obligation working twenty years in manufacturing and another twenty years in sales. Upon retirement, he became involved with Yale Project 55 and Dwight Hall (Yale University’s community service organization), New Haven Reads, and a number of other New Haven nonprofits.
Kirsten has a Masters in Elementary/Early Childhood Education, a K-8 teaching certificate, and taught in the classroom for six years. Prior to coming to New Haven in 2010, she was the executive director of the Leslie Science and Nature Center for 20 years in Ann Arbor, MI. Kirsten is proud to be part of the dedicated group of staff, parents, and tutors at New Haven Reads who help the children in our community become skilled readers. She has been tutoring NHR students since 2010 and working with these students is one of the highlights of her week.
