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Student and Volunteer Stories
Volunteer Tutors
Board Officers
Cindy Grinberg
President, New Milford, CT
Cindy has been a tutor with LVG since 2011 and became a member of the Board in 2016. She had an extensive career in higher education administration and finance and has held a variety of leadership roles in several non-profit organizations. She has completed graduate coursework in education and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
Saun Ellis
Vice President, New Milford, CT
Saun Ellis, a former actress, acting teacher, and director/producer, is now a video producer specializing in socially conscious topics. She became an LVG tutor in 2011 and then joined the board. Active in numerous community groups, she has had leadership roles in the NM Film Commission, NM Hospital the NM Refugee Resettlement team, among others. Saun graduated from University of California, Berkeley and did graduate work at St. Mary’s College and Bank St. College, NYC.
Pat Rinaldi
Treasurer, Southbury, CT
Pat has over 30 years of financial and operational management experience within various industries, spanning both domestic and international geographies. Pat has also provided strategic and operational advice, through his board affiliations, to not-for-profit companies. Pat has earned an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven and a B.A. in Economics and Business from St. Anselm College.
Carol Beck
Secretary, New Milford, CT
Carol Beck was elected to the LVG Board in 2007. She taught elementary school in New Milford for 18 years and served as an assistant principal for an additional 18 years. She graduated from UConn and has an MA in elementary education from Western Connecticut State College and studied Education Administration at Fairfield University.
Board Members
Kathleen Bertram, Board Member
Kathleen joined the Board in 2014 and is entering her 11th year as a valued tutor. Kathleen’s background in teaching, creative interior and garden design and civic involvement in the arts, affords her a unique perspective on the creative endeavors of planning LVG’s outreach and fundraising activities. In addition to her many board-level volunteer commitments, Kathleen continues to hold the position of design/project reviewer for BRT General Corporation. Kathleen received a BA from Mount St Mary’s University in West LA.
Anthony DiPentima, Board Member
Anthony received his B.A. from Hanover College, M.A. from Fairfield University, and J.D. from Quinnipiac University. He taught middle and junior high school for a number of years before attending law school. He served 3 terms on the Hartford City Council, as Deputy Mayor of Hartford and as a City of Hartford lobbyist prior to moving to Litchfield County. He practices law in Litchfield County with an emphasis in Municipal and Law Use law.
Janet Kamm, Board Member
A former LVG Board president, Janet Kamm has served as an English as a second language tutor for 20+ years. She has worked with Literacy Volunteers on the Green since its inception in 2005 and has taught numerous students in Kent over the past 15 years. She received her B.A. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Sue McWhinnie, Board Member
Sue is an LVG tutor and Board Member and has taught ESL for the New Milford Adult Ed Program. She was an elementary school teacher for 20 years. She serves as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, FISH, and Kent Center School Scholarship Fund. Sue graduated from Marymount College, WCSU, received a Master’s at Fairfield University and is certified to teach ESL/ELL.
Casey Pascal, Board Member
Casey Pascal has been an LVG tutor since 2005 and joined the board in 2007. Having lived in Japan without the ability to read and write the language, she has personal experience with the importance of literacy when living in a new land. Previous volunteer experiences include tutoring through the Japan Society, Japan Hands, the NY Junior League, Marymount School and the Convent of the Sacred, among others. Casey graduated from Marymount International School in England and Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY.