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New Board Members
The newest community members elected to the Community Foundation Board of Directors include, left to right: CPA and O’Connor Davies partner Marcia L. Marien of Norwich; Putnam Bank President and attorney Thomas Borner of Pomfret; and Elizabeth (Betti) Kuszaj of Brooklyn, executive director of the Northeastern CT Chamber of Commerce. Courtesy photo.
The Community Foundation has elected three community leaders to join the Board of Trustees: Marcia L. Marien, CPA, a partner in O’Connor Davies; Thomas A. Borner, attorney and president and CEO of Putnam Bank; and Betti M. Kuszaj, executive director of the Northeastern CT Chamber of Commerce.
“Each brings a unique set of skills and accomplishments,” said Board Chair Paul Nunes. “Together, their election continues the Community Foundation’s commitment to ensure meaningful representation across all the cities and towns of eastern Connecticut.”
Borner, who has practiced law in Putnam since 1979, has led Putnam Bank as president and CEO in 1999-2000 and again since 2006. He has been a member of its Board of Directors, including as chair and vice chair, since 1987. Since October 2005, Borner has also been of counsel to the law offices of Borner, Aleman & Davis, located in Putnam.
Borner and his wife Kathy are both active in the community. He served as a director of the Northeast Connecticut Habitat for Humanity, and the couple have worked on a number of national “builds” for Habitat for Humanity International.
As chairs of Day Kimball Hospital’s Annual Giving Appeal (and a member of the Board of Incorporators), the Borners helped to raise more than than $1.5 million.
Borner is also a past director of the Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation and the Woodstock Agricultural Society, which operates the annual Woodstock Fair. He is a past president of the Putnam Area Industrial Corporation and a past advisory Board Member of the John Dempsey Regional Center in Putnam. The Borners make their home in Pomfret.
Elizabeth M. “Betti” Kuszaj has been executive director of what has grown into the 500-member, 10-town Northeastern CT Chamber of Commerce since 1982.
During her tenure, she has led home shows, festivals, legislative roundtables, seminars, and networking, among other activities. She also administered the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board grant for business services, and transitioned the Chamber through two mergers.
Kuszaj has served on several boards for multiple years, including: Day Kimball Hospital, Hospice of Northeast CT, Rotary Club of Putnam (including a term as president), the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, and the Northeast Economic Alliance. She and her family live in Brooklyn.
Marcia L. Marien, CPA, is a partner with O’Connor Davies, one of the nation’s largest CPA firms.
They join 16 current board members: Paul Nunes, Chair; Susan Pochal, Vice-Chair; Ruth Crocker, Treasurer; and Valerie Grimm, Secretary. Members are Frederic Anderson, Theresa Broach, Brian Carey, Samuel Childs, John Duggan, John LaMattina, Stephen Larcen, Dyanne Rafal, Mary Seidner, Lee Ellen Terry, Claire Warren, and Dianne E. Williams.