Tomasso Group’s J. Leo Gagne Takes on Role of Board Chair for Community Foundation of Greater New Britain

New Britain, Conn. (January 14, 2014) – On the heels of one of the most significant grant-making years in its 70-plus year history, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is beginning 2014 with a new slate of officers and two new board members.

Assuming the role of board chair is Tomasso Group Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer J. Leo Gagne, who has served the Foundation the past two years as Vice Chair and Chair-Elect. He succeeds Kensington’s Phyllis Kindelan, who has completed her two, one-year terms as board chair.

Joining Gagne as board officers for 2014 are Laurence Tanner, retired president and chief executive officer of the Hospital of Central Connecticut (vice chair and chair-elect); Marc Pelletier, a Southington-based Certified Public Accountant (treasurer); and Jim Williamson, president of the Community Foundation, who retains his position as secretary.

The Foundation has also elected two new board members: Lynn Ricci, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Hospital for Special Care, and Art Schaller, Jr., president of Schaller Auto World. Schaller’s appointment becomes effective in September.

Gagne, a Kensington resident, joined the Tomasso companies in 2000. He is responsible for all operations and financial management for the group’s companies, which include TBI Construction Company, LLC, Tunxis Management Company and Tunxis Plantation Golf Course. A Certified Public Accountant, Gagne is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and is active in a variety of additional community and industry organizations.

Ricci is responsible for strategic planning, marketing and communications and employee relations at Hospital for Special Care. A healthcare management executive with more than 20 years of experience, she oversees a wide variety of outpatient services and community programs. Ricci holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology, and was appointed by Governor Malloy to the Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Council.

Schaller, Jr., oversees one of Central Connecticut’s largest family-owned auto dealerships, with roots in New Britain going back more than 60 years. Schaller Auto World employs nearly 200 and sells approximately 3,000 vehicles each year. The Schaller Auto World Fund, a donor-advised fund held at the Community Foundation, benefits children’s causes in the area.

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain connects donors who care with causes that matter in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. It does this by raising resources and developing partnerships that make a measurable improvement in the quality of life in each of these communities. For more information, visit www.cfgnb.org