2025 Connecticut Philanthropy Forum
Top Trends in Philanthropy Today
Hosted by CCS Fundraising in partnership with AFP-Fairfield, join us for an energizing morning for development professionals to gather, reflect, and exchange ideas. This year’s program will explore the latest giving trends and fundraising data shaping the sector, featuring insights from regional nonprofit leaders. In addition to hearing their perspectives, you’ll also participate in interactive group discussions that foster collaboration, idea-sharing, and real-time learning with peers from across the Connecticut philanthropic community.
Our Panelists:
Mary Lee A. Kiernan – President & CEO, YMCA Greenwich
Mary Lee A. Kiernan is President and CEO of YWCA Greenwich, a 106-year-old multi-service non-profit with 150 employees and an annual operating budget of $9 MM. YWCA Greenwich is a key community institution delivering a variety of critical services including domestic and sexual violence services; preschool education with full-day care, afterschool and camp programs; health, fitness and aquatics programs and competitive teams; lifelong wellness and learning programs; mission-driven advocacy and community collaborations; and equity and justice programs and initiatives through its Center for Equity and Justice launched in 2020.
She previously served as Chair of the statewide Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and Co-Chair of the Fund for Women and Girls at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, the largest women and girls fund in New England. She also served as an elected member of the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation, developing annual municipal operating and capital budgets of $450mm, setting property tax rates and leading her caucus. She has also served as a fiduciary director or advisor on a variety of education and human service boards in the region, including the Greenwich United Way as Chair and the Connecticut Association of Human Services. She served for many years on the Advisory Board of the Urban League of Southern Connecticut, where she was a recipient of its Award for Commitment to Civil Rights and Equality. She is a recipient of the Greenwich Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award and is a retired corporate lawyer, having practiced law with Cadwalader in New York City. She is also the former Communications Director at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, where she provided communications, strategic and legal expertise. Mary Lee graduated from Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School with distinction.
Leigh Shmeitz, Ph.D. – President at SoundWaters
Leigh Shemitz is the President of SoundWaters, where her responsibilities include setting strategic direction, leading fundraising, developing programs, creating partnerships, overseeing operations, and managing the SoundWaters staff and budget.
Dr. Shemitz’s extensive background in environmental science provides depth and breadth as she leads SoundWaters to engage over 30,000 students every year to study, explore and train in the local environment, all with the goal of creating a better world through joyful learning on Long Island Sound.
Dr. Shemitz serves on two local Boards, the Stamford Environmental Protection Board the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens. She also serves as an emeritus Board member of the New Haven Urban Resource Initiative, where she served on the Board of Directors for many years. In 2005 and 2006, she also served as a research affiliate at the Yale School of the Environment. Before joining SoundWaters, Dr. Shemitz served as a lecturer at Yale in 2004, researching the connection between the environment and human well-being. She worked as an environmental health researcher at Yale (1999 to 2004), investigating air pollution in urban areas; served as the Director of the Yale Urban Resources Initiative (1992 to 1999); and served in the Peace Corps as a forester in Mali, West Africa.
Dr. Shemitz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and literature from Harvard University, a Master’s degree in forest science from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in environmental health, also from Yale University. Dr Shemitz has studied nonprofit management at the Harvard Business School’s Executive Education: Strategic Perspectives on Nonprofit Management. Under her leadership SoundWaters has expanded their outreach and been the recipient of numerous awards for their work in protecting Long Island Sound through education. Dr. Shemitz presents at conferences and gatherings, including the Yale Environmental Sustainability Summit, 11 Hour Racing and the Long Island Sound Study.
Russell Jones – Susanah and Naeem Fayyaz President & CEO at Orchestra Lumos
Russell Jones, is the Susanah and Naeem Fayyaz President and CEO of Orchestra Lumos, formerly Stamford Symphony, a post he took up in October 2017. He hails from the United Kingdom where he began his career as Orchestra Manager of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
He subsequently worked with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the National Federation of Music Societies and the Association of Business Sponsorship of the Arts. Before moving to the United States he was Director of the Association of British Orchestras, which paved the way for his appointment, in 2007, as Vice President for Marketing and Membership at the League of American Orchestras.
In 2012 he moved to the New York Philharmonic where he held a number of posts including Director of Major Gifts.
In his eight seasons at Orchestra Lumos he has seen the appointment of Michael Stern as music director; completed a major appeal that raised $4m; rebranded the Orchestra to recognize its county-wide reach and a greater diversity in its programming, and created an education, community engagement and inclusion department.
He lives in Stamford CT and New York NY; is a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and a Chevalier of the Order of Champagne. He enjoys cooking, wine, traveling, and in particular, the music of Haydn and Bruckner.
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Thank you to Our Sponsor:
For 75 years, CCS Fundraising, a strategic fundraising firm, has empowered many of the world’s greatest organizations to advance some of the most important causes in history. As leading consulting experts in campaign and development strategy, we plan and implement fundraising initiatives to help nonprofit organizations make a bigger impact—locally, nationally, and globally.
Members of the CCS team are highly experienced and knowledgeable across sectors, disciplines, and regions. Our unique, customized approach provides each organization with dedicated professionals who help mission-driven organizations meet their most pressing challenges and achieve their most ambitious goals. While the results of our work are immediate, our impact is enduring.
To learn more, please contact Chloe Matuga at
Details
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
8:30-11:30 AM – A light breakfast will be served
Location: Fairfield University, Dolan School of Business, 1073 N. Benson Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824
Luncheon Fee
AFP MEMBERS – FREE
NONMEMBERS – $10
REGISTER HERE