Janie McDermott President

Janie moved to Litchfield 15 years ago with her husband, Colin, who was born and raised here. They have been very fortunate to raise their three children, Logan, Natalie and Xavier, in this beautiful town. Janie is an attorney at Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey, in its Business Services and Real Estate practice areas. She is also a volunteer attorney with Lawyers for Children America and Pro Bono Partnership. She and her family have been the grateful beneficiaries of numerous programs and events at the Community Center over the years: bus trips for concerts at Tanglewood and St. John the Divine; birthday parties and wedding receptions; music recitals and school dances; and pub quiz nights. Janie is honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the Litchfield Community Center so that she can give back to this wonderful institution.

Mike McGill Vice President

Michael McGill and his wife, Pucci, are residents of Morris, where their efforts to maintain and repair a 265-year old home support the economy of much of northwestern Connecticut. When he is not brush-hogging, rooting for the Red Sox or trying to stabilize his weight, Michael is a Senior Fellow at the Fordham University Graduate School of Education. He was Superintendent of the Scarsdale (NY) public schools from 1998 to 2014 and New York State Superintendent of the Year in 2007. His work and training have given him extensive experience with strategic planning, leadership, and operations. He is the author of Race to the Bottom: Corporate School Reform and the Future of Public Education (Teachers College Press, 2014). He received an AB (honors) from Williams College and the MAT and Ed.D. from Harvard University.

Melanie O'Leary Secretary

Raised in Torrington, Melanie moved to Litchfield when she met her husband, Dan, where they are living and raising their son, Danny. Melanie graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY. She went on to graduate with honors with her Master’s Degree in Special Education from St. Joseph’s University in West Hartford. Melanie is a second grade teacher at Center School in Litchfield, where she has been teaching for 18 years in various roles, grades and departments. Melanie enjoys volunteering her time outside of school through her son’s sports and activities. She is also deeply committed to her students and her career. She enjoys being with them as much as she can outside the school day at events by supporting the Litchfield PTO and the Litchfield Education Foundation. In her spare time, Melanie enjoys reading, taking walks, and spending time with her family and friends.

Albert J. Macchioni Treasurer

Al Macchioni is a Managing Director in the New York office of Marshall & Stevens, a national valuation firm, and is responsible for business development in New York State, New England, Northern New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He manages existing client relationships and secures new clients in all areas of the firm’s valuation services.
Prior to joining Marshall & Stevens in January 2010, Al was an investment banker for 25 years with firms such as Lehman Bros, Swiss Bank Corp (a predecessor of UBS), Price Waterhouse Coopers Securities and Citigroup. For much of his career, Al focused on the middle market, advising on mergers and acquisition transactions, capital raising, venture and private equity investing.
During the Internet boom of the late 1990s, Al was also the CFO of two startups and successfully raised institutional venture funds for both companies.
Al practiced law for two years with Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City before beginning his investment banking career.

Education

Al received his Bachelor’s degree in 1971 from Yale College, summa cum laude and his JD degree from Yale Law School in 1975.He was a Fulbright Scholar in 1973-74 at the London School of Economics where he studied international history and economics.

Affiliations and Board Positions

Al is currently on the boards of the Litchfield Community Center and the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra and has served on several non-profit boards of directors: St Luke’s Chamber Ensemble which evolved into the eminent Orchestra of St Luke’s (NYC) and the New York State board of The Nature Conservancy. In addition, he has been active in alumni activities for Yale College.

Sarah Bolton

Sarah was born and raised in Litchfield County, in nearby Woodbury. After graduating from Villanova University, she served a year in the Americorps program in Washington D.C., working for a non-profit agency that encourages adults experiencing homelessness to identify and achieve next steps in their lives. She then lived in New York City and New Haven, continuing her career in public service working for the City of New York and then the State of CT. She eventually made her way back to Litchfield County, settling in Litchfield ten years ago. She obtained her master's degree in social work from UConn in 2012 and has been working as a school social worker since 2013. Sarah, her husband Jay, and their two children enjoy being involved in the community by supporting various organizations. They also enjoy playing and watching sports and visiting with family and friends. Sarah is honored to be a member of the Board of Directors at LCC and looks forward to supporting the many wonderful activities that the center has to offer.

Elizabeth Dickey

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Elizabeth Dickey has lived in Litchfield for fifteen years. She is a developmental psychologist, and spent much of her professional life in New York City (1980-2014) working in higher education. As dean and then provost at The New School, and then as president of Bank Street College, she brings a range of expertise to the non-profit community. Because life is full of contradictions & inconsistencies, Elizabeth loves both cities (the chaos of New York), and the countryside (the quiet of Litchfield). Now retired, she is writing about high achieving women, and (on an annual basis) trying to resolve the "contradictions" in her Litchfield garden. She is a graduate of Lake Forest College, University of Mass/Amherst, and Yale University

Catherine (Kate) Doyle Fahey

Kate began her professional career at Jefferies & Company in Chicago. She was subsequently Vice President at Dillon Read and Director of Institutional Sales and Trading at Oscar Gruss in New York. In 1995, she was a founding partner of CIMCO, in investment firm which specialized in Corporate Restructurings and Merger Arbitrage. Kate has served on the Boards of Bank Street College of Education, Health Advocates for Older People of New York City, the Litchfield Country Club, the Yale Living Donor Center, and was a Charter Member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds. In 2006, Kate became a full time resident of Litchfield. Having been raised on a farm in Iowa, Kate maintains her love of country living and its sense of community. She holds B.S and M.S degrees from the University of Iowa.

Deborah Foord

Deborah is a third generation resident of Litchfield. After attending local schools and graduation from Wellesley College, she settled in New York City and pursued a long career in investment management. Following senior management roles in privately owned and global banking firms, she transitioned from a "weekender" to the majority of her time spent in Litchfield.
Deborah’s current pursuits include volunteer activities in Litchfield focused mainly on food insecurity as well as her ongoing role organizing public art exhibitions on Broadway in New York City as a member of the board of the Broadway Mall Association. Leisure activities include participatory sports, travel on the road less well trod and above all, time spent with her grandson Charlie.

Shannon Gollow

Shannon was born and raised in Litchfield. She lives in town with her husband, Rob and 14 year old son, Jack. Shannon’s family have been long time supporters of the Community Center since it opened in 2000. She is very grateful for the numerous programs and events it has to offer, such as the concert series, the sweetheart run, the annual summerfest as well as many private and  family events, weddings, showers, and birthday parties. 
When Shannon is not working at Litchfield Center School as an Instructional Assistant she is on the sidelines of her son’s soccer, basketball, and baseball games. 
Shannon is active in fundraising for the School PTO, as well as other community organizations, such as St. Anthony’s Church, The Festival of Trees for The Oliver Wolcott Library, and The annual Joe Bunnell Golf Tournament.  Shannon is honored to be a member of the Board of Directors at LCC, just as her husband, Rob and brother, Matt McDevitt were. She is excited to help be apart of something so special and the center of the community that she loves.

Bill Jones

Bill moved to Litchfield in 2014 with his wife Carol to be nearer to their children and grandsons. Being a dedicated do-it-yourselfer, their 250+ year old farmhouse in Northfield provides its joys and challenges. Both Bill and Carol are native Midwesterners, from Nebraska and Minnesota respectfully. Prior to settling in Litchfield, they lived in Minneapolis, Seattle, and most recently, in Doylestown, PA. After graduating from the University of Nebraska with a degree in art, Bill worked as a graphic designer in Minneapolis, Creative Director for an advertising agency in Seattle, Creative Director and Executive VP at Cowles Creative Publishing in Minneapolis and, most recently, Design Director for Running Press book publishers in Philadelphia from which he retired in 2012. In addition to the Litchfield Community Center, Bill serves on the board of the Litchfield Community Greenway, is active with Litchfield-Morris Rotary and is a member of the Litchfield Design Review Committee. When not working on their house, Bill enjoys oil painting and driving and working on his 1969 MGC.

Patrick Muecke

A lifelong visitor to Bantam Lake, Patrick Muecke moved from Westchester County to Litchfield in 2020 with his wife Danielle and their three sons. It was not long before his company, MUECKE Design & Construction, moved from Manhattan's Union Square to downtown Litchfield, and continues to specialize in high end residential and commercial construction as well as design. Patrick is a proud graduate of the Cabinet and Furniture Making program at Boston's prestigious North Bennet Street School, where he additionally now serves on several advisory committees. When he takes off his "boss" hat, Patrick can be found on his boat on Bantam Lake, attempting to beat his sons at golf, playing slide guitar, or enjoying a walk around the historic district of Litchfield with his dog, Leo.

Cathy Oneglia

Of midwestern roots, Cathy moved to Litchfield County just in time for the "Great Flood of 55". During weekly grocery trips with her mother to the A&P in Litchfield, she fell in love with the town. As soon as practical after her marriage to Greg, who has long Litchfield ties, they built a home and moved their young family to Litchfield, nearly forty years ago. She practiced law. Cathy has served on the boards of several organizations, including the LItchfield Community Center (2006-12) and is currently a member of several advisory boards. Her interests are photography, golf and bridge, but her main focus is her "baker's dozen" grandchildren. She is delighted to return to the Board of the Litchfield Community Center.

Sue Rea

Sue Rea moved to Litchfield eight years ago from the Finger Lakes region of New York State. She quickly became involved in the non-profit community, most notably as a member and chairperson of the board of directors of Prime Time House. Sue is also a member of the board of Litchfield Health and Wellness, advisory board of Susan B Anthony, and volunteers with Food Rescue. She is honored to become part of the Litchfield Community Center board. Sue holds a bachelor's degree in English and advanced degrees in English and Psychology. After a career in corporate communications she practiced psychotherapy in agency, non-profit, corporate and private practice environments for over twenty years. Sue is an avid reader, gardener and Scrabble player. She is grateful for all the wonderful friends she has made since coming to Litchfield and considers this the most welcoming place she has ever lived.

Jason Travelstead

Jason has been a resident of Litchfield since 2001, when he and his wife Jessica Oneglia Travelstead returned to her hometown to settle down after spending over 10 years in the west pursuing their educations and early careers. While he and Jessica have been raising their daughters Eliza and Hannah, Jason has worked for O&G Industries and is now a Vice President in the Building Division. Along the way he has spent many years as a volunteer coach for Litchfield Soccer Club and Litchfield Hills Youth Lacrosse and is honored to be a past board member of the Litchfield Hills Rowing Club and the Bantam Lake Protective Association. Jason is excited to work with the board, the amazing staff, and the many volunteers to continue and expand the Litchfield Community Center’s irreplaceable role in making Litchfield a great place to call home.

Frank VanOrmer

Frank was born and raised in Litchfield and is a graduate of Litchfield High School. After graduating from The State University of New York at Potsdam with his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics Minor, he went on to graduate with his Master of Business Administration with a Concentration in Supply Chain Management at Clarkson University School of Business, Potsdam NY. Over the years he has worked for several small local businesses and has most recently found his passion for serving the community as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Scheduling Coordinator for the Northwest District for Vintech Management Services, LLC.
Frank and his wife Kathy are raising their 4 sons in Litchfield and attend many functions and activities the Community Center offers. Frank enjoys giving back to the community through his own interests and his sons activities. He is currently serving as an Interior Firefighter with the Litchfield Volunteer Fire Department, a Captain, Schedule Coordinator and EMT with the Litchfield Volunteer Ambulance, a Board Member representing Litchfield, Bantam, East Litchfield and Northfield Fire Departments and Ambulance Services at Litchfield County Dispatch, a Board Member, T-Ball Commissioner, and Snack Shack Coordinator for Litchfield Tri Town Little League, and a Den Leader and board member with the Litchfield Cub Scout Pack 31. Frank is excited to serve on the Board of the Litchfield Community Center to share his ideas and suggestions that ultimately benefit the entire Litchfield community.