Community Foundation welcomes three new trustees from area

The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut has elected three community leaders to its Board of Trustees: Thomas A. Borner, attorney and president & CEO of Putnam Bank; Betti M. Kuszaj, executive director of the Northeastern CT Chamber of Commerce; and Marcia L. Marien, CPA, a partner in O’Connor Davies, based in Norwich.

“Each one of our new members is a pleasure and an honor to have join us,” stated Community Foundation Board Chair Paul Nunes. “Each brings a unique set of skills and accomplishments that ensures we’ll do the best job we can to encourage philanthropy in the region.

“Collectively, too, their election continues the Community Foundation’s commitment to ensure meaningful representation across eastern Connecticut,” Nunes added.

Attorney and Banker Thomas A. Borner of Pomfret

Attorney Thomas A. Borner, who has practiced law in Putnam since 1979, has led Putnam Bank as president & 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 Katy 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.

Northeast Chamber Exec Betti Kuszaj of Brooklyn

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 are residents of Brooklyn, CT.

O’Connor Davies Partner Marcia L. Marien of Norwich

Marcia L. Marien, CPA, is a partner with O’Connor Davies, one of the nation’s largest CPA firms. Previously she was the managing partner of the CPA firm Marien + Company where she was in charge of its accounting and auditing divisions and specialized in government and nonprofit auditing, accounting, and advising.

Marien’s professional and community involvements include presently acting as the spokesperson for the state’s Society of CPAs CT Fiscal Crisis Task Force, as well as having been the Society’s former president, treasurer, member of the Board of Governors, and chair of the Government Accounting and Audit Committee, among other positions. She also serves on the accounting advisory council for the University of Connecticut’s School of Business.

She also served on the City of Norwich’s Ethics Commission and has taken on many responsibilities for Saint Luke Lutheran Church, including its Honduras Mission Team. Marien is also the former president of the Montessori Discovery School in Norwich.