Board of Trustees
Our all-volunteer Board of Trustees is made up of highly dedicated business, community, and civic leaders who are passionate about education and youth advocacy. Since its inception, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Trust Fund has extended its reach to hundreds of student beneficiaries, thanks in large part to this dynamic group. The current Board has over 120 combined years of service to the organization, with tenure ranging from nearly 50 years to less than one year.
PRESIDENT
Birse Timmons
Head, Engineering and Fleet Support Division, Naval Undersea Warfare Center
VICE PRESIDENT
Rachelle Saliki
Associate Director Quality Assurance, Taconic Biosciences
TREASURER
Marie Carmenati
First Vice President/ Retail Lending Underwriting Manager, Chelsea Groton Bank
FINANCIAL SECRETARY
Christine Conley
Administrative Law Judge, State of Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission
RECORDING SECRETARY
Zakkyya Williams
Founder & Principal Consultant, Main Street Creative
TRUSTEE
Dr. James E. Mitchell
Superintendent, Groton Public Schools, Retired
TRUSTEE
Dr. Andrea Ackerman
Principal, Cutler Middle School, Retired
TRUSTEE
Joe Garcia
Manager of Engineering, Ship Control and Monitoring Systems, General Dynamics Electric Boat
TRUSTEE
Megan Gilbert
Vice President, Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut
TRUSTEE
Henry Kidd, III
Principal, East Lyme High School
TRUSTEE
Margaret Milnes
Vice President of Visitor Journey, Mystic Seaport Museum
TRUSTEE
Dr. Karen Walters
Associate Research Fellow, Pfizer Research and Development
TRUSTEE
Clayton Potter
Economic Development Specialist, Town of Groton
TRUSTEE
Michael Shapiro
Attorney; Founding Member
EMERITI BOARD MEMBERS
Dr. David Blackwell, Director, Safety Sciences, Pfizer, Inc.
Jane Lassen Bobruff, Community Volunteer
Ulysses B. Hammond, Vice President of Administration, Connecticut College, Retired
Donetta Hodge, Compliance Officer, Sonalysts, Inc., Retired
Reid MacCluggage, Editor & Publisher, The Day, Retired
Marge Poulios, Regional Manager, VP, Chelsea Groton Bank, Retired
Verna Swann, Patient Relations Manager, L+M Hospital, Retired
James R. Vest, D.D.S., Retired
Ronald Williams, VP, MetLife Auto/Home, Retired
Marilyn Percy, United Technologies Corporation, Retired
Mary Jane McLaughlin, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, Lesley University