Clara is the Director of Prevention. Action. Change. a violence prevention, intervention, and response initiative in southern Maine. She is a nationally certified self-defense instructor, with advanced certification in Trauma First Aide. She has a love of coalition-building, activism, and social change. She serves on the Leadership Gifts and Governance committees. She resides in Portland.
Board and Committees
Maine Women's Fund 2017 Board of Directors
Board and committee members of the Maine Women’s Fund donate invaluable time, expertise and financial resources to our mission and represent communities throughout Maine.
Clara Porter, MSW
President
Noreen Alvarado Patient, Esq.
Vice President
Noreen holds a B.A. from Haverford College and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is a partner with the firm of Eaton Peabody in Brunswick, where she focuses on commercial and real estate litigation. She was previously President of the Board of Directors of the Maine Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She resides in Durham with her husband and two young daughters.
Natalie Solotoff, CPA, JD
Treasurer
Natalie serves on the Fund’s Finance, Leadership Gifts and Executive committees. She is a Tax Senior Manager at Baker Newman Noyes, where she has worked since 2008. She specializes in tax compliance and planning for high wealth individuals. In addition to obtaining her CPA designation in 2012, Natalie received her law degree in 2007 from the University of Connecticut School of Law. A native of Pensacola, Florida, Natalie received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Davidson College. Natalie serves on the board of Hebrew Free Loans of Maine, the Investment Advisory Committee of the Southern Maine Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, and has served as a volunteer with the Junior League of Portland and as Treasurer of the Blue Angels Foundation. She lives with her husband and son in Portland.
Candace Walworth, MD
Secretary
Candace is a retired nephrologist. She received her AB summa cum laude from Smith College and her medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is past president of the Maine Nephrology Society, and former board member of the Renal Physicians Association. She served as Chief of Medicine at Central Maine Medical Center from 1992-1996. This spring, Candace was blessed with her first 2 grandchildren (Mainers-girl and boy). This is her best job ever.
Marilyn Bronzi, CSW
Marilyn is the Co-founder of Brief Therapy Associates, Co-founder of India Street Institute for the Study of Solution Orientation, Founder and former Trustee of the River Rock Foundation and a Co-Founder of the Great Bay Foundation. She serves on the Fund’s Marketing Committee. She resides in Yarmouth.
Crystal Card
Crystal has an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University, a BS in Sales and Marketing from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, and several investment licenses. In her current role as AVP Market Manager for Norway Savings Bank, she is directly responsible for business development for Mortgage lending, Commercial lending, Asset Management, Deposit Growth and Branch Management. She previously served on the Town of Brunswick Master Implementation Planning Committee, Board of Appeals, and the Senter Fund. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending time with family, hiking with her dog Kobe, and playing the piano.
Melissa Duffy
Melissa is a managing partner and director at Hightower Advisors. Prior to joining HighTower, Melissa was the Founder and Managing Partner at Duffy Anderson Investment Management, LLC, a $300 million asset management firm in Cumberland, Maine. Over the past 20 years Melissa has worked in many areas of financial services at Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab, and State Street. Melissa currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Wayfinder Schools, and has served on the board of ChoralART and The Junior League of Portland. Melissa lives in Cumberland, Maine and enjoys skiing, hiking and camping with her two daughters.
Gabrielle Gallucci
Gabrielle is the Director of Mission Impact at Spurwink, where she develops, funds, and raises visibility for behavioral health programs. She has provided strategic program and fund development for nonprofits for more than 20 years, raising nearly $35M for health, women and girls, economic development, racial justice, and youth. While at the YWCA USA, Gabrielle co-created YWCA TechGYRLS, a STEM program for girls in over 65 locations, and co-convened the First National Girls Conference at the UN. A graduate of Oberlin College, she is committed to social change efforts that address gender equity, racial justice, and the arts. She is currently on the board of Engine, an arts and creative economy organization in Biddeford, and served as Board Chair of Platform Shoes Forum, a nonprofit that developed online learning platforms and communities for girls. When she moved to Maine 15 years ago she found a community of women that inspired her in the New Girls Network at the Maine Women’s Fund. She lives in Saco with her husband and son.
Robin Lin Hodgskin, CFP®
Robin Hodgskin, CFP® is a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley. At Morgan Stanley, Robin served on the CEO’s Diversity Advisory Board and has worked in Boston and Portland. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Bates College in Mathematics and an MBA from Boston University. Robin is among a select group who have training and access to help meet the complex, and often unique, needs of families with wealth. Specialized wealth advisory services include family governance and dynamics, philanthropic services, wealth preservation and investment management.
An inaugural member of the Olympia’s Leaders Advisors, within the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, she mentors high School girls to cultivate their Values, Voice and Vision. Robin serves on the board of the Maine Women’s Fund and its Investment Committee. She is also a board member and past president of Women Standing Together mentoring women entrepreneurs and leaders in Maine. At First Parish Church in Yarmouth, Robin heads the Endowment Committee and serves on the Church Council. Active with Bates College Alumni, Robin acts as a Lead Class Agent, Mount David Society Member, and on the Portland Bates Network Committee.
Robin worked with Safe Passage supporting education of children living in the Guatemala City garbage dump. With BuildOn, her family built a school in Mali, Africa. She lives in Yarmouth, ME where she enjoys singing, skiing, golf, hiking, biking, kayaking, and other wonders of Maine with her husband Art Bell and their three children: Becca, Geoff, and Chris.
Mary Nelson
Mary holds a BA from Smith College and MA from the University of Southern Maine in Public Policy and Management. She has served as the Representative to the Maine Legislature for District 112, which includes Falmouth. She is past president of the board of Portland Symphony Orchestra, Choral Arts Society, Osher Library, Friends of the USM School of Music and Maine College of Art, and has served on the board of the Maine Municipal Association and is a corporator of Maine Medical Center.
Catherine Richards Olney
Catherine is a community volunteer and recent graduate of ICL’s (Institute for Civic Leadership) Leadership Intensive program. She is a founding board member of Coastal Studies for Girls, a science and leadership school, where she served for seven years. Catherine is the current board Chair for the Isle au Haut Community Development Corporation and also sits on the board of Freeport Community Services. She has a love for collaborative work and empowering girls and women. Catherine resides in Freeport with her husband, Bob, and two children, Aidan and Elspeth.
Janice Rogers
Janice is Corporate Vice President of Human Resources of Diversified Communications, a global media solutions company headquartered in Portland. Janice is responsible for establishing the strategic direction and growth of the global Human Resources operation. Under Janice’s direction, Diversified has developed a unique employee-centric culture that fosters a challenging, rewarding work environment where people succeed while having fun along the way. Prior to Diversified Communications, Janice worked as a Human Resources Manager at Maine Medical Center, and as a Human Resources generalist at MiTech, an engineering firm in Washington, DC. A 1989 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Janice earned her B.A. in French Language and Literature, and has pursued advanced studies in Human Resources Strategy and Leadership. She is certified by the Human Resources Certification Institute as a Global Professional in Human Resources. She resides in South Portland with her husband of 20 years, Darrell, and their daughter Samantha and son Nathan.
Renee Smyth
Ms. Smyth is the Chief Experience and Marketing Officer of Camden National Bank. She joined as Chief Marketing Officer upon completion of the merger of Camden National Corporation and SBM Financial, the parent company of The Bank of Maine, on October 16, 2015. She was promoted to Executive Vice President (“EVP”), Chief Experience and Marketing Officer in May 2017. Ms. Smyth oversees the company’s customer experience and marketing strategies while ensuring they support the overall objectives of the organization. Additionally, she is responsible for the company’s digital transformations, and the customer assistance center. Previously, Ms. Smyth served as Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing for The Bank of Maine, since 2010. Smyth has a Master of Business Administration from The University of Hartford’s Barney School of Management and a bachelor’s of science from Ithaca College. Smyth is married and has two daughters and a son.
Sarah Strickland
Sarah is the President of Strategic Wisdom Partners, a consulting practice that serves non-profit, health care, education, government and other public agencies in Maine. SWP’s mission is to activate the wise hearts and creative, strategic minds of community leaders and citizens so they can be catalysts for sustainability and resilience in their communities and organizations. Sarah’s work with clients includes scenario and strategic planning; meeting design, convening and facilitation; board governance and development; and coaching for emerging non-profit leaders. Sarah’s home is in Robbinston on the beautiful St. Croix River and Passamaquoddy Bay. She has been an activist for women and girls social, reproductive and economic justice for many years. Sarah also serves on the boards of Cobscook Community Learning Center, the Robbinston Historical Society, and the Center for Earth Wisdom.
