Parents & Students
Educators

Policy Makers
Supporters

Board Members

The Board of Directors of Achieve Hartford! represent a vibrant cross section of business, civic and community leaders. With a commitment to education excellence and sustained reform, the Board sets policy and drives the goals and objectives for Achieve Hartford! 

Eric Daniels, President
Nadine Francis West, Secretary
Mary Beth Miller, Treasurer
Stefanie Chambers, Ph.D.
Julie Trowbridge Dillman
Mayra Esquilin
Walter Harrison, Ph.D.
Michelle Morey
Theodore Sergi, Ph.D.
Martha Temple
George Philip "Phil" Waldeck
Michael C. Williams

Eric Daniels

Eric Daniels, an attorney with the law firm Robinson & Cole, held the position of managing partner from 2000 to 2009. Mr. Daniels is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and has served as an attorney trial referee at the Hartford Superior Court since 1993. He received his B.A. from Brown University in economics and urban studies and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School, where he served as managing editor of the Law Review.

An active participant in the Hartford community, Eric is a member of several boards, including chairman of Achieve Hartford!’s board. He currently serves on the boards of The Bushnell Center for Performing Arts, Greater Hartford Arts Council and New Horizons, Inc.

Nadine Francis West

Nadine Francis West is the Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the MetroHartford Alliance. Prior to joining the Alliance, she practiced law in the corporate law department of Aetna Inc. Nadine is a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute of Organization Management and the Ford Foundation Fellowship for Regional and Sustainable Development. She received a B.A. from SUNY Stony Brook and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut.

Nadine, a resident of Hartford, holds key volunteer leadership roles in the City. She is Secretary of the Hartford Stage Company board of directors. Nadine also serves as an Overseer of the Bushnell Performing Arts Center and is Vice Chair of the Board of the Aurora Women and Girls Foundation, Inc.

Mary Beth Miller

Mary Beth Miller is Assistant Vice President of Data Administration for The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. She has over 25 years of business experience in finance management, strategic & operational planning, systems & development, contracting, forming and leading a start-up subsidiary. Mary Beth has a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Quinnipiac University and a M.S in Professional Accounting from the University of Hartford. Professional development programs include American Leadership Forum and Diversity & Inclusion Training and senior leader advisor to Claim Council.

Active in the Hartford community, Ms. Miller was one of the original founders of Community Service Inc (CSI), a nonprofit organization focused on funding enrichment programs, additional resources and tutoring activities at West Middle Elementary School, Quirk Middle School and Hartford High School to close the achievement gap. CSI programs organize over 200 corporate volunteers a year at the three schools. Ms. Miller has served as a Reading Buddy and Math Buddy at West Middle Elementary School for more than 10 years.

Stefanie Chambers, Ph.D.

Stefanie Chambers is an associate professor at Trinity College in Hartford. Her research and teaching interests include urban education policy, urban politics, environmental justice, and racial and ethnic politics. She is the author of Mayors and Schools: Minority Voices and Democratic Tensions in Urban Education, which examines the mayoral control of the Chicago and Cleveland schools and the impact of that reform on the community. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Chambers is actively engaged in the Hartford community. She is a former member of the Hartford Education Foundation Board, and is dedicated to forging relationships between her students and community organizations in the City of Hartford.

To access Dr. Chambers Education Matters! "Meet An Achieve Hartford! Board Member", click here.

Julie Trowbridge Dillman

Julie Trowbridge Dillman is Senior Vice President  charged with strategic leadership of the Sales and Service Platforms and Customer Experience for Personal Insurance.   Prior to her current assignment, Julie led Service and eCommerce Field Operations, an organization of more than 1,800 employees.  Julie joined Travelers in 1996 as part of the Aetna merger and has served in leadership roles in underwriting, sales, product and information technology  Julie is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders.

Julie is an active supporter of Food Share, United Way and the American Heart Association. Julie’s commitment to sustained improvement in educational opportunities in Hartford  is rooted by a multigenerational  family of educators and fueled by a passion for a vibrant, educated Hartford work force of the future.

Mayra Esquilin

Mayra Esquilin is the Primary Prevention Services Coordinator at the Children’s Trust Fund. She is responsible for providing technical assistance and oversight of the Hartford Nurturing Families Network and the Family School Connection project. Prior to her position at the Children’s Trust Fund, Mayra was an independent consultant on education issues and worked with numerous Hartford organizations. Mayra attended Hartford Public Schools and graduated from The Watkinson School.

Born and raised in Hartford, Mayra remains an active resident of the community. She is the President of the board of Hartford Area Rally Together (HART), and has served on a number of other boards including: the Hartford Action Plan on Infant Health, Greater Hartford Literacy Council and Mi Casa Family Services and Education Center.

Walter Harrison, Ph.D.

Walter Harrison is the President of the University of Hartford. During his tenure, he has overseen dramatic improvements in academic quality, finances and fundraising. A native of Pittsburgh, he graduated from Trinity College in Hartford and later earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. After an interim of three years to serve as captain in the United States Air Force, President Harrison earned a doctorate from the University of California – Davis.

A passionate advocate for education in Hartford, President Harrison serves on the board of directors of the Hartford Consortium of Higher Education and the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. He is President of the Hartford Stage board of directors and a member of several other boards, including the Greater Hartford Arts Council, Connecticut Science Center and Suffield Academy.

Michelle Morey

Michelle Morey is Director of Participant Strategy at New York Life Retirement Plan Services and manages the team of communication professionals dedicated to helping clients improve the retirement outcomes of their employees. Michelle has a B.A. in psychology from College of the Holy Cross and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut.

Michelle is committed to improved academic achievement and educational opportunities for students in Hartford. She participated actively with the MetroHartford Alliance to build the Insurance and Financial Services Center for Educational Excellence, a program that developed and delivered college-level certificate programs in insurance and financial services disciplines. In her role as Chair of the Hartford Education Collaborative, she facilitated the dialogue among local businesses interested in education in order to coordinate funding and achieve better outcomes for students.

To access Michelle's Education Matters! "Meet An Achieve Hartford! Board Member", click here.

Theodore Sergi,Ph.D.

Theodore S. Sergi was named Interim President and CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance in February, 2010. The Alliance is a business and community group dedicated to economic development and the quality of life in the greater Hartford region of Connecticut.

Dr. Sergi served as the founding President & CEO of the Connecticut Science Center beginning in December 2003, and retired from that position as the new Center opened in May 2009, where families, children and school groups can learn and share in the excitement of science.

Prior to joining the Connecticut Science Center, Dr. Sergi served from 1994 to 2003 as Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education. He holds a Ph.D. in educational administration and a law degree from the University of Connecticut. He is also a proud graduate of the New York City Public Schools, Hobart College and Trinity College.

Martha Temple 

Martha has been with Aetna since 1990 in various positions throughout the health division. In her current role as the President of the New England Market, she is responsible for the profit and loss for the six New England states. She has responsibility over all relationships and contracting with hospitals and physicians, all legislative and regulatory relationships, as well as she has oversight for the sales and service organization for the middle market, small group, and individual business. She is located in the Hartford, CT home office of Aetna.

Martha graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. In 1993, she received her Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries (FSA). Besides her current role, she has held several senior management roles, including Reserve Actuary, Pricing Officer, and Head of New Business Underwriting in Aetna’s National Accounts division. Martha also spent nine years building and running Aetna Global Benefits, the international segment of Aetna. During her time there, AGB grew from a small segment to be the largest expatriate carrier in the US. Martha also sits on the Board for the Middlesex County United Way in Middletown, CT.

George Philip (Phil) Waldeck, Jr. 

Phil Waldeck is senior vice president, Pension & Structured Solutions, at Prudential.  He leads Prudential’s risk management and risk transfer strategies for pension plans.  Such solutions help sponsors assess their current risk profile and deploy the risk management strategies that best fit their organizations’ needs.  Examples include liability driven investing, partial and full risk transfer strategies.  Previously, Phil led Products and Advisory Services for Prudential Retirement.  In this role he was responsible for developing, managing and delivering the organization’s full-service retirement products and platforms to plan sponsors and their employees.  Additionally, his responsibilities included Prudential’s manager of managers investment program and the delivery of advisory services, including actuarial consulting, to corporate and tax-exempt clients and their retirement plan participants.

Phil earned a BA, magna cum laude, from Tufts University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He holds FINRA Series 24 registration. He serves on the Board of Directors of Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company and on the Board of the Prudential Trust Company.  He also serves on the Board of the ERISA Industry Committee ("ERIC") and as an advisor to the Finance & Audit Committee of the Hartford Board of Education.

Michael C. Williams

Michael C. Williams is an ordained clergy and currently serves as the Associate Pastor of the Faith Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ in Hartford. In addition to his ministerial responsibilities, Reverend Williams is the Area Director of the Hartford Area Office of the Department of Children and Families. Michael is a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University, a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, a graduate of Trinity College of Vermont and a graduate of the University of Connecticut’s School of Business’ Executive Program in Managed Care.

A Hartford resident, Reverend Williams serves as President of the Christian Activities Council and co-chair of the Hartford Making Connections Initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He is also an appointed member to the State of Connecticut’s Commission on Healthy Equity.