Kathleen Stauffer, Chief Executive Officer of The Arc Eastern Connecticut, was recently elected to Chelsea Groton Bank’s Board of Trustees. She became a Corporator of the Bank in April 2022.
“Kathleen has had much success leading both for-profit and non-profit organizations throughout her career,” said Anthony Joyce, President and CEO of Chelsea Groton Bank. “She leads with a ‘community first’ mindset, a perspective that Chelsea Groton values and endeavors to share in the business decisions we make. I’m honored to have Kathleen as a member of our Board of Trustees and look forward to working with – and learning from – Kathleen in the years to come.”
Stauffer worked as a journalist, photojournalist, editor, and publisher for 30 years. In 2009, Stauffer joined The Arc New London County (NLC), and in 2010, facilitated a successful merger between The Arc NLC and Seacorp, Inc. Nine years later, she led another merger between The Arc NLC and The Arc Quinebaug Valley, establishing The Arc Eastern Connecticut, a $24 million nonprofit organization.
Stauffer’s involvement in local, state, and national public policy includes serving as co-chair of the Human Services Coordinating Council for the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (SCCOG) and an appointment to the Governor’s Cabinet on Nonprofit Health and Human Services by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. She completed two terms on the Board of Directors of The Arc of the United States. In 2011, she won NCE’s Rising Star Award and in 2014 was named Executive Director of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. In 2018, she received the NCE Chair’s Leadership Award.
In addition, Stauffer has authored and co-authored several books, including her most recent 11 Secrets of Nonprofit Excellence: Merger, Transformation, and Growth, published in 2023.
Stauffer graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication and a Russian language minor. She also holds a Master of Public Administration degree with a certificate in Human Resources Management from the University of New Haven.
