Shawnee Knight is a passionate chef, community activist, board member, wife, and mother. Classically trained at the French Culinary Institute of NYC, co-founding Filling in the Blanks has allowed her to marry her love of food, community, and charity. What began with the Connecticut chapter of Blessings in a Backpack has grown into an organization based on Knight’s strong sense of social responsibility to nurture the community’s needy children and inspire others to do the same. Shawnee is a member of the Stamford Food Collaborative, a United Way program, whose mission is to improve access to food, quality of food and sustainability of food for all members of Stamford. She is also a member of the Stamford Public Schools Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, which focuses on ways to improve the educational well being of the district’s students. When she’s not serving on committees and boards in the area of New Canaan, CT, Knight enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.

Filling in the Blanks allows Tina to combine her passion for community service and love of children. Through her deep-rooted connections in the community, she has rallied families and children to help raise funds and pack thousands of bags of food for children in need. Tina has served on various charitable boards and committees over the past 14 years. Tina is a member of the Stamford Food Collaborative, a United Way program, whose mission is to improve access to food, quality of food and sustainability of food for all members of Stamford. She is also a member of the Stamford Public Schools Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, which focuses on ways to improve the educational well being of the district’s students. Tina received her B.A. from the University of Connecticut.

Paola Arango is a dedicated Family and Community Engagement Coordinator with a fervent commitment on helping others. She began her career as a Flight Attendant driven by her passion for service and supporting those around her. Over the past decade Paola has devoted herself to the Fairfield County Community, training hundreds of volunteers in the essential skills of identifying, handling and reporting child abuse. Her expertise and dedication have been instrumental in promoting safe and supporting environments for children.

Outside of her professional role, Paola enjoys skiing and traveling with her husband and two children, finding balance and joy in family adventures.

Jen has a wide variety of experience, including running her own business as a photographer for over 20 years. Her work life has spanned from Microsoft, to managing horse farms and helping start up companies get on their feet. Her non-profit experience with equine rescue spurred her into being more involved with the local community! When not at the office, Jen is usually out at the barn riding horses, or exploring on the weekends with her husband.

Jenn is a graduate of Trinity College (CT) where she earned a BA in Women’s Studies and Public Policy. While at Trinity, she was captain of the Women’s Rowing Team and First Team-All American. Jenn has 16 years of non-profit fundraising experience in secondary and higher education. Jenn joined Filling in the Blanks as the first Director of Development in January 2024. She is excited to continue to build a culture of philanthropy and is passionate about making a lasting impact in our communities.

Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Delaware where she earned a BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice. While at Delaware, she was both the Executive Director and Event Operations Director of a student run fundraising organization for childhood cancer. Jennifer has always loved planning events and gatherings and is excited to bring that experience into her role as Special Events Coordinator and Development Assistant. Outside of the office, Jennifer loves to read a good book and sew for her friends and family!

Luca Palombo is a graduate of Yeshiva’s Cardozo School of Law with a diverse business background. He has 30+ years of experience in multiple aspects of the food industry. He started his career in food production and later expanded his skillset to include warehouse management, supermarket merchandising, distribution and transportation at Stop and Shop Supermarkets.

Outside of her professional role, Paola enjoys skiing and traveling with her husband and two children, finding balance and joy in family adventures.

Kara was born and raised in the Mountain State of West Virginia. After receiving her undergraduate degree from West Virginia University, she moved to New York to attend law school. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a J.D. and certificate in international law from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and she recently completed her master’s degree in public health from the Brown University School of Public Health.

Growing up in one of the poorest states in the US, being passionate about education, and following the examples set by her parents and, later on, her in-laws, Kara looks for ways to serve her local community, particularly those in need. In 2019, she attended her first Filling in the Blanks packing event, and in 2021, she joined the Volunteer Committee. She is responsible for volunteer communication, outreaching, and training as well as communication and outreach within various levels of the public sector.

Kara lives in Rowayton with her husband and three children. In addition to supporting Filling in the Blanks, she has volunteered with other education-based non-profits, and she currently serves as co-President of the Rowayton Library Board of Trustees.

Kevin founded Kaster Moving Co, a domestic and international relocation firm, after high school and ran it for 46 years before selling the company in 2023.  He has been involved with Filling in the Blanks since 2014 assisting with logistics, manpower and warehouse planning.  He is now focused on helping FITB source food from various sources for their multiple initiatives.  He has served on the board of Race Brook Country Club for five years and is currently on their Finance Committee.  He lives in Easton, CT with his wife and has a daughter that lives in Black Rock, CT

Roseann has been involved with Filling in the Blanks since its inception. Her specific focus is on the Spirit of the Season (formerly Holiday Backpack) program, which she founded and currently co-chairs. She is also our Volunteer Coordinator and Golf Outing committee member.  Roseann has been involved with many other local charities including Newcomers Club of New Canaan, The Young Women’s League of New Canaan, New Canaan Cares Kitchen Tour and Impact Fairfield.   
 
Roseann received her BS with a Magna Cum Laude distinction and MBA from St. John’s University.  She had a 15-year career at Goldman Sachs retiring as a Vice President in the Securities Lending division.  She is currently living in New Canaan with her husband and 3 children. Her philanthropic priorities are children’s health, education, and cancer research. 

Caryn discovered Filling in the Blanks through her children’s activities. What she liked most about the program was that it was a community effort to feed local children.  Whether it was parent volunteers, local businesses, schools, or children; everyone came together to help feed children. In February 2020, Caryn joined the FITB leadership team as their Community Relations Liaison.

At a young age, Caryn first learned about food insecurity from her grandmother who was a middle school teacher outside of Boston. Her grandmother had toothbrushes and toothpaste for some of the children and kept snacks in her desk throughout the year, explaining that it was a struggle for children to learn and stay focused in school if they were hungry. Surrounded by a passion and commitment to educate children, as her mom and sister were also teachers, she always wanted to help. 

Caryn has spent the last 20 years volunteering in the New Canaan Public School system serving on the West School Elementary school board, Saxe Middle School board and currently serves on the New Canaan High School board as the VP Parent Education. Caryn has also spent the last 8 years in the National Charity League with her daughters. She has held several leadership positions and currently serves on the board as VP Ticktockers.

Caryn grew up in Connecticut, got her BS in Journalism at Boston University, lived in NYC and London where she had a 10-year career retiring as the Marketing Director of Time Magazine International Division. She currently lives in New Canaan with her husband, their four children and two dogs.

Kara lives in Rowayton with her husband and three children. In addition to supporting Filling in the Blanks, she has volunteered with other education-based non-profits, and she currently serves as co-President of the Rowayton Library Board of Trustees.

Michele Casey grew up in Delaware and has been involved in children’s charities starting in high school, when she got involved with the Best Buddies organization.  After studying fashion design at Marymount University in Virginia she began a successful career in retail.  Her career eventually brought her to New York city, where she met her husband.  She now lives in Rowayton, CT with her husband and two children.  She is an active volunteer with the parent associations at her childrens’ schools, the Rowayton Little League, the Rowayton Gardeners and Filling In The Blanks.  Michele got involved with Filling In The Blanks because she knows the immediate impact the organization makes and knows the volunteer work she is doing is making a difference with our most vulnerable kids.

 Kristin grew up in Florida and moved to the Northeast with her husband, Rob. Together, they have three kids, Will (16), Abby (14) and Sam (10). Kristin has been involved with non-profit organizations since she moved to Connecticut.  

​She served on the board and on many committees of the Young Women’s League of New Canaan for seven years, she was also on the Board of Circle of Care in Wilton, CT and executed their Bags of Love program for four years. Kristin began volunteering with Filling in the Blanks, in 2013 when they began as a chapter of the National Blessings in a Backpack organization.

She helps at the annual Golf Event, is a Lead Volunteer for the Food Kits and Fun Program, works on other special fundraising events and is the current Grant Writer for the organization.

Growing up in a large family in northern New Hampshire, Jera has always enjoyed working hard and helping those around her.  Jera attended college and graduate school at the University of New Hampshire.  She holds a B.A. in Sociology and a M.Ed. in counseling.  Helping her community, specifically children has always been her passion.  A trained mental health crisis first responder she has worked as a clinician in a community mental health center, and as a school counselor in elementary, middle, and high school settings.  

As a school counselor she has seen firsthand the negative effects of food insecurity can have on a child’s ability to learn and grow. 

Jera is thrilled to be a part of the Filling In The Blanks team and is excited to help end childhood hunger.  When Jera is not working in the community on behalf of Filling In The Blanks you can find her volunteering at her children’s school and as an active member in the New Canaan Young Women’s League, including co-chairing New Canaan’s Waveny Egg Hunt 2019.   She currently resides in New Canaan, CT with her husband, two boys, and two dogs.  

Kara lives in Rowayton with her husband and three children. In addition to supporting Filling in the Blanks, she has volunteered with other education-based non-profits, and she currently serves as co-President of the Rowayton Library Board of Trustees.

Born and raised on his grandfather’s farm in rural South Dakota, Luke trained in kitchens from Napa Valley to New York City, where he was mentored by Michelin two-star chef Shaun Hergatt. He first ventured into Connecticut as the opening chef de cuisine of the James Beard Nominated Millwright’s in Simsbury and his style has since been praised by The New York Times, Gotham, Elle, and Wine Spectator.

Luke’s approach at Elm is influenced by the culinary traditions of the east coast, with imaginative nods to the travels that brought him here. Before discovering Elm, he was the chef at the beloved Manhattan restaurants BLT Fish and BLT Steak.

Thomas Conheeney is the Founder and CEO of EmeraldRidge Advisors, L.P. With 30+ years of experience working across multiple asset classes for leading Wall Street firms, he also has played roles in the philanthropic and education communities in Fairfield County.

Michael Johnson is the Founder and CEO of J5Consulting. After 30+ years in the consulting business, he spent a few years after leaving the firm he founded supporting various causes focused on two areas: Education and Children. The Johnsons have a number of scholarship funds they manage that supports the underserved communities.

Laura Jordan is the Director of Government and Community Affairs for Stamford Health. She has facilitated health and social service provider participation at Stamford mobile pantries. Laura previously managed government affairs and political law compliance for a telecommunications provider and had a long career as an attorney for leaders in the Connecticut legislature. She also serves on the board of Building One Community and the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.

As a Managing Partner of Worldtek, Doug harnesses his diverse experience in local, regional and mega agency operations with a focus on the financial aspects of the company. Doug is an industry veteran with one of the most multi-faceted agency insiders in today’s travel management marketplace.

Michael Kramer is a Founding Member and CEO of Ducera Partners (www.ducerapartners.com) a boutique investment banking firm. Prior to founding Ducera Partners, Mr. Kramer was a Partner and held various leadership roles at Perella Weinberg Partners, Greenhill & Co., and Houlihan Lokey. Mr. Kramer is also an active investor in both early stage and mature private companies, having invested in companies that operate in Financial Services, Sports and Entertainment, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Technology, Crypto/Blockchain, Consumer, Winemaking, Apparel, and Transportation, among others.

Mr. Kramer has served as a member of the board of directors of several public companies, currently serves on the board of directors of several private companies and non-profits. Additionally Mr. Kramer serves as a Governor for the WHL (Western Hockey League) a part of the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) and is a member of the Advisory Board of RAND Corporation’s Kenneth R. Feinberg Center for Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation.

Chris LaSusa is head of Long Short Equities for Paloma Partners Management Company, a 42 year old investment firm with offices in Greenwich Connecticut and New York City. Prior to Paloma, Chris was a Portfolio Manager and Technology Sector Head at Point72 working there from 2003-2017. Chris is also heavily involved in The East Side House Settlement and the Lynne Cohen Foundation from a charitable standpoint. Chris lives in New Canaan with his wife Jennifer of 25 years with four children.

Ms. Mirza spent 15+ years in corporate banking and private equity before “retiring” to raise her family in Fairfield County and devote her time to philanthropic efforts. She devotes her time locally to Board seats at Filling in the Blanks and Inspirica.

Kristin grew up in Florida and moved to the Northeast with her husband, Rob. Together, they have three kids, Will (16), Abby (14) and Sam (10). Kristin has been involved with non-profit organizations since she moved to Connecticut.  

​She served on the board and on many committees of the Young Women’s League of New Canaan for seven years, she was also on the Board of Circle of Care in Wilton, CT and executed their Bags of Love program for four years. Kristin began volunteering with Filling in the Blanks, in 2013 when they began as a chapter of the National Blessings in a Backpack organization.

She helps at the annual Golf Event, is a Lead Volunteer for the Food Kits and Fun Program, works on other special fundraising events and is the current Grant Writer for the organization.