Our Staff

Ellen Carter is vice president of program at the Connecticut Health Foundation. She oversees the foundation’s programmatic strategy, which includes grantmaking, policy, strategic communications, leadership, and evaluation.

Ellen joined the foundation after nine years at the Connecticut Community Foundation in Waterbury, where she most recently served as vice president of program and strategy. In that role, she guided strategy and leadership direction for grantmaking, evaluation, advocacy, and community engagement work. Recently, she spearheaded the community foundation’s COVID-19 response, working closely with community organizations and city agencies on equitable vaccine access, outreach and education. Ellen previously worked at the Connecticut Association for Human Services, serving as director of programs focused on building economic and food security for low-income families across Connecticut.

She is involved in many local and statewide organizations, including the Bridge to Success Community Partnership, Greater Waterbury Health Partnership, the Connecticut Healthy Living Collective, Age Well Steering Committee, Health Equity Trust Planning Committee, Waterbury Juneteenth Committee, and the Waterbury School Readiness Council.

Ellen is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross and has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Connecticut.

Eminet Abebe Gurganus is the director of grantmaking at the Connecticut Health Foundation. She leads the foundation’s grantmaking work, directs leadership development activities, and manages evaluation of the strategic plan and program initiatives.

Before joining the foundation, Eminet served as a health policy associate at the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, where she took part in efforts to improve pediatric care and early childhood services. She also held several roles at the Office for Community Child Health at Connecticut Children’s, where she conceptualized and implemented community health projects in response to gaps in the child health system and directed a quality improvement program for pediatric care providers.

Eminet has Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health degrees from Yale University and is a PhD candidate in human development and family sciences at the University of Connecticut.

Tamisha Phillip is the grants manager and program administrator for the Connecticut Health Foundation. Tamisha coordinates the grantmaking process and provides administrative support for the department.

Tamisha came to the foundation from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where she served as an administrative assistant. She has also worked at Rockville General Hospital and Hartford Hospital. She has a bachelor’s degree in health care management from the University of Connecticut and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business analytics from Quinnipiac University.

Geralynn McGee is the policy director for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She leads strategies for advocacy and policies that will help eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities and improve the health of all Connecticut residents. Before joining the foundation, Geralynn worked at Greater Hartford Legal Aid, where she most recently served as the organization’s policy advocate, representing the interests of low-income state residents to legislators, administrative agencies, and in community and advocacy coalitions. She began her career at Greater Hartford Legal Aid as an oral health policy fellow, developing an expertise in oral health issues, health equity, and advocacy through a series of rotations with advocacy, government, and nonprofit organizations. Geralynn is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Before attending law school, she spent four years as assistant director at Resources for Human Development in North Carolina, providing clinical oversight to staff and working on the operation of five mental health residential programs. She also worked as a case manager for people involved in the justice system and served as an intake specialist for the Governor’s Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities in North Carolina.

Arielle Levin Becker is the director of communications and strategic initiatives for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She handles the foundation’s publications, media relations and strategic communications. She and the communications team work to give voice to the mission of improving access to care and care quality, and to help showcase the work of the foundation’s grantees. In addition to her work in communications, Arielle coordinates organizational planning and strategy, looking at initiatives across the foundation as a whole.

Before joining the foundation, Arielle spent six years as the health care reporter at The Connecticut Mirror, a nonprofit news organization focused on politics and public policy. She previously worked at The Hartford Courant, where she covered health care, education, criminal justice and municipal issues, and the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Her first job in journalism was at Real Change, a homeless newspaper in Seattle. She has a B.A. in history from Yale University.

Stephanie Luczak is the communications officer for the Connecticut Health Foundation. They lead the foundation’s digital media portfolio, with a focus on educating and informing state leaders and other audiences about solutions for health equity.

Before joining CT Health, Stephanie served as senior project coordinator at the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, where she coordinated implementation activities for a major federal grant for children’s behavioral health services and led a website redesign. She previously served as program coordinator for the Help Me Grow National Center at Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health, where she helped execute strategic communications initiatives, and Connecticut Voices for Children, where she served as a child development policy fellow. Stephanie serves on the advisory board of the Black Infinity Collective and is a middle school mentor through LiveGirl, Inc.

Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree and Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut.

Todd Thomas is the foundation’s vice president of finance and operations. He serves as the foundation’s primary liaison on asset management and finance and will lead the accounting, personnel, and technology functions, as well as office operations for the foundation.

Todd has served in finance, planning, and analysis roles at companies including Prudential Financial, Cogstate, Time Warner, Subway Restaurants, and PreciBake. He has also worked as a consultant and investment banker.

Todd is a graduate of Amherst College and has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Hartford.

Stephanie Tatro, CPA, is the director of finance for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She is responsible for day-to-day management of the Foundation’s financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, as well as the annual audit and tax return preparation.

Prior to working for CT Health, Stephanie worked in public accounting. In between her tenures with PwC, she gained experience in not-for-profit and governmental accounting. She also spent time as a substitute teacher in her local school system. In her spare time Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family, walking their two dogs, reading Stephen King novels and remodeling her house and yard. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Michigan State University and is a CPA.

Anette Mendoza-Hollis is the executive assistant and operations manager for the Connecticut Health Foundation. Anette provides administrative and logistical support to the president & CEO and the board of directors, and supervises administrative and operational functions of the organization. Prior to her position at CT Health, she served as secretary for the Central Registration Department at the East Hartford Board of Education. She also worked at Jumoke Academy, a Hartford charter school, for over 14 years. Anette received a bachelor’s degree of science in Public Administration/Policy from Charter Oak State College.

Lyniesha Barber is the administrative assistant for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She is responsible for supporting the entire organization. Lyniesha has six years of experience in customer service, most recently working as a customer service expert for CareCentrix. Lyniesha received a bachelor’s degree in human services from Colorado State University.