Board Chair and Treasurer – Real Estate and Facilities, Columbus House New Haven; Wallingford
Carl Rodenhizer has worked in the non-profit field for over 22 years and is currently the Associate Executive Director of the Hartford-based Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation. He is responsible for fundraising and development, program operations and facility management, and providing support services to families and individuals who are at risk of homelessness.
With more than 40 years of engineering experience, Donald worked most of his career as a Design Metallurgy/Materials Data Analyst. Donald has been serving as a volunteer driver since June 2009. In August 2009 he accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors.
Donald’s community service activities include foster parenting and various leadership positions held at the Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church for the past 40 years.
Engineer (retired), AAA driving instructor; West Hartford
Joe is a retired engineer. Prior to retirement Joe had an extensive career as a technical sales engineer and manager. Prior to retirement Joe was always an active volunteer in a variety of activities; from providing radio reading and transportation services for the blind community to tutoring mathematics for adults working to acquire a GED.
In retirement Joe has been employed, part time, as a driving instructor and is active as an advocate for people with disabilities.
Immigration Constituent Liaison, United States Senate
Rebecca works for the United States Senate as an immigration constituent liaison, managing cases for the constituents of Connecticut involving passports, visas, international adoptions, naturalizations, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) cases, deportations and more. In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family, photography, baking and politics. She also volunteers on the Board of Directors for the Rob Branham Foundation and Camp Washington. Rebecca lives in Newington with her fiancé.
Speech/Language Pathologist (retired); West Hartford
Mary is a retired speech and language pathologist with more than 40 years of service in the public schools in both New Jersey and Connecticut. In retirement, Mary volunteers much of her time as an advocate for people with disabilities. Mary is legally blind.
Ms. Mantilla owns Mantilla Leadership Solutions, an independent consulting firm that provides strategic communication services, training, and public speaking services. She is a respected leader who served as a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly for 10 years and was the first Hispanic woman to serve as Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
As an activist and legislator, Ms. Mantilla has spent her professional career working on civil rights and equality issues – mainly focusing on her work with disenfranchised communities. During her tenure as a legislator, she represented an urban district with an overwhelming majority of Latinos / Puerto Ricans – a district with one of the highest populations living in poverty in the state.
In addition to her legislative work, Ms. Mantilla has worked as an advocate for women’s rights and as a small business owner consulting for nonprofits and electoral campaigns. She has served on numerous boards, commissions and public committees, and uses her unique combination of talents, bilingualism and activist experience to be an advocate for social justice issues.
Ms. Mantilla was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and came to Connecticut in 1978. She now lives in West Hartford with her wife and two children.
Michal Lowenstein, a native of Brooklyn, NY, moved to the area eight years ago and volunteers with several agencies raising money to feed the homeless and seniors. She is an avid reader and enjoys her children and grandchildren.
The Ride Coordinator is a paid, part-time position, supported in part by the generosity of the Stanley D. and Hinda N. Fisher Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Additional support has been provided by several thoughtful individual donors.
