Four distinguished alumni of Naugatuck Valley Community College will participate in the College’s inaugural speaker series on October 2. Through a grant awarded by the Connecticut Community Foundation, the event will feature an opening reception followed by a presentation showcasing alumni’s stories about their paths to professional success. The speakers include: Charles Boullier, CEO Ion Bank; Kathryn Luria, Senior Vice President of Community Affairs and the Director of Philanthropy for Webster Bank; Jim O’Rourke, CEO of the Greater Waterbury YMCA; and Geraldo Reyes Jr., a Connecticut State Representative for the 75th District.
About the speakers:
Charles J. Boulier, III, a Waterbury native, is Chief Executive Officer of Ion Bank and its parent company Ion Financial, MHC. He joined Ion Bank, which was formerly known as Naugatuck Savings Bank, in 2004 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Boulier, a Chartered Financial Analyst, received his MBA in Finance from the University of New Haven, an Accounting degree from Bryant College, and attended Naugatuck Valley Community College. He is Chairman of America’s Mutual Banks and the American Savings Foundation. He serves as a Corporator for Griffin Hospital, an Advisory Board Member for Quinnipiac University, and is a Board Member of the Saint Mary’s Hospital Foundation, Waterbury Regional Chamber and United Way of Greater Waterbury; including Campaign Chair for 2017-2018.
Kathy Luria serves as Senior Vice President of Community Affairs and Director of Philanthropy at the corporate headquarters of Webster Bank in Waterbury, CT where she oversees the corporate philanthropic arm of the organization across the franchise. Luria attended the University of Connecticut where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 1991, and earned an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven in 1999. Over the past 15 years, she has served as an adjunct professor in both the School of Business at the University of Connecticut – Waterbury Campus and in the Business Division at Naugatuck Valley Community College. Kathy currently serves as a Director and Vice President of the Harold Webster Smith Foundation. She is board chair of the CT Council for Philanthropy having previously served CCP as chair of the membership committee since 2013. She also sits on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, CT Working Cities Challenge Advisory Council; serves United Way of Greater Waterbury as a voting member; and is a United Way of Central and NE CT Women United Member.
Geraldo Reyes Jr., a Waterbury resident for 55 years, was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly on April 26, 2016 in a special election representing the 75th Assembly District of Waterbury. He has a strong record of involvement in the community and has dedicated his career to the advancement of the people of Waterbury. He is a member of the Greater Waterbury NAACP Executive Board, the Neighborhood Housing Services Executive Board, the Loyola Development Executive Board, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury Executive Board, and the Salsa, Inc. Board of Directors. A graduate of Crosby High School and Central Connecticut State University, Reyes also holds an Associate’s Degree in Industrial Technology from one of NVCC’s predecessor institutions, Waterbury State Technical College.
For more information, contact Angela Chapman, NVCC’s Associate Dean of Development. Individuals interested in attending can register for the event online.