The Telling Room Welcomes New Board Members and Officers

We are thrilled to welcome four new members to the Board of Directors this summer, and to announce new officers to the Board’s leadership team! Moises “Mo” Nuñez, Catherine Richards, Laura Shen, and Bob Zager (pictured above) joined the Board of Directors as The Telling Room entered into its new fiscal year on July 1st.

The Telling Room also welcomes three current Board members into roles as officers (pictured below); Anya Endsley as the incoming Board President, Chelsea H. B. DeLorme as Vice President, and Ninette Irabaruta as Secretary. 

“We are delighted to welcome Catherine, Laura, Mo, and Bob to The Telling Room Board,” says President Anya Endsley. “They bring a wealth of experience, ranging from work on other non-profit boards, educational settings, and in the areas of marketing and finance. We feel lucky to have them among our ranks as we enter into the next phase of The Telling Room’s leadership, and we want to share our gratitude for the Board members whose tenure is coming to a close for all that they have done for this organization.” Outgoing members include former Board President Tim Schneider of Tilson Technologies, Sean Tabb of L.L.Bean, and Dan Edwards of Edwards Creative.

Board President Anya Endsley is a Partner at Verrill Dana LLP in the Private Clients and Fiduciary Services Group, where she focuses her practice on all aspects of estate planning, probate, and trust administration matters, and advises clients regarding tax planning, charitable giving, and wealth transfer strategies.

Trained as an art historian, editorial writer/producer, and arts educator, Vice President Chelsea H. B. DeLorme's work has been based on deep listening, perspective taking, creative problem solving, communication and curiosity. The Telling Room has been a part of keeping those skills fresh since she joined as a volunteer upon returning to her home state of Maine from San Francisco in 2009 and started her board term in 2018.

Board Secretary Ninette Irabaruta works at United Way of Greater Portland as the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. Ninette is also contracted by Maine Community Foundation, where she coordinates the Investing in Leaders of Color program that focuses on building the field of people and organizations working to promote and increase racial equity in Maine.

Mo Nuñez is a senior associate with the Great Schools Partnership, and has 20 years of experience in public education. He has taught across the northeast in public schools, private independent schools, and universities. He has also led and/or designed several successful alternative-education and at-risk-youth programs, and was most recently the director of student services and special education at Baxter Academy for Technology and Science.

Originally from New Jersey, Catherine Richards Olney moved to Maine 34 years ago from Washington, DC. For the past twenty years, she has primarily dedicated herself to not-for-profit board work with the following organizations: Coastal Studies for Girls, Isle au Haut Community Development Corporation, Freeport Community Services, and Maine Women’s Fund. 

Laura Shen is Director of Strategy at WEX. Laura is responsible for the strategic direction of the Corporate Payments division. Prior to WEX, Laura was a Senior Consultant at L.E.K. Consulting. Laura began her career at Citibank in New York. 

Bob Zager currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Greater Portland Health (GPH), a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center. Prior to joining GPH, Bob directed finance and human resources at a network of public high schools serving at-risk youth and managed the first randomized controlled trial of child development accounts. 

“It’s an honor to welcome these folks into these roles and to invite them to share their knowledge, passion, and talents with us,” says Executive Director Celine Kuhn. “With their deep bench of experience, I know their voices will enrich and guide The Telling Room successfully through the opportunities and growth ahead.”

For the full list of Telling Room Board members and their biographies, click here. 

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