Editorial Staff

Staff

Adam Minor, Managing Editor

Adam Minor is a lifelong resident of Eastford. He graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2005 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications, and spent more than 12 years as a writer, editor, and managing editor at Stonebridge Press, which publishes 11 weekly newspapers in northeastern Connecticut and south central Massachusetts. He is currently the curriculum editor for Word of Life Youth Ministries, writing and editing children's ministry curriculum. He and his wife, Sarah, have two young children, Aaron and Chloe.

Arthur Brodeur, Editor in Chief

Arthur Brodeur is also part of the board of The Eastford Communicator. See bio below.

Susanna Gaines, Controller

Susanna Gaines has an AA in Business Administration, a BS in Accounting, a Masters in Taxation and held a CPA license for decades. Now retired, she has more than 30 years of experience working with a wide range of companies from small Silicon Valley high-tech start-ups to large Fortune 500 corporations. Her experience runs from simple bookkeeping, to complex and detailed SEC filings and tax returns for multi national corporations. She has experience in both the preparation side as well as the audit side. Ms. Gaines has taught accounting and tax classes both in India and Argentina.

Micah Torcellini, Web Editor

Micah Torcellini is a musicologist and web developer. His love of baroque music and Latin means that he often feels as if he lives in the wrong century, but he also likes being able to use the Web both to read and to share writing. He is still trying to understand what the overlap between web technology and harpsichords is, but he might find out what it is eventually if he keeps thinking about it for long enough. His duck, Scramble, is a local celebrity enough to be recognized by the Connecticut General Assembly. He also occasionally puts writing on his website. He can be contacted at [email protected]

Board

Randal Chinnock

Randal Chinnock is retired from a 40+ year career as a biomedical engineer. For most of these years he was CEO of Optimum Technologies, Inc., a contract development firm that successfully commercialized hundreds of medical devices. He holds over 50 patents. In 2018 he founded and became Principal of the Southbridge Tech Incubator, a shared product development space for technology startups. He has been involved with a number of nonprofits, government committees, and professional associations, including: the Town of Sturbridge Trails Committee (Chair), the Town of Sturbridge Economic Development Board (Chair), Worcester Polytechnic Institute Venture Forum Board of Directors and capstone project judge in the Biomedical Engineering Department, Medical Development Group Board of Directors, Southbridge Business Partnership Board of Directors (Vice President), Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church Board of Directors, Eastford Democratic Town Committee (Chair - ongoing), UCONN Biomedical Engineering Department Industrial Advisory Board (ongoing), and regional chorus Wings of Song Board of Directors (ongoing). He is also the founder of The Connecticut Second Look Sentencing Project. It’s mission is to enact legislation that mandates the judicialy review of most long criminal sentences by a court after a period of 7 years served. He presently serves as Constable, Deputy Registrar of Voters, and Justice of the Peace in Eastford, CT.

Arthur W. Brodeur

Arthur Brodeur, former Eastford First Selectman, has long journalism experience as founding editor of the Cornell Chronicle now in its 55th year of publication, and as United Press International political correspondent and bureau chief. He also has a long involvement with, and leadership in, charitable organizations. As Director of Development at The Ohio State University he directed what was then [1985-1990] the largest seeking of private monies in the history of American public higher education, raising some $463 million. He has been chair of the Medfield [MA] Public Library Board of Trustees, president of the Alumni Association of the College of the Holy Cross, chair of the Board of Directors of WVBR AM-FM in Ithaca, NY, chair of the Board of Directors of Windham [CT] Hospital, a member of the Governance Committee of Hartford Healthcare System, a member of the Governor’s Strategic Task Force on the Future Of Hospitals in Connecticut, chair of the Joint Conference Committee of Tompkins County Memorial Hospital in Ithaca, chair of the Planning Committee of the Tompkins County [NY] Health Care Alliance, and a member of the Health Planning Council of Greater Boston. He has been a Trustee of the Windham Hospital Foundation and served as chair of the Eastford School Scholarship Committee within the purview of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut. For two years he was a Vice President of Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Connecticut.

Nancy Gingras

Nancy Gingras retired in June of 2022 after a 34-year career in the nonprofit Advancement field, primarily at independent schools. During her career, she served as the Director of Development at The Rectory School (Pomfret, CT), Stratton Mountain School (Stratton, VT), and The Williams School (New London, CT). Prior to that, she held titles such as Director of Major Gifts, Major Gifts Officer, Director of Parent Giving, or Director of Annual Giving at these and other institutions. Additionally, she currently serves as the Secretary on the Eastford Library’s Board of Directors, is an active volunteer with the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, located in Ashford, CT, and was a long-time member of the Board of Advisors of YMCA Camp Woodstock in Woodstock, CT, where she is an emeritus member of that Board. Nancy is a graduate of The University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Science.

Julia Torcellini

Julia Torcellini was educated as an elementary and special education teacher and has taught in a variety of settings including daycare, public schools, a quasi-public school, a manufacturing facility, a charter school, and then 20+ years of homeschool with her three creative children. She has worked with students ranging from six months old to 80 years old in a variety of languages. She is deeply committed to individualized education and connecting people with resources to help them live optimally. Along that route, she has been involved as an active member with churches in Colorado, Virginia, and Connecticut. She has been a member of the Eastford Library Board of Trustees. She continues to homeschool one more son and run a small sustainable farm. She is excited to apply her organizational skills, and her skills in education, in particular, to the educational elements of the Eastford Communicator.

Michele Ann Palulis, Esq.

Michele has been a practicing attorney for 24 years and concentrates her practice on Real Estate, Probate, Estate Planning, and bankruptcy matters. She was a paralegal while attending law school, and worked in the financial industry for 10 years while attending college and law school. She has extensive business, legal and financial knowledge. Michele graduated from Western New England University School of Law in 2000 with a JD in Law. She graduated from the Connecticut School of Finance and Management in 1996 with a diploma/certificate in finance and management for banking institutions. She also graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.