The Executive Committee meets regularly to ensure the organization is learning, growing, and advocating for change in Newtown. It oversees the other committees and works with them to accomplish their goals. It also moderates the organization’s Facebook group and Slack workspace.
Executive Committee
Nerlande Foote
Director of Communications
An advocate for social justice, Newtown resident, Nerlande Foote, joined the Executive Committee in January 2021, bringing her voice, mental health background, and creative energy to the leadership team. Unafraid to speak up, Nerlande believes that aligning the objective to advance equity is crucial to building a better community.
Laura Main
Secretary
Laura Main has lived in Newtown since 1995. She is a life-long educator and holds a doctorate in instructional leadership. She is passionate about access to high quality education as a transformative tool for reversing the systemic effects of racism and has been involved in social justice work in this area for ten years. She values diversity as an asset to all communities and has recently come to appreciate the need for advocating for educating others about the need for this work in our local community.
Don Lococo
Treasurer
Don Lococo has lived in Newtown since 1994. He has a B.S. degree in Psychology and A.S. degree in Occupational Therapy, with an avocation for being an activist and advocate for social justice and gun violence prevention issues. He is committed to doing the work, to promote a more diverse, equitable, inclusive and safer Newtown.
Jess Velasco
Director of Marketing
Jess has lived in Newtown since 2016. She was born in El Salvador and grew up in Yonkers, NY. She has a bachelors from the Fashion Institute of Technology but she decided that caring for people was in her nature so she changed gears and went into nursing. She is passionate about social justice and strives to create a more just and inclusive environment everywhere she goes whether it’s on vacation creating good trouble or at work where she co-chairs the DEI committee. She believes that equity and inclusion don’t happen by accident. That road is paved by people willing to do the work.
Nicole Maddox
Vice Chair
Nicole Maddox has been a member of the Newtown community since 2007. Born and raised in the Boston, MA area and a resident of NYC for nearly a decade, Nicole appreciates the profound positive effect of diversity. As a Black woman, wife, and mother to 4 children, her countless personal experiences of racism have motivated her to work hard to improve conditions in Newtown and surrounding communities. Nicole hopes the end of the pledge of allegiance will be true one day – and that there really will be “liberty and justice for all.”
Kate McGrady
Chair
Kate McGrady lives in Newtown with her husband and two young kids. She is currently in grad school pursuing a masters in clinical mental health counseling. She knows that she still has so much to learn about the history of racism and the effect it has on current society as well as herself, but during her own educational journey she realizes more and more how important this work is and how much there is to be done. Kate fights for her friends, their children, and her own kids as well as a better future for all.