Board of Directors

Steering our future

Our Board members are the fiduciaries who steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as by making sure we have adequate resources to advance our mission. They are passionate about the women we serve and everything they do is based on that mission and the goal of creating long-term sustainability. Our board meets bi-monthly and volunteers a significant amount of time serving on committees and fundraising.

If you are interested in joining our board of directors, contact us for more information.

Portrait of smiling woman during cold season

Portrait of European woman in traditional balinese wedding ceremony costume.

Our Board of Directors

Lorraine La Vigne

Advisor

Lorraine La Vigne, RSM is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently in private practice in Newington, CT. Prior to this she served as the Executive Director of a number of non-profit counseling agencies in the Greater Hartford area. She has also developed and presented workshops on such topics as effective family functioning, communication and conflict management, women’s issues and individual personal growth. Lorraine has served on several boards, as well as conducted education and formation programs for Boards of Directors in non-profit organizations. From 1996-2001 she served initially as Treasurer and then as President of the Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapist. Lorraine is a Sister of Mercy, living in Hartford. She enjoys her early morning walks and cross country skiing or snow shoeing in the local parks. As a therapist Lorraine has worked with many women struggling with addiction and not having an adequate support system. The service Coram Deo provides for women with addictions motivated her to be a part of this organization’s mission. As she continues to meet some of the women who participate in the program and learn more about the programs she sees how necessary such an organization is to the community..

Bill Kinch

With 37 years’ experience in the emergency medical services industry and pre-hospital care environment, Bill has become an expert in emergent call processing, project management, and EMS System Consulting. For the past twenty three years Bill has specialized in the design, development and operation of emergency communications systems and organizations, Public Safety System deployment, and resource allocation. Bill is the force behind the vision, design and overview of the Healthcare Response concept, including a successful testing and launch of the concept in England and Tampa, Florida.

Aimee Nicolich

Aimee is originally from Long Island, NY and currently resides in Wallingford, CT. She is currently a 2L at Quinnipiac School of Law. She is concentrating in Criminal Law and Advocacy. Most active at QU Law, she is currently the Chairperson for the QU National Students’ Guild Students Against Mass Incarceration Week. Aimee is also Vice-President of both the Criminal Law Society and of Phi Alpha Delta. She also serves on the SBA Judicial Committee.

Having experience working both with the prosecution and with those re-entering society, after incarceration, she hopes to bring a new perspective to Coram Deo. She understands how important the services provided are to these women, in helping them to re-integrate into the society, especially work placement and housing.

Aimee has been coaching softball for over 13 years. For fun, Aimee enjoys trivia competitions.

Shannone Pettie

Shannone Pettie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing clinical services to a wide array of populations since 2001. Shannone is originally from New Haven, CT and earned her Masters degree in Social Work from SCSU, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree from Fordham University. In her experiences in social work, interactions with disparity, stigmas, and the lack of resources were common place. Having worked in both the public and private sectors, Shannone witnessed a climate among her colleagues early on in her career. Despite their organizational structure, budget and available resources, some mental health professionals were struggling to provide quality services. This observed trend inspired Shannone to explore the work life balance of providers and dedicate herself to raising awareness about the relationship between provider wellness and efficacy.

Shannone works full time providing clinical services for hospice patients at the end of life, she consults with a private practice group, and she also supports adolescents with ASD. Shannone is the proud mother of two children, and enjoys family time, traveling, maintaining her self care, and cooking (baked macaroni and cheese is a family favorite). Shannone highly values the mission, vision, and individualized approach that Coram Deo Recovery offers and looks forward to contributing her time and expertise to this program.

Caroline Raynis

Caroline Raynis is a wife, mother, and avid volunteer. She first began serving the New Britain community, in college, under the guidance of CCSU English Professor Dr. Aimee Pozorski. Her time as a volunteer Girl Scout leader at Holmes Elementary School, was life-changing, as the Troop wasso impoverished that the girls could not afford vests, and shared one book. This inspired her continued work in the New Britain community. Upon graduating CCSU with a B.A. in Communications, emphasizing in Public Relations/Promotions, and minoring in Journalism and Criminal Justice, Caroline worked for the New Britain Department of Labor. While there, she became active in volunteering and aiding the homeless community, concentrating in career services. Always encouraged by the office’s director, Mike Bartley, and supervisors, Sandy Mello and Carl Walczewski, as a young professional she played a pivotal role in organizing homeless resource fairs, in a leadership position. Through liaison efforts with the local Job Center, Caroline also participated in Project Homeless Connect. It was during her time working for the Department of Labor that she met herhusband, a (now retired) New Britain Police officer. Together they continue to serve the New Britain Community in volunteer capacities. Most active in her church, St. Sebastian of Middletown, Caroline is President of Saint Theresa’s Guild and on the Feast Committee. Her volunteer work also includes previous school board roles at her children’s school, Holy Trinity in Wallingford, where she organized and ran many events, and is still involved. She holds an MBA in marketing, from SCSU, and is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW). She is most proud of her beautiful family, husband Allan, Jr., and their children: Abigail, Nathan, Lila, Lara, and Baby Al III. She enjoys yoga, a good plate of pasta, and her beloved fur children: cats Valentine, Smokey, Bandit, and Luciana, and dog Ammo. She lives by the motto of sharing. She looks forward to sharing her time, expertise, knowledge, and resources with Coram Deo.