Board of Directors
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2021-2022
Eric Seidman – President of ABC of Westport
Eric has been involved with A Better Chance of Westport for more than 12 years. He had attended an early fund raiser when ABC was getting started, and years later, volunteered to be a driver for the Scholars. Two years later, Eric joined the Board of Directors as Treasurer, and after two years on the board, was elected President of A Better Chance of Westport and served for four years. After two additional years as Past President, Eric stepped off the board but continued to volunteer in a variety of roles. Eric re-joined the Board in late 2020 as acting President and now currently serves as President.
Eric and his wife Leslie have lived in Westport since 1996 and their daughter graduated from Staples High School in 2013. Eric and Leslie met at Colgate University where he earned a BA in Mathematical Economics and later an MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School at UPenn. He has spent most of his career in and around the Food Industry. When not working on A Better Chance initiatives, Eric advises and invests in early stage food & beverage companies.
| Acting-President | Eric Seidman |
| VP Admin/Recording Secretary | Carolyn Caney |
| Academic Chair | Nat Smitobol |
| Co-Treasurer | Amanda Parker |
| Co-Treasurer | Diane Cenci Hillhouse |
| Database Co-Chair | Jennifer Gold |
| Database Co-Chair | Sarin Cheung |
| DEI Coordinator Co-Chair | Ariana Napier |
| DEI Coordinator Co-Chair | Sonya Harris-Jagenberg |
| Dream Event Co-Chair | Elena Caggiano |
| Dream Event Co-Chair | Char Lukacs |
| Grants Writing Chair | Dina Fleischmann |
| Host Families Co-Chair | Monika Lazaro |
| Host Families Co-Chair | Patra Kanchanagom |
| Host Families Co-Chair | Gloria Tearte |
| Mentor Chair | Eric Freeman |
| Personnel Co-Chair | Gerard van Spaendonck |
| Personnel Co-Chair | Rodney Bass |
| PR/Marketing Chair | Lisa Hill |
| Scholar Selection Co-Chair | Dana Langham |
| Scholar Selection Co-Chair | OPEN |
| Scholar Services/Summer Chair | Trammi Nguyen |
| Transportation Chair | OPEN |
| Resident Directors | Yvette and Lynroy Henry |
| Compliance/Facilities Chair | Candace Banks |
| * denotes Executive Board | |
