February 2, 2023 [SUMMIT, NJ] — The Summit Foundation has appointed four new members to its board and announced the retirement of four long standing trustees. Chris Bonner, Paul Formichelli, Kelli Montgomery, and Dennis White have joined the board. Julie Keenan, Sandy Bloom, Frank Macioce, and Eric LeGoff have retired from the board.
Chris Bonner received his commission in the US Army Aviation Branch as a helicopter pilot in 1994. He served in the military for over 26 years, mostly as a search and rescue pilot in the Army and Coast Guard. When he retired in 2014, he became an educator. He taught at KIPP THRIVE Academy, with Teach for America, and at KIPP’s Newark Collegiate Academy, where he transitioned to campus operations. Chris is the Director of Operations at Kent Place School and was a member and president of the board for Summit Public Schools from 2016 to 2022.
Paul Formichelli is a managing director at JLL, the commercial real estate services firm. Locally, he serves on Summit’s Planning Board and its Economic Development Advisory Committee. He also serves as a mentor in the Project Destined program. He previously served on the boards of Summit Junior Baseball & Softball, the College of the Holy Cross Alumni Association, and the NYC chapter of NAIOP (as well as having served as its president).
Kelli Montgomery has worked with several organizations focused on driving equity to underserved populations. She recently served as vice president of the Summit African American Action Association. She has also served as a board member of the Lady Liberty Academy charter school in Newark, where she was on the finance committee. Kelli is a supply chain director for Procter & Gamble.
Dennis White served as president and CEO of MetLife Foundation before retiring in 2021. During his 31-year career at MetLife, he also held positions in the investments department and managed the company’s impact investment activities. Dennis serves as a commissioner for the Summit Housing Authority and as a youth advisor at Beacon Unitarian Congregation in Summit. He is also an active volunteer with Summit Warm Hearts and Friends of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Juile Keenan served as a trustee of The Summit Foundation for 22 years, and as president from 2019 through 2022. Julie is an independent consultant focused on strategy and change management. She also held the position of the chief operating officer of the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund. She currently serves on the Board of Visitors of Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering.
Frank Macioce served as a trustee for 11 years; during that time he served as grants co-chair and most recently as secretary. He is the chair of Overlook Medical Center’s Community Advisory Board and a trustee and officer of the Summit Park Line Foundation. From 2004 to 2009, he served on Summit’s Common Council as councilman at large and as council president in 2005 and 2006.
Sandy Bloom served as a trustee for 11 years; in that time, she served as nominating and governance chair, grants co-chair, and most recently as vice president. Sandy currently serves on the board of the Summit Free Public Library and has previously served on Summit’s Board of Education and Zoning Board. She was a president of Temple Sinai and a founding member of the Summit Mayor’s Valuing Diversity Forum.
Eric LeGoff served as a trustee for 7 years, and was a member of the board’s investment committee throughout his tenure. He is co-founder, president and a director of Evermore Global Advisors, LLC, an investment management firm in Summit, NJ. Eric previously served as a trustee for the Summit Educational Foundation, as well as on the finance committee of the Summit Area YMCA.
“Julie, Frank, Sandy, and Eric contributed immeasurably to the growth of The Foundation and its capacity to address the needs of the greater Summit area. We are thankful for their dedication and stewardship. We are enthused to welcome our new trustees, Chris, Dennis, Kelli, and Paul, who bring a breadth of professional and life experiences to our board as we seek to help our community thrive now and into the future.” said Dana Turk, incoming President of The Summit Foundation.
Each year, The Summit Foundation invests $1 million to support public programs and services in the community through foundation-directed grants, community-supported funds, scholarships, and donor-advised distributions.
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For more information contact:
Jonathan Betz
908-827-1582
[email protected]