PCSW Commissioners

	Chair - Jean L. Rexford was appointed in 2002 by Pro Tempore Majority Leader Kevin Sullivan and serves on the PCSW Legislative Committee. Currently, Jean is the Executive Director of Connecticut Patients’ Rights and works for other not for profits as a consultant. She is also Program Chair of the CT Health Foundation and a member of the Democracy Works board as well as the Planned Parenthood Public Policy Fund and Treasurer of Impact.
	Vice Chair - Adrienne Farrar Houël was appointed in 2003 by Speaker of the House Moira Lyons. Farrar Houël is a Partner in the Sable Group Inc., a Connecticut-based consulting firm, heading the Public Service/Not-for-Profit Sector practice. In addition, she is Director of Research and Development for Action for Bridgeport Community Development, Inc. Ms. Farrar Houël formed the Fairfield County Housing Partnership, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that builds affordable housing in partnership with social service agencies. She is Executive Director of this corporation. Farrar Houël serves as Acting-Chair of the Board of Managers of Grow Bridgeport Fund, and serves on many Boards of Directors in Fairfield County. Ms. Farrar Houël is a graduate of Harvard Business School.
	Treasurer - Elizabeth Donohue was appointed in 2007 by Speaker of the House James Amann. The Deputy Policy Director for the Connecticut House Democrats, Ms. Donohue specializes in transportation infrastructure, education and finance policy. She helped to update the state’s early childhood education policy, coordinate the historic campaign finance reform package, and negotiate the $2.5 billion transportation package in 2006. In addition, she has worked on several grassroots political campaigns and headed up the House Democrat Caucus Campaign’s direct mail effort in 2006. Ms. Donohue is a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of George Washington University where she majored in International Relations.
	Secretary - Carrie Gallagher was appointed to the Commission in 2003 by Speaker of the House Moira Lyons and serves on the PCSW Public Information/Talent Bank Committee. She is Program Director of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., national nonprofit organization headquartered in Stamford. Ms. Gallagher is a Vice President of the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund Board of Directors and is Convener of its Project Grants Committee. Additionally, Ms. Gallagher is a member of the national International Issues Committee of the American Association of University Women and has served as the AAUW CT State President, and as the national Program Vice President. Ms. Gallagher received her baccalaureate degree in Speech and Education from the State University of NY at Brockport.
	Yvonne R. Davis was appointed to the Commission in 2007. She owns and operates DAVISCommunications in Connecticut. She is also a freelance writer, expert lecturer, and political analyst. She has been recognized throughout her career for her efforts in civil rights and television production. Ms. Davis is on the board of directors for the J.C. and Frankie Watts Foundation. She served as a Presidential Appointee by George W. Bush to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2001-2005, as an Ambassador of the Arts. She has an M.S. in Leadership and Business Ethics (Summa Cum Laude) and an M.A. in Political Science. She has a B.A. in Mass Communications and Political Science (Magna Cum Laude). She is expected to complete her doctorate in Leadership and Mastery of Change in 2009 from the Thierry Graduate School of Leadership in Brussels, Belgium.
	Barbara DeBaptiste was first appointed in 1995 by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate M. Adela Eads and reappointed in July 2000 by Speaker of the House Moira R. Lyons. She is Chair of the Public Information /Talent Bank Committee and serves as Chair of the Advisory Council in the 5th Congressional District for the PCSW. Ms. DeBaptiste is an at-large board member of the National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW) and the CT Federation of Business and Professional Women. She serves on many boards such as the Women's Campaign School and is a past National President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
	Tanya Meck was appointed in 1998 by Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin Sullivan and reappointed in 2002. She previously served as the Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. Tanya Meck is the founder and owner of MB Associates, LLC, a non-profit and political fundraising firm. Prior to establishing her consulting business, Ms. Meck served as the Assistant Secretary of the State and Chief of Staff for Secretary of the State of Connecticut Susan Bysiewicz. Ms. Meck is a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey where she majored in Behavioral Science and was an All-American athlete. While attending Trinity she earned her Master’s Degree in Public Policy Studies and coached field hockey and women’s lacrosse. She serves on many local boards.
	Cindy R. Slane, Esq. was appointed to the Commission in 1996. A gubernatorial appointee, she is a former Chair of the Commission, and also served as Treasurer. A former high school humanities teacher, Professor Slane is a graduate of Douglass College and Yale Law School. She was a member of the trial department at Day, Berry & Howard before joining the faculty at Quinnipiac College School of Law, where she is now an Assistant Professor of Clinical Law and Director of Field Placement Programs. She is admitted to practice in the State of Connecticut and the State of New York, and before the United States Supreme Court.
	Susan O. Story, Esq. was appointed in 2000 by Governor Rowland and is immediate past Chair. She graduated with honors from Mount Holyoke College and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Ms. Storey has been an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hartford, the Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services, and the Hartford Juvenile Defender Office. She is currently the Chief Public Defender for the State of Connecticut. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the American Council of Chief Defenders, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and the Connecticut Bar Foundation-James Cooper Fellows.
	Patricia E. M. Whitcombe, M.D. was appointed by Senate President Pro Tempore, Kevin Sullivan in 2001. Dr. Whitcombe is a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist at Women’s Health Associates, P.C and a founder of the Connecticut Childbirth and Women's Center. She received her M.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and earned her Bachelor of Sciences at Yale College. Dr. Whitcombe was born in Habana, Cuba and grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has been involved with many community and professional organizations. Dr. Whitcombe has been named several times to the “Best Doctors of America, Northeast Region.”
	Cecilia J. Woods, was appointed in 2007 by President Pro Tempore Donald Williams. She was most recently Deputy Chief of Staff and Research Director for the Senate Democrats, a position she held for 23 years. She previously served as Chief of Staff for Congressman Adam Benjamin of Gary, Indiana and was a Carter White House Aide in the late 1970s. Ms. Woods, a graduate of Drew University, holds a Master's Degree in Urban Studies from Occidental College and was a National Urban Fellow at Yale University. In addition to the PCSW she is currently devoting her time to the Parents' Association at The Independent Day School, and the Greater Hartford Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.