At its annual meeting in February, Marie-Claire Peakman was voted in as United Way of Southeastern Connecticut’s Board Chair. The Rhode Island resident is the principal on the Pfizer Ventures Team and executive director in Emerging Science & Innovation of Pfizer.

Two local leaders, Jim Newman and Brian Orenstein, were elected to the Board of Directors at the organization’s March Board meeting.

Marie-Claire served on United Way’s Board of Directors previously, from 2013-19, and then again from 2020 to the present. She is co-chair of The Tocqueville Society and the chair of the Governance Committee.

“I feel that we’re poised for the beginning of a whole new era,” Peakman stated upon being elected. “COVID has changed the way we do things…it also highlighted for us very starkly of where the gaps and disparities are. ... We will take the leadership role in bringing partners together for collective community impact.”

Jim Newman, a member of the MDA-UAW 571 and a resident of the Lyme area, has worked at General Dynamics-Electric Boat for more than 35 years. He has served as a United Way Allocations Volunteer since 2009. Jim is actively involved in coordinating Electric Boat’s United Way Campaign efforts, making presentations, volunteering, running food drives, and allocating funds on behalf of the EB Employees’ Community Services Association and the MDA-UAW.

Brian Orenstein, a resident of the Montville area, is President and CEO of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, eastern Connecticut’s largest credit union. He began his banking career in 1986 and has more than 30 years of financial-services experience. Brian has been actively involved for many years with United Way, previously serving on the Board of Directors from 2014-19.

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