ENFIELD, CT—The Educational Resources for Children, Inc. (ERfC) Board of Directors and staff is excited to announce Josue Irizarry as its new Executive Director. Irizarry, a resident of Windsor, brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, community impact and fundraising. He will begin his directorship at ERfC September 22, 2021.
Before joining ERfC, Irizarry was the Youth and Family Director at the YMCA New Britain/Berlin, an events coordinator at the Peabody Museum, and an Executive Director and Compliance Manager at the YMCA branches of Greater Hartford. As the Executive Director, Irizarry managed a budget of $1.2 million, raised $75,000 annually to provide financial assistance to low income families, and assessed, researched and updated existing programs. In 2018, he supervised and managed three YMCA branches simultaneously. At the Glastonbury YMCA, Josue oversaw a budget of $1.8 million and he was able to increase program enrollment from 1,223 to 1,989. Josue’s supervisors shared that he is skilled in working with communities in assessing its needs.
An active community volunteer, Josue has served on various committees at the Board of Directors of Opportunities Industrialization Center, YMCA of Greater Hartford Global Initiative, Wethersfield Early Childhood Collaborative and West Hartford Juvenile Review Board.
“On behalf of the entire ERfC staff, we would like to welcome Josue to our family,” says Anthony Romano, ERfC Manager of Operations. “We look forward to working with him as we continue our services to the Enfield community,” Romano continues.
“I am extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity to join the talented and dedicated staff of ERfC. I look forward to serving the children, families and Enfield community,” says Irizarry. “I hope to continue to build on the successes of ERfC to ensure that future generations will benefit from all that ERfC has to offer.”
Mrs. Carole Schloss, ERfC’s Board of Directors President, said that the Search Committee, working with Harvest Development Group in Middletown, Connecticut with a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, was impressed with Josue’s experience working with families, children and the community. “We are assured that with his leadership and collaborative and management skills, ERfC will continue to provide outstanding before and after school programs, summer programs and community and family activities that have served our Enfield Community. There are many great opportunities for new growth and development in Enfield, and the board is thrilled to have Josue as our Executive Director providing that leadership”, says Schloss.
Melanie J. Cecarelli, Vice President and Partner of Harvest Development Group, a consulting firm working specially with nonprofit organizations, led the recruitment efforts on behalf of ERfC. “Through collaboration with ERfC’s Board of Directors, Transition Team, and staff, we successfully identified the top candidate to lead the organization’s mission and vision for the future,” says Cecarelli.
Irizarry holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work from Southern Connecticut State University.
To reach Josue Irizarry, call the ERfC Administrative Office at (860) 253-9935 or email him at info@erfc.us.
ERfC staff pose with new Executive Director, Josue Irizarry. Pictured, left to right:
Front Row: Chuck Horner, Josue Irizarry, Tony Romano.
Middle Row: Evan Goodchild, Amanda Young, Connie Provencher, Rebecca Donor.
Last Row: Marie O’Hara, Danielle Flaherty, Ricardo Lawrence, Greg Mark.