Elaine Rubinson | Executive Director | elainer@clothestokidsfairfieldcounty.org
Elaine has worked as a self-employed attorney focusing on dissolutions and custody issues since 2006. Prior to this she was employed as an associate at Cahill Law Offices from 1992-2006. Elaine earned a B.A. from Hunter College in 1972, a M.A. in Education from Hunter College in 1975, a M.S.W. from New York University in 1980, a Certificate in Family Therapy from Smith College in 1982, a J.D. from Quinnipiac Law School in 1990 and took classes in the MBA program at UCONN from 2009 until 2011.
Alexandra Helen R. Briggs Kling | Secretary
Alexandra previously worked for Thompson Hine LLP and prior to that for Cahill Gordon LLP as a corporate associate. She earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2011 and her B.A. from Brown University in 2007.
Meryl Z. Rihn | Treasurer
Meryl currently works with the firm of Verna & Associates. Prior to this she worked for the Internal Revenue Service and other public firms. Meryl earned her B. S. at Central Connecticut State in 1977 and is currently finishing her MST at the University of New Haven. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Bryant L.R. Briggs
Bryant has worked at MasterCard in their Strategy, Corporate Development and Mergers & Acquisitions team within the worldwide finance group since August 2015. From August 2013 to August 2015, Bryant worked as an Analyst for the MasterCard Advisors Consulting business. Bryant earned his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 2013, where he was part of the Honors program.
Lynne Byington
Lynne has been in the banking world for over forty years and currently holds the position of Vice President/Branch Manager with Fairfield County Bank. Education consists of Norwalk Community College, the Connecticut School of Finance Management, the Norwalk Leadership Institute, and the American Institute of Banking. Through the years Lynne has volunteered for the American Cancer Society, served as a board member of the Mid-Fairfield Child Guidance Center, an ambassador of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce and a board member of the Norwalk Police Athletic League. Most recently served as board President for the Norwalk Senior Center. In 2019 she was honored by the Exchange Club of Norwalk with the Pillar of Public Service Award. Lynne is currently a Trustee with the Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum holding the position of secretary and member of the executive committee. A member of the advisory board of the Norwalk Senior Center. A volunteer for the Norwalk Mentor Program and a teacher for Junior Achievement a business focused course offered in the public schools. Lynne is fortunate enough to have always worked for banks that strongly support volunteerism allowing her to remain active in the community.
Karen Feher
Karen Feher is a former practicing attorney who practiced law for over 25 years, first as a litigator and then as a corporate attorney. She currently works in attorney professional development at Baker McKenzie, and has worked there for over a decade. Karen graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Special Education and from DePaul University Law School with a JD. As a special education teacher, she developed a profound respect for organizations that help families in need. Prior to her board service for Clothes to Kids, Karen sat on her local Board of Education and on the board of the Hendrick Hudson Public Library.
Ray Katz
Ray is a sports business, media, and marketing luminary with over 35 years of experience. He has evaluated, measured, negotiated, bought, and sold over a billion dollars of sponsorship and media contracts for multiple blue-chip brands and property clients across a broad spectrum of amateur, collegiate, and professional sports. Past leadership roles have been at leagues (NFL), networks (The Football Network), teams (Madison Square Garden/NY Knicks/NY Rangers), brands (American Express), and agencies (Young and Rubicam, OMD, Source Communications), as well as The Walt Disney Company. Expertise on the business of sports media has earned Katz frequent quotes and appearances on air and online across multiple media outlets, including Bloomberg, CNBC, ESPN, and others. In addition to his media and sponsorship credentials and accomplishments, he has had senior roles across all sports revenue streams, in ticketing, as well as consumer products, licensing, and concessions, with a heavy focus on college athletics
The above experience and relationships have contributed to the success of Collegiate Sports Management Group, which has become a leader in traditional sports and the rapidly growing college esports ecosystem. CSMG has generated groundbreaking media rights deals for a breadth of college schools and conference clients, including both media mix strategy and record-breaking rights fees. In addition to his CSMG leadership role, Katz has been a distinguished professor for Sports Business Master’s programs over the past 35 years, including Columbia University, NYU, City University of New York, and Manhattanville University. He has been teaching Sports Media, Entrepreneurship, Technology, Sponsorship, and more. He also serves as a Board of Advisor for the Marketing Accountability Standards Board and the New York-based Business of Sports School. Katz earned his Master of Business Administration with distinction from The Wharton School of Business after receiving his undergraduate degree with Summa Cum Laude honors (Valedictorian/ 4.0 GPA) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Madelyne Kirch
Madelyne retired as the Founder and President of Sun & Moon Marketing Communications in December 2024. In that capacity she was among the country’s foremost real estate marketing professionals having devoted the better part of her professional career to helping her clients define their marketing messages and objectives. Her wealth of experience includes dozens of commercial and residential properties as well as corporate strategy and neighborhood development. Several of her clients were aligned with her and SMMC for decades – a source of personal pride and accomplishment in a notoriously fickle industry. Her keen interest in cities and their continuing vitality and revitalization feeds her passion for real estate. In addition to her professional activities, her real estate knowledge is informed by LP participation in investment real estate with four distinct sponsors spanning several thousand multifamily units, a suburban mixed-use center, a Manhattan hotel, Brooklyn apartments, an investment fund and two ground-up developments.
She is immediate past national co-chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Urban Revitalization Council and previously served as a vice chair of the Public Private Partnership Council. She is also a former Communications Chair and member of the Management Committee of ULI’s New York District Council. Prior to founding SMMC in 1994, she was the senior vice president of a New York real estate advertising agency. During her tenure she was directly responsible for corporate, commercial, residential, retail and service accounts, including consulting and brokerage firms, developers, owners and institutions. She shares this knowledge as a guest lecturer in the real estate development process class at NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.
Madelyne is a founding member of the Women’s Development Collaborative, a former Communications Chair of the Association of Real Estate Women (AREW, now CREW), a past chair of its Charitable Fund and the founding and sole chair of its Merle Gross-Ginsburg Scholarship Committee. For a decade she was a mentor and “Big” for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York. Globe Street named her a national Woman of Influence in Marketing and Communications and a CRE Marketing Influencer. Madelyne is also the recipient of two Bisnow Power Women Awards, the AREW Founders Award, and was among those selected as a Top Woman in Real Estate by Sokol Media.
She holds an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a dual degree in journalism and political science from its Newhouse School and College of Arts & Sciences. Post graduate, she earned a certificate in real estate studies from NYU. She is an early and major supporter of SU’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship – a Washington, DC based joint initiative of the Newhouse and Maxwell Schools.She enjoys traveling, cycling, (with trips to the Loire Valley, Tuscany, Southeast Asia, Holland & Belgium and Portugal’s Douro Valley, and four 5-Boro Bike Tours under her belt) pickleball, Pilates and spending time with her children. But her favorite title is Grandma.
Maria Losito
Maria is a Certified Pilates Instructor, Cancer Exercise Specialist, and Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Specialist with over 20 years of experience. She empowers clients to build strength, resilience, and confidence through mindful movement. In 2018, she founded The Body Reflex Fitness & Wellness, a boutique studio dedicated to personalized, mindful movement. In July 2022, she proudly expanded the studio to accommodate its growing community. Before opening her own studio, Maria served as Head Personal Trainer and Pilates Program Director at Tully Medical Center’s Sarner Health & Fitness Institute. Maria specializes in midlife and senior fitness, including osteoporosis, joint replacement, spine and hip conditions, and golf specific fitness. Her approach is compassionate, science-based, and deeply personal.
Vicki Puciato
Vicki has been in the financial services industry for 30 years. She is currently the Associate Vice President and auditor for First County Bank in Stamford where she has worked since July 2007. She is a Certified Financial Services Auditor and holds two A.S. degrees; one in Marketing and one in Accounting. Vicki wanted to be a part of Clothes to Kids of Fairfield County because it provides such a welcoming environment in which kids can shop for their week’s wardrobe thereby reducing the stress that families in-need experience.
Marty Shapiro
Marty Shapiro is the founder and publisher of Stamford City Lifestyle magazine, a local, monthly lifestyle publication. For the past 40 years, Marty has been in the advertising and sponsorship sales industry, working for companies such as Madison Square Garden, CNN and Clear Channel Outdoor, where he specializes in building strategic partnerships between properties and brands. In addition to his role on the board of Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County, he serves on the board of directors and development committee of the Stamford Senior Center. Marty lives in Stamford and has three adult children.