Meet the Board
Susanna Baird is president and co-founder of the Clothing Connection and serves as grants chair and manager of our storehouse. Her children attend Salem High School and Salem Academy Charter School. She works as a writer/editor and volunteers with the Salem Literary Festival. 2016-present
Catherine Bertrand is the office administrator at First Church in Salem, where the Clothing Connection storehouse is housed, and represents the church on the board. Catherine’s child attends Collins Middle School. 2021-present
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Tracy Czahor helps manage our storehouse and serves as liaison to the Early Childhood Center, where she works as a paraprofessional. She has children at Saltonstall School, Salem Academy Charter School, and Essex Northshore Agricultural and Technical School. 2017-present
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Vickie Dawson is Clothing Connection clerk and manages our Salem High School closet and pop-up pantry. She has lived in Salem since 1995. All of her children are attending or have gone through the Salem school system. One is still in the school system, at the high school. Vickie subbed in the elementary schools for a couple of years. Currently she is very active in several community organizations including her church, Tabernacle in Salem, where she serves on the outreach committee. 2017-present
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Jenni Espinal works as Family Engagement Facilitator at Saltonstall School and works very closely with the multilingual families at the school. She has a son at Salem High School. Jenni is also part of the Salem District Family Counsel. 2021-present
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Beth Forrestal is co-founder of The Clothing Connection and the community outreach chair, a role that includes communicating with volunteers, administering the website and Facebook page, and interfacing with translators to make sure all our communications are accessible to caregivers, regardless of language spoken. She has two students at Salem Academy Charter School that she forces to attend theater with her. Beth works for the City of Salem Department of Planning and Community Development and is a new and enthusiastic volunteer for the Salem Literary Festival. When not working or volunteering, Beth enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, and beating her family at Scrabble. 2016-present
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A former Carlton School PTO member, Jeff Fox teaches Physics and Forensics at Saugus High School and has children at Salem High School and Salem Academy Charter School. 2022-present
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Gina Grinarml is co-chair of fundraising for the Clothing Connection. She is a Pilates and fitness instructor at the Salem YMCA and Head Coach of the Salem YMCA Swim Team. Her daughter attends Carlton Innovation School and her son attends Salem Academy Charter School. 2020-present
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Arielle Gronner has lived in Salem since 2007, and has served as treasurer of the Clothing Connection since the start of the organization's 2018-19 fiscal year. Her daughter attended Carlton Elementary School and Collins Middle School, and currently attends Salem High School. She works for an arts management agency based in Marblehead. 2018-present
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Bethann Jellison is the principal at Carlton Innovation School and helped co-found The Clothing Connection. She has lived in Salem almost her entire life. She went to Carlton Elementary School and then to Witchcraft Heights Elementary School. She went to Middle School West (now Collins Middle School) and graduated from Salem High School. She has three children; all three graduated from Salem High School. 2016-present
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Yvonne Jones is a part-time online tutor for Salem Public Schools. A Salem native, Yvonne attended the Bentley Elementary School, Middle School East (now Saltonstall), and Salem High. She lives in Salem with her family, including a son at Salem High School and a daughter at Collins Middle School. 2022-present
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Kendra LeFleur is co-chair of fundraising for the Clothing Connection. She works as a Senior Content Project Manager for Macmillan Learning and lives in Salem with her husband and their three children, all former Carlton students. One graduated from and another attends Salem High School and one attends Essex Northshore Agricultural and Technical School. 2017-present
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Colette Loux co-founded the Clothing Connection, serves as clothing chair, and manages the closet at Collins Middle School. A Salem native and Salem State graduate, Colette has two children, one at Collins Middle School and one at Salem High School. 2016-present
A social worker, Stephanie Makary was one of the Clothing Connection’s first board members. She has children at Carlton Innovation School and Collins Middle School. 2017-present
Marlene Warner is the CEO of the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health and is a board member of the National Council on Problem Gambling. Marlene has children at Salem High School, St. John’s Prep, and Saltonstall School. 2022-present