Board Of Directors
Margaret Donovan
Board Chair
Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder
Kathleen Tourjee
Board Secretary
Moses Weitzman Health System
Brian Pierne
Board Treasurer
Retired Financial Executive
Amy Antioho
Veterans Advocate
Mike Cabrey
Veteran & Leadership Coach
Joseph J. Cherico
McCarter & English, LLP
Mitchell A. Fink
Veteran and IT Consultant
Paul Greatsinger
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Brian Hughes
Deep Hollow Farm
Daniel Kazup
KPMG US
Jeffrey G. LaPierre, Esq.
Veteran and Public Defender
Kevin M. Lenehan
Sikorsky, A Lockheed Martin Company
Komla Matrevi
State of Connecticut, Social Equity Council, Department of Economic and Community Development
William Pieper
Veteran
John Rios
Veteran
Kevin Sanders
Veteran
Jeffrey A. Udell
Walden Macht Haran & Williams LLP
Kiana Makris
Board Fellow
Yale School of Management
Caroline Petro
Board Fellow
Yale School of Management
Advisory Board
Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator, Connecticut
Kevin P. Brown
Former Chairman, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority
Colonel, US Army, Retired
Laurie Harkness
Founder, VA Connecticut’s Errera Community Care Center
Professor Michael Wishnie
Yale Law School
Meet Our Board of Directors
Listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Amy Antioho
Board Member
Amy L. Antioho is an advocate for Veterans. She also works at Cold Spring Brook Farm in Berlin, CT and Siltec Labs, LLC in Portland, CT. Amy and her husband, Army Veteran CPT Peter Antioho, were clients of the CVLC after Peter was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer related to his time in service. Before Peter died in 2020, the CVLC helped the Antiohos fight for the benefits Peter earned. Amy knows firsthand how daunting it can be to file a service-connection claim with the Veteran Benefits Administration. Her mission is to help others not have to go through this overwhelming task alone. Amy was able to share Peter’s experience with the legislative team working on the PACT Act, some of which helped inform portions of the new law. Amy is honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the CVLC, both in memory of Peter and also to ensure no other families have to fight for the benefits they deserve. Her experience advocating for her husband provides a valued perspective to the CVLC’s mission.
Photo by David Apuzzo.
Mike Cabrey
Board Member
Mike Cabrey is a retired US Army Colonel with 30 years of Active Duty service. Commissioned in May of 1986 from the United States Military Academy at West point, he served in a variety of Artillery positions leading and commanding from the platoon through brigade level. From 2003-2004 he commanded and led over 750 soldiers in direct combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Upon retirement from the Army, Mike served as The Dean of Administration in the College of International Security Affairs at the National defense University. From 2019-2020 he was on the Planning and Zoning Commission in Colonial Beach, VA and from 2020-2022, he was elected to the Town Council and served as the Vice Mayor of Colonial Beach. He moved to Hartford, CT in March of 2022 where he now spends a majority of his time as a volunteer for the community.
While serving in the Army, he earned the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, the Ranger Tab and holds two Masters Degrees in Advanced Military Studies and International Relations.
Joseph J. Cherico
Board Member
Margaret Donovan
Board Chair
Margaret M. Donovan was unanimously elected Board Chair, succeeding long-time Chair Kevin Lenehan, in 2024.
Margaret served six years in the United States Army as an attorney in the JAG Corps. She spent significant time overseas, serving on combat deployments to Iraq and Syria, advising on disaster relief operations in Liberia, and being stationed over a year on the Korean peninsula.
After separating from the military, Margaret served for six years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut at the New Haven office. Her cases as a federal prosecutor focused on firearms prosecutions, domestic terrorism, and violent crime.
In July 2024, Margaret left the Department of Justice to join Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder in Bridgeport, Connecticut, supporting their growing firearms litigation practice and other malpractice areas. She sits as a Co-Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Federal Practice Section. She has instructed at Yale Law School on federal prosecution and the Russo-Ukrainian War, and was recently named a fellow at the National Institute of Military Justice. She holds a B.A. from Fordham University and a J.D. from Fordham Law.
Photo by Joel Callaway.
Mitchell A. Fink
Board Member
Mitchell is an independent consultant specializing in helping companies and organizations navigate a wide range of IT and governance specifications. Over the past two decades, various regulatory bodies have established requirements related to cybersecurity posture, policy and procedure controls, and governance. Key regulations include the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, HIPAA, GDPR, and CMMC. Additionally, international standards organizations have introduced guidelines such as SSAE-18 SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI.
In his typical engagements, Mitchell guides and assists his clients in achieving compliance and successfully passing the necessary audits. He began his career as a programmer and, after serving in the U.S. Army, worked as a consultant before founding his own software company. They developed computer systems for investment advisors, brokers, and several equity exchanges.
In his spare time, Mitchell enjoys spending as much time as possible on his road bike and is actively involved in the local bicycle club. He is the coach of the Special Olympics Cycling team.
Paul Greatsinger
Board Member
Paul Greatsinger is a Vice President with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Stamford, CT, where he provides Financial Advice and Planning to families and businesses. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Paul served twenty years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. An Infantry Officer, he served in more than 40 countries, to include deploying in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Joint Endeavor prior to his retirement in 2006.
Photo by Joel Callaway.
Brian Hughes
Board Member
Brian Hughes is the Managing Director of Deep Hollow Farm, producing organic fruits and vegetables in Chester, Connecticut. A former Sergeant in the US Army, Brian served in the Ranger Regiment on three deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
He is a graduate of Yale University and of the University of Connecticut School of Law and currently pursuing an advanced degree in religious studies at Columbia University.
Daniel Kazup
Board Member
Bio coming soon.
Jeffrey G. LaPierre, Esq.
Board Member
Jeff LaPierre is a Senior Assistant Public Defender with over 24 years of indigent criminal defense currently in the Milford office. He has practiced in various criminal courts throughout Connecticut with experience in all types of criminal cases.
He is a Brigadier General in the Connecticut Army National Guard with over 33 years of service including deployments to Kuwait/Iraq and Kosovo. He is an Army Senior Aviator with over 1,000 flight hours. He has commanded at the Company, Battalion and Brigade level. His current position is the Director of Joint Staff, Connecticut National Guard. He is a board member of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Area I Army.
He holds of B.A. from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law and received an M.A. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Jeff is a proud husband and father. He wife is Corinne LaPierre and children are Dylan (11) and Juliette (8).
Kevin M. Lenehan
Board Member
Kevin Lenehan is the Senior Counsel Litigation at Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, in Stratford, Connecticut. Kevin manages and directs most litigation at Sikorsky, including all products liability matters, contracts and insurance-related litigation. Kevin has been at Sikorsky in that role since 2008. Prior to joining Sikorsky, Kevin was a litigation associate at LeBoeuf Lamb/Dewey LeBoeuf in Hartford. Kevin retired from the US Navy as a Commander (O-5) after 22+ years. During that time we was, among other things, a helicopter pilot with experience flying the H-53D/E, the UH-60, the TH-57 and the T-34. Kevin lives in Connecticut with his wife Mary and has three children, Kathryn (Katy), Kevin Jr. and Patrick. Kevin has been active in Veterans causes since his retirement and during his time at Sikorsky he has taken a leadership role in the Sikorsky Homerun for Heroes (HFH) fundraiser which raises money and awareness for CVLC, Harkness House and the Connecticut Fallen Heroes Foundation. This year, HFH will also support the Madaras House, a community-based transitional home for homeless female Veterans in Connecticut.
Kiana Makris
Board Fellow
Kiana is an MBA candidate at the Yale School of Management (SOM) and joined the CVLC Board of Directors through their Nonprofit Board Fellow program. Prior to her time at SOM, she served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the United States Army for four years. During her service, she completed a deployment to Kuwait and was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, where she managed intelligence personnel such as geospatial and all-source analysts. Additionally, Kiana dedicated some of her professional experience to American Corporate Partners (ACP), a nonprofit that supports veterans, active duty service members, and their spouses in finding mentors within the corporate sector. Kiana’s commitment to the military extends beyond her professional life, as her husband currently serves as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army. She holds an undergraduate degree from UCLA, where she studied political science with a focus on international relations.
Komla Matrevi
Board Member
Komla Matrevi is a first-generation American attorney who immigrated from the republic of Togo where he was born. He graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law where he specialized in human rights and social justice. He became an attorney in 2019 and his legal practice is focused on government practice. He has worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration as an attorney advisor where he helped support the Covid-19 disaster relief programs. Then, he joined the Connecticut Social Equity Council as a staff attorney to support the agency’s efforts in creating comprehensive social equity programs for the recently legalized adult use cannabis industry. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont appointed Komla Matrevi to serve as a human rights referee at the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities in 2023. Komla Matrevi has previously enlisted in the U.S. army and was stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He is a member of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association where he serves as a vice president. Finally, he was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for Connecticut Veterans Legal Center in 2023. Komla Matrevi is passionate about meditation, traveling, and poetry.
Caroline Petro
Board Fellow
Caroline is a first-year MBA student at the Yale School of Management, serving the CVLC as a Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellow. She has devoted her career to strengthening nonprofits so they can make greater impact and has held roles in development, nonprofit programming, community partnerships, and advocacy at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Harvard University, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, and more. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College and completed a year of volunteer service as a member of AmeriCorps. Caroline is proud of and deeply grateful to know the many veterans among her family and friends, and she is honored to have the opportunity to support CVLC’s mission as a Board Fellow.
Wiliam Pieper
Board Member
William “Bill” Pieper is a retired senior trust officer, who worked for several banks and for a leading national provider of retirement plan outsourcing solutions. With 40 years of experience in trust administration and investments, he provided fiduciary services to retirement plans, foundations, endowments, and high net worth individuals. Bill also currently serves as the 2nd Selectman for the Town of North Haven. Bill retired as an Army Lieutenant Colonel with over 23 years of military service while on active duty and in the National Guard and the Army Reserve.
Brian Pierne
Board Treasurer
Brian Pierne is a financial executive with Deloitte & Touche LLP focused on financial planning, operations improvements, and controller activities. Brian has led projects ranging from due diligence on acquisitions to financial transformations during his 25+ years at Deloitte. Brian holds a BS from the University of Connecticut and a MS from Fairfield University.
John Rios
Board Member
John served in the US Navy and was attached to the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN71 from 1994 -1998. During his time of service John completed three tours in combat theaters. After his enlistment, CVLC helped John gain access to health care and disability benefits that he was entitled to as a veteran.
John is honored to serve on the Board of Directors to ensure other military veterans that they are not alone when fighting for the benefits they deserve.
Kevin Sanders
Board Member
Bio coming soon.
Photo by David Apuzzo.
Kathleen Tourjee
Board Secretary
Kathi earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MS in Business from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her previous volunteer work has included many years of youth coaching as well as serving on the Board of Directors for Family Service of Southeastern Connecticut. She is delighted to be a part of the CVLC Board, at least in part, as a tribute to her late father, who did a tour of duty with the Marines. His service, although brief, helped define his own values and those of his children.
Jeffrey A. Udell
Board Member
Jeffrey Udell is a partner at Walden Macht & Haran LLP. His practice focuses on white-collar criminal and regulatory defense, corporate monitorships and internal investigations, frequently handling matters investigated or brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other law enforcement authorities. From 1999-2005, Jeff served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (Criminal Division) in the Southern District of New York. Jeff chaired the New York City Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility Committee from 2008-2011, where he supervised the issuance of reports, commentary and proposals regarding New York’s legal ethics rules. Jeff is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a summa cum laude graduate of Columbia College and he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edward R. Korman, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of New York.
JOIN OUR FIGHT WITH A LIFE-CHANGING GIFT TODAY
Your donation will help us serve more than 1,500 Veterans across Connecticut this year.
(bottom of page) Hector Alicea, Veteran and former client (left) and April Pearson, Veteran and former client (right). Photos by Desirea Stott-Rodgers Photography.