Melissa Hannequin, Executive Director 

Advisory Council Leadership 

Co-Chairs: Katie Curran & Kara Prunty 

Vice Chair: Grace Molina 

Danbury Parent Representatives, Danbury Community 

Chairs, Working Groups, Danbury Collective  

Superintendent, Danbury Public Schools 

Board of Education Chair or Proxy, Danbury Public Schools/City of Danbury 

Mayor or Proxy, City of Danbury 

President & CEO, United Way of Coastal and Western CT (Backbone) 

President & CEO, CT Institute for Communities 

Executive Director, Community Action Agency of Western CT 

Outreach Director, Danbury Public Library 

Director of Health & Human Services, Danbury Dept. of Public Health 

Director Family, School & Community Partnerships, Danbury Public Schools 

Educators & Current Teacher and Building Leader, Danbury Public Schools 

Executive Director, Danbury Collective 

Working Groups 

Chronic Absenteeism and Learner Engagement  

Co-Chairs: Anne Mead, Danbury Public Schools & Yazin Shilleh, DanburyWORKS 

Early Childhood Education  

Co-Chair: Liz Quinonez, United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut 

Youth Mental Health  

Co-Chair: Fernanda Carvalho, Danbury Department of Health & Human Services 

FAQ

1. Who is part of Danbury Collective? 
   The Danbury Collective is a “cradle-to-career" collective impact, community-led organization dedicated to ensuring that all children and families in Danbury have full and equitable access to opportunities to be successful and thrive in life. We are a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating our actions to achieve systems level change. We are a movement of people impacted by and impacting a challenge, who share power, trust, resources, and effort to achieve a common purpose: led by the community, we work together to foster positive, measurable, and sustainable outcomes for Danbury children and families.   
    
   We are comprised of more than 30 individual community members, community non-profit organizations, and Danbury institutions, including but not limited to: City of Danbury Office of the Mayor, Danbury Public Schools, Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut, Connecticut Institute for Communities, Danbury Public Library, and the New American Dream Foundation. To view the full list of Danbury Collective members, click here. If you would like to become a member of the Collective, please view and sign our Membership Agreement HERE. 

2. What is the leadership structure of Danbury Collective? 
   Danbury Collective is staffed with an Executive Director. It has an Advisory Council that provides targeted governance and strategic guidance to the collective, including outreach and advocacy, resource development, backbone staff support, and organizational oversight.  

3. I am a parent. Can I get involved? What would be my role? 
   Yes! If you want to help improve outcomes for children and youth, you are welcome. If you want to share your ideas about how education can improve in Danbury, you are welcome. We want and need parents to get involved – you have firsthand experience with your children’s education and we want to know what your kids need. Collective impact works when parents, educators, youth, and community members share their voices at the same table as representatives from organizations and institutions.  
    
   If you join, you can expect to participate in collective meetings every few months. You can also join a Working Group about a specific focus area (chronic absenteeism and learner engagement, early childhood education, and youth mental health), and work on implementing a plan to improve specific outcomes. 

4. I notice a strong presence of Danbury Public Schools in the Danbury Collective. Is this an initiative of Danbury Public Schools? Does Danbury Collective only work with K-12, public-school students? 
   Danbury Collective aims to ensure that all children and families have full access to opportunities to be successful in life. Our work supports children from birth to young adulthood – “cradle to career” – and we hope to impact children in all educational settings (public, private, home school, and early childhood). 
    
   Danbury Collective is not a direct initiative of Danbury Public Schools; but, given that Danbury Public Schools is a core service provider for children in Danbury, they are a core partner to the Danbury Collective. We have a strong relationship with the Schools Superintendent, Family, School and Community Partnerships, Board of Education, and citywide PTO. Danbury Public Schools holds seats equal to other community entities on our Advisory Council.  

5. Does Danbury Collective operate direct service programs? 
   No. However, many of our partner organizations operate direct service programs to Danbury community members. Danbury Collective is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems level change. 

6. Are there any other Collective Impact movements in Connecticut? 
   Yes! There are four other movements across the state: Bridgeport Prospers, Norwalk ACTS, Stamford Cradle to Career, and Waterbury Bridge to Success. 

8. How is Danbury Collective funded? 
   We received a seed grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation in December 2022. The grant comes from NMEF’s Advancing Community-School Partnerships grant fund, and is provided over an 18-month period. The Collective welcomes prospective funders who are interested in learning more about and supporting our work! 

9. What is Danbury Collective’s relationship with the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut? 
   United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut serves as the “backbone” of the Danbury Collective, providing funding, fiduciary services, managing back-office operations, and supporting strategic success through thought partnership and collaboration.