The Connecticut Trust is pleased to welcome the Honorable Cathy Osten and Olivia White as members of the Board of Trustees, serving terms ending on July 1, 2021 (or until a successor is duly appointed).
Senator Osten—who lives in a house that was built in 1875—is a long-time advocate for historic preservation and a frequent visitor to historic sites such as the Leffingwell Inn in Norwich (built in 1675, it is one of Connecticut’s oldest buildings), the Buckingham House in Norwich (built in 1847 by William A. Buckingham, who was the mayor of Norwich and governor of Connecticut), and the Huntington Homestead in Scotland (birthplace of Samuel Huntington, a signer of the Declaration of Independence). “You can’t really understand how our country came to be without understanding our past, and that’s what these buildings teach us and that’s why we need to preserve these sites,” Senator Osten said in a recent press release.
Ms. White is the former executive director of the Amistad Center for Art and Culture, a nonprofit cultural arts organization, housed at the Wadsworth Atheneum, that owns a vital collection of 7,000 items including art, artifacts, and popular culture objects that document the experience, expressions, and history of people of African American heritage. Under her leadership, The Amistad Center underwent renovations to expand and create a new 4,000 square-foot exhibition, program and office space. Ms. White currently sits on the boards of several organizations, including: The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights State Advisory Committee, Hartford Performs, and Connecticut Explored magazine.
According to the Special Acts of the Connecticut General Assembly, which chartered the Connecticut Trust, the Governor of Connecticut may appoint up to 3 members to the Board of Trustees. Click here for a full list of members of the Board of Trustees.