To continue to meet the wide range of issues and capacity needs for Island nonprofits, MVNC has appointed three new Board of Directors, Diana Barrett, Ann Smith, and Eileen Nugent. All come with Island connections and years of experience serving nonprofits nationwide. 

Diana Barrett brings a resume of nonprofit experience to her post and a keen interest in how nonprofit organizations can collaborate and work more effectively together. Diana retired from a distinguished career at Harvard University, where she taught at both the School of Public Health and Harvard Business School.

She has extensive experience working with organizations worldwide to help solve social problems related to diversity, sustainable housing, and health care. Active with a wide range of Island issues and organizations, including Vineyard House, Community Services, Sheriff's Meadow, and IGI, Diana is a founding member of MV Youth and sits on an Advisors Group at the Island Housing Trust. Diana lives in Chilmark and Florida.

Ann Smith is the Executive Director of Featherstone Center for the Arts, the year-round community arts center providing gallery shows, events and art classes, and workshops for youth and adults on Martha’s Vineyard. She also serves as Chair of the Board of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and is the Chair of the Arts Martha’s Vineyard steering committee. She has received numerous awards for her successful leadership including the Massachusetts Tourism Award, Massachusetts (May 2015); the Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard Creative Living Award for noteworthy contributions in the Vineyard’s arts, culture, and community life and significantly improving the quality of life on the Island (November 2015) and the MV Museum’s Martha’s Vineyard Medal which recognizes outstanding commitment to preserving the history, arts, and culture of Martha’s Vineyard (August 2018). 

Eileen Nugent cares deeply about nonprofits' role and value and how she can help them improve their value to their constituents and ultimately to the Vineyard. Eileen recently retired as a senior partner at the Skadden law firm in New York City. Recognized as one of the most skilled Mergers and Acquisitions lawyers globally, Eileen excels in navigating and resolving conflict-of-interest situations. Her years of experience dealing with nonprofits' financial and policy issues include her role as Vice-Chair of the Hospital Fund Board at the Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York. She also sits on the Board of Trustees of Brooklyn Law School. The treasurer of her community association on the Vineyard, Eileen lives in Chilmark and New York City.

Martha's Vineyard Nonprofit Collaborative (MVNC) works to strengthen the island's nonprofits by providing advocacy, capacity-building programs, and essential resources to support the vital work to sustain the Vineyard that we love. More at mvnonprofits.org.