Category: Member Profiles

Meet Colleen Connell, proud charter member of Impact100 SJ.  Colleen first learned about Impact100 from Kyle Ruffin, who serves on the board of the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) with Colleen’s husband, John. She was immediately attracted to a business model in which every member’s vote counts equally toward selecting grantees, making tremendous impacts toward their missions. Also, the opportunity to meet other local South Jersey women who are passionate about philanthropy and volunteerism was very appealing. Colleen finds inspiration in women who are leaders in their communities. “Just like the Milky Way, we are all single stars working together to create beautiful outcomes collaboratively.”     Colleen is an active member of Impact100. She has co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) Task Force with Nina Cohen, where she was able to draw on…

Paula Fairly is not new to charity, non-profits and philanthropy.  Paula gives both time and money because she is able to, and she is committed to the mission. Paula is a semi-retired executive involved in working with others on developing their exciting, new life chapters. She is a former member of the Moorestown Rotary Club.  During a Rotary presentation featuring Cindy Quinton and Kyle Ruffin, Impact 100, South Jersey was presented.  Paula was impressed with what she heard and decided to provide support to the group.  She appreciates the idea of tapping into women and encouraging them to give back to local organizations in need.   In addition to a full professional employment background at organizations such as Travelers and General Electric, Paula has served on several Boards and community committees. …

Abby Cohler joined Impact 100 SJ in 2019. At the time, she was looking to get involved with a local charitable organization and do more than just “write the check."  She discovered that Impact 100 SJ filled that need for her.  She was intrigued by the fact that IMPACT 100 SJ is solely run by women volunteers, allows each member the choice to be as involved with the organization as she wants to be, and gives out impactful grants to local organizations.   At that time, she went on-line, looked up our local chapter and joined immediately. After she joined, she learned that some of her friends/colleagues were also members, After joining, Abby jumped right in and got involved.  For the first two years (even impacted by COVID shut-downs) she became a member…

Volunteerism, community engagement and philanthropy are baked into Kimberly’s DNA. From her earliest days, Kimberly recalls that her mother and grandparents instilled in her a “service to others” mindset. She worked alongside family members to give back to their community which inspired Kimberly to follow suit. Throughout her adolescent and young adult years, she often helped out at local fundraisers and other philanthropic initiatives in her native North Carolina community. It was through these early experiences that led Kimberly on a long journey of supporting charitable causes and decades of hands-on community engagement and volunteerism. Interested to build community with other South Jersey women and explore a collaborative approach to philanthropy, Kimberly was intrigued to learn about Impact100 South Jersey’s mission and collective giving model from a SJ Magazine article…

Upon reconnecting with a South Jersey friend after a 20-year gap, Terri Shirley-Summerhayes learned that her old friend was a member of Impact100 South Jersey. Terri had belonged to a supportive group of young mothers, the South Jersey Mother’s Network, in Marlton when her children were very young. She was also an active and engaged member of the Marlton community serving on the school board, volunteering in community organizations and local civic activities, while raising her children. Fast forward a couple of decades, Terri serendipitously met up with former SJ Mother’s Network member, Valerie Buickerood, and learned about Impact100 South Jersey - another group of like-minded women. Now in both a personal and professional position to give back financially, Terri was inspired to join. When asked why she joined in…

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” ~ Maya Angelou Pharmacist by trade, philanthropist by choice, Kruti Lodhavia was excited to learn that there was a whole group of women who had this common bond of giving back. After seeing a social media post about Impact100 SJ, Kruti searched the website for information and recognized Sue Polikoff among the member list. When she reached out, Sue shared her own positive experience as a member and Kruti’s decision was sealed. She couldn’t wait to join! A pharmacist and manager with Walgreens for more than 20 years, Kruti returned to South Jersey after living in Louisiana with her husband, and starting their family there. She was  raised in Atlantic City and is happy to…

A woman living her purpose-driven life. Longtime South Jersey resident Stefanie Levine Cohen has traveled a professional and personal journey with twists and turns. As a trained lawyer, Stefanie knew her gifts and talents were better suited in areas other than the practice of law. She found her calling connecting with other people through writing, active parenting and hands-on community engagement. To exemplify her purpose, Stefanie is a Charter member of Impact100 SJ and has served on the Leadership Council since her second year. She is a former Chair of the Governance committee and a former member of the grant review committee. What lights Stefanie up most about volunteerism and community engagement is her commitment to be a force for positive change. With so many urgent needs and giving opportunities…

It pays to have friends in high places. Invited by Impact100 SJ founding member Kyle Ruffin to join the movement, organizational development consultant and executive coach Teressa Moore Griffin liked the notion of collaboration and pooling resources to support making a greater impact than she could otherwise make on her own. Teressa has been a long-time supporter of philanthropic causes, though Impact100 SJ struck her differently. She is heartened and touched by its mission to develop a spirit of community among local women who also value combining resources to have a greater impact. As an early joiner, Teressa attended one of the first membership information meetings and found that Impact100 SJ is everything that Kyle described it to be. Following the first membership drive, Teressa submitted her initial contribution to…

Ellen learned about the Impact100 organization from her cousin who is very involved with Greenville (SC) Women Giving.  Hearing about all the good they do in their community, Ellen wanted to help her South Jersey community the same way, so she joined Impact100 South Jersey.  In the three years since she became a member, Ellen has been appointed to the Impact100 Leadership Council, and now co-chairs the Public Relations/ Marketing and Resource Development committees.   Ellen has been in the public relations/marketing field for over 25 years, most recently serving as Chief Marketing Officer for a few large law firms. Ellen graduated from the University of Delaware and began her career at the American Red Cross in New York City.  “I had a great boss who mentored me.  Thanks to him…