Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation

The CVEF volunteer Board includes passionate people in the community, each committed to the idea of building a community of lifelong learners. Our Board organizes fundraising events and manages the grant funding and award cycle.

We are proud to have as Board and committee members, business people, parents, retirees, educators and others committed to supporting community educational programs. If you would like to become involved with our Foundation by either joining our Board or serving as a committee member, please get in touch with us. We are always looking for people who share the values of the Foundation!   

Merrill Adams

Merrill and her husband, Richard, have lived in Middlefield since 1967. They have two adult daughters and three grandchildren. A graduate of Dickinson College and Wesleyan University, she taught English in Wallingford and at Coginchaug for 25 years. In 1968, she worked with residents from Middlefield and Durham to create Regional School District #13 (RSD13). In 1970, she and other parents in the district petitioned to form an “alternative elementary school program,” which led to the ID program  at John Lyman School. Merrill has served on commissions in town, including 12 years on the  District 13 Board of Education. In 2005, Merrill began the planning for a local education foundation. Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation (CVEF) is the culmination of her goal and the hard work of many early volunteers. 

Betsy White Booz

Betsy has lived in Durham with her husband since 1989 and has two adult sons. The majority of her professional career has been in the healthcare field, initially as a lobbyist, but primarily as a managed care benefits and contracts manager and consultant, specializing in Medicare. Locally, she was a contributing writer to the Town Times newspaper and associate editor for six years. Betsy’s volunteer work has included membership on a number of PTOs and RSD13 special committees, current President of PALS, as well a former member of the Durham Fair Association and the Durham Fair Foundation. Betsy is a founding member of the CVEF Board.

Liz Conroy

Liz has lived in Durham with her husband since 1997, though she has long-time family ties to both Durham and Middlefield.  Liz has three adult children and one grandchild.  She has a background in accounting and finance, and works in these fields both professionally and as a volunteer.  She is a founding member of the CVEF Board.

Nancy Earls

Nancy has been a resident of Middlefield for almost 30 years and has four adult children and five grandchildren. She has a Masters in Counseling from the University of Hartford and has worked with at risk youth, adult literacy programs and teenage mothers. She is a retired teacher of Language Arts and Humanities, as well as  team leader, at Strong Middle School. She has served on various building, curriculum, strategic planning, and hiring committees, and is proud of her contribution to helping articulate the importance of values in the school system resulting in the establishment of the RSD13 Core Ethical Values. Nancy is one of the original founders of the Middlefield Children’s Center. She volunteers at the Bushnell Center for Performing Arts and can be found in her kayak on most warm days.

Maggie Peterson

Maggie has lived in Durham since 1982 with her husband and has three adult children and one grandchild. Professionally, Maggie is an award-winning graphic designer with more than 30 years’ experience running her own business. Maggie has been active in the DFA in many different capacities for more than 20 years. She is also a Director and Secretary of the Durham Cemetery Company. Maggie designed the CVEF logo and subsequently became a CVEF Board member in 2008. She designs most of the CVEF’s collateral materials. 

Claudia rovelli

Claudia and her husband have lived in Durham since 2008 and together have two sons. She was raised in a military family and has lived coast to coast and overseas. Claudia is a member of Fellowship Church in Middletown and has volunteered in the Children’s ministry for 12 years. In her former life, Claudia was an F.B.I. Agent for over two decades. She currently serves as Vice-President for the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of Former F.B.I. Agents and the Republican Registrar for the Town of Durham and is on the CRHS Scholarship Committee. Claudia became familiar with CVEF when she and her son received a CVEF grant to start a Math Tutoring Program for RSD-13. She subsequently joined CVEF and has served on the Fundraising Committee and the Pandemic Playbook Sub-Committee. Claudia is proud and honored to serve on the CVEF Board of Directors.