Board Of Directors

Board of Directors

Mary Ann Wasil, President, CEO & Founder

Lucia Aschettino
Christina Brandt
Suzanne Cahill
Joan Cagginello, Secretary
Lorrie Lewis
Celeste Lohrenz , Treasurer
Zinelle Mackro
Sarah Nikkel
Jorge Santiago
Eileen Scully, Chairman

Kristina Cappetta - Operations Coordinator
Taylor Ritzel - "GIT Your Pink On!" Day Coordinator
Marcia Winter - Grants & Development Coordinator

Consulting Board

Tia Campbell, RN, MSN, NCSN
Nancy Cappello, PhD
Christopher Conley, CPA
Kelly Ann Harkins, MD
Nicole Larizza, MS
Karen Laugel, MD
Carol Mack
A. Dennis McBride, MD, MPH
Kerry Robinson
Anna Rubino
Andrea Silber, MD
Barbara Ward, MD

"Ambassador of Hope" - Amy Brechon

Youth Ambassadors:

Mary Nilan - University of Virginia, Chairman

Mary Ann Wasil, President, CEO & Founder

Mary Ann is a Breast Cancer Survivor, Health Activist, President, CEO and Founder of The Get In Touch Foundation.

On February 4, 2004, Mary Ann was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer and began a grueling life saving protocol of dose dense chemotherapy, followed by a bi-lateral mastectomy. During this time, Mary Ann and writer-friend, Susan Patrick, along with photojournalist-friend, Christopher Capozziello, began documenting her journey of chemotherapy, mastectomy and reconstruction, having been unable to find a resource that could provide the powerful imagery she sought to help her through this difficult time. This groundbreaking series of images, entitled "A Diary of Healing," helps to educate, comfort, and ultimately, empower women diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as those who love them. ("A Diary of Healing" exhibit is available by contacting exhibits@chriscappy.com.) Mary Ann's book, "A Diary of Healing" will be published this year by Balboa Press, a division of Hay House Publishing.

Mary Ann, a former midnight shift police officer in CT, is also an actress and model, having worked for ten years on the ABC soap opera, All My Children, as well as on numerous independent films, commercials and voice-overs, and is also a public speaker promoting Breast Health Awareness & Education. She has been a public speaker in the area of Elementary School Advancement for the National Catholic Educational Association, and in January 2007 was the recipient of the Milford Chamber of Commerce Human Services Award for "unselfish service, care and concern for people in need." Mary Ann spent nearly six years as Director of Advancement & Enthusiasm for Saint Ann Church and School in Milford, before taking the helm as full-time Executive Director of Get In Touch in June 2008.

In 2007 Mary Ann received an Official Citation from the State of Connecticut General Assembly in honor and recognition of her Dedication and Extraordinary Service in Creating Awareness Toward the Treatment and Prevention of Breast Cancer. In 2010, Mary Ann received the Oprah Magazine CoverGirl "Giving Beautiful Back" award, and was honored at Madison Square Garden by WNBA's New York Liberty and Hallmark Channel, along with eighteen other "Women Who Inspire!"

Mary Ann is a dynamic and accomplished public speaker, having been the keynote speaker at various school nursing conferences, nationally and internationally, including the 2010 Overseas School Health Nurses Association Conference in Germany, the 2010 New England School Nurses Association Conference, the 2010 Association of School Nurses of Connecticut Conference, the 2010 Virginia Association of School Nurses Conference, and most recently, the 2011 International School Nurses of Asia Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the National Association of School Nurses Conference in Washington, DC in 2011 and again in San Francisco, CA in 2012.

Mary Ann's son Eddy is a freshman at Fairfield University in Connecticut, while daughters Betsy and Mary are students at the University of Virginia. She thanks God each day for the blessings He continues to bestow on her, promising always to find new ways of reaching out to those in need.

Christina Brandt

Christina Brandtis a Master Certified Coach as well as a former human resources executive with over 20 years experience in a variety of industries, in both large corporations and startups. She’s helped hundreds of people to determine their passions, strengths and marketable skills, and coached them through the process of defining their ideal work and how to create it. Working with Christina, clients answer the question “What’s next?” and are awakened to new possibilities for bringing satisfaction, purpose and joy to their professional and personal lives. In addition to her work with individual clients, Chris leads a variety of workshops and coaching groups. She is also an instructor of coaches for Martha Beck, Inc.

During her corporate career, she was a trusted advisor to senior management, providing effective strategies to address issues such as change management, teambuilding, morale, effective communication, improving employee performance and legal compliance. She has developed a variety of company-wide training initiatives and has facilitated focus groups and executive retreats.

Christina holds a B.B.A. in International Management from Pace University and an M.S. in Counseling and Development from Long Island University. Active in her local community, she is a volunteer coach for the Women’s Business Development Council and devotes time to help the animals at PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Society). She is a member of the International Coach Federation, the Entrepreneurial Women’s Network, and the Society for Human Resources Management.

Joan Cagginello, Secretary

Joan has enjoyed a long career in nursing and is currently the Director of Nursing at the Milford Health Department. She found her passion in school health & school nursing and is a member of the executive board of the Association of School Nurses of Connecticut, serving as president during her tenure. She currently serves as the Connecticut Director on the National Association of School Nurses Board of Directors. She is a graduate of St. Vincent's Medical Center and Sacred Heart University and she earned her graduate degree in Health Education from Southern CT State University. Joan and her school nursing staff in Milford offered the first Get In Touch Girls program to girls in grades 5-12 several years ago and continue to present the program annually in all of the Milford Schools.

Joan and her husband Bill reside in Milford and are thrilled that their daughter and son and their spouses, Missy & Brock and Nick & Amy, have settled in Milford as well. They are overjoyed on becoming grandparents this year to granddaughter Grace - a future Get in Touch Girl!

Lorrie Lewis

Lorrie is a motivational marketing services leader with over sixteen years of experience in driving key business initiatives and results for global corporations and brands. She was diagnosed with Stage 1 invasive lobular carcinoma in January 2012. She finished her radiation therapy in April and is currently following a course of drug therapy to reduce the reoccurrence of breast cancer that will last for the next five years. Lorrie and Mary Ann have been friends for over 30 years, which is how Lorrie came to feel passionately about being part of the The Get In Touch Foundation.

Lorrie’s marketing career began with Mott’s Inc. in 1993 where she held the position of Marketing Services Manager. During her eleven year tenure at Mott’s, she contributed to the growth and strategic development of numerous brands within the corporate portfolio. She joined Swiss Army Brands, a global manufacturer and distributor of high quality consumer products in 2004. There, she led the in-house creative agency along with a team of four strategic marketing services managers. As the Director of Marketing Services, she was responsible for driving the development along with creative execution of the annual strategic marketing plans and supporting overall sales and growth objectives for four brands/ eight business divisions with annual sales exceeding $100MM.

Since then, Lorrie has been focusing on her family with whom she resides with in Shelton, CT. Lorrie shares her life with her significant other, Dean, her son, Logan, a Junior at St. Joseph’s High School in Trumbull, CT, and her daughter Morgan, an eighth grader at Shelton Intermediate School.

Lorrie enjoys spending as much time possible with both of her children and is a permanent fixture at Morgan’s softball games.

Lorrie also devotes her time to being an active member of the Saint Jude Parish Council in Monroe, CT where she and Morgan have enjoyed teaching first grade religious education for the past four years.

Celeste Lohrenz, Treasurer

Celeste is an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager for The Milford Bank. She brings over 23 years of banking / financial experience to The Get In Touch Foundation, in assisting them in reaching their goal of worldwide self-awareness and health education for young women.

Celeste is a lifelong resident of Milford, CT, who is strongly committed to supporting her community. Celeste’s past and present volunteer roles include youth mentor, Rotarian, Chamber of Commerce member, United Way of Milford - Leader-on-Loan; she currently sits on the board of The Stratford Community Fund and Beth-El Center, Milford.

Celeste is a self-proclaimed gourmet cook who enjoys motor sports, golf, traveling, and being tall.

Zinelle Mackro

Zinelle grew up in the quiet corner of Connecticut then moved to Milford in 1991 where she met Mary Ann through Suzanne Manning. She now lives with her husband, Doug, in Higganum. She has worked in a marketing capacity for major corporations across many industries including insurance, television and web hosting. Zinelle is currently the owner of Z Design Group, a graphic design and web development firm in CT that she started in 2001. She has had quite a few non-profit clients and enjoys volunteering whenever possible. She loves what she does and loves her clients.

In 2006, Zinelle researched, planned and traveled on her own to Africa for 6 weeks to volunteer at a nature reserve in Bostwana. She lived within the walls of the reserve with a wonderful family that founded the park. In exchange for living there, she provided web design for their business, an African crafts exporting company. During her stay there, she was able to experience the camps at the Education Center. The Center was the site of 4 week-long camps for kids, mostly orphans, whose families had been afflicted with AIDS. The Center was started as a Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the camps that Paul Newman founded, and was mostly run by volunteers from area colleges and religious organizations. It was an experience she will never forget with the lasting impression of how rich and full of excess our American lives are and how grateful we should be for every healthy breath we take.

The Get In Touch Foundation has special meaning to Zinelle as her grandmother had breast cancer and a double mastectomy. The GIT web site was designed by Zinelle and she is thrilled to be a part of the Board of the Get In Touch Foundation to add her world experiences, her far reaching connections and her internet knowledge to the group.

Suzanne Cahill

Suzanne is the President of Red Mat Publishing. Throughout her career in publishing Suzanne has been responsible for the development and supervision of a number of successful publication, book and Internet product launches. In addition to her professional experience Suzanne currently serves on the boards of The United Way of Milford, The Get In Touch Foundation, The Network of Executive Women, and serves on the Board of Aldermen for the City of Milford. She is a member of a number of civic and community-based organizations including The Milford Chamber of Commerce, Milford Hospital Auxiliary, and The Milford Historical Society. Suzanne received her B. S. in Philosophy at Sacred Heart University and has received many business awards within the business community including: The Business Times 40 under 40 and Milford Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year. In addition Suzanne holds two citations from the State of Connecticut for Business Expertise and Community Development. Suzanne resides in Milford, CT with her children, Todd and Maryalice.

Sarah Nikkel

Sarah grew up in northeastern Ohio and earned a bachelor of arts in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Kent State University. Her professional experience includes work in the fields of education, marketing, and advancement. After spending 8 years in Connecticut, where she worked at Yale University's Office of Development, she and her husband, James, and daughter, Anja, moved to the UK in 2012. She currently works in the Advancement Office at TASIS The American School in England. Sarah and her family, enjoy rambles in Windsor Great Park and visiting local pubs, as well as trips to the aquarium, reading stories, and baking.

Even before her daughter was born, Sarah knew that she wanted to find a way to help girls accept, respect, and love themselves and their bodies. Like Paul Newman, she believes "that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out.”

Jorge Santiago

A Senior Vice President and Branch Administrator for The Milford Bank, Jorge is also an instructor with the Center for Financial Training, and brings a passionate interest in community and collaboration to the board of Get In Touch. A resident of Milford, this father of two young children, ages 4 and 8, is committed to community and education. Jorge is the current President of The Boys & Girls Club of Milford, as well as a volunteer with Junior Achievement, and a member of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and the Milford Chamber of Commerce. Jorge is excited to join the board of Get In Touch as Treasurer, and looks forward to the growth of the organization as its mission reaches all corners of the globe, “changing the world one girl at a time.”

Eileen Scully, Chairman

Eileen Scully's passion for supporting nonprofits has always been an undercurrent of her professional life. With just under twenty years of experience with large, multi-national corporations and small, local businesses, Eileen has evolved into a savvy sales and marketing professional who can work with diverse audiences to bring about organizational and personal transformation. Her professional roles have included Marketing Director for a $100MM division of a $1B corporation, Senior Research Analyst for F100 organizations, small business owner of a wine brokerage, and sales director for a $300MM services firm.

She has helped to grow the sponsor base of Kayak for a Cause (KFAC) since her first paddle with them across Long Island Sound in 2006, when she raised over $3,000 through grassroots marketing and a self-deprecating blog. Her sponsor base has grown yearly, and her fundraising is within the top 5% of all participants. She has also become their social media lead, directing all web-related activity for the group, and coordinating all of KFAC's outbound communications through Facebook and Twitter to exponentially grow their participant and sponsor base.

Raising a daughter has only increased Eileen's commitment to access for all girls to responsible, open information about their bodies and their health so that they can make better decisions for themselves and their daughters someday.

"Ambassador of Hope" - Amy Brechon

My name is Amy Elizabeth Brechon. I am 21 years old and I am an 8-year breast cancer survivor.

My Story

In August 2004, when I was 13 years old, I discovered a lump in my left breast while showering. I felt uncomfortable telling her, but I shared this discovery with my mom. She assured me it was probably nothing — just a “normal” part of developing.

After it hadn’t gone away in a month, we saw my pediatrician who ordered an ultrasound and sent us to a surgeon. The radiologist and surgeon agreed that surgery was necessary and on October 18, 2004 they removed a tumor the size of my thumb.

Fearing it might be cancer, a biopsy was sent to the Mayo Clinic. I wasn’t really worried because I didn’t quite understand what was going on, and my parents kept telling me that it would be OK. I believed them.

Besides, whoever heard of an eighth grade girl with breast cancer?

Bad news came back from Mayo a week later - my tumor was malignant. Its official name is cysto-sarcoma phyllodes tumor, a very rare type of tumor - rare to find in young women and rare that it would be malignant.

My parents took me to a breast cancer surgeon in Chicago to remove more tissue from my left breast to be biopsied just to be sure that all of the cancer was gone. Those margins came back clear, and we were all relieved. Even though my cancer had a low-malignancy, radiation and chemotherapy would not help to fight it.

This experience may sound scary, but for me, it wasn’t. I was very young, and looking back, I don’t think I understood the seriousness of it all. My parents told me not to worry — so I didn’t!

My family and I were impressed by the positive, supportive reaction we felt from our community, and when a fair amount of time after my diagnosis had passed and requests began coming in from local Girl Scout troops inviting me to share my story, I was privileged to oblige. I told the girls, who were about my age when I found the lump, that you are never too young to examine your breasts. Start now! I also told them; if you do find something that scares you, don’t be afraid to tell someone. It could save your life.

My Journey:

Over the past few years my story has received quite a bit of exposure, not only in my home state of Illinois but also all over the country. I have spoken to television and newspaper reporters and have met wonderful, supportive people and many brave cancer survivors. I have been given many wonderful opportunities. I am one of the lucky ones!

I am committed to turning my negative into a positive and am on a mission to spread the message of the importance of breast self-exam.

In the fall of 2009, I received the “Woman of Strength Award” from the Get In Touch Foundation and was invited to be their “Ambassador of Hope.” I am living proof of the importance of breast self-exam as a “breast health” practice – for life! – and was delighted to accept this position, one which I am proud and excited to fill!

Youth Ambassadors

Mary Nilan - Chairperson

Mary Nilan, 21, from Milford, CT is also the daughter of Mary Ann Wasil, breast cancer survivor and founder of the Get In Touch Foundation. Mary is a third year student at the University of Virginia, and a member of their Women's Rowing Team. Mary is a founding board member of the Get In Touch Foundation and is also the chairperson of the Youth Ambassador Board. Mary has been instrumental in the development of the Get In Touch Girls' Program & Daisy Wheel. Mary is proud to work with other young women to bring the Get In Touch Girls' Program & Daisy Wheel to every girl in the world!