Greetings and Goodbyes at CLC: Our Board of Directors

In 2018, CLC celebrated the addition of two new members to our Board of Directors, welcomed back a returning member, and said a fond farewell to long-time board members.

Mark Boxer (serving 6 years), Sandra Gersten (serving 12 years), Bob Madden (serving 23 years), and Gaurav Patel (serving 2 years) supported CLC with dedication. While we will miss them, they will always be a part of the CLC family.

Please help us welcome our newest board members, Melissa Arkus and Cara Hardacker!

Melissa Arkus is the Human Resources Officer for Cigna’s Finance, Marketing, Legal and Clinical organizations. She has worked for Cigna for 19 years in various HR leadership roles across the company. In her current role, Melissa is accountable for leading the development and execution of an effective people strategy across these enterprise functions to advance growth priorities. In her previous role, Melissa served as the HR leader for the Global Marketing, Service Operations and Real Estate organization. Under her leadership, the Operations Leadership Development program launched a refreshed framework to attract high caliber early career talent; and create an experiential path to prepare Associates for broad leadership roles. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Legal Studies from Bucknell University and a Juris Doctor from University of Connecticut School of Law. She was admitted to the Connecticut State Bar in 2004. Melissa lives in West Hartford, CT with her husband and two young daughters.

Cara Hardacker is an Assistant Vice President of Underwriting for AXA XL’s professional lines group. She specializes in Directors and Officers Insurance, working with executives of large commercial and financial institutions on their risk management practices and protection. Prior to joining AXA in 2015, Cara lived in Boston for 6 years, working as a Senior Underwriter at Catlin Inc. During her time in Boston she volunteered with a number of charities, spending most of her time helping to run the Young Professionals Group for the Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter for women and children in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Cara first learned of CLC when she attended the Gala in 2015. After hearing about CLC’s mission she joined the Gala committee for the following year and has enjoyed working with such a wonderful and committed organization ever since. Cara lives in West Hartford with her husband.

We are also thrilled to welcome Patrick Proctor back to our board. Patrick previously served on our board for 14 years.