The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) is pleased to announce four new members of its Board of Directors: EJ Catala, Keith Churchwell, Amey Marella, and Laurie McCurdy Satterwhite, and new officers unanimously elected for the upcoming 2017-2018 season: Paul Hermes, President; Brian Gedicks, Vice President; James Alfieri, Secretary; Patrick Dunleavy, Treasurer.
EJ Catala is the Vice President of Operations in Connecticut for United Personnel. He manages all operations for United Personnel’s Southern Connecticut Region, including recruitment, placement, quality assurance, business development, and community relations. EJ has extensive experience in the staffing industry including positions in management, operations, sales and both contract and direct hire placement. His past recruiting experience encompasses IT, accounting and finance, professional, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. In addition to his responsibilities as Vice President of Operations in Connecticut, EJ is an active member of various community organizations, including the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, New Haven Manufacturers Association, the United Way New Haven Development Committee, and was an active member of the NHSO’s Winter Wonderland Gala Committee in the 2016-2017 season.
Board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, Dr. Keith Churchwell is Senior Vice-President and Executive Director for Cardiovascular Services and Transplantation for Yale-New Haven Health, and Clinical Associate for Medicine for Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was appointed to this role in November 2014. Prior to this position, he served as the director of cardiac imaging for Vanderbilt University Medical Center since 2006. Churchwell also served as associate professor of Medicine and Radiology at Vanderbilt. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, he was a partner with Page-Campbell Cardiology Group which entered into a clinical partnership with the division of cardiovascular medicine at Vanderbilt in 1998. Dr. Churchwell earned his medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO) and Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He completed his postgraduate training in cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology at Emory School of Medicine. Dr. Churchwell is very active in his community. He served been on the senior board of the Nashville Symphony from 2012-2014. He was also the past president of the American Heart Association (AHA) greater southeast affiliate and sits on a number of its senior committees. He was an active member of the NHSO’s Winter Wonderland gala committee in the 2016-2017 season.
Amey Marrella served for five years as the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the state agency with primary responsibility for protecting Connecticut’s environment, natural resources and wildlife and for maintaining Connecticut’s state parks and forests. Just prior to joining DEP, Mrs. Marrella served for five years as the First Selectman of the Town of Woodbridge. Before seeking elected office, she served as an Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, helping to develop regulations to implement the 1990 Clean Air Act. Mrs. Marrella has served on a variety of state and inter-state boards on behalf of DEP, including the Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board (TSB) and the interstate Ozone Transport Commission. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law and University of Connecticut School of Law. Mrs. Marrella is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School.
Laurie McCurdy Satterwhite is a dedicated supporter of the arts, education, and religious culture of the Greater New Haven community. Her generous volunteer work and philanthropy has aided such organizations as the Hamden Hall Country Day School and Shoreline Christian School. Ms. Satterwhite has held a longstanding relationship with the NHSO; she acted as the liaison for the Symphony’s performances at First Congregational Church of Madison, where she was the Administrative Assistant to Pastor and Office Manager for 10 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Texas Christian University.
