Becky’s belief in people making a difference in the world came early in her life. While a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, she established and headed the first national chapter of the women’s sorority Phi Sigma Sigma. She graduated with a BFA in Communication, Arts and Design.
Becky worked in two nonprofits in Virginia before moving to Connecticut in 1994. She worked at Main Street Ballet and Main Street Community Theatre, both in Woodbury. She developed a summer theater program for children and teens that continued to run after she moved on to become Community Life Director at the Pomperaug Woods retirement community. Becky has served on the Arts and Culture Collaborative Board of Directors and is now a corporator on the Union Savings Bank Board.
Becky founded Arts Escape in 2012 with the vision that learning through the arts brings adults together and gives them purpose and friendship. Although Becky is retiring as Executive Director after 10 years, she plans to stay involved by serving on Arts Escape’s Board of Directors and now has time to take art classes.
Debbie Gatto recently retired from her position as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Oxford where she served for 16 years. While in that position, she focused on serving The Town with high quality and affordable programs and activities for residents of all ages while also maintaining and updating the town’s recreational facilities. Starting as a part time director with one seasonal maintenance supervisor, she eventually built the department to as many as 45 employees in the summer.
In 2008, Debbie received the “Young Professional” of the year award from the Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association. In 2010, the CRPA named the Oxford Parks and Recreation Department as the “Rec’r of the Year”. She was very active with the state organization and served on a number of committees eventually being elected to its Executive Board of Directors.
Before working for the Town of Oxford, Debbie and her husband, Joe lived in London, UK where she was the Athletic Director for The American School in London. Prior to her move to London, Debbie lived in Ohio and spent 8 years working as a licensed insurance agent and as an Account Manager for Municipal Lines and High-Risk Commercial accounts.
Barbara graduated from Skidmore College with a BA in Education and from Columbia University with an MS in Special Education. She did post graduate work in Human Resources at Fairfield University.
She and her family lived in Newtown for 35 years and then moved to Southbury 11 years ago. She has been involved in many organizations and commissions including but not limited to Newtown Legislative Council, Newtown Library Board (President), Danbury Child Advocacy Center (President), League of Women Voters, Governor’s Rehabilitation Advisory Commission, Society for Creative Arts, and B’Nai Israel Board of Directors.
Barbara is married to her husband, Arthur, a retired Endodontist. They have 3 children and six grandchildren. Her hobbies include reading, painting, golf, singing, classical music, traveling and political activism.
Betsy is a businesswoman and art enthusiast. Betsy and her husband owned seven Lawn Doctor Franchises that serviced 3500 households in southwestern Connecticut for 33 years. Betsy served as Operations Manager and was responsible for all finances and marketing. She was on the Lawn Doctor Incorporated National Marketing Panel and was a mentor to new franchisees in the Lawn Doctor system.
Betsy, a native of Ridgefield, CT, holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Delaware, a certificate in Women’s Studies from Hartford Seminary, and several financial security licenses. She has worked as a registered client associate for Merrill Lynch, and was a personal assistant to an author/lecturer, traveling with her throughout the US. Betsy coached youth soccer for years in Southbury and played both indoor and outdoor soccer in her adult years.
Recently retired, Betsy is now shifting her focus to playing tennis, creating art (specializing in paper cutting), becoming proficient on piano and traveling with her husband in their RV. Betsy began taking classes at Arts Escape in 2018 and has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn, improve her skills and take part in the community established there.
Betsy and her husband have lived in Southbury for 27 years. They have two children and four grandchildren, all of whom live locally.
Sandra spent 37 years in Information Technology working for Fortune 100 companies, such as, Kodak, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clairol and General Electric. She has a MS in statistics with accreditations across the field of computer science. In 2011 she retired from Kodak corporation as the Director of Information Technology for their Graphics Communication Division and then continued as a consultant in the NY metro area.
After moving to Litchfield County in 2014, she made a decision to refocus her energy to the arts – a dream since college. Her first experience at Arts Escape was in 2018 when she enrolled in art and writing classes. She quickly became a regular taking up to three classes per week. Each year since then she has been a member of the Threads program and taken part in the juried shows, reading events and contributed to the Threads book published each February. She has published two poetry/sketch books, Poetry Expression I and Poetry Expression II. She is currently writing a novel and her artwork can be viewed on her website.
Greg is the Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Kennedy Wealth and Tax Management, a financial advisory firm in Southbury. He is also a CFP® and Enrolled Agent, which means he is licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department to represent clients before the IRS.
Prior to entering the tax and financial services business, he worked in marketing and creative services, consulting for major consumer goods corporations.
Greg grew up in Weston and received a BA from Hamilton College. His father was a commercial artist so he was surrounded by art and creative people while growing up. Greg and his wife Kate, a Nurse Practitioner, have 3 grown sons. An avid photographer in college, he is looking forward to rediscovering the art using digital equipment.
Lynne is retired from the medical field after forty-two years and was a previous member of the American Radiological Society, and Registered Radiological Technologist.
In 2005 Lynne and her husband retired to North Carolina and this is where Lynne’s interest in the arts materialized. Her son Dana and husband Dana, a building contractor, built “Andre Christine Gallery and Sculpture Garden in Mooresville, North Carolina for Lynne. Lynne was the owner, and sole operating manager for the gallery. Its success grew and the gallery ultimately represented over 100 artists with an extensive customer following. Patrons enjoyed four-five theme-based shows and openings each year. Artists taught a variety of classes in different mediums including sculpture.
Andre Christine Gallery hosted the yearly Lake Norman High School annual Student Art show. Students were allowed a hands-on experience in all aspects of an art show exhibit including advertising, hanging the show, and organizing and hosting the opening reception for guests which included selling their work.
Lynne was a member of the Mooresville, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Davidson, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and an active member of the Business Resource Group.
Lynne is the grandmother of six and recently moved back to Southbury, Connecticut. She immediately embraced the Arts Escape classes and programs. Lynne spends her free time enjoying the arts, travel, writing, gardening, and walking.
Bobbi is a co-founder of WD Communications, an international training company that focuses on developing and presenting seminars, webinars, and coaching sessions to develop employees, managers, and executives.
During her career Bobbi specialized in providing communication skills training for the pharmaceutical industry, developing seminars that trained physicians to communicate more effectively with patients, and helping women communicate more successfully in the corporate environment. As an executive coach, Bobbi helped high-level managers prepare for major presentations and strengthen their leadership images.
Before founding WD Communications, Bobbi developed her love for the written word as a newspaper reporter and her passion for using innovative teaching strategies as a college writing professor.
When she moved to Connecticut from New Jersey she took advantage of her new lifestyle to investigate the arts. She was delighted to find Arts Escape where she has had the opportunity to experience the organization as a volunteer, a student, and an instructor.
Bobbi has a BA from Wilkes University and an MA from Rutgers University.
