HowardCenter, the Chittenden County-based nonprofit organization, is pleased to welcome T.J. Donovan, E. William Leckerling and Emmanuel Siriwayo to its Board of Trustees. Founded in 1873, HowardCenter serves more than 15,000 individuals and families every year, and the three new board members join 18 preceding members.
“Donovan, Leckerling and Siriwayo have demonstrated a deep commitment to bettering the lives of Vermonters in need and will help to further HowardCenter’s mission to improve the well-being of children, adults, families and communities,” said HowardCenter’s Executive Director, Todd Centybear. “We are proud to welcome these new members to our Board of Trustees.”
T.J. Donovan is a Burlington native who was elected Chittenden County State’s Attorney in November 2006. Prior to being elected, he was an associate with the Burlington law firm, Jarvis & Kaplan. Donovan also served as a Deputy State’s Attorney in Chittenden County and an Assistant Director Attorney in Philadelphia, PA.
E. William Leckerling returns to HowardCenter’s Board after a nine-year hiatus since serving two terms as President of the Board of Trustees and five years as the chair of the Personnel Committee. Leckerling has practiced law in Burlington for over 25 years. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and concentrates his practice on employment law and matters involving professional negligence. Leckerling has been a director of Lisman Leckerling P.C. since 1990. Before joining the firm in 1986, he was associated with the medical malpractice law firm of Martin, Clearwater and Bell in New York, New York. He and his wife Gerry live in Charlotte, Vermont, where they raised their three children.
Since 2006, Emmanuel Siriwayo has served on the First Congregational Church Security Staff in Burlington. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Emmanuel moved to Vermont in 2000. His experience from a 20-year career working as a Project Manager for the U.N. in several European, Caribbean and West African countries was helpful as he joined with other immigrants and refugees living in Vermont to form the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV). He served as AALV’s Executive Director for five years and continues to serve the organization as a member of the Board of Directors. Emmanuel received an Accounting Degree from Champlain College in May 2013. He lives in Winooski with his wife and family.
For more information on HowardCenter and the new board members, visit http://www.howardcenter.org.
HowardCenter offers life-saving professional crisis and counseling services to children and adults; supportive services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities who need help with education, employment, and life maintenance skills; counseling and medical services for those struggling with substance abuse, and intensive interventions for adults with serious and persistent mental health challenges. The agency serves more than 15,000 individuals and families each year, mostly in Chittenden County (although some programs are statewide). www.howardcenter.org/home.
