Board & Staff
The Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce is managed by two employees and governed by a Board of Directors. Read more below, about the people that support this great organization.
Matthew Mandell
WWCC Executive Director
Matthew Mandell is a long time Westport resident and community leader. He is in his fifth two-year term on Westport's Representative Town Meeting representing District One. He Chairs the RTM Planning and Zoning Committee as well as serves on five others. He is a Trustee at Earthplace, the Nature Discovery Center, since 2007.
Mr. Mandell is probably best known for his grassroots advocacy for open space and historic preservation. He has been integral in saving the 22-acre Partrick Wetlands in Westport as well as six acres at the White Barn Theater and 11 acres at the Norden property in Norwalk. Most recently he's championed the preservation of the Terrain House, the Geiger Barn and most notably the Kemper-Gunn House with its innovative move to town property and its adaptive reuse to promote local incubator retail businesses.
In 2011 he created and organized the Slice of Saugatuck Festival, a wine, food and retail experience to promote commerce in the Saugatuck Center section of town, in his district. Matthew was also integral in creating what has become a new restaurant district on the west side of the river in downtown Westport.
Matthew went to Boston University where he received a BS in Film and Communications and went to get an MFA from New York University in Film. He is married and has two children attending Staples High School.
Jerri Graham
WWCC Business Manager
Marita R. Driscoll
Events and Membership Manager
Marita is the Business Manager and Marketing Specialist at Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce. In this role, she provides administrative support and relationship management, as well as assistance to our Executive Director, Chamber members and the Board.
Marita also works at The Westport Weston Family YMCA where she lends her customer service skills to the membership staff. Before joining the Chamber, Marita was a Marketing Director for a local mortgage company and an Art Buyer for BBDO Worldwide in New York.
Marita has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. An avid photographer and mixed media artist, Marita can be found gathering creative inspiration at the beach with her dog Hector. In her free time Marita can be found volunteering with local animal shelters and other community organizations.
She resides in Westport with her two wonderful children.
Jackie Schiavonie
Social Media Manager
Barbara Reynolds
Chairman of the Board
Barbara Reynolds is an experienced realtor with Halstead in Westport, CT. Her experience in negotiations is extensive. It includes both commercial and government positions. She spent years as an oil tanker broker, mediating deals between oil traders and ship owners. Barbara also worked as an elected member to the Weston Board of Education where she served on the contracts negotiation committee and partnered with architects and town building committee members to ensure that school construction moved forward correctly, staying on task within the educational guidelines outlined for the project.
Barbara spent some time living overseas but moved to Weston with her family over 20 years ago. She has always been an active member of the community, having served with a variety of other committees as well, including being an active Member of the Town of Weston Panel of Moderators, serving as Chair Real Estate Sub-Committee Weston’s Strategic Planning Committee, and was Chairman of the Board Weston Racquet Club.
Paul Lebowitz
Board Member (Immediate Past Chair)
Leigh Overland
Board Member
Mr. Overland received his Bachelor of Architecture from NYIT and studied at The American University in Rome, Italy. ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover – Home Addition asked Mr. Overland to be the architect for the Connecticut home, which aired October 14th, 2007. Leigh Overland has become a leading expert in high efficiency & fire/storm resistant design (also known as ICF or insulated concrete forms) and is often called upon for many speaking engagements.
He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Connecticut Society of Architects, and the Building Officials and Code Administrators. He’s an award-winning architect, and his firm has done hundreds of residential alterations, additions, new homes and commercial projects including Optimum Medical, LLC, Waterview, Candlewood & Riverview Banquet Facilities, and many well-known restaurants.
Cara Mocarski
Board Member
Cara Mocarski is a lifelong resident of Fairfield County and grew up in Westport and Easton.
She is the local rep for Welcome Wagon and is proud to oversee her hometown of Westport as the local Community Marketing Executive and Area Sales Trainer with Welcome Wagon. Cara loves what she does, and it shows; year after year, she has been named the top producer on the New England team and is part of the Welcome Wagon Sales Leadership Club nationally.
Cara has two very successful grown children that have flown and grown. Derek works as a freelance audio engineer in Los Angeles for CBS, Netflix, Facebook, and YouTube, while Ashley works as a senior government administrator in Washington, D.C.
In her spare time, Cara enjoys traveling all over the world with family and friends to sample local cuisine and culture. In addition, she is an avid reader and looks forward to her bimonthly book club meetings with her girlfriends.
Samantha Kempster
Board Member
Samantha has over 15 years of finance experience. She initially got her start in the financing industry when she was in Toronto. Her career then took her to New York, where she transitioned into corporate finance at a publishing and media company. A marketer for several years now, Samantha brings a unique perspective to projects, understanding the need to be innovative and to drive superior performance, while being mindful of the financial challenges of a business. It’s the marriage of two worlds – artistic and financial – that makes her job interesting and allows her to leverage the right opportunities for Jade’s clients.
Samantha holds an MBA in finance from the Schulich School of Business, York University in Toronto and a Bachelor of Commerce with Honors degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.
She resides in Westport with her husband and three sons.
Ron Holtz
Board Member
Ron has been in the financial services business for the last 23 years. He was an FA, Sales Manager and Branch Manager for Morgan Stanley in New Jersey and Columbus, Ohio and an Area Investment Manager for Citi Smith Barney-Bank Channel in New York City. Most recently, Ron was an FA for Webster Bank / LPL and Oppenheimer & Co. Ron is currently a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments.
Ron is married to Diane, former President of Limited Stores (L Brands) and EVP of Ann Taylor Loft. She currently owns Apricot Lane - Fairfield in Connecticut. They have 2 children, Melissa (Brooklyn, NY) and Michael, a former White House Intern for Barak Obama and is currently a Teach for America High School AP History Teacher in Dallas, TX.
Ron is the Immediate Past President of The Rotary Club of Westport Sunrise (CT) and is the current Membership Chair of Rotary District 7980 (CT-58 Clubs).
Sam Disraeli
Board Member
Don Yurick
Board Member
Robert Curwen
Board Member