Emily and Ryan Oakes live with their two young daughters in the Broad River/Silvermine area of Norwalk. Prior to moving to Norwalk in 2003, the Oakes lived and worked in Manhattan for almost seven years. During their last five years in Norwalk, they have enjoyed meeting many new friends at NNN playgroups and social events. Having a professional background in non-profits and child welfare, Emily chaired the Community Service Committee on the '07-'08 board. This year, she is excited for her new role at co-president and looks forward to meeting you at an event soon!

Jen and Rocco D'Andraia moved to their home in the Brookside area of Norwalk five years ago. The couple grew up in the same town (Yorktown) in Westchester County and moved to Norwalk for Rocco’s work at Melissa & Doug toys. Jen continues to work part-time as a licensed acupuncturist at a private practice back in Yorktown. Rocco and Jen have a two-year-old daughter and a great family dog. Jen joined NNN shortly after her daughter’s birth in order to form a playgroup with same-aged children. She has made great friends through the club and, after working with Emily on Community Service last year, Jen is devoted to an exciting 2008-2009 Board year as co-president!

Kristi and Grant Panarese moved to Norwalk in October of 2006 from Stamford. They have two children, Grand and Christopher, and are expecting their third child in October of 07. Kristi volunteers at Children’s Aid Inc. a non-profit that raises funds for the Family and Children’s Agency of Norwalk. No stranger to fundraising we are delighted to have her experience on the board this year to help NNN’s fundraising efforts!

Annie and Chris Bolger moved to their home in the Cranbury area of Norwalk in the Fall of 2006. Having left their friends and family in Wisconsin behind for an exciting new job opportunity, NNN gave them the perfect opportunity to connect with their new community, meet great friends and pack their calendar with fun activities! They welcomed their first child, Henry, in February 2008. This is Annie's second year heading up the Membership Committee, and she looks forward to meeting many new members this year!

Mindi and Michael Zimmer moved to Norwalk in 2006 from Sunnyvale, CA, with a brief stop in Manhattan on the way. Prior to California, they spent time in VA, but rarely actually stay put as they're usually found state-hopping, visiting friends throughout the country. A few of their Norwalk favorites are warm summer nights and Uncle Joe's Pizza. A seasoned accountant, we are thrilled to have Mindi keeping our books this year!

Paige moved from Pennsylvania to Connecticut in 1997 and settled in Norwalk in 2002. She and her husband Derrick live in the Cranbury area with their son Brandon and daughter Victoria. The NNN club has given them a chance to meet many new people and to socialize with other parents of young children. Before choosing to stay at home with her kids, Paige worked as a software engineer and last year she built the NNN website. This year, she looks forward to continuing that role in addition to trying her hand at Secretary.

Lori and Marc Ross moved from Stamford, CT to Norwalk in 2004. They have two sons, Jacob and Andrew. Lori is a teacher in Stamford and has lots of experience with children and planning events so we are very excited to have her on board to co-chair with Lisanne.

Kate was raised in South Africa and has lived in Norwalk since October of 2006 with her husband Tim who is from Vermont. Tim is a senior manager with Morgan Stanley and with his global responsibilities they have lived in Florida, Adelaide Australia, Manhattan, Hong Kong and London over the past decade. While they love to travel and explore new cultures, they are definitely looking forward to putting down some roots in Norwalk. NNN has been fantastic for making new friends and learning about everything from good restaurants to where to shop. Always smiling and a joy to talk to, Kate will be a tremendous asset to our board, co-chairing Social Club with Cheryl.

Cheryl, born and raised in Darien, CT, moved to Norwalk in 2004. Obviously being from the area, she has a wealth of knowledge to share with our club. She is an Account Director at a fast paced advertising agency in Wilton, which provides experience in event and activity planning. NNN has given her the opportunity to meet a lot of new and exciting people and she is eager to continue her time on the board. Cheryl will be returning this year as the Social Club co-chair for the second year with Kate and has also been a Community Service Board Chair in past years.

April and her husband Jeff Fraleigh, moved to Norwalk from NYC in 2005; 2 weeks before their daughter Abigail was born. She left the big city and her 70 hour work weeks as a sales manager behind for a longer but more fulfilling work week in the suburbs. The NNN club’s playgroup she joined was her first foray into the club and it proved to be a life saver as a new mom in a new life. She has made some wonderful friendships and really enjoys all the clubs social and kids activities. She has been part on the NNN board for two years. First as Secretary then as Kids Club Chair and is really looking forward to this years Co-President role.

Claire and her husband Daniel Plowright live in Norwalk with their daughter Heather and are expecting their second child in June. They moved to Norwalk in 2004 from the UK. The NNN club has given them an opportunity to meet and build friendships with other young families as well as give them a sense of community involvement. Claire returns for her second year on the board.

Lisanne and Jody Kyle moved to Norwalk from Tarrytown, NY in 2002. They have one daughter Annabelle. Although they enjoy the variety of events NNN has to offer each month, Lisanne is most grateful for the Kids Club events in which she has participated. Last year, Lisanne was on the board as a member of the Kids Club, and we are delighted to have her back for another term as Kids Club Co-Chair!

Gracie and Rob Sassano are native Norwalkers who have two children: Juliana, 2, and Robert, 6 mos. She has lived in Norwalk her entire life, except to sneak out briefly during her college years. She credits NNN for the friendships it has given her, saying, "Even though I have lived here my whole life, I'm still meeting many new people through the group." This is Gracie's 2nd year on the board, and second term on the Membership committee.

Susan moved to Norwalk in 2002 where her husband James was born and raised, and where she now owns and runs her own hair salon. Susan likes Norwalk because of its easy access to wherever she needs to go -- great parks, beaches, the aquarium and the children's museum to name a few. She also has found it to be a nice community in which to live. We are excited to have her on our board for the first time this year!

Terri spent 10 years living and working in NYC before she met her husband Wesley, who was born and raised in Poland. After living in Rye, they settled in Norwalk in 2003 and now have two young boys, MJ and Nicholas. Terri runs her own interior design business, and Wesley has his own painting contractor/construction business. In their spare time, they enjoy the beach, boating, biking, and being outside. Terri has made some close friends in NNN, and she is excited to rejoin the board after a 2 year hiatus.

Doris and husband Steve moved to Norwalk from NYC in 2002 with their pooch, Oreo. Since then, they have added to their brood with son Teddy, born in 2004, and more recently, Sophia, born in 2007. Doris is a full time mom who joined Norwalk Neighbors after meeting Cristin Wallace by chance while walking her dog. Soon after, she joined a playgroup and credits NNN with her newfound friendships and busy calendar. Growing up in Brooklyn, she always had strong roots in her neighborhood and community, and is happy that she has found this club to make her feel welcome in her new environment. She will be joining the General Board as part of Kids Club starting in 2008 and looks forward to her new role.

Carol and her husband, Daniel, moved to Norwalk in 2005, just 2 weeks before the birth of their son, Aidan. After working in NYC for 10 years in Museum Development, Carol welcomed the opportunity to be a full-time mom and settle into the great quality of life so widely found in Norwalk. Carol has met many wonderful families through NNN playgroups and looks forward to meeting many more in her first year with Kids Club.

Stacey and her husband Joachim have lived in Norwalk for the last five years. She is originally from South African but moved to Canada in her late teens. Joachim is German, and their children Kristina (3) and Felix (<1) are Americans. They are an international family that enjoy travel, music, food and spending as much time together as Joachim's job will allow. He is a Project Manager for an International Scheduling Software firm and travels constantly to the four corners of the world. Stacey is currently a stay at home mom and is working on her photography in her spare time.

Jessica and Francois moved to Norwalk in August 2005 from NYC. Their daughter, Hannah, was born 2 years later in August 2007. Jessica commutes everyday into Manhattan to work as a Marketing Manager for a large Publisher. Francois works in Greenwich as a hedgefund trader. NNN has been a great way to network and socialize, and they have enjoyed being a part of the club so much that Jessica decided to get more involved this year!

Janet and Mark Epstein live with their daughter Carly in East Norwalk. They have lived in Norwalk since 1997. Janet moved here from New Jersey and is originally from Illinois. She enjoys the clubs kids and family activities and the friendships she's made, and we're thrilled she will be returning for a second year.

Kristine and her husband Greg live in Norwalk with their three daughters Lyla, Aubree and Macey. Greg grew up in Rowayton and Kristine moved to the area about about ten years ago. They like being close to the water, spending time at the local parks and playgrounds and have enjoyed meeting many new people through NNN. Kristine is looking forward to her first year on the board.