Board and Governance
ABOUT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
We are Roxbury residents with diverse experience and expertise who have a shared commitment to meeting Roxbury’s need for affordable housing options consistent with its rural quality of life.
Charles Stauffacher (Chair) grew up in Greenwich, CT and moved to Watertown in the early 1970’s. Charlie moved to Roxbury in 1992 when he married his wife, Susan, who lived on Squire Road. In 1999 Susan and Charlie built a home on Rocky Mountain Road, where they currently reside. Charlie practiced law in Watertown with his firm, Slavin Stauffacher & Scott, until his retirement in 2014. He also had an office above the Market in Roxbury for many years. Charlie served as the Watertown Town Attorney for 9 years, representing the Town Manager, Town Council, and land use boards. He practiced real estate law and focused on elder law and estate planning the last fifteen years of his practice. He also incorporated and provided pro bono services to many nonprofit organizations in Watertown and Roxbury. Charlie enjoys swimming, fishing, boating, cooking, biking and visiting with his children and grandchildren.
Michael Feldman (Vice Chair) and his wife Gloria grew up in New York City and first ”discovered” Roxbury while visiting friends and riding motorcycles in Litchfield County. It was love at first sight and they have lived in Roxbury on Booth Rd., first as weekenders, and now as permanent residents of the Town, for more than 21 years. Having retired from his law firm Proskauer Rose a number of years ago, he is currently providing arbitration and mediation services for commercial disputes. As an attorney Michael gained extensive experience representing domestic and international clients in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Serving on the boards of directors of not-for-profit entities is an important aspect of Michael’s life, including the Board of Trustees of Northwell Health, the largest health care system in the Northeast, and also a New York real estate cooperative. Michael is intent on becoming more involved in our Roxbury community, including adding his expertise and experience to the development of affordable housing. In that regard he also currently serves as an alternate on the Roxbury Planning Commission.
Cathy Racz (Board Treasurer) grew up in a small town in Connecticut, moved to New York, and was thrilled to return to Connecticut in 2006 with her husband and three children. Cathy and her husband were drawn to the beauty of Roxbury and its strong sense of community. Cathy was an active volunteer at the local public schools for many years, and she now volunteers at the Roxbury Congregational Church where she has previously served as Collector and Treasurer and currently serves as the Assistant Collector. Cathy is a member of the Roxbury Inland Wetlands Commission. Cathy has spent the last 25 years working in corporate finance. Cathy and her husband Ed can often be found hiking one of the many Roxbury Land Trust preserves with their German Shorthaired Pointers.
Judy Solomon (Board Secretary) moved to Roxbury in 2019 from Washington D.C. where she spent fifteen years at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities advocating for state and federal policies that advance equitable health outcomes. Her work included a collaboration with housing advocates to raise awareness of the connection between stable and affordable housing and good health. Before that she worked as a legal services attorney and a child health advocate in New Haven and Hartford. A recent retiree, Judy is grateful to have time to volunteer with the Roxbury Housing Trust and other organizations, and to weave, garden, read, and spend time with her family. She lives on Transylvania Road with her husband, Jon Gould.
Ron Faanes was born and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his BA in Chemistry/Math and a Master’s Degree and PhD in Microbiology /Biochemistry at the University of Minnesota. Ron was an Associate Member and Professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute/Cornell Medical School for 10 years and held leadership positions at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals for 22 years until his retirement in 2003. Ron and his wife Sharon moved to their house on Transylvania Road in Roxbury in 2003. Since his retirement Ron has served on The Roxbury Recreation Commission, Lake Lillinonah Authority and as co-chair and chair of the Roxbury Conservation Commission. During his tenure on the Conservation Commission, he helped initiate Joey’s Trail and biannual well testing, and worked with Booth and Shepaug students to interest them in science and conservation. More recently he worked to set up programs at the Minor Memorial Library including Touch a Truck, Halloween Storybook Walk, Smart Growth Educational Program, a Covid 101 Virtual Symposium, and a Summer Concert Series for which he acquired private funding. A lifelong hockey player until a serious injury at age 70, Ron founded the Olde Crabs Hockey Club in 1991. Over its 15 years as a nonprofit charity the Club has distributed over $350,000 to local agencies in and around Danbury, including Little Britches in Roxbury. During the last three years he has worked with his model airplane club FlyRC to develop a Principles of Flight program, which has been presented to over 250 students in Roxbury and its surrounding towns.
Rev. David Peters has been living in Roxbury since 1986 when he and his wife, Susan Zappulla-Peters, moved from Danbury to the Parsonage on Church Street, and he began serving as the Minister of the Roxbury Congregational Church. He has been active in community life as a Roxbury Ambulance EMT, one of the founders of the Bernhardt Meadow Senior Housing and as a member of the Shepaug Coalition against Substance Abuse. Having lived in town for over 35 years, he has seen the ebb and flow of Roxbury’s population, and has noticed the demographic shift with fewer young families being able to live here. Their son, Kirby, operates Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury, and David wonders if his daughter, Kyla, and his first grandchild could afford to return to Roxbury to live if they desired.
Jeff Sharpe and his family moved to Roxbury, CT in 2016 from Brooklyn where they were fortunate to live in a mixed-income apartment building with three-quarters of the units designated for low- and moderate-income owners. Jeff and his family enjoy the abundance of outdoor activities and incredible community that Roxbury provides and can often be found exploring one of the Roxbury Land Trust preserves or spending time with other families from Booth Free School, where Jeff’s two children attend school. Jeff is the Founder and Executive Director of a sustainability education not-for-profit and was previously a partner at two educational services firms.
Joan Temple grew up on Judd’s Bridge Farm in Roxbury where her dad, Glenn Baslow, was the manager for more than 40 years. She and her twin sister, Judy, enjoyed an idyllic childhood along the Shepaug River, riding horses and minibikes, building forts, and exploring. During middle school and high school, she, too, worked on the farm, unloading hay and caring for their Charolais cattle. Joan married Michael Temple, the boy next door, in 1981. Following a 14-year career as a service director for United Airlines and a 6-year stint in Mississippi, Joan and Mike returned to Roxbury where they built a house and raised their two children on family land bordering Steep Rock. Joan recently retired from her 21-year position as a school library media specialist at Shepaug Valley School and now works part-time at Minor Memorial Library. She and Mike feel blessed to call Roxbury home and are hoping to stay in town throughout their retirement years.