Meet Us
Staff
Jane MacLaren - Executive Director
Jane grew up in Ridgefield, CT but now calls the Northwest Corner home where she resides with her family. She began her experience working with non-profits while employed by IBM and supporting a program which granted equipment and monetary donations to requesting non-profit organizations. Her experience also includes volunteering as a certified domestic violence crisis hotline counselor for battered women and children within the community. Additionally, Jane has worked as a full-time in-house substitute teacher supporting both teachers and students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Jane holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and continues to further her education in the field of social work with a focus on the elderly. Jane joined the Chore Service in January, 2015 and looks forward to continuing to support both Chore clients and members of the Chore team.
Kristen Orr - Program Coordinator
Kristen moved to Connecticut in 1987 and found the hamlet of Milton in Litchfield to raise her four children and call home for the past 26 years. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia College.
Kristen inherited her father’s love and compassion for people and has realized her desire to work with the older population over the years. She is a committed community member with dedicated experience across various care-related and mission-driven efforts. Community volunteering includes the Food Rescue and the Litchfield Social Service Commission, serving on the Litchfield Community Service Fund Board of Directors as the Milton Public Hall Association president.
Over the past few years, Kristen has focused her time and talents on helping the elderly members of her community by becoming a care assistant with All About You Home Care, then joining the team at Brandywine Assisted Living in Litchfield, and on to becoming a registered in-home caregiver through Washington Home Care. In June 2022, she became the part-time Program Coordinator of the Litchfield Hills Chore Service before joining Chore Service full-time in 2024. Kristen continues volunteering in her community whenever needed.
Board of Directors
Dolores Perotti - North Canaan, Board President
Dolores was born in Canaan and attended Housatonic Valley Regional High School. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Design and Horticulture. She has operated a successful landscaping and garden business in Canaan for over 25 years. Dolores has been on the North Canaan Board of Education for 14 years and Chair for the past 6 years. In addition to being a soccer coach, she has served on various school committees including the PTO. Dolores is a volunteer gardener at the North Canaan library and elementary school and at the rectory for St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Dolores and her husband, Champ, built their home on land that Champ's great grandparents purchased in the 1920's. Dolores and Champ have three children who are fifth generation Canaanites.
David Becker - Salisbury, Vice President
David, a seasoned marketing innovator and C-suite executive with 20+ years of experience, has a track record of driving strategic growth for organizations large and small. As Time Magazine's Brand Development Director, he helped pioneer digital media, including introducing Marc Andreessen to brands and ad agencies. As President and COO of Uproar.com, he achieved a top 20 audience rank and a $1.1 billion valuation. David transformed Beliefnet.com post-bankruptcy, securing $7.0 million in funding and tripling site traffic, leading to a $35MM acquisition by News Corp. In 2019, he ventured into CBD and hemp, co-founding Scotch Valley Ranch Hemp.
Patricia Chamberlain - Sharon, Secretary
Patricia, the former Superintendent for Region One and Supervising Principal for the Sharon Center School, is a long-time Sharon resident. She has a Bachelor of Science from George Mason University in Virginia and a Master of Education from Colorado State University. She is a member of the Sharon EMT and represents the Town of Sharon on the Transfer Station project.
Paul Collins - Goshen
Steven Cornell - Washington
Charlie Dumais - Litchfield
Janell Mullen
Born and raised in Connecticut, Janell graduated as the salutatorian from Housatonic Valley Regional High School before attending the University of Connecticut as an honors student on a merit scholarship. She studied International Relations with a minor in French at UConn, and after graduating with her Bachelor of Arts, left the East coast for California.
In California, she worked in a legal firm as an economic analyst before attending the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to obtain her Master of Urban Planning. Ms. Mullen continued working for the City of Los Angeles as a Deputy Planner upon graduating. During the remainder of her time in Los Angeles, she served a non-profit called the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative as a project manager, overseeing grant awards and the planning process for the construction of pocket parks and transportation corridors in underserved communities in South Los Angeles.
In 2015, Ms. Mullen returned to Connecticut to be closer to her family. She recently served as a regional planner at the Northwest Hills Council of Governments before creating her own Limited Liability Company. Fully self-employed, she currently advises area towns on zoning matters, construction and project oversight, and planning & zoning statutory processes. She is an avid runner and golfer.
Michael Voldstad - Salisbury, Treasurer
Mike Voldstad, a lawyer for more than forty years, has lived and worked in New York,
San Francisco and London. He has practiced primarily in the field of public finance.
Mike is a graduate of Holy Cross and the University of Virginia Law School. Mike and his wife Kathy have had a home in Salisbury for more than twenty years. He is a trustee at the Salisbury Congregational Church.
Warren Whitaker - Falls Village
Lea Davies - President Emeritus
Lea retired in April 2004 from Verizon Communications after a 27 year career in telecommunications. His last position was Executive Vice President of Human Resources. Lea has previously been on the boards of the Sharon Historical Society, The Foundation for Community Health and The Sharon Housing Authority. He is a 1976 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. He has had a home in the Northwest Corner for over 35 years. Lea served as Chore’s Board President from 2004 through 2019.