Meet the Commissioners
Kay Gelfman
grew up in Ridgefield, and returned home twenty-five years later after schooling and her career had moved her around the country. Her work experience is in bookkeeping, accounting, grant writing and oversight/management for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. She is currently the Treasurer of the Daily Bread Food Pantry in Danbury and has served on other local Boards.
Glori Norwitt
is a former employment lawyer who has practiced in California and Hong Kong, specialized in discrimination and sexual harassment counsel and litigation. She currently serves as a Board member of The Center for Empowerment and Education (support services for victims of interpersonal violence) and of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. She previously served as Board Chair of CT Against Gun Violence (CAGV) Education Fund.
Dr. Brittny Williams Howell
is a board-certified vascular surgeon with her husband and three children. She attended Duke University, New York University School of Medicine and Georgetown University School of Medicine. She owns Morph Med Spa, a personalized medical and aesthetic practice to help you feel good at every age. When she isn’t working, you can find her shuttling her children around, on her Peloton or sneaking off to Stowe, Vermont.
Jenn Gioffre
appointed to the ECDC in 2023, brings a strong background in Marketing and Business Development as well as first-hand experience with being a business owner in Ridgefield as she and her husband ran The Orange Elephant , a children's bookstore on Main Street from 2007 – 2010.
Bob Knight
is a longstanding member of ECDC; he first served on the Commission from 2008-2012 as Chair, and was reappointed again in 2019. Bob is one of the nation’s leading broadband experts and helps ECDC to facilitate faster, more reliable service throughout town. Bob represented Ridgefield at a meeting with the White House—one of only 18 communities nationwide—pertaining to funding for broadband infrastructure projects. During the pandemic, he led the Business and Jobs Subcommittee of the Town’s Long-term Recovery Committee and helped drive state-level action on school bus licensure, which kept buses rolling at a critical time for our economy in Ridgefield and across the state. His favorite part about living in Ridgefield: The high level of civic engagement and neighborly spirit throughout town.
Geoffrey Morris
is senior managing editor of Leaders Media and former publisher of Ridgefield Magazine, which he founded in 2002. He is founder and former race director of TriRidgefield, former chair of the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce, and board member of the Boys & Girls Club.
Jonathan Winn
is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Chefs' Warehouse in Ridgefield, CT and the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Thrown Stone, Ridgefield's professional new works theatre company.
Sean Dowd
is an accomplished investment banker, founder, and community advocate with 30+ years of experience working within investment banking, private equity, and entrepreneurship. An early-stage investor dedicated to creating a positive impact in the community through the provision of capital, economic development advising, and management.
Mark Riser
has been a general partner in private equity funds, a private investor in middle-market businesses and a principal in family office investments since 1999. He is an investor in private businesses and serves on for-profit and non-profit boards, including the local Fairfield County Community Foundation.