Family Centers welcomed Wendy Stapleton and Jenna Bush Hager to its Board of Trustees at its 135th Annual Meeting on November 3. Stapleton, founder of the Greenwich International Film Festival, and Bush Hager, television host, bestselling author and founder of the Read With Jenna book club, bring a wealth of experience in philanthropy, media and community engagement to the organization.
“What I admire about Wendy and Jenna is their commitment to giving back,” said Louis Josephson, Family Centers’ President and CEO. “Family Centers is built on the belief that everyone needs support at some point in their lives, and that we all have a role in helping one another. We’re excited to have them join us in that work.”
Wendy Stapleton. Contributed photo
Wendy Stapleton was born in Greenwich and has been involved with Family Centers in various ways since she volunteered with the Head Start program as a child.
She was the Founder and Chairperson
She was the Founder and Chairperson of The Greenwich International Film Festival, which ran for a decade (2014–2024) in town. GIFF was the only female-founded and -run film festival in the country, and it had a social impact focus. Over the years, GIFF raised and donated over $1.5 million to local and national charity partners, including Family Centers.
Stapleton was a founding member of UNICEF’s Next Generation Board and has been involved in dozens of organizations in town, including The Alzheimer’s Association, The Boys and Girls Club, The YWCA, SELF, and Abilis, to name a few. She has been the Chair and the Honorary Chairperson of the Points of Light benefit.
Stapleton is a wife, mother and stepmother to six children. This is the first board she has joined since gifting the film festival in grants to The Greenwich Country Day School in late 2024.
Jenna Bush Hager. Contributed photo
Jenna Bush Hager is the co-host of TODAY
Jenna Bush Hager is the co-host of TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle and the founder of the wildly popular Read With Jenna book club, which has introduced millions of readers to breakout authors and bestselling books since its launch in 2019.
In 2022, she launched her production company, Thousand Voices, in partnership with NBCUniversal’s Universal Studio Group. She later expanded the brand with Thousand Voices Books, a co-venture with Random House Publishing Group, through which she publishes titles across its imprints. Bush Hager is also the author of ten books and a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
For more than 130 years, Family Centers has served residents of lower Fairfield County by bringing education, health care, and human services together to help children, adults, and families thrive. Family Centers makes it easier to find services and support in one place because people rarely have just one need.
For additional information, visit: familycenters.org
