Board Chair of the Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc. (CIFC), Dr. Francis J. Muska, Ph.D., announced on July 29 that Katherine McKeon Curran, Esq., has been appointed as the incoming president and chief executive officer of the Institute, effective August 1, 2021. Ms. Curran currently serves at CIFC as the chief operating officer and general counsel.  

Most recently, Ms. Curran was the leader in CIFC’s successful efforts to implement the Institute’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped employees as they worked through snow, rain, and the dangers of front-line work to deliver over 23,000 COVID-19 tests and over 12,000 vaccines to our communities.  

Her work on the pandemic included overseeing collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to source and distribute vaccines for the Danbury area, and expand CIFC’s vaccine delivery capacity; the CT Governor’s Office to orchestrate a variety of program details and coordinate with local officials; the CT and Danbury Departments of Public Health, and the Danbury Police Department, to manage the logistics of CIFC’s COVID-19 testing program; and the CT Department of Agriculture and the Salvation Army for food assistance for those suffering food scarcity while quarantining and awaiting COVID test results. 

Under Ms. Curran’s leadership, CIFC worked to ensure no one was left behind in the race to address COVID-19. She organized staff calls for volunteer signups to run weekend clinics and oversaw marketing and distribution efforts that delivered an outstanding 65 percent of CIFC’s vaccine supply to underserved and minority populations, identified by the State of Connecticut through priority zip codes.  

Ms. Curran joined CIFC in the fall of 2011 as CIFC’s first staff attorney and compliance officer, and built CIFC’s compliance function from scratch. She became an expert in regulatory compliance and operations in CIFC’s dynamic and diverse service fields, and oversaw the Health Center’s move to 120 Main St. in downtown Danbury. 

“I am honored to assume the role of President & CEO at CIFC, where I look forward to continuing to lead our efforts in providing the highest quality services to the thousands of patients, clients, individuals, and families that we serve throughout Connecticut,” Ms. Curran said. 

Atty. Curran succeeds CIFC’s Founder and longtime President & CEO, James H. Maloney, JD, who was highly honored by the Board for his 18 years of service. He is currently transitioning into a part-time consulting role for CIFC; as he says, “stepping down, not away.” Mr. Maloney looks forward to helping, particularly with the completion of several major capital projects which began during his tenure. 

Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc. (CIFC) is a community development corporation, a locally based non-profit IRS [501(c)(3)] organization dedicated to advancing our communities and serving the low- and moderate-income families of Connecticut. Headquartered in Danbury, CT, CIFC is committed to fostering greater opportunities for the residents of our service areas, through a combination of health and education programs, as well as housing and economic development projects.