David Nee

Board Member

Connecticut Center for School Change, InformCT, and Connecticut Voices for Children

After a two-year stint as a U.S. Army officer, David Nee devoted the first ten years of his civilian career to corrections reform at the local, state and federal levels. His last job was as Director of the Office of Program Development for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, where he oversaw service programs for inmates, and planning for new facilities, including the Gardner Correctional Facility and the Sexually Dangerous Persons Treatment Center at Bridgewater.

David then acquired a Master in Business Administration with a specialty in public and nonprofit management, and transitioned to the executive leadership of charitable foundations for 33 years, culminating in 21 years as the head of the William C. Graustein Memorial Fund, a statewide funder of education in Connecticut. His tenure was marked by deep involvement with public policy, public-private partnership, collaboration with nonprofits and other funders, and unprecedented degrees of community engagement.

Along the way, David had two sons with his wife Joan, four grandchildren, and co-authored in 1986 with Martin Greller of the New York Times “From Baby Boom to Baby Bust, How Organizations can Deal with the Demographic Challenge.” He has given numerous speeches and a few keynotes, often revolving around strategic planning.

David has been awarded the Fred Rogers Award of the (National) Early Childhood Funders’ Collaborative, and the Martha Newman Award of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy.

He serves on the nonprofit boards of the Connecticut Center for School Change, InformCT, and chairs the board of Connecticut Voices for Children.

Otherwise, he dwells quietly in Fairfield, Connecticut, and enjoys reading, running (slowly), hiking, old and new friends, UConn Huskies basketball, and the fruits of a fifty-year marriage.