The board of directors of the American Savings Foundation, a charitable endowment that provides grants to local nonprofits and college scholarships to area students, announced the promotion of two staff members to newly created positions: Maria Sanchez to director of grantmaking and community investment, and Heather Hokunson to associate program officer overseeing the organization’s scholarship program.
Sanchez joined the New Britain-based foundation staff in 2000 as senior program officer, overseeing the grants program. Sanchez represents the foundation in community collaborations, including the Coalition for New Britain’s Youth and Bridge to Success in Waterbury. She continues to oversee the foundation’s investments in after-school programs, with a special focus on programs for middle-school age youth. Sanchez has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, program development and evaluation, and grant making.
Hokunson has been a member of the foundation’s staff for five years. She began as an assistant program officer and has assumed increasing responsibility for the management and administration of the foundation’s Robert T. Kenney Scholarship Program.
Additionally, Cierra Stancil, associate program officer for grants, and Maryellen Milio, operations manager, joined the foundation’s management team during 2015.
