MORRIS COUNTY — Morris Habitat for Humanity, a major builder and leading advocate for affordable housing, has appointed three new board members.
They are Donna Brightman of the Woodbridge and Highland Park Housing Authorities, Tara French of Northfield Bank, and Donna Hughes of Hughes Solutions.
“I’m very pleased to welcome our new board members,” said Blair Schleicher Wilson, CEO of Morris Habitat for Humanity.
“Their strategic vision and deep experience in affordable housing, finance, law, human resources, diversity, equity and inclusion, and more will be instrumental in helping Morris Habitat achieve our mission of safe, decent, and affordable housing for everyone.”
Donna Brightman, Executive Director, Secretary, and Contracting Officer for the Highland Park and Woodbridge Housing Authorities, has over 45 years of experience in the affordable housing and nonprofit sectors. Brightman is an effective manager, problem solver, and communicator with proven abilities in office management, grant writing, interpreting state and federal regulations, creative program design and implementation, budgeting research, and policy analysis. Brightman is a former board member of Paterson Habitat for Humanity.
Tara French, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for Northfield Bank, is an Executive Leadership Group member responsible for enterprise-wide risk management of the $5.5 billion community bank.
French is a focused leader with an excellent understanding of strategic planning and execution, risk mitigation, and identification of emerging risks, according to Morris Habitat.
She has long been an advocate for affordable housing and community development. Before joining Northfield Bank, French served in leadership roles as a financial institution regulator at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Donna Hughes of Hughes Solutions is a credentialed executive coach, former human resources executive, and accomplished attorney with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare, life sciences, and retail industries.
Throughout her career in Fortune 500 and other organizations, she gained the respect of executive leaders and corporate boards for her ability to drive positive cultural change through instilling purpose, values, and inclusive leadership. Her prior roles include Chief People Officer for EmblemHealth; SVP, Human Resources for Impax Laboratories; Vice President, Labor & Employment at Allergan; and Director and Assistant General Counsel for Circuit City Stores.
Morris Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization committed to building homes, communities, and hope.
The organization serves Morris, Middlesex, and portions of Somerset and Union counties. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Morris Habitat builds affordable new homes and provides home repair services to income-eligible families.
