OGUNQUIT, ME (March 3, 2020) – As the Tramuto Foundation continues to prepare for its historic 20th Anniversary Gala in 2021, three accomplished professionals will add their unique skills and talents to the mix as the newest members of the Tramuto Foundation Board of Directors.

Founded by Donato Tramuto as a tribute to two friends and their young son who perished on Sept. 11, 2001 when the plane they were traveling on, United Flight 175, hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Tramuto Foundation annually awards college scholarships to a graduating senior at Bangor High School and Wells-Ogunquit High School who have overcome adversity in their lives. In addition, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in grants to non-profit organizations in Maine, the United States and throughout the world.

“The Tramuto Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Gala which will be held on Sept. 11, 2021 at the Cliff House Resort, will require an all-hands-on-deck approach as we work collaboratively toward our ambitious goal of raising more than $1 million from this single event,” Tramuto explained. “Last year, the Foundation announced it would be honoring nine amazing non-profit organizations at the Gala. The Tramuto Foundation has already provided these partners with a total of $3 million in multi-year grants, and each organization will receive a portion of the net proceeds from the evening’s event. With their unique talents and professional skills, our three new members will be essential to meeting our fundraising goal to ensure the continued success of this organization.”

One of the newly appointed board members is Jay Beedle of Standish, a longtime account manager at Maine Today Media, parent company of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Journal and the Kennebunk Journal, among others, where he has managed up to $2 million in annual local and national brand advertising since 1995. In addition, Beedle has an extensive background in sales and marketing management in Maine, New York City and Chicago.

A graduate of Emerson College and a home design expert, Beedle and his husband, Mark Kellerman, are longtime friends of Tramuto and were guests at St. Joseph’s College of Maine last year where Tramuto served as commencement speaker. “That’s when I heard Donato talk about the national crisis of isolation and loneliness that affects all segments of our society, including the young and the elderly,” Beedle recalled. “And I admire the fact that he has involved the Foundation in his mission to end this epidemic, primarily through our new Human Rights grant partnership with the Ogunquit Playhouse. I am excited to continue our work to engage the aging population through this groundbreaking partnership.”

The former board member of the Maine State Music Theater at Bowdoin College is looking forward to offering his creative talents and fundraising acumen to the Board as they finalize details of the 20th Anniversary Gala.

Senior healthcare executive Diane Munson, formerly of West Newbury, MA, first met Tramuto in 1992 when they both worked in management at CareMark International. “Even back then, I recognized that Donato was a business leader. I considered him an outstanding colleague and a wonderful friend and still do,” Munson said.

Munson, who holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is President and CEO of The Munson Group, a healthcare services business consulting and executive mentoring company, is also a member of the executive committee of Tramuto’s other non-profit, Health eVillages, a global organization committed to providing state of the art medical mobile technology and training to underserved communities.

As a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow, Munson understands the importance of establishing a successful path for the Foundation’s financial future. “Donato is a visionary and has established a strong financial base for this organization,” Munson said, adding, “As board members, it is our fiduciary responsibility to craft a clear fundraising message that will be critical to the continued success of the Tramuto Foundation. As a new board member, I hope to contribute to that important mission.”

With her years of service as a member of both non-profit and corporate for-profit boards, Munson understands that successful fundraising should appeal to a donor’s deep appreciation for the organization’s mission. “The Tramuto Foundation and its founder share a powerful story that goes to the heart, enabling people to immediately recognize the connection we have with the issues that affect them on a deeply personal level,” she explained. “People want to make sure their money is going back into the community and the Foundation now has a 20-year history of giving to non-profit organizations that serve basic human needs on a daily basis, while providing scholarships to local high school graduates who have achieved academic success despite great challenges. Our role is to make sure that message continues to be heard.”

Angie Occhipinti (l) and her mother, Vera (r)

New Foundation Board member Andrea ‘Angie’ Occhipinti is a resident of Saugus, MA who has spent many seasons in York after she and her siblings purchased her mother’s home. Now retired after 34 years as a Massachusetts probation officer, Occhipinti, who earned a degree in business administration from Husson University in Bangor, began her career in the Haverhill Juvenile Court, which was eventually moved into Gloucester Juvenile Court and spent the last 10 years of her career at the Ipswich District Court. While Occhipinti may enjoy retirement, her mother, Vera Occhipinti, decided that retirement was not for her. Vera, who is 89 years old, still works four days a week at the Middlesex County Court in Woburn, MA.

More than 20 years ago, Occhipinti was introduced to Tramuto through a mutual friend and longtime Foundation Board member, Anthony Pacillo. “I don’t know — maybe it is because we are both Italian, but we immediately became great friends,” she said. “All I knew about Donato was what I was told by Anthony — that he was a CEO of a healthcare company. I never looked him up on the Internet, I just knew that Donato is always doing great things for so many people and organizations – I love the guy.”

Although she is an adoring ‘mother’ to two Boston Terriers, Penelope and Hank, Occhipinti describes herself as a ‘people person,’ and is looking forward to working with the other Board members to ensure a successful anniversary event in 2021. “I will do whatever the Board wants me to do,” she said. “I think Donato is probably the most caring, kind and thoughtful person I have ever met in my life. What he does for others – including complete strangers – is unbelievable. I want to roll up my sleeves and do a great job for his Foundation because Donato deserves it and I don’t want to disappoint my great friend. “

In addition to the Tramuto Foundation, Occhipinti is a member of the Board of Directors of Habitat Plus, a Lynn, MA-based non-profit that provides interim and transitional supportive sober housing to homeless disabled veterans.