Guilford Resident Cathy Velez Elected Treasurer of Urban League of Greater Hartford

Guilford resident Cathy Velez, Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region, has been elected Treasurer of the Board of the Urban League of Greater Hartford at its 2026 Annual meeting in June. The local affiliate of the National Urban League is beginning its 62^nd year of continuous service providing education, employment, housing, and health programs while fighting for social justice.

The Officers of the Urban League of Greater Hartford for the 2026-2027 fiscal year are: Chair: Wes Alexander, J.D., Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Travelers; Vice Chair: Angelo Adams, Owner/Operator, Grip Hands; Treasurer: Cathy Velez, Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region; Secretary: Teshia Levy-Grant, Senior Managing Director, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, Webster Bank; and President: David J. Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer, Urban League of Greater Hartford.

In addition to Ms. Velez, the Urban League’s new Board Members include: Barry Camara – Area Director of Operations, Starbucks Coffee Company; Zillah Matare Fluker, PhD. – Founder of activate|elevate, LLC powered by Martin Loyd, Inc., where she leads Higher Education, Leadership and Philanthropy Strategy; Princeton Jennings – Talent Acquisition Partner, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast; Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad – Chief Operating Officer, My People Community and Clinical Services; Bishop Maurice S. Porter – Pastor and Founder, IMPACT CHURCH in Hartford; and Alex A. Toribio, J.D. – Head of Global Litigation and Government Investigations, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

The new Directors join the existing roster of dedicated At-Large Members who are: Brenda Dinnald, Senior Project Manager, Aetna/CVS; Erika Goldstein, VP Field Operations, Asia Pacific, Otis Elevator Co.; Jeffrey F. Hines, M.D., Vice President of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, University of Connecticut and UConn Health; Pamela Hippolyte, Assistant Vice President, Affordable Mortgage Loan Officer, Dime Bank; Nicole Hughey, senior director of the Office of Colleague Opportunity & Engagement, Hartford HealthCare; Patrice Y. Wood, retired SVP, Senior Audit Director, Bank of America Corp. Global; and Luz Holmes-Padgett as the President of the Urban League of Greater Hartford Young Professionals (YPs) Auxiliary.

►Guilford resident Cathy Velez is Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn., region. A seasoned banking executive with more than 30 years of financial services experience, she joined Berkshire Bank in 2024 (which officially converted and rebranded as Beacon Bank last year), after several leadership roles in consumer banking at Webster Bank, most recently as Senior Managing Director, New England Private Client Market President.

Based in New Haven County, Ms. Velez is deeply committed to community service, serving on the Boards of Columbus House, Inc. in New Haven, the United Way’s New Haven’s Community Impact Cabinet, the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund, and Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce. She lives in Guilford, Conn. with her husband Nestor and two daughters.

“We are excited to welcome the expertise and vision of our officers and our new Board members as our organization enters a new year of empowerment,” reflects David Hopkins, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Hartford. “I am excited to work with all of them and our dedicated staff as we conclude another decade of the agency’s legacy of impact.”

Urban League Board Chair Wes Alexander will lead the group of 18 in planning for the annual Board Retreat in August where they will conduct orientation for the new members, set the governing agenda for the year, and finalize the 2027 budget.

Proceeds from the support of corporations, foundations, and individual donors help fund Urban League programs and operations. Donations are welcome and can be made at: www.ulgh.org/donate. Institutional Partners include Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, M&T Bank, Webster Bank, United Way, Comcast, Verizon, Beacon Bank, Lincoln Financial, Liberty Bank, OTIS Elevator, Robinson & Cole, LISC, Coca Cola, Stanley Black & Decker, Bank of America, Eversource, UCONN Heath, Hartford HealthCare, Barnes Group, Inc., Hartford Steam Boiler, Dalio, Audacy, and National Urban League.

The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), established in 1964 as the National Urban League’s 66^th affiliate. Its mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment programs in the areas of youth development, adult education, workforce development, housing, personal financial management, community health, and social justice, impacting more than 3,000 individuals and their families every year. For more information about the Urban League of Greater Hartford, visit www.ulgh.org or https://linktr.ee/ulgh64or call 860-527-0147. Follow us on social media @ulgh64.