SMA Announces Appointment of New Executive Director
Greetings SMA Members,
The SMA Executive Board and Search Committee members are pleased to announce the appointment of a new Executive Director effective April 19th, 2021, Heather Musante Mitchell.
Heather is a resident of Watertown and has spent her career in sales. With an English and Economics degree from Trinity College in hand, she started her career at Travelers and a few years later moved into the family business. She spent fourteen years working alongside her father in his insurance agency, Musante Reihl Associates in Cheshire. They worked with a diverse base of clients, including several small manufacturing companies, focusing on health insurance benefits and business succession planning. In 2001, Heather and Tom sold their agency to Webster Insurance, then a wholly owned subsidiary of Webster Bank. Heather accepted a position as Senior Vice President and Employee Benefits producer where she continued to work for small manufacturers, among other clients. While in Waterbury, Heather went to UCONN, where she earned an MBA in Marketing in 2010. Heather continued her work in insurance until 2019, when she changed careers to work for Benchmark Senior Living, the Village at East Farms as the Director of Community Relations. When the pandemic hit, Heather’s role transitioned from conducting in-person tours to reporting to the community every day to help serve meals and answer pendent calls, doing whatever she could to maintain a high quality of care. Heather brightened the lives of residents, who were restricted from seeing their family members, with her enthusiasm, empathy, positive attitude, and humor.
Throughout her career, Heather has been active in the local community, from serving on the Scholarship Committee for the Watertown Foundation to chairing the Chamber’s Business Womens’ Forum, where she continues to serve as a board member. Long active with the United Way of Greater Waterbury’s Leavenworth Society, she co-chaired the Society’s 2018-2020 campaigns. Currently, Heather is leading a committee of volunteers as Chair for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Central CT.
Please join us in welcoming Heather to her new role—she’s eager to serve the SMA members in the position of Executive Director.
