Jan Neri, CPA, Former Wheeler Board Chair

Our personal and professional connections often lead us to unexpected, rewarding places. This was the case with former Wheeler board of trustee and board chair, Jan Neri, whose late husband, Ray, was a good friend of community leader and Wheeler trustee, Ray Corsini.

“Ray was looking for women to serve on the board, and he reached out to recruit me,” remembers Jan, who worked as a young CPA at the West Hartford-based Filomeno & Company in the mid-1980s. “We were sitting at Roger’s Bakery in downtown Plainville one morning, and he said to me, ‘I need your help. We are looking for professional people to serve on the Wheeler board,’ ”

When Jan first joined the board, she became involved with the Pension and Investment Committee. “I was impressed with the management team, and I always felt that Wheeler was one step ahead of folks in the community,” she remembered.

Jan served in various capacities on the Wheeler board, before serving as chair for five years. Under her leadership, the Wheeler board established competitive packages to recruit and retain employees, consistently expand and diversify revenue streams to meet community needs, and under the direction and leadership of Dennis Keenan, hired Wheeler David Berkowitz, Ph.D. as Wheeler’s Executive Director.

“David knew everything about managed care as well as other aspects of behavioral health. He was instrumental in leading this organization through significant growth and change,” she said.

In addition to Wheeler, Jan also served on many other community boards, including the United Way of Plainville, United Way of Bristol, Plainville Chamber of Commerce Business and Professional Women’s Club of Plainville, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Connecticut Society of CPAs, Network of Entrepreneurial Women, and Main Street Community Foundation.

Jan characterizes her experience on the Wheeler board as positive and productive. “Among the most gratifying aspects of my position was to watch Wheeler grow and expand to better serve individuals and families,” said Jan. “This experience also helped me to cultivate lasting friendships,” including long-term bonds with Wheeler leaders Mary Hess, Elaine Couture, and board member Noreen Schumann. “This was, by far, one of my best board positions,” she added.