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Our Mission
To make Madison a better place to live, both now and in the future,
At The Madison Foundation, our focus is, simply, Madison and its citizens.
Providing a safety net to Madison families to
help them meet their most basic needs.
Director
Director
Secretary
Secretary
© Copyright 2025 The Madison Foundation
Renee Pallenberg has been employed by GSB since 1987, currently serving as EVP, Director of Marketing. In her time at GSB, Ms. Pallenberg has worked primarily in Retail Banking & Business Development, Marketing, and Community Development. Renee has served on numerous non-profit Boards of Directors, including President of HOPE Partnership, Guilford Youth Mentoring, Guilford Youth & Family Services, and past President of the Guilford Chamber of Commerce. Renee joined The Madison Foundation in 2013, served as VP and President, and currently serves on the Marketing and Finance Committees, and Chair of the Grants Committee.
Renee has lived most of her life in Madison and currently resides with her husband, Carvin. Besides serving on TMF board, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family and especially her grandchildren, gardening, reading, boating, and vacationing – anywhere, anytime.
Leigh Curtis Higgins, Vice President, and her family have lived in Madison for the past 21 years. Leigh currently works at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and has spent most of her career in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. She grew up in Manchester, CT, graduated from UConn, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer at a rural health clinic in Niger, West Africa. Leigh holds an Ed. D in Educational Leadership from SCSU.
Dave Allen has served as a director for 18 years at The Madison Foundation and during some of that time also served as Treasurer and President. Dave and his family have been Madison residents since 1986. He is a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in Corporate Financial Reporting and Estate Management. He is also an Associate Professor of Accounting at Southern Connecticut State University.
Dave presently co-chairs the Heritage Society within the Madison Foundation, which was established to increase the amount of estate bequests and endowment fund creation at the Foundation.
Andrew J. Cialek is currently a Wealth Advisor for Principle Wealth Partners in Madison. He lives in Madison with his wife and son.
Andrew holds degrees in both Economics and Philosophy from the University of Vermont.
In addition to his involvement with the Madison Foundation, Andrew is also a board member and officer for the Madison Land Conservation Trust and the Shoreline Spartans Rugby Club.
Stephen Dowler grew up in Madison and is a graduate of DHHS and Villanova University. He returned to town in 1999 with his wife and young family to join his family’s residential and commercial real estate business. Over the years Stephen has participated in numerous local community organizations, including Madison Jaycees and coaching youth lacrosse. Currently, he serves as the Board Treasurer of HOPE Partnership, Inc., an affordable housing nonprofit and is a Director of The Guilford Savings Bank.
As a local Madison-based business owner, Stephen continues to want to be involved in the community and is pleased to be a member of The Madison Foundation. He is “especially interested in getting to know the personal story of each fund” and to assist in furthering the goals and mission of the Foundation.
A Connecticut native, Joanne returned with her family in 1995 and settled in Madison, after more than 20 years in the Boston area. While there she attended Boston University and established a career in Human Resources. In CT she continued her career in HR until her recent retirement, specializing in recruiting candidates at all levels of her clients‘ organizations.
For many years Joanne volunteered weekly at Yale New Haven Hospital, working with pediatric cancer patients on behalf of Circle of Care, where she served on the Board of Directors. She was involved in many activities while her daughter was in Madison schools and is a longtime member of the Shoreline Soul Gospel Choir. Joanne is a past President of the Madison Beach Club.
Returning to New England from the University of Arizona, Laurie became a Director of a Head Start Center, working directly with families in her community. This gave her an understanding of the daily challenges faced by families with limited means.
Laurie and her husband Jack are among the five founding families of The Madison Foundation and Laurie served as a Foundation Director from 2001 until 2019. It was this background that led her to establish the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund within the Madison Foundation in 2008. She has served as the Director of the N2N Fund since its inception.
Jon Leckerling has practiced law for over 40 years and is the former general counsel for two New York Stock Exchange-listed, Fortune 500 companies. His law firm has offices in Madison and Stonington and his legal practice includes corporate and business services and estate planning together with trust and probate administration.
Jon lives in Madison with his wife Nancy, who is a UCC (Congregational Church) minister and counselor. Jon is a Board member and the immediate past Chairman of the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA, which serves 25 towns and cities in Connecticut including New Haven and Bridgeport.
Geoff Palmer and his wife, Heidi, moved to Madison in the early 1970’s. He first became involved in town activities in 1976, when he was elected to a six-year term on the Board of Finance. Following that, Geoff was a founding member and Chairman of the Senior Services Commission. He joined the Board of The Madison Foundation in 1996, and later served as President. He has also served as a Vice President of Madison, A Better Chance (Madison ABC) and as a Board member of SARAH, Inc.
Karen Siclari has been a Madison resident for over 30 years, she raised her two children here and currently lives in town with her husband Ken Handelman.
Karen has a rich history of volunteer work, lending her time to fundraising for various organizations. Over the years she has worked with the E. C. Scranton Memorial Library, Our Lady of Mercy School in Madison, and Hamden Hall Country Day School.
Currently, Karen is on the fundraising committee for The Madison Foundation. She is also a co-founder of demandZERO a (DAVID _ HELP!) fund within The Madison Foundation. She chairs their auction and the annual Lights of Hope fundraiser. Additionally, she serves as Vice President of the Friends of Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Karen enjoys cooking, walking her dog at Hammonasset, and reading.
