Interim President
Mary Devins has a master’s in Italian from the University of Connecticut. Mary recently retired from Connecticut College where she was the Associate Director of the The Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts. In this position she helped place more than 800 students in international internships around the globe. Mary has been a close friend of the Calder family since their children were young and is a strong believer and proponent of the mission and importance of an NGO such as BRAYCE.
Executive Director
Caitlin was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has been involved with BRAYCE since its inception. She is thrilled to be back with the organization as a board member to help enrich the educational and leadership opportunities for Brazilian youth. She lives in Chester with her husband, two young kids, 2 dogs and 15 chickens.
In August of 2025, Caitlin was unanimously voted by the Board to assume the role of Executive Director in the wake of Margot’s passing.
Secretary
A long-standing champion of BRAYCE’s mission, Richard and Margot’s youngest daughter, Fenna, officially joined the board in 2012 after ten years living abroad. With a background in marketing, Fenna has been able to combine her professional passion in communications with a personal belief in the power of strong communities and the impact young people can have when just given the opportunity to thrive. She is extremely proud to be a part of the BRAYCE organization by helping tell and share the stories of our remarkable BRAYCE recruits.
Treasurer
It was an honor to be asked to join the BRAYCE board. In the beginning, I had limited knowledge of its mission and how that was put into action. I was quickly very much impressed with the management of BRAYCE by Margot and others. I am now immersed in finances and fundraising and thoroughly enjoy being part of this great program.
BRAYCE Brazil
“I have had the honor of being involved with BRAYCE since 2016. I got to know their incredible program for giving marginalized kids from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro an opportunity to take part in the camp and leadership training at their fabulous Camp Hazen YMCA. It is a life changing, positive experience for these kids who will help to make their world for their families, communities, and themselves a better place. I personally got to know Margot in 2017 and her unwavering energy, dedication and passion are infectious and inspirational.” Diana is the founder and director of EduMais. EduMais helps young people develop their social and emotional, academic, and 21st century skills.
Penny is an experienced grants administrator with over 40+ years in fund development and strategic planning across non-profit organizations. She specializes in developing competitive grant proposals and leveraging partnerships as an organizational resource.
A resident of Bridgeport for the past decade, she loves living in a diverse urban community. She serves on multiple not for profit Boards for whom she also write grants. Her focus is primarily community and youth development, food justice and the arts. She is an active participant as a photographer in the Bridgeport and New Haven art scene.
Kath Davies’ first summer was in 1999, flying to the States for a summer of fun while studying to be a teacher in the UK. Little did she know it would turn in to a career. After graduating with a B. Ed from the University College of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth, she was lucky enough to be offered an 18 month training visa through the YMCA to work at Hazen. During this time a position became available on the Professional Staff. Kath started out overseeing our Group Camping Programs and during the summers she had a great time running our Day Camp. These days, in addition to overseeing all programs at Hazen, she also works closely with our Food Service and Maintenance Departments. Kath particularly enjoys volunteering in the wider YMCA community, as she has been the chair of the CT Membership & Program Network and the Northeast YMCA Camp Conference and is currently on a sub-committee of the Y-USA Overnight Camp Task Force. Kath is also commissioned to serve on the Youth Camp Safety Advisory Council for the State of CT Office of Early Childhood. She also teaches several YMCA classes at Regional Training Events, including Day Camp Director and Introduction to Fiscal Management. Outside of work she likes to spend her time pretending to play golf and is an aspiring race car driver.
Robert Gay, a long-time supporter, and friend of BRAYCE has been a Professor of Sociology with Connecticut College for the past thirty-five years. His connection to Brazil began as a teenager when his family relocated to São Paulo, Brazil. He is an ethnographer who has spent almost four decades conducting field research in the favela neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. He has written three books which examine democracy, civil society, and more recently, drug trafficking, violence, and organized crime in Brazil. Robert Gay resides in Old Lyme and enjoys playing tennis and golf.
BRAYCE upskill young leaders dedicated to their communities, offering unique opportunities to drive positive change and ensure a brighter future for all Favela youth. It’s the very best of cultural exchange.
Joe Hewitt has been committed to community development through soccer for over twenty years and specializes in fostering enduring World Cup legacies. He leads a non-profit called The Sports Creative and is a Consultant to love.fútbol. Joe lived in Rio de Janeiro from 2013 to 2016 and co-founded the favela football program, SCUB Rio.
Hi, I am Angela Nucci. I am from Brazil, and 8 years ago I met Margot and learned about BRAYCE. Since then, I became a Hostess Family, volunteer, and now a board member.
Because I grew up in Brazil, I know first-hand how hard it is to find someone who believes in you and gives you a chance to change your life. That is exactly what BRAYCE does. BRAYCE gives the kids a chance to change their lives and teach them that they can do better. BRAYCE is an amazing organization and I am very proud of being part of it.
Morgan first became acquainted with Margot in 2016 and was immediately charmed by Margot’s bright warmth and generous spirit. They connected over their similar backgrounds having both been born in England and lived elsewhere around the world, both women also sharing the idea of the importance of service to others in life.
During Morgan’s professional work at Yale, she began her global health work by studying access to health care in Vietnam in 2010 and 2011. This work led to a focus on women’s health in global health initiatives.
After moving to Dallas, Morgan and a group of other like-minded women founded a non-profit, the Gendercide Awareness Project, an art exhibit of 11,700 pairs of baby booties made by at-risk women in 16 countries. The exhibit travels around the world to raise money for scholarships for at-risk girls in 7 countries.
Since returning to Connecticut, Morgan has served on several boards and is the president of two non-profits. She is thrilled to offer her experience in non-profits and education to BRAYCE.
Brittany Silvestrini is an advocate for education, community development, and environmental sustainability. With a background in both education and nonprofit work, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in nutrition.
Having traversed various parts of the globe, including Brazil, Brittany brings a global perspective to her endeavors. Currently residing in Chester, CT, she first became involved with BRAYCE through her local community engagement efforts. Brittany actively contributes to BRAYCE’s mission by assisting with fundraising initiatives and supporting the organization’s homestay program.