The Center Announces New Executive Director

On Thursday night, Stamford’s , hosted a reception to introduce the community to Ivonne Zucco, the new Executive Director of The ("The Center").

Zucco, a resident of Greenwich, spent two years as the Center’s Bilingual Counselor and Operations Director. Zucco took on the position of Executive Director after Cathy Malloy, who spent ten years as Executive Director of the Center, relocated to Hartford with her husband, Governor Dannel Malloy.

“Having put a huge amount of time and passion into the Center, I put a lot of thought into it, making sure that the stability would continue,” Malloy said. “I spent a lot of time observing my staff and it was almost a no-brainer. Everything clicked — Ivonne had an interest in the whole management and administrative part of it. She also has a great passion for it.”

“Cathy and Ivonne had a great transition plan,” board member Tuesday Tamburri said. “It’s made for a very smooth transition. Ivonne has done a fantastic job.”

Zucco’s background in social work continues to inform the way she works in her new position.

“I’m so grateful that I had my background as a counselor…I’m always thinking of the victim first, that’s where the inspiration comes from,” Zucco said. “Cathy was able to see that I had many other things I could bring to the table. Even when I was a counselor, she was guiding me through, helping me learn about the management side. I really felt her support.”

On Thursday, the Center also welcomed the support of Agabhumi. For the evening, 20% of all proceeds were donated to the Center.

“Part of our raison d’etre is to be a part of the communities that we’re in,” Regina Kirshbaum, owner of Agabhumi, said. "We're also careful about the organizations we support, we look at what the organization is doing and who's running it."

Agabhumi designed a special bracelet for the Center to raise awareness and spark conversations about the issue of sexual assault. The Center bracelet can be purchased in Agabhumi's store on Magee Avenue.

“We started with jewelry to raise awareness about organ donation — people would come back and say that people admired it and asked about it," Kirschbaum said. "I’ve learned very quickly how to start a conversation between two complete strangers.”

Kirschman hopes that the Center bracelet — created by one of Agabhumi’s Balinese artists and priced at just $28 — can generate conversations and revenue for the Center. 30% of the gross proceeds will be donated to the Center.

“They’re an extraordinary group of people,” Kirschbaum said. “What they do for the community, they take my breath away.”

Moving forward, Zucco looks to build relationships with other organizations in the region to maximize the Center’s impact and presence in the community. Malloy too remains close with the staff at the Center and expresses her confidence that they will continue to do great things under Zucco's leadership.

“We will continue, my husband and I, to work to build awareness about the issue of sexual assault,” Malloy said. “My desire is for the Center to continue to serve, it sounds simple, but times are tough.”

"I've been able to meet with a few agencies that I had relationships with before,  we all need each other," Zucco said. "We're going to keep doing what we do best."