Staff

President & CEO
Craig E. Lafferty

Biographical Sketch

Craig Lafferty is the President/CEO for the United Way of Greater Mercer County, located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, which was the result of the merger of Delaware Valley United Way and United Way of Princeton Area Communities in 1994. Mr. Lafferty was selected to head this organization after a nationwide search was conducted to find the leadership necessary to bring two organizations together to serve the community. During the past decade, the United Way of Greater Mercer County has earned a national reputation as an innovative and responsive organization, dedicated to providing critically needed human care services. Mr. Lafferty has presented numerous workshops on creating community impact oriented United Ways.

During his tenure as President and CEO for the United Way of Greater Mercer County he has lead his organization to achieve significant campaign results. From 1994 to date, campaign growth is in excess of 66%, raising more than $65 million. Mr. Lafferty has positioned the United Way in Mercer County as the lead organization for human services planning and community impact.

In 1982, Mr. Lafferty began his career with the United Way. His first professional assignment was in Richmond, Virginia, working with the volunteer citizen review process, responsible for allocating financial support to human service programs. He continued in Richmond as a Senior Vice President for Human Services and Community Resources until 1990. His United Way career then took him to Danbury, Connecticut where he served as the President and Chief Professional Officer for the United Way of Northern Fairfield County.

Mr. Lafferty also is an active member of the following organizations and councils:

• United Way of America - National Professional Council - Member
• United Way of America - Metro 2 - 4 CEO Council - Co-Chairman
• United Way of America – Crisis Response Planning Committee - Member
• United Ways of Metro New York CEO Council - Immediate Past Chairman
• United Ways of New Jersey State Association - Past Chairman
• FEMA - State Committee - Member and Immediate Past Chairman
• FEMA - Mercer County Local Board – Immediate Past Chairman
• Mercer County Workforce Investment Board - Member
• Mercer County Human Services Advisory Council – Past Member
• Mercer County Alliance to End Homeless, Inc. - Founding Director and Immediate Past Chairman of the Board
• City of Trenton Youth Advocacy Cabinet - Member
• Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce – Board Member
• Non-Profit Chief Executives Officers Association - Member

During his United Way career, Mr. Lafferty has also helped to create programs to respond to the needs of the homeless, the hungry, children and families in crisis, persons living with AIDS, violence prevention in the school, and to create economic development opportunities.

In late 2001, Mr. Lafferty, working with his United Way colleagues in New Jersey, helped to establish the New Jersey Family Advocate Program to assist families impacted by the terrible events of September 11, 2001. This program provided seamless and consistent service to families and loved-ones dealing with over-whelming social service network and governmental response. Family Advocates were assigned to work with individual families to help navigate the complex and daunting task for identifying and qualifying for assistance and benefits. The United Ways of New Jersey was named by Governor James E. McGreevey to administer this project because of the local United Ways' capacity to coordinate resources and respond in a sensitive and timely manner.

Mr. Lafferty has been in the human services field for the past 35 years. He began his career working with juvenile offenders in Tampa, Florida in 1970. During his eleven years in youth work, Mr. Lafferty helped create one of the first multi-service centers for children in the nation, while working in Hillsborough County, Florida. His work with other community leaders and county officials resulted in day treatment and residential programming for emotionally disturbed children and socially maladjusted youth.

He is past member of the Rotary Club of Trenton and is a member and past-Deacon of First Presbyterian Church in Hamilton Square. His volunteer activities include The Salvation Army and Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness. He resides in Belle Mead, New Jersey with his wife Anita. They have two adult children Sarah L. Jacobi and Benjamin J. Lafferty.

Office of the President
Charlotte Hague
Executive Assistant to the President

Kathleen McGrath
Administrative Assistant

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Brand Management & Communications
Jodi Inverso
Vice President

Biographical Sketch

Jodi Inverso is the Vice President of Brand Management and Communications for United Way of Greater Mercer County. Graduating from York College of Pennsylvania with a BA in Graphic Design and minors in Fine Art and Art History. After internships with a web design company, event planning company and pro bono design work for a cancer center, Jodi started her career as a Graphic Designer for medical communication company Scientific Frontiers, Inc. Jodi designed materials for pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Merck, Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Ortho-McNeil and Chiron. Focusing on therapeutic areas including arthritis, pain management, hypertension, diabetes, HIV and cancer treatment. Jodi’s scope of work included everything from invitations, monographs, workbooks, website recruitment, CD Rom packaging, newsletters, and monographs for everything from symposia to product launches to satellite broadcast series.

Before joining the team at UWGMC, Jodi spent some time in the publishing department at ETS working in various phases on a wide range of educational materials.

Jodi has spent several years teaching computers at Trinity Episcopal Academy, conducting graphic design camps for children at Bucks County Community College, teaching adults at The Learning Studio as well as teaching graphic design courses at Mercer County Community College for both credit and continuing studies.

Jodi is a member of NJ CAMA and former member of AIGA. She resides in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with her husband Kevin and son Hunter.

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Resource Development & Major Gifts
Carolee Ann Kueller
Vice President

Biographical Sketch

Carolee Kueller is the Vice President of Resource Development for United Way of Greater Mercer County. Carolee received her BS degree from Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. After working in the fashion-merchandising field for six years, she accepted a position at the American Cancer Society in Monmouth and Ocean Counties as the Income Development Director, responsible for the fundraising efforts for the organization. In addition, she also served as a member of the National Major Gifts Task Force helping to implement and launch a Major Gifts Initiative for ACS. Carolee worked for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Monmouth and Ocean Counties for four years as the District Director. She traveled the country giving educational presentations to o ther MDA staff on strategies to build social events and implement a major gifts program. Carolee is now employed with United Way of Greater Mercer County and heads up the Resource Development team. She is credited with reorganizing the resource development department and mentoring staff to become specialist instead of generalists in their roles as development professionals. Carolee designed and implemented a donor relations program to cultivate major giving at UWGMC and is also the Co-Chair for the United Ways of New Jersey Women’s Leadership Council. Carolee resides in Neptune, New Jersey.

Rod Robertson, CAP
Assistant Vice President

Daniel P. Fatton
Senior Account Executive

Donna M. Wilson
Senior Account Executive

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Resource Investment
Patrick Cacacie, MSW, LCSW
Vice President

Biographical Sketch

Patrick Cacacie is Vice President of Resource Investment for United Way of Greater Mercer County. After a brief stint in the Jesuit seminary, Pat graduated Magna cum Laude from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City with a BA in English. He then taught English composition and literature at Purdue University in Indiana while getting his MA in American Studies. After working as a Probation Officer for 3 years in Sullivan County, NY, Pat went back to school to get his MSW from Penn and worked at Northern Home for Children in Philadelphia for 1 year.

Pat moved back to NJ in 1978 to work at AAMH in Princeton for 1 year, beginning a 27-year career in mental health in NJ, 17 years in Mercer County. Pat became a therapist for 2 years at Mercer County Community Guidance Center in Hamilton Township, before going to SERV Centers in Trenton as Clinical Coordinator for 3 years. In 1985 he moved up to Clinical Director of the Guidance Clinic of Catholic Charities in Trenton for 10 years. During this time he volunteered for Planning & Allocations at DVUW before becoming President/CEO of Drenk MH Center in Mt. Holly at the end of 1994. In 2000 he moved to Steininger in Cherry Hill as VP of Clinical Operations, and in 2005 joined United Way of Greater Mercer County staff.

Elly S. Mateo
Assistant Vice President

Merlene I. Taylor, MPS, Ed.S
Assistant Vice President

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Resource Management
Donna L. Schwenzer, CPA
Senior Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer

Biographical Sketch

Donna Schwenzer is the Senior Vice President of Resource Management and CFO for United Way of Greater Mercer County. Donna received her BS from Juniata College and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Pennsylvania. She has been with United Way since 1990, after working as a CPA in public practice for six years, and in the Continuing Care Retirement Community Industry for several years.

Ann M. Zdunkiewicz
Executive Assistant to CFO

Darlene Abate
Special Assistant Finance/ECC

Evalin A. Ouskin
Fiscal Assistant

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