The backbone staff of Norwalk ACTS is the coordinating body of the partnership. They provide cornerstone capacity, convene and facilitate meetings, and align the efforts and resources of members and community partners who work to improve agreed-upon community-level outcomes.
Jesse Buccolo / jbuccolo@norwalkacts.org
INTERIM CEO/Deputy director
Jesse joined Norwalk ACTS in 2020 and is the Deputy Director. His responsibilities include overseeing strategic planning, data, communications, and operations. Jesse cares deeply about making a system-level impact on communities that face inequity in his hometown of Norwalk.
Jesse taught for five years in urban classrooms and worked as a Policy and Communications Associate for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). He has taught at three high-performing schools nationwide—Chicago, Washington DC, and New Haven—that serve historically underrepresented students. He began teaching as a Teach For America Corps member, teaching English Language Arts to high school students with special needs. At the NYCDOE, Jesse worked for the Office of School Quality, which conducts Quality Reviews that support student learning and teacher practice.
Jesse holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from American University, a Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education from National Louis University, and a Master of Education in Education Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Jesse was born and raised in Norwalk and resides there with his wife, son, and dog.
MJ Chironna / mjchironna@norwalkacts.org
Manager, Early childhood development initiative
M.J. has been the Early Childhood Development Manager since September 2023. Her responsibilities include leading and facilitating the project management efforts for the Early Childhood Development Initiative to enable progress within community-level outcomes. From March 2020 to September 2023, she was the Manager of Community Engagement at Norwalk ACTS.
Prior to this role, she led a community planning process around social emotional learning and trauma-informed care. Through her work in the social sector, she has fostered valuable relationships and connected community members to support helping them improve their lives. She has led community outreach efforts to actively engage Norwalk families in decisions made about themselves.
As a Parents as Teachers (PAT) Educator, she provided family support, strengthened Norwalk families, and promoted positive parent-child interactions. As a Community Organizer focused on the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Bridgeport, she mentored homeless individuals and facilitated the monthly consumer advisory forums. In addition, she co-facilitated an after-school leadership program for middle school girls. Her social work experience began at Family & Children’s Agency in Norwalk as a Coordinator of Volunteer Services and simultaneously as a FEMA Outreach Worker assisting with the recovery efforts and follow-up work with families in Connecticut who lost loved ones in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Besides her work in the social sector, she provided administrative support to the Naramake Family Resource Center including the preschool program, and worked at investment management firms including a pension investment consultant organization.
As a resident of Norwalk for almost 30 years, she has been passionate about improving the lives of children and youth in Norwalk. She has actively volunteered at many Norwalk schools and social service organizations. Her three daughters attended the Norwalk Public Schools for over 20 years. M.J. received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut.
Ray Leslie / rleslie@norwalkacts.org
SENIOR Data ANALYST
Ray Leslie is the Senior Data Analyst, supporting many of the data initiative projects for Norwalk ACTS. His responsibilities include data collection, manipulation, and visualization projects to support Norwalk ACTS members and to help lead the effort in using student and community data to improve the outcomes for Norwalk’s children. Ray is a long-time member of the Norwalk community. He was born and raised in Norwalk and is also a student who graduated from Brien McMahon High School as a member of the Class of 2010.
Before joining Norwalk ACTS, Ray graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Business Management Consulting and spent four years gaining valuable experience in a data-driven atmosphere working for two of the world’s largest e-commerce and travel booking platforms: Priceline.com and Booking.com. His passion for data analytics and technology grew even further during that time. Since then, Ray has devoted his time, focus, and energy toward pivoting career paths and becoming a student of data. Ray is a self-taught Tableau Software and Python Programming enthusiast living in Portland, Maine.
During his free time, Ray likes analyzing sports data and staying active. He enjoys working out, snowboarding, playing in local rec sports leagues, and going on hikes with his wife, Ellie, and Bernedoodle, Otto.
Anamilena Moreno / amoreno@norwalkacts.org
manager, social emotional health initiative
Anamilena was born and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, actively participating in school and sport activities throughout her education in Norwalk Public Schools. Her family is from Colombia and has four generations living in Norwalk, CT. She graduated from Norwalk High School in 2010 and went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury in 2014.
Following her undergraduate studies, Anamilena embarked on a career as a parent educator in the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program at Family & Children’s Agency. In this role, she provided vital support to families by offering encouragement, educating parents about child development, and helping families connect to resources and their local community.
She then went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Social Work from Sacred Heart University, specializing in Community Organizing in 2020. Anamilena started with Norwalk ACTS as an intern in 2019 and has been here ever since learning and focusing on civic engagement and systems change with young people and the Norwalk community.
Paula Palermo / ppalermo@norwalkacts.org
Data consultant
Paula Palermo is the Data Consultant for Norwalk ACTS, a Cradle to Career Collective Impact Organization in Norwalk, CT. Her responsibilities include providing data management and visualization support for Norwalk ACTS members and leading the effort to analyze better and use community and student data to improve outcomes for Norwalk’s children. In 2018, Paula completed an 8-month fellowship with Tableau Software with participants from 17 cities around the United States that are members of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network.
Before Norwalk ACTS, Paula was a technology consultant for 20 years, supporting customers in the area’s education, healthcare, private industry, and non-profit sectors. Before that, she held engineering positions at Black & Decker and Perkin Elmer. She is a graduate of RIT with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.
Paula has served on three boards, the Norwalk Education Foundation (2 years as co-chair) and currently the Norwalk River Rowing Association, where she has been an active member of the rowing community since 2007, and InformCT (CT Data Collaborative) since 2018.
BRANDALYN FULTON WILLIAMS / BFWILLIAMS@norwalkacts.org
MANAGER OF COMMUNICATIONS
Brandalyn Fulton Williams joined Norwalk ACTS in April of 2024. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelors of General Studies with an emphasis in Sociology and Theatre Design & Production. Brandalyn lives in Norwalk with her husband, Warren, and son, Camden who attends Cranbury Elementary School.
Brandalyn is active with the Cranbury School Governance Council, currently serves as a Parent Representative on the Norwalk Early Childhood Council and is involved with CPAC’s Parent Roundtable as a Parent Leader. She served as the President of the PTO at Norwalk Early Childhood Center and focused on forging meaningful relationships with the district and new parents to Norwalk Public Schools. Brandalyn is a Special Education Advocate and is very passionate about supporting and encouraging parents to find their voice to advocate for their children’s’ needs.
Brandalyn serves as an Adjunct Professor at SUNY Purchase College – Conservatory of Theatre Arts. She has spent the last 15 years working in News Media, Theatrical and Photo Production and has extensive experience with client relations, community building, and event planning.
marsha elbourne / melbourne@norwalkacts.org
development associate
Marsha has over two decades of experience crafting marketing, creative, and communication strategies, ideas, and content for well-known brands at agencies in Fairfield County and New York City. (She has also been an entrepreneur who created a unique cupcake business from a lifelong passion for baking.) A few years ago, she pivoted from creative to strategist at her former employer, taking on new responsibilities and roles including business development, marketing, and PR for one of their research and strategy subsidiaries, then as a brand strategist for their digital agency. However, it was her volunteer work leading DEI communications strategy, planning, and execution that had the greatest impact, rekindling a long-time desire to be a change agent.
Marsha enjoys volunteering in the Norwalk community where she’s lived for eleven years—Calf Pasture Beach and Woods Pond are two of her favorite spots in town. During that time she has mentored through the Human Services Council’s Youth Mentor Program, donated produce grown at Fodor Farm to Open Door Shelter where she’s also served Thanksgiving dinner, and helped out at her daughter’s schools in various capacities from trip chaperone to drama club helper to SGC member.
Marsha holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Studies from Harvard University and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree at Fairfield University. She and her daughter share their home with two adopted shelter animals, Bailey dog, and Kitty Purry cat.