DVFiber announces the appointment of Gabrielle Ciuffreda as its first executive director, effective September 1. Ciuffreda, known as Gabby, lives in Guilford and comes to DVFiber with deep experience in project management and community building.
Ciuffreda brings nearly 20 years of legal, asset management, and real estate development experience to the executive director position. Recently, she helped to oversee the financing and redevelopment of a $31 million rehabilitation of three historic buildings in downtown Bennington that were repurposed for commercial and mixed-income housing. She has focused on mixed-use and industrial development, historic renovation, and brownfields environmental remediation.
“I look forward to working with our local communities,” says Ciuffreda, “and the DVFiber governing board to continue the organization’s work of bringing reliable, affordable broadband to all areas of the service region. This infrastructure is critical to the ongoing success of businesses, communities, and individuals in our area.”
Ciuffreda brings important skills in project financing, including tax credits (New Markets Tax Credits, federal historic tax credits,and state historic tax credits), loan sourcing, and grant procurement/management (HUD CDBG, USDA Rural Development, VTrans, VHCB, and EPA/Brownfields).
Ciuffreda is committed to community and civic engagement. Currently the chair of the Windham Regional Planning Commission and its Brownfields Steering Committee, she has also served at the state level as a member of the VT Downtown Development Board, which supports the preservation and enhancement of Vermont’s downtowns and village centers and distributes the state’s rehabilitation tax credits as well as various grants. She served on her town’s Select Board for four years and on a local non-profit board whose mission was to renovate and repurpose the local historic grange building into a community center.
“I am excited about working with Gabby in her new role as DVFiber’s executive director,” says DVFiber Chair Steven John. “She has the professional education, experience, and local insight to take our municipal corporation from pre-construction to the completion of our universal fiber service plan. Gabby knows how to work with a volunteer board to lead our organization with a singular purpose–to bridge the digital divide.”
Photo credit: Courtesy of G. Ciuffreda