Adam’s House Appoints New Leader

Adam’s House, Connecticut’s only free-standing grief education and peer support center, proudly announces changes to the leadership team to more closely align the organization’s strategic vision with its operational initiatives.

Founder Allison Wysota has selected veteran non-profit leader Noah Eliot Gotbaum as Interim Executive Director of Adam’s House. Gotbaum’s initial focus will be defining and guiding strategic plans for the non-profit’s continued success. He understands the vast need for grief support, and has a highly personal connection to Adam’s House, having lost his wife, the mother of his three young children, in 2007.

“Adam’s House currently offers no-cost programming to grieving children and their families, thanks to community and foundation grants, corporate and individual donors, and annual fundraising events,” Gotbaum continued. “My goal is to expand our uniquely effective grief-support programs into underserved communities and schools throughout Southern Connecticut and foster new relationships with caring individuals, foundations, and companies that recognize the importance of our mission.”

Gotbaum brings three decades of cross-sectoral leadership experience to Adam’s House. After college, Noah conceived of, founded, and served as the Inaugural Board Chair of New York Cares, now America’s largest local volunteer/service organization. A veteran of the Connecticut non-profit world, he served as CEO of Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust - now Building Neighborhoods Together - rebranding and helping to lead BNT’s transformation from major losses to its current position as one of the region’s leading Community Development and Housing/Financial Counseling organizations. He then founded New Spirit Advisors, a strategic/fundraising consultancy and C-level coaching firm, primarily for non-profits. Gotbaum came to the non-profit world from private-sector strategy consulting and capital-raising/ investment. He has broad experience in the youth, education, disability, and mental health field later being elected President of CEC3, the public school board for Harlem and Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and then serving on New York’s Citywide Council for Special Education (CCSE) the elected school board charged with overseeing the provision of services to NYC’s 250,000 students with disabilities.

“My background in management, strategy development, donor/investor cultivation, and passion for the mission, coupled with Allison’s expertise in the grief space, will allow us to reach even more families in need,” Gotbaum commented.

In March, Allison Wysota will assume the role of Board President, succeeding Michelle Jukoski, who will continue as a board member following her impactful tenure as Board President. Wysota will also remain as Program Director. This new structure allows Wysota to have full oversight of the organization, while still pursuing her passion for curating personalized grief education within the cornerstone “Helping Hearts Heal” program, which has helped transform the lives of over 400 children and families to date.

“I founded Adam’s House in 2015 and launched our first program in 2017, and the need for the grief education and peer support we offer has increased each year,” Allison Wysota commented. “One in 12 children in Connecticut will lose a parent or sibling before age 18, we need to continue to expand and evolve to meet the acute needs of our community.”

One focus for additional funding is an initiative to bring the Adam’s House program to schools in underserved communities, since data from the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model shows that children in low income areas are more likely to suffer loss than those in higher income areas. The program will feature the curriculum-based work offered in the Shelton location, but will remove some barriers to entry for underserved populations, such as scheduling, transportation, and languages spoken at home.

“We are grateful for the support of friends and donors and their commitment to the children we serve,” Wysota concluded. “With additional resources in place, we know that Adam’s House will continue to be a special place for grievers to find comfort and hope for years to come.”

About Adam’s House
Adam’s House is a non-profit organization that provides free grief education and peer support programs to children, families, and adults who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Adam’s House offers a safe, welcoming environment where children and families can share their experiences and receive the support they need to heal through an 8-week peer support group entitled ‘Helping Hearts Heal’. Adam’s House is a United Way partner agency, and serves families throughout Connecticut, including Ansonia, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Fairfield, Greenwich, Milford, New Canaan, New Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Shelton, Trumbull, and Westport. For more information about Adam’s House and its programs, and how to support the organization, visit www.adamshousect.org.