Avalonia Welcomes a new Director of Philanthropy!

Avalonia is pleased to introduce Christopher Kepple as our new Director of Philanthropy. A Connecticut native, Chris has served as Director of Development at both the Mystic Noank Library and the Stonington Historical Society. In addition to his experience with fundraising and grants, Chris has a background in film production and direction. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Green Planet Films in Stonington, where he promotes and markets new films to the education market.

Chris will have a part-time role with Avalonia Land Conservancy that will focus on development and grants. As such, he will report to Dick Conant in Dick’s capacity as Chair of the Development Committee.

Chris brings a strong mix of experience, enthusiasm, knowledge, and commitment to our organization. I hope you’ll have a chance to meet him in the coming weeks to welcome him to Avalonia Land Conservancy.

A little more about Chris, in his own words:

In the last decade, my work has been in documentary film and fundraising. I love to raise money for nonprofits by getting to know stakeholders, creating innovative fundraising strategies, engaging organizational history, and designing campaigns that drive growth and change. I’ve been fortunate to work for some iconic local institutions including: Historic Stonington, The Mystic & Noank Library, Norwich Free Academy, The James Merrill House, Green Planet Films, Irish Visions, and now Avalonia Land Conservancy. 

My guiding principle in both film and fundraising is to engage in meaningful topics that matter to audience members, patrons and supporters. I am especially drawn to spaces where environmental and humanities topics are center stage.