OUR TEAM | SECT CLT

Meet the CLT Staff

At the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust, our team is deeply rooted in the communities we serve. We are a group of dedicated and passionate advocates working hand-in-hand with residents to create affordable housing and build stronger, more resilient neighborhoods. Guided by a shared commitment to equity and community empowerment, we collaborate to develop solutions that reflect the voices and needs of our region. Together, we are building a future where everyone has a place to call home.

Executive Director

Mirna Martinez

Mirna brings 20 years of community advocacy experience to her role as Executive Director of the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust. Her background includes teaching, serving on the New London Board of Education, and collaborating with local nonprofits and coalitions. Passionate about equity and social justice, Mirna is dedicated to advancing the CLT’s mission of accessible homeownership and community land stewardship. She looks forward to building strong relationships and fostering open communication to support the organization’s future growth.

Administrative Assistant

Aliyah Lacombe

Aliyah comes to the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust with a strong background in community development, program coordination, and food justice. As an artist in residence at Hygienic Art in New London, she also brings creativity and a passion for building community through connection and collaboration. In her role, Aliyah supports the organization by managing scheduling, communications, records, and outreach efforts, helping to keep operations running smoothly as she grows with the CLT’s mission.

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Outreach Coordinator

Lisannie Hilario

Lisannie Hilario comes to the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust with a background in community development, outreach, and financial empowerment. She brings experience in community organizing, program coordination, and relationship-building, with a strong focus on creating accessible and trauma-informed spaces. In her role as Outreach Coordinator, Lisannie supports the homeownership pipeline, chapter growth, and grassroots outreach efforts, while helping to strengthen partnerships and community engagement across the region.

Intern

Grace Webb

Grace Webb is a junior at Connecticut College from Durham, New Hampshire. She is an Environmental Studies and American Studies double major, a dance minor, and a scholar in the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment. In the Fall of 2025, Grace was abroad in Veli Lošinj, Croatia, where she studied the conservation of marine megafauna and got to work with loggerhead sea turtles and bottlenose dolphins. Last summer, she interned with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in their limnology lab and was responsible for performing water samples at all coastal NH public beaches. Since starting at the SE CT CLT as a summer intern in 2024, Grace has worked in various capacities and is currently our Organizational Guide and Collaborator.

Meet the CLT Board

The Board of Directors of a CLT is made up of three equal groups—General Membership, Public Representatives, and Leaseholders, who help steward community land and properties across Southeastern Connecticut. This structure ensures that decision-making reflects the voices of those most directly impacted by our work.

Want to follow along with our Board’s work? You can view meeting agendas, minutes, and archived materials by clicking here.

Board President

Joannne Sheehan

Joanne has long supported community land trusts, beginning in Voluntown and later through leadership roles in the Rose City CLT and the Institute for Community Economics. As Chair of the Voluntown Peace Trust, she continues advancing CLT development in southeastern Connecticut.

Vice President & Leese Representative

Clayton Potter

Clayton Potter is the first homeowner with the SECT CLT and a New London native committed to his community. He supports regional growth through several local organizations. Clayton serves as Treasurer of the SECT CLT and sits on the seCTer board and its economic development committee. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an M.P.A. from the University of New Haven, and works for the Town of Groton.

Board Secretary

Jessica Hill

Jess is a New London native and third-year SECT CLT board member. She is also Secretary for Church of the City and previously helped found Inspiring Youth and Mentors, Inc. Working in health care addressing social needs, she values serving her community through the land trust.

Treasurer & Lesse Representative

Maya Nunez

Maya is a Bronx native with a graduate degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts. She brings a legal lens to housing policy and has researched links between health and housing. Her nonprofit work strengthened her collaboration and communication skills. She aims to support local governments and the SECT CLT in advancing land sovereignty for People of Color.

General Representative

Jon Persson

Jon is a writer and community advocate in New London. He serves on several local committees, including the CLT Property Committee and the FRESH Steering Committee. His work focuses on equitable access to real estate and creating long-term community stability through the CLT model

Public Representative

Stanley Bellamy

Stanley, General Manager of Fiddleheads Food Co-op, learned about the CLT through local partnerships and soon became a member. The CLT supported him in purchasing his first home. He is committed to New London’s future and to strengthening community engagement through his board service.

General Representative

Alicia Mcvay

Alicia is a founding member of the SECT CLT and became passionate about land equity after buying her home in 2017 while leading FRESH New London. Seeing systemic barriers to ownership, she was drawn to community control through the CLT model. She lives in New London with her family.

Public Representative

Eric Vukicevich

Eric is an educator, farmer, and musician focused on land, soil, and equitable access. Raised in rural California, he has worked in agriculture and teaching across several regions. He now teaches at Connecticut College, runs the student farm, and is starting a small farm in Waterford with his wife.

Board meetings occur in person on the third Thursday of the odd months (January, March, May, July, September, November) at 5:30 PM. Meetings are open to members. If you plan to attend, please email president@sectclt.org.