Children & Families First announces new board members

Children & Families First recently announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors. Members were elected at the agency’s March 13 annual meeting.

Jessica Coffin Bain is a native of Sussex County who currently resides in Lewes with her husband Tom and their two sons. Bain and her husband are now the third generation to work in her family’s construction business, Coffin Construction, in Sussex County. She has been involved with community service and charity work since high school, and during her college years at Randolph Macon, she led many activities for Court Appointed Special Advocates.

After college, Bain worked as a financial planner in Baltimore for two years. At the time of their marriage in 2004, Tom was a naval aviator in Kaneohoe Bay, Hawaii, where Jessica served as president of the Patrol Squadron Nine Spouses Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the spouses and families of service members. She has served as a member of the planning committee for Children & Families First’s Taste for Art of Southern Delaware since 2011.

José F. Echeverri, MBA, is the president of SWAN Financial Group. SWAN (meaning Sleep Well At Night) offers clients a complete suite of financial services through investments that offer a guarantee of principle, reasonable and fair interest rate, and tax deferral. Prior to his many years in the financial industry, Echeverri served for 23 years in the Delaware Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force.

Echeverri has been involved with many community activities including the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs and the Delaware State University Board of Trustees. He received his BA from SUNY – Plattsburgh and his MBA from Delaware State University, where he is currently enrolled in the doctoral program. Echeverri resides in Frederica with his wife Janice and has two children.

N. Christopher Griffiths, Esq. is an attorney in the Business Law Group at Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP. He represents clients in a variety of areas including bankruptcy, commercial and corporate litigations, and estates and trusts. Before joining the firm, Griffiths served as a judicial extern to the Hon. Mary J. Walrath for the United States Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware. Prior to practicing law, Griffiths worked in the private wealth departments at Wilmington Trust Company and the Vanguard Group.

Griffiths received his BS in finance from the University of Delaware, and his JD from Villanova School of Law. He is an active volunteer, serving on the board of the St. Thomas More Society, the Next Generation Board of the Delaware Community Foundation, and the board of the Ministry of Caring. He also does pro bono work for the Office of the Child Advocate, representing youth in foster care, and coaches a high school mock trial team.

James H. McMackin III, Esq. is a partner at Morris James. In his employment, education and governmental relations law practice, McMackin primarily appears before members of the Delaware court, arbitrators and administrative bodies. He is a frequent guest on seminar panels and presenter on topics concerning employment and education law. As former chair of the Labor and Employment Section of the Delaware State Bar Association, McMackin is asked to comment on pending and proposed legislation. He often discusses developments in employment law with local practitioners. McMackin received his BA from Muhlenberg College and his JD from Widener School of Law. He and his wife reside in North Wilmington with their two young children.

Children & Families First, a private, nonprofit social services agency, helps families develop solutions to meet challenges and embrace opportunities. CFF strengthens Delaware families by delivering an innovative and effective continuum of community-based social services. In existence for more than 125 years, CFF builds the foundation for strong communities with child-centered and family-focused programs.

To learn more, go to www.cffde.org.