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26 n e w h a v e n B I Z | N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m CT HOSPICE Continued on page 28 Continued from page 26 real-estate career, she explains. (Pearce also holds honorary degrees from Albertus Magnus College and the University of New Haven.) She has served as chair of more boards of directors than she probably cares to count, including the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Long Wharf eatre, the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, the United Way of Greater New Haven, and the Hospital of Saint Raphael. Shelton lawyer Alan J. Tyma worked with Pearce on the board of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, one of Connecticut's largest philanthropic institutions. "I succeeded Barbara as chair of the CFGNH [Foundation] board from 2008 to 2009," he says. "She was a dynamo who literally ran daily, capably ran the business her father began, and helped run our board with great passion and dedication," says Tyma. "I'm certain she will persevere to do a great job at Hospice." C onnecticut Hospice was established in March 1974 as a place for terminally ill patients to live out their days in dignity and peace. Founder Florence Wald based her model on the work being done by Cicely Saunders in palliative care at St. Christopher's Hospice in London, England, in the 1960s. ree years earlier Wald had established the first hospice in the U.S., and history today credits her as "the mother of the American hospice movement." But Connecticut Hospice's more recent history has been largely devoid of both dignity and peace. Indeed, over the last few years the financial prospects of the 501(c)3 nonprofit have been downright painful. Hospice board Chairman Antho- ny (Unk) DaRos says the nonprofit has faced deep financial difficulties — to the tune of about $4 million in debt — forcing it to seek an interim chief executive officer to reorganize finances and bring costs under control. at person turns out to have been Pearce, who brought with her a very high level of training and professional experience to the challenge. "I feel fortunate to have been asked to do something so mean- ingful, and equally fortunate to have the energy and support that are necessary to accomplish it," Pearce says. "I would not have been able to do this earlier in my career." She also would not have been able to accept the challenge with- out a trusted executive to step in for her to guide the family business and its fortunes. Pearce enjoyed "the luxury of an extremely capable No. 2 at Pearce Real Estate, Nanette Pastore, who is now president," says Pearce. Pastore is managing the company in her absence. On the home front, Pearce's chil- dren are grown and her husband Norman Fleming recently retired, which Pearce said allows him to "take care of all the pieces of our life that I cannot." Pearce describes her feelings about the year-long challenge and steep learning curve, which she compares to a demanding academ- ic undertaking. "When I was in law school and business school, the [combined Harvard] JD/MBA program required a 'capstone project' and an accompanying course at the end of the four years," she recounts. "I think of Connecticut Hospice as my capstone community project: It incorporates everything I ever learned from everything I ever did, and requires help from everyone I ever knew from anywhere. "It's overwhelmingly complex, and benefits from the long view you acquire aer decades of man- agement experience." Moreover, both the challenge and the organization itself are more complex than meets the eye. Pearce says the public may not realize the 52-bed facility at 100 Double Beach Road is also an acute-care hospital that treats critically ill patients who are later discharged. "It's not a depressing place," Pearce says. "A good death is as important as a good life." She recalls the words of one patient who, aer some time at the facility, remarked, "I came here to die, and I learned how to live." T o navigate the daunting year- long journey, Barbara Pearce enlists the help and support of some other capable professionals. Pearce commends in par- ticular Joseph Mooney, who works with her as CT Hospice's interim chief operating officer and chief financial officer. e pair embarked on the challenging assignment at the same time. "We didn't know each other [pre- viously], but we are a great working team, and I don't know what we would do without him," says Pearce. Mooney is a retired deputy commis- sioner of the Connecticut Depart- ment of Revenue Services. e feeling is mutual. "Little did I know when Anthony [Unk] DaRos invited me into Con- necticut Hospice to help with the finances, that I would be working alongside a unique woman with a work ethic and drive similar to mine," Mooney says. "Barbara and I were equally mo- tivated by the Connecticut Hospice mission and our personal experi- ences with it. My wife refers to us as the dynamic duo because we simultaneously employ our diverse skills, backgrounds and experiences to re-energize the organization." Plenty of "re-energizing" was what was needed. Says DaRos, the former six-term Branford first selectman, that when he took over the board chairman- ship more than a year ago, it was clear a "complete turnaround" was needed. "We interviewed several people [for the top job] and Barbara was very impressive," DaRos recalls. "ere's so much work [to be done]. I'm impressed with her perfor- mance — the whole board is." Board member Woody Comstock adds that Pearce has "an extraor- dinary work ethic" that typically includes 80-hour work weeks. "is was not a job that she need- ed or was looking for," Constock says. But Pearce has injected infec- tious enthusiasm into the job as she has worked to change the culture, he adds. "I'm humbled watching what she has achieved," he adds, characterizing Pearce as direct, fair, and the kind of leader that most professionals would respect and admire. Comstock adds that Connecticut residents should be pleased that such a caring place as Connecticut Hospice is located in their midst. "It's a place to provide comfort to the patient and the family," he says. e hospice care field has evolved exponentially since the The CT Hospice challenge 'incorporates everything I ever learned from everything I ever did, and requires help from everyone I ever knew from anywhere.' — Barbara Pearce

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