Lucy Ball
Founding Executive Director

Lucy Ball became the Founding Executive Director of Lone Pine Foundation in 2002. Lucy has been a leader in the nonprofit sector for nearly 40 years. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was Executive Director of Starlight Children’s Foundation (now known as Encourage Kids Foundation) where she remains on the Board of Advisors.

Lucy has served on numerous local boards of directors over the years. She is a founding board member of Impact Fairfield County, a women’s giving circle helping to leverage individual giving to achieve greater impact. She also currently chairs the Board of the non profit, Community Mindfulness Project. In 2013, the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy awarded Lucy its Martha Newman Award recognizing her integrity and dedication to philanthropy. In 2018, Lucy received the Greenwich YWCA Brava Award, acknowledging her leadership in her field, for mentoring others and her commitment to both philanthropy and community involvement.

Lucy graduated from Georgetown University cum laude with a B.A. in Economics and she lives in Darien with her husband David.

Katherine Gehrmann
Associate Director

Katherine joined Lone Pine Foundation team in 2009. As Associate Director of Lone Pine Foundation, Katherine plays a key role in shaping and advancing the Foundation’s strategic vision. With a focus on maximizing impact, she identifies strategic opportunities that align with the Foundation’s mission and works to evaluate, enhance, and implement initiatives that drive meaningful change.

Katherine brings a deep commitment to equity, collaboration, and innovation in the philanthropic sector. She is an alumna of the Five Frogs Leadership Development Roundtable, a program dedicated to building a powerful movement of diverse leaders to create lasting change for an equitable Connecticut. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy and is an active participant in the Council’s Fairfield County Funder’s Network.

Katherine holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Pace University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut. She currently resides in Wilton with her husband and children.

Molly Umble
Senior Program Officer

Molly Umble is a Senior Program Officer at the Lone Pine Foundation, where she has been a key member of the team since 2018. Inspired by a family legacy spanning two generations of educators, Molly brings a deep-rooted passion for education to her work. She manages partnerships with half of the Foundation’s grantees and has led the design and implementation of several strategic funding initiatives, including the Professional Development Fund, Staff Wellness Fund, and Relief Fund.

Before joining the Foundation, Molly served as Assistant Director of Admissions at School Year Abroad in North Andover, MA, where she recruited and advised hundreds of high school students for international study programs. Earlier in her career, she worked in Sydney, Australia, as an Event Coordinator for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, successfully fundraising 75% of the organization’s annual budget through major events.

Molly holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hendrix College. She currently resides in New York City.

Sarah Kennedy
Program Officer

Sarah Kennedy is a Program Officer at Lone Pine Foundation, where she supports strategic grantmaking to drive meaningful, lasting change for underserved populations. Her passion for philanthropy and community impact is rooted in a career dedicated to advancing social equity through both direct service and nonprofit leadership.

Before joining Lone Pine Foundation in 2023, Sarah built her career at the intersection of social work and development. She provided psychosocial support to individuals facing serious illness in oncology and hospice settings and later served as Senior Director of Development at Inspirica, a Stamford-based nonprofit addressing homelessness and housing insecurity. There, she led fundraising initiatives that expanded the organization’s capacity to serve vulnerable communities.

Sarah holds a Master’s in Social Work from Fordham University and a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Western Connecticut State University. She lives in Stamford, Connecticut.