Board of Directors
The Kindred Herd Foundation Board of Directors passionately serves bereaved parents and families.
Jennifer and Dan Record
Jennifer and Dan Record are proud parents of college freshman Charlotte, and forever 11 year old Nathan. Both graduates of Fairfield University (Go Stags!) in Connecticut where they met and later married in 2004, they have been teaching high school English and physics, respectively, since 2002 in Fairfield County. Jenn and Dan have been active in their community, founding and running the nonprofit organization IMPACTrumbull for 13 years, serving in their church, volunteering with several organizations, and supporting their children’s passions and interests.
Their most cherished times are road tripping with their children, spending time exploring National Parks, attending games to cheer for the Red Sox at 24 of the 30 MLB baseball parks, and exploring the beauty of America. As a family, they traveled to over 30 states before Nathan passed away in 2022 from complications of his congenital heart disease. They honor his life, and love of community, by building the Kindred Herd Community of parents and families.
Dr. Thomas Finn
Dr. Thomas Finn has been married to his wife, Donna, for 45 years and they have three children and five grandchildren. He received Masters and Doctorate degrees in Clinical-School Psychology from Hofstra University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Fairfield University. With nearly 50 years of clinical experience, he was in private practice for 38 years and served for three decades as director of LEAP Adventure Programs, an experiential team building and leadership training service for personal, organizational, and spiritual development conducted through the Franciscan Life Center in Meriden, CT, where he still serves as a consulting psychologist.
Dr. Finn has led workshops in the U.S. focused on anxiety management, parenting, marriage, caregiver stress and spirituality and teaches the annual Pastoral Counseling Seminar at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy. He is the recipient of the 2025 St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation for service to the Archdiocese of Hartford, CT. Over the decades, Dr. Finn served the Archdiocese and his local parish in many ministries. He now lives in Youngsville, North Carolina.
Marcy Dolan Haley
Marcy Dolan Haley is a trained Spiritual Director, retreat leader and Associate Director of the Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality of Fairfield University. She works with students, faculty, and staff at Fairfield Preparatory School and Fairfield University as well as adults from the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Marcy has a BA in Psychology from the College of Holy Cross and a Masters in Pastoral Care from Fordham University. She began her career in television and spent fifteen years working for NBC and Lifetime Television. Marcy is passionate about Ignatian Spirituality, helping others find “God in all things.
Midge Miles
Midge Miles, Jennifer’s second cousin, have found solace with one another over the past few years as bereaved mothers of children who died. Recently retired, Midge now relishes all things having to do with hearth ‘n home, living her “one, wild, and precious life,” (Mary Oliver) more quietly, gently, and slowly than during earlier chapters.
Midge received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychological Education from University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Education degree in Religious Education from Fordham University. Story has been the heart and soul of her work for forty years. Midge created the ministry StoryShoppes to provide interactive, creation-centered retreats and further personal and spiritual development. Later, she created Ministry in Story, a training program providing skills and methodologies on how to integrate story and storytelling into ministry settings. She taught courses such as Women’s Spirituality and Story to graduate ministry students and co-founded Awakenings, the new school for women’s spirituality, justice-making, and the arts, with programs throughout various spirituality centers in New England and New York.
Jessica Samuolis, Ph.D.
Jessica Samuolis, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Sacred Heart University, where she has taught since 2011. She earned an M.A. in Community Counseling from Fairfield University and a Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from Fordham University before completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at Columbia University. Prior to joining Sacred Heart, she worked as a Research Scientist at a health promotion agency. At Sacred Heart University, Dr. Samuolis teaches undergraduate courses including Research Design and Analysis, Health Psychology, and The Science of Well-Being while mentoring students in research and professional development. She is actively engaged in university service, including a department curriculum committee, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and the University Mental Health Coalition.
Beyond the university, Dr. Samuolis serves on the executive board of TPAUD (Trumbull’s Prevention Partnership), a community coalition, where she supports local substance use prevention, mental health promotion, and community-based prevention initiatives. Dr. Samuolis lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with her husband and son. She cherishes the memory of her late son, whose life continues to be a source of love and inspiration.
