Month: December 2025 (Page 3 of 3)

Donn Smith was raised in Hamden, Conn., and graduated from Yale University Phi Beta Kappa in 1967 with a B.A. in English.  His professional career was spent in publishing.  Following management positions at Time Inc., Newsweek, and Harvard Business Review, he joined a Greenwich-based multi-title newsletter publisher.  In 2001 he formed his own consulting business providing copy and creative services to a number of leading magazine and book publishers.

He has been a Darien resident for the past thirty-three years.  He served two terms on the Darien RTM and has volunteered at P2P and St. John Church. Current volunteer activities include serving as Archivist for The Mather Homestead Foundation and Genealogist for the Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford.

Donn is married to Mary Ellen Quirk, who grew up in Darien and whom he was lucky enough to meet in New York City in 1978.   They have one daughter, Sarah, who followed her mother’s path through Darien schools, and her father’s through Yale and subsequently received her J.D. from Michigan Law.

He is a member of the Roger Sherman Branch of the SAR, St. John Church, the Darien YMCA, the Tokeneke Club, and the Yale Club of New York City.

Glenn Ritch was raised in Greenwich, where his family has lived for more than eight generations. His great grandfather Heneri Ritch sold his farm in Stamford and moved to Greenwich in 1687. Glenn’s parents were both working people; while they helped with the cost of college, Glenn needed to work while attending school. He was fortunate to secure a position as caretaker on a large private estate in North Stamford, not far from his home. While his ambitions were to pursue a career in business, the experience of working on the estate would ultimately lead to his lifelong career in commercial real estate.

After graduating from Pace University with a B.B.A. and a major in marketing, he began working in sales. Glenn has worked for the estate owners for more than 30 years and still looks after one of their children in a minor way. After several successful years in sales, Glenn realized that he was not satisfied. He searched for a career that paralleled the work he did on the estate, which brought him to commercial property management. After returning to school, completing a certification in property management from New York University and securing a real estate broker license, he embarked on a 45-year career in commercial property management.

Glenn very much enjoyed his work, as it gave him a broad spectrum of skills and a variety of challenges to navigate. He managed multiple properties with responsibility for operations, budgeting, leasing and construction. He mastered the skills to help negotiate property sales and leases and other contracts, which sometimes led to him being accused of being a lawyer. He worked for CBRE Group, Hines Interests Limited Partnership, Galbreath, Lasalle Investment Management and, for the last 12 years of his career, The Ashforth Company. He retired in March 2025 and looks forward to pursuing his passions for travel and outdoor sports, including hunting, fishing and boating. He is also passionate about cooking and entertaining. Most important, he enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Glenn has lived in Darien for about 12 years. Influenced by his parents, He believes it is important to give back to the community. Toward that end, he serves as board president of Middlesex Commons and was just re-elected for a third term on the Darien Board of Assessment Appeals.