The new board members represent a broad range of skills and experiences, spanning communications, finance, and legal strategy.
STAMFORD, Conn. — The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) proudly announces the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors. Tal Kadaré, Leidy Nunez, and Jody Sunna join the 21-member Board charged with advancing WBDC’s mission to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and education programs that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Tal, Leidy, and Jody to the WBDC Board,” said WBDC Founder and CEO Fran Pastore. “Each brings a distinct lens — strategic communications, financial leadership, and legal compliance — that will help us better champion women entrepreneurs and strengthen the small businesses that power Connecticut’s communities. Their expertise will deepen our capacity to support business owners as they start, grow, and scale.”
Tal Kadar (photo)
Senior HR/Employment Counsel | Linde
Tal Kadar is Senior HR/Employment Counsel at Linde, where she advises HR leaders and management on a broad range of employment law matters. Her work spans hiring, workplace investigations, employee discipline and terminations, policy updates, wage and hour compliance, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters, leaves of absence and accommodations, and paid sick leave requirements.
Prior to Linde, Tal served as Director, Policy and Procedure, and Employment Counsel at Guggenheim Partners. As an employment attorney and policy professional, she is skilled at offering practical guidance and finding simple solutions to implementing workplace requirements. Tal earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from Emory University School of Law.
Leidy Nunez (photo)
Chief Financial Officer | DR Bank
Leidy Nunez is Chief Financial Officer at DR Bank, where she has held progressive leadership roles for the past eight years, including Financial Reporting Manager, SVP of Reporting and Accounting Policy, and SVP Controller, before being appointed CFO. She brings more than 16 years of experience across audit, financial reporting, and accounting policy, with significant expertise in financial services and regulatory compliance.
Leidy began her career at Deloitte, spending eight years auditing financial services clients, including private equity firms, hedge funds, and investment banks, and later supported SEC reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley controls at a registered investment firm. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Jody Sunna (photo)
Chief Communications Officer | Philip Morris International, U.S.
Jody Sunna is Chief Communications Officer at PMI U.S., where she leads corporate, civil society, and category communications across the U.S. business. She joined Philip Morris International in 2018 and brings more than 20 years of communications experience in the U.S. and internationally, with a track record of navigating complex issues and shaping reputation-building storytelling.
Prior to PMI, Jody led the New York office and consumer marketing practice at Havas PR North America, driving growth and award-winning work, including Sears Heroes at Home and the #GivingTuesday movement, and was recognized on PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list. She is active in the Arthur Page Society and the Paley Media Council and was named to Ragan’s “Top Women in Communications” Class of 2024; she holds a degree from Purdue University.
About the Women’s Business Development Council
The Women’s Business Development Council’s (WBDC) mission is to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and financial education services that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut. WBDC educates, motivates, and empowers women to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. Since 1997, WBDC has educated and trained over 22,100 clients across all 169 towns in Connecticut — helping women launch, sustain, and scale over 16,570 businesses, create and maintain more than 41,270 jobs, and access over $88 million in capital. Since 2020, WBDC has provided more than $20.6 million in grants to help fuel growth in small businesses throughout Connecticut. Visit ctwbdc.org for more information.