Betsy Connolly
Betsy Connolly is a successful leader with 25 years experience developing and growing global apparel brands and private label brands. Betsy is a customer driven executive having focused on leading global business in areas of strategic development, merchandising, product development and supply
chain.
Betsy started her career in New York for Polo/Ralph Lauren. She has worked in New York, Paris, Nice, HK/China, Seattle, and San Francisco for various global brands; Ralph Lauren, J Crew, Nordstrom, LS&CO. Betsy developed manufacturing businesses with global customers Nike, Costco, JCP, Sears/Lands End, Nordstrom, and Costco. It was through the global diversity of leadership, language and culture that she learned to respect various corporate cultures, strategize solutions to build business and resolve problems. She has enjoyed building global teams, and mentoring great people to give the customer the optimum product and service.
Betsy has served on the following boards and committees including the Global Textile Exchange Berkeley CA, Friends of the Children, a K-12 Mentoring organization (Seattle Chapter), Seattle Biomed, R&D for Infectious Disease Development Committee and served as a Mentor at the Seattle Girls School which focused on STEM learning. Betsy recently served as a Secretary/Board member in San Francisco at Z Space, an incubator theater that focuses on original work and youth performance WORD FOR WORD.
Betsy is passionate about diverse, multi solution approaches for global Education, Environment, Global health, and the Arts. She was fortunate to make decisions to work for dynamic women that lead global brands, boards and NGOs with passion and intelligence.
Betsy was raised in Fair Haven, NJ, on the Northern NJ shore of Monmouth County. She has a BA from Denison University in Granville, OH.
Betsy and her husband, Mark Menne moved to Healdsburg in 2016 with their dogs to pursue an outdoor lifestyle with a focus on stewarding the environment and helping build community. Betsy currently serves on the Board of The Food Pantry that assists 1,500 customers per month with healthy food options. She is also a board member of the Black Dog Foundation located in Vermont which focuses on environment and animal welfare.