Board member since 2012
Carlene Gatting grew up in Connecticut in a family where helping others and giving back to the community was an integral part of everyday life. Whether it was helping disabled veterans, a weekly visit to an orphanage, taking in foster children, or simply helping a neighbor, she grew up learning that one person could make a difference in other’s lives. Serving on the board of the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation has afforded Carlene the opportunity to find ways to make a difference in our Vineyard community.
After graduating from high school, Carlene pursued a career in nursing, graduating from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While her nursing career included work in the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room, she most enjoyed her time spent working in Labor and Delivery and the Newborn Nursery.
Interested in the field of law, Carlene attended law school evenings while working at an inner city hospital in Newark, NJ, obtaining a JD degree from Rutgers University in 1983. She practiced law at the New York firm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom for 15 years, where she was appointed as Special Counsel to the firm. Her practice focused primarily on counseling large financially troubled companies in restructuring their debt, often through exchange offers or Chapter 11 plans of reorganization. The firm also supported her pro bono work for indigent clients in need of representation in a broad range of fields.
Carlene has served on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Dukes County Commission, the Edgartown School Advisory Committee, and other Island nonprofit boards.
