New England VC group names Kent Bennett board chair, plus five new members

Kent Bennett, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and board chair of the New England Venture Capital Association.

The New England Venture Capital Association named five new members to its board of directors Wednesday, as well as a new chair, Bessemer Venture Partners’ Kent Bennett.

The trade association for the region’s VC and startup community said the new appointments make its board more than 50 percent female and more diverse overall. The group’s 17-person board now has 11 women. (Last year’s board had 15 members, including eight women.)

“Our organization is embarking on its next chapter, and leveraging new perspectives and ideas is critical to our growth and the value we bring to the New England venture community,” said Ari Glantz, executive director of the NEVCA.

The new board members include Jasmina Marjanovic, a director at AbbVie Ventures; Anna Palmer, a general partner at Flybridge Capital; Rudina Seseri, managing partner of Glasswing Ventures; Stefan Vitorovic, managing director of Vida Ventures; and Darshana Zaveri, managing partner of Catalyst Health Ventures.

Bennett, the incoming chair, is a partner at Bessemer, where he has invested in local companies including Toast and Bevi. Outgoing board chair Yumin Choi, a managing partner at Valspring Capital, will remain on the NEVCA board.