"Khaiim the RapOet makes over 300 appearances per year, reaching thousands of aspiring artists, students, and creative entrepreneurs through entertaining workshops, residencies, and performances. His busy schedule is motivated by a mission to help artists and entrepreneurs live a better life, and share their gifts with the world. He sometimes goes by the stage name Self Suffice, when credited in musical recordings and Inspiring live performances. His upcoming book, "The InexoRebel Artist" provides keys to breaking writers block, stepping through stage fright, and blasting away boredom, while unlocking creativity in work, art, and relationships.
FUN FACT: He turned down a label deal from Def Jam to pursue a scholarship in Computer Science and learned to create his own music download software. Along with Mez of J. Cole's Dreamville/Roc Nation, he released an independent album, which rose to the top of the independent Hip-Hop Top 40 Charts "
Anthony Cymerys, known by many in the community as “Joe the Barber” has devoted his life to community service and is a self-proclaimed “volunteer addict.” He has delivered food through Meals on Wheels, works at shelters, regularly donates blood through the Red Cross and runs the blood drive at his church. Of all of the community service he does, his favorite is the hair cuts for hugs. Joe the Barber has been cutting hair for the homeless and others for almost 30 years now in and around Bushnell Park. The only payment he accepts is a hug, kiss on the head or a thank you. Many consider Joe their best friend. Not only is Joe Pivotal her in Hartford, but he has received national attention for his creative kindnesses.
Jamil Rashad Ragland was born in Groton, CT and has lived in the greater Hartford area for his entire life. He works at Wesleyan University as an Assistant Registrar, and is the father of a beautiful nine year old boy named Gabriel. His son is his pride and joy, and the inspiration for the work that he does in his community. Jamil has worked with WNPR, the Hartford Courant, Real Art Ways and volunteered with several local organizations to help make positive changes in the city of Hartford.
Jamil loves words. He’s been writing since he was a child, starting with stories about Star Trek and anime. He branched out into nonfiction writing with recurring Op-Eds in the Courant, which led to connections at WNPR and the Radius Project, a five-part podcast which explores the city of Hartford. He recently launched a blog with his friend, Gene Glotzer, called Nutmegger Daily. Jamil hopes someday to put his love of words to full-time use, but in the meantime enjoys writing for his blog and various other outlets in the city. Words mater, so use them wisely!
Community Solutions is an international nonprofit working toward a future without homelessness, in which poverty never follows families beyond a single generation. We draw on successful problem-solving tools and strategies from diverse sectors including public health, design, and quality improvement to create -- with communities -- effective solutions to their most pressing civic and human services issues.
Our Hartford team works with residents and partners to improve the safety, health and prosperity of the North Hartford Promise Zone. This includes redeveloping the historic Swift Factory to create jobs and improve access to healthcare and quality food.
OUR TEAM:
Rick Brush, Hartford Program Director
Gina Federico, Strategic Partnerships Director
Rosanne Haggerty, President
Nadia Lugo, Community Health Coordinator
Patrick McKenna, Swift Factory Project Manager
John Thomas, Community Engagement Coordinator
Chion Wolf is the technical producer, announcer, photographer, and personality at WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio.
She produces and hosts The MOuTH - a live storytelling event at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. She is also an actor and on the Board of Directors for Night Fall, a yearly Hartford-based public performance with Anne Cubberly's giant puppets, dancers, and music.
Wolf is a founding member of the Hartford-based marching band, the Hartford Hot Several, where she plays the trash can bass drum. Chion is also an enthusiastic and always-helmeted bicycle rider, a certified judge with the International Chili Society, and is unapologetic about her love for onions.
Thomas J. Loughman, Ph.D, the 11th Director and CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
In 2011, Lynn Ferrari retired from a career in investment management, having served as Vice President of Performance Operations for Virtus Investment Management. Retirement allowed her more time to attend to her passion: history and architecture of Hartford.
Lynn has been actively involved in improving her beloved city since the mid-1980s, serving on the Board of the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood organization. She served as president of the NRZ for eight years, focusing on the revitalization of the area; establishing the Colt industrial area into a National Park, championing the reuse of several old factory buildings into office space and another to market-rate housing.
Currently, Lynn serves on a variety of boards and commissions throughout the city;
iQuilt Corporator, connecting the cultural assets of the city: Vice Chair of Hartford’s Historic Preservation and Properties Commission; Trustee of the Ella Burr McManus Trust; and Coltsville Heritage Partnership, the friends group working with the National Park Service. In 2014, she co-established Hartford History Today, a collaboration of historical assets, seeking to more effectively promote and market these assets and improve their economic impact for the city. Lynn also established and runs the Facebook page Old Hartford, promoting Hartford’s beauty and sharing its glorious history, including a daily “On this Date in Hartford History.”
Joanne Berger-Sweeney became the 22nd president of Trinity College in July 2014. Since that time, she has overseen several major accomplishments, including the creation of the Bantam Network mentoring program for first-year students; the launch of the Campaign for Community, a campus initiative promoting inclusiveness and respect; and the expansion of Trinity’s footprint to Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford.
Before coming to Trinity, Berger-Sweeney served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, creating the vision and setting the strategic direction for the university’s largest school. Prior to Tufts, Berger-Sweeney was a member of the Wellesley College faculty. Her teaching and research career at Wellesley spanned 13 years prior to being named associate dean in 2004. Berger-Sweeney received her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley, her M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Health (INSERM) in Paris, France. Berger-Sweeney serves on many boards in the Hartford region, including MetroHartford Alliance, Hartford HealthCare, the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, and the Capital Region Development Authority. She also is a corporator of Hartford Hospital. Berger-Sweeney and her husband, Urs V. Berger, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and a computer scientist, are the parents of two children.
Rex Fowler is the founding executive director and current CEO of Hartford Community Loan Fund, a community development financial institution with a mission to provide and promote just and affordable financial services for the benefit of low wealth residents in Hartford. Originally from Missouri, Rex moved to Connecticut to pursue a career in banking and corporate finance. Ten years and three mergers later, he left banking to move into the not-for-profit sector.
In 2003, Rex sold his house in Hartford’s southend and moved in with the crew at the Hartford Catholic Worker in the city’s Northeast neighborhood. While he no longer lives at the Worker, his time there opened his eyes to the struggles and joys experienced by those living on the margins in the most economically distressed neighborhood in Connecticut’s capital city. He continues to live in the Northeast neighborhood and can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner is made up of 4 young (Quenton Narciss, Onyeka Obiocha, Jeffrey Devereux and Joshua Jenkins) that create collective culture by building unique, diverse and creative ventures that bring people together. They leverage the assets of the Connecticut region to bring the best of the community forward to offer both in house ventures and the projects of their partners and clients. Connecticut cities, like many states, is receiving revived interest from Government and investors that will change our cities. Breakfast Lunch & Dinner positions their work to make sure everyone is a part of and can thrive in that revival.
Imam/Chaplain Sami A. Aziz is a public educator and spiritual peacemaker. Imam Aziz has been on an educational campaign to fight against ignorance, hate, and fear of Muslims. He has visited institutions across Connecticut to spread the message of peace, which is the core of Islam. More on his campaign can be found at CommonGroundServices.org, a non-profit aimed at uniting hearts through education, of which he is the Founder and President. He has traveled to over 100 locations in New England visiting churches, libraries, schools, universities and more to educate on Islam, Refugee Cultural Competency, Islamophobia, Interfaith dialogue and related topics. He is the Muslim Chaplain at Wesleyan University and an Assistant Imam at Bloomfield Muslim Community Center. In the virtual world he is an Imam for PrayerSpark.com, a global interfaith prayer service as well as the founder and/or maintainer of many Facebook pages including; Philly Muslims, Connecticut Muslims, to name a few. He is a graduate of the Master’s in Islamic Chaplaincy program at Hartford Seminary.
Imam Aziz believes strongly in establishing peace and justice between all people regardless of color, race, ethnicity or religion. He often refers to the following verse from the Quran for guidance: “O you who have believed, be constantly upright with equity (with others), witnesses for God, even if it be against yourselves or (your) parents and nearest kin. In case (the person) is rich or poor, then God is the Best Patron for both. So do not ever follow prejudice, so as to do justice; and in case you twist or veer away, then surely God has been Ever-Cognizant of whatever you do.” ~Quran Chapter 4 Verse 13
Vjosa Qerimi is originally Albanian from Kosovo. She lived her life in Kosovo where she majored in English. Vjosa is fluent in 3 languages and currently studying Arabic as her 4th. While still in Kosovo she worked at a NATO Base with the US Military where she made a lot of connections that brought her to the States 4 years ago. Here she's volunteered for The Salvation Army and worked for an Islamic School in Windsor, CT. She's currently the vice-president of Common Ground Services, an organization she and her husband founded to create peace between Muslims and the rest of the people of America.
Mark Scheinberg is the founding president of Goodwin College in East Hartford. In this role, he has provided the leadership and financial support to convert a private career school into a nonprofit, four-year collegiate institution.
Goodwin College is dedicated to what Mr. Scheinberg calls “the undiscovered student” – working adults, first generation college students, and learners who come from diverse backgrounds. A school that focuses on programs that lead to emerging careers, Goodwin College has built some of Connecticut’s largest programs in registered nursing, respiratory therapy, histology, and paramedic training. The College offers 29 degrees programs at the associate and baccalaureate level including Nursing, Child Study, Environmental Studies, Health Sciences, and more.
In recent years, the College has extended its mission by developing three magnet high schools on its campus, two are high schools focused on technology and the environment. A third magnet school, The Goodwin College Early Childhood Magnet School, provides classes from prekindergarten to fifth grade to children in the Greater Hartford region, free of charge to the families served. This institution also serves as a laboratory school for the college’s Early Child Program.
Dr. Danielle Wilken has been with Goodwin College since 2002. As Vice President for Academic Affairs, she is responsible for overseeing the Academic Department, including registrar, student services, distance education, advising, the Early College programs, faculty and students. Outside of Goodwin College, she has served as an expert reviewer for textbooks, presented at conferences, and co-authored publications, not the least of which is Palko’s Medical Laboratory Procedures.
Todd Andrews has been with Goodwin College since 2005, where he serves on the President’s Cabinet. As Vice President of Economic & Strategic Development, he is an integral part of the campus master planning and execution team, and oversees new business development opportunities, community and government relations, and magnet school initiatives at the College.
Dan Noonan is a native of Waterbury, CT. Currently serving as the Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing & Communications, Dan began his career with the college in May of 1996 when it was known as the Data Institute Business School. He has played a large role in the development and execution of Goodwin’s high-touch enrollment process and is an operations-minded administrator who has significant experience with the functions of many critical college departments.
Ann Clark has served as Executive Vice President and Provost since Goodwin College’s inception in 1999. Ann provides direction to the members of Goodwin’s Cabinet and serves as a sounding board for new initiatives. Her prior experience includes more than 25 years in leadership and faculty roles in the private occupational business sector as well as several years as a public high school English teacher.
Brooke Penders has been the Vice President for Advancement at Goodwin College since April 2012, and is responsible for executing the philanthropic vision of the College. Brooke is passionate about making connections between people, organizations, and causes that create meaningful partnerships in our community. An Iowa native, she dreams of one day saving and restoring an old barn.
Rodney Matthews is the owner and founder of Exclusive Linez & Sign Design and Banner, located on 1325 Main St. in Hartford. CT. Rodney grew up in the north end of Hartford .
Rodney, a graphic designer and photographer, started his own business 25 years ago after loosing use of his left arm in a motorcycle accident. Rodney’s passion is to help small start up companies bring their dreams to life by offering them the same professional marketing services the larger companies have.
Officer Luis Raimundi, PAL Coordinator, grew up in the Soundview section of the Bronx, New York. His parents split up when he was just two years old, and his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet. While growing up he spent most of his time hanging out at the boys & girls club to stay out of trouble. He attended Bronx Community College and studied Liberal Arts. In 2000, he started his Law Enforcement career with the State of Connecticut Department of Corrections Bridgeport Facility. In 2003, he was accepted into the Hartford Police Academy as a Police Recruit. After successfully graduating from the police academy, Officer Raimundi was assigned to the Patrol Division and served primarily in the Southwest District of the city. He has also worked in the Major Crimes Robbery Division, Employee Assistance Program Peer Contact, Cadet Police Academy Instructor, Cadet Police Academy Advanced Assistant Director, active Advisor of the Hartford Police Explorer Unit and now has the privilege to serve as the Police Athletic League Coordinator.
Dave Jorgensen grew up in the city and after going to college in Florida, he began a career in finance in New York City. He is currently the Managing Partner and Vice President of the Jorgensen Group at Morgan Stanley in downtown Hartford. Dave always kept his roots in Hartford and, along with his wife Rachel, is now raising his 3 children in the city. He began to serve his community at an early age and currently serves on the Investment Committee of the United Way of Northern Connecticut, has served on the City of Hartford Police Review Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, as Vice Chairman of the Hartford Redevelopment Agency. In 2012, he was appointed by Governor Dan Malloy to the board of the Capital Region Development Authority, a State of Connecticut quasi-public agency charged with economic and housing development in the metro Hartford area.
Dave’s love for his family, community and athletics comes together in his role as Board Chairman of the Police Athletic League of Hartford, Inc. The Hartford P.A.L. is dedicated to empowering Hartford’s youth through mentoring, academics, arts, athletics and a positive relationship with law enforcement. Building bridges between the community and the police department is one of the P.A.L.’s critical missions. Dave summarizes his dedication to the organization saying, “Sports gave me a lot of opportunities and kept me out of trouble growing up in the city. There are a lot of great kids here that just need a chance to grow and thrive in a safe and positive environment. The Hartford P.A.L. is here for them.”
Jonathon Esmail
Sea Tea Improv, a company run by young comedians from Hartford and beyond, just opened the state's very first improv comedy theater. The Sea Tea Comedy Theater offers improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy every weekend of the year. Regularly featuring over 100 of the area's best up-and-coming comedians, the theater has already become a popular hangout spot, even though it's only been open a few short months. Sea Tea Improv also offers hundreds of classes, trainings, workshops, and parties year-round.
Pictured:
Greg Ludovici, Nate Gagnon, Alison Jalbert, Dawn Smith... and a totally real Julia Pistell
Matt Conway is the founder and Executive Director of the RiseUP Group. It was after supervising 40 youth during Weaver High School's summer employment program in 2011 that he made it his mission to bring equal access to opportunity to youth in urban communities.
Matt graduated with a degree in Finance from the University of Connecticut and founded RiseUP while working in GE Capital's world renowned Financial Management Program. Matt has always had a passion for nonprofit work as he served as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of HuskyTHON while at the University of Connecticut, helping to raise over $350,000 for CT Children's Medical Center under his leadership.
Matt left GE Capital in August 2013 to move back to Hartford, CT to focus on developing RiseUP into a premier youth empowerment movement. When arriving back in Hartford, he was offered a leadership position at CareCentrix and currently serves as a Senior Manager at the company, focusing on developing internal process improvements and providing creative thinking to help grow the business. Matt continues to provide the frontline support and leadership for RiseUP while working with its board and other volunteers to grow the capacity and sustainability of RiseUP.
Mike Stotts moved to the Greater Hartford area in 2006, and is currently in his 11th season as Managing Director of Hartford Stage, one of the nation’s leading professional theatres where recent shows such as the Tony Award-winning A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, the stage adaptation of Rear Window, and Anastasia, A New Musical, received their world premieres. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Mike has served as Managing Director of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ, and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. He proudly serves on the boards of Hartford Performs, Billings Forge Community Works and the Connecticut Arts Alliance.
Dr. Robinson is the owner, operator and President of C&R Development Company, the largest minority construction management company in the East. Dr. Robinson recently owned the C&R National ATM Company, Inc., which was licensed to sell and lease ATM machines in thirty-eight states. He is also the owner of eight shops at Bradley International Airport, including a Brooks Brothers and CNBC, as well as the 55,000-square-foot Air Exchange Building. His other businesses include R&G Services, which operates the shuttle bus service at the airport, and R&G Parking, which operates, among others, one of the largest parking lots in downtown Hartford.
In May of this year, Dr. Robinson received an Honorary Doctorate Degree Humane Letters from Lincoln College of New England. He is a recipient of his numerous charitable contributions including the Urban League of Greater Hartford, the George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington Awards from Tuskegee University, the Doc Hurley Scholarship Fund, the NAACP, and more.
He and his wife Sheila Durant-Robinson are Philanthropists for the Curtis and Sheila Robinson Foundation. Some of their Connecticut and Nationwide efforts include feeding and serving 10s of thousands of inner city and suburban families for nearly thirty-years.
Dr. Robinson Curtis sits on the boards of Trinity Health, New England, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the Connecticut Hospital Association (includes 28-hospitals), the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts Overseer, and (Dr. Ben) Carson Scholars.
He is the cofounder and Chairman of the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity (CDRCHE) formerly the Curtis D. Robinson Men's Health Institute (CDRMHI). The CDRCHE is and innovative partnership between Saint Francis and Hartford area religious and community organizations aimed at improving health in the minority community.
The Hartford Hot Several Brass Band is Hartford's funky pep band, a bunch of dedicated amateurs trying to bring joy and whimsy to the people.
Julia B. Rosenblatt is a Co-Founder and the Artistic Director of HartBeat Ensemble. HartBeat is an award winning ensemble theater company whose mission is to create provocative theater that connects the community beyond traditional barriers of class, race, geography and gender. NYTheatre.com has called HartBeat a "rare theatrical experience that is equal parts intelligent, funny, moving, important and innovative."
While with HartBeat, Julia has co-written and performed in almost a dozen productions. In 2011, Julia wrote the critically praised Flipside, which received 2012 Best New Ensemble Work at the NY International Fringe Festival. Her latest work, Gross Domestic Product, is a musical that explores motherhood in the "post-feminist” era. In addition to her playwriting and performance work, Julia is a recognized theater educator and has taught Theater of the Oppressed workshops throughout the United States, Nicaragua and Mexico. At HartBeat, she has developed a unique approach to civic learning while teaching theater skills at a high level for young adults, which has evolved into HartBeat’s acclaimed Youth Play Institute (YPI). Julia lives with her husband, two children and the rest of the “Scarborough 11,” an intentional community residing on Scarborough Street in Hartford.
Freed MarcroftLLC, "Best Law Firm 2016" Hartford Magazine"Best Law Firm 2015" Hartford Magazine. They received an award from the Hartford Preservation Alliance for their historic renovation of their office at 419 Main Street, and were featured in Hartford Magazine’s green office edition for their environmentally-friendly workplace
Executive Director at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center since 1998, Katherine Kane directs programs and outreach using the Center’s extensive collections and historic buildings. Stowe was an internationally-known author and advocate, and the Center uses her story to inspire social justice and positive change.
A program center and tourist attraction, the Center is an influential and sought-after partner, and a place where people of different backgrounds and interests visit, volunteer, and work. The Center’s innovative programs include award winning Salons at Stowe bringing the public into the parlor for conversations around contemporary issues; and the biennial Harriet Beecher Stowe Prize for writing promoting social justice.
Ms. Kane was a senior manager at the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado) where she worked for 16 years, and special projects director at the Denver Art Museum. She has a B.A. in sociology from the University of Denver, an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Colorado and participated in the Getty Trust’s Museum Management Institute. She is Chair at the American Association for State and Local History, has been a member of the American Association of Museums Accreditation Commission, and is involved with several Hartford community organizations.
Rob Ruggiero is a truth-seeker. Whether working on a musical, a new play, or creating his own production of an established script, he is in constant search for compelling ways to tell stories and engage an audience through live performance.
As a director, Rob’s work has earned him both national and international recognition. His scrupulous attention to detail in performance, design, and dramaturgy were on display in the Broadway productions of HIGH, starring Kathleen Turner, and LOOPED, starring Valerie Harper in her Tony Award nominated performance.
Rob has also created several new works while directing at TheaterWorks (Hartford, CT), including MAKE ME A SONG: THE MUSIC OF WILLIAM FINN (Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), and a world premiere musical about Ella Fitzgerald. He is currently at work on a new piece of theater about the musical collaboration and activism that bound together Peter, Paul and Mary entitled A SONG WILL RISE.
At Goodspeed Musicals, Rob helmed many successful musical revivals since 2007, including the critically acclaimed revision of SHOW BOAT. This “new” version recently had a successful production in London’s West End.
He is currently the Producing Artistic Director of TheaterWorks in downtown Hartford.
Kate Emery is founder and CEO of The Walker Group, a Technology Services Firm she started 30 years ago. In 2007 Kate restructured Walker as a Social Enterprise, changing its mission from maximizing shareholder profits to maximizing social contribution. Among other restrictions and commitments, any profits distributed by Walker must be split equally between employees, the community, and shareholders.
Kate is also the founder of reSET, the Social Enterprise Trust whose mission is to promote, preserve, and protect Social Enterprise. She’s passionate about this new model of doing business believing it to be not only more satisfying, but more sustainable in the long run. reSET is actively working to make Connecticut a hub of Social Enterprise, through legislative efforts, and the creation of a social enterprise incubator which will provide space and resources to social entrepreneurs. She has also started a social enterprise investment fund to provide seed capital to new and expanding social enterprise.
Top: Cynthia Bulaong, Michelle Thomas, Andres Rochester, David Borawski, Nina Salazar, Cynthia Bulaong
Middle: Jose Camacho, Joy Monroe, Amy LaBossiere, Cynthia Dodd, Tao LaBossiere, Lael Marie Williams
Bottom: Lee Mixashawn Rozie, Lael Marie Williams, Jose Camacho, Leslie Francis Manselle, Andres Chaparro, David Borawski, Nina Salazar
Gordon Scott is CEO of Scott’s Jamaican Bakery, a 37 year old family business which includes three retail locations in Hartford as well as a wholesale distribution business. In addition to his work as head of one of Hartford’s most established restaurant businesses, Scott is an active member of the community serving on a variety of boards including serving as chair of the Upper Albany Merchants Association, Chair of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, Vice-Chair of the Metro Hartford Alliance, and a member of the Upper Albany Main Street board of directors.
Scott received his B.A. from the University of Colorado Bolder and his MBA from the University of Hartford.
Kristina Newman-Scott is the Director of Culture for the State of Connecticut where she oversees all aspects of the state’s programs and services related to art, culture and historic preservation. Prior to this role, Newman-Scott served as the Director of Marketing, Events and Cultural Affairs for the City of Hartford, the Director of Programs at the Boston Center for the Arts and Director of Visual Arts at Hartford's Real Art Ways. Kristina’s leadership in the community has earned her several awards and recognitions including being selected as a Hartford Business Journal Forty Under 40, a National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow, a Hive Global Leadership selectee and a 2015 Next City Vanguard 40 Under 40.
She has been a visiting curator, guest lecturer and speaker at many organizations and institutions across the country; including, TEDx SMU, TX; Columbia University, New York University, The School of Visual Arts & The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NY; Rhode Island School of Design, RI; Yale University, University of Connecticut, University of Hartford & Wesleyan University, CT and The National Association of Media Arts and Culture to name a few. Ms. Newman-Scott serves of the Boards of the New England Foundation of the Arts and the Connecticut Forum. She was a visual artist, arts consultant and a television/radio personality in Jamaica, where she was born and raised. Newman-Scott moved to Connecticut in 2005 and became a citizen of the United States in 2012. She lives in Hartford, Connecticut with her husband Gordon and their 7 year old daughter.
Eric Ben-Kiki: After moving back to the Hartford area from Cleveland in 1991 Eric worked at managing Trinity College’s and University of Hartford, Joseloff Gallery’s respective art collections along with designing and installing ongoing exhibits. In 1994 he went on to work at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art as an exhibit designer working on exhibitions which garnered national and international acclaim.
Since 1998 he has been owner of EBK Framing and Art Services specializing in all aspects of art presentation such as museum framing, lighting, restoration and exhibition design. Clients include businesses, museums, non-profits and private collections in Connecticut.
Over the last twenty-five years Eric has been consistently curating and producing exhibits showcasing regional and national artists.
This has led to the most current project, founding EBK Gallery, a Hartford based gallery for the exhibition and sale of contemporary art. EBK Gallery specializes in curating and presenting small and focused one person exhibits which are all viewable at ebkgallery.com.
Eric also serves as a board member of the Hartford Art School and Advisory Board Member of The Connecticut Forum and has pretty much been a lifelong hardwired optimist.
Richard Sugarman has a varied background including nonprofit leadership, corporate management, investment management, and extensive community engagement work.
Richard is the Executive Director of Hartford Promise, a new large scale College Scholarship Fund and College Success Program.
Prior to this he has been the Founding President of The Connecticut Forum for 23 years, an award winning non-profit organization that brings nationally renowned panelists to Hartford four times a year to discuss a variety of timely and important topics for audiences of 2800.
Richard has served on many Boards including:
CT Center for School Change, Conn CAN, The Learning Corridor, Police Athletic League, and Planned Parenthood of Southern New England.
He lives in West Hartford with his wife Doris. They have three sons, Skip, Jesse, and Scott….and they are all Buckeye fans.
Pedro Bermudez is co-founder of Revisionist, a film and music video production company. Bermudez founded Revisionist in Los Angeles with fellow American Film Institute alumni. The group got its start producing a piece in Nepal for BuildOn, a charitable organization that builds schools around the world for the impoverished. Before venturing out west, Bermudez spent several years working at ESPN, where he produced digital media content. He continued his education at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and was the recipient of the Petrie Award for Excellence and the Board of Trustees Scholarship. He is currently a Visiting Professor of Cinema at the University of Hartford.
Arien Wilkerson Founder & Artistic Director of TNMOT AZTRO was born and raised in Hartford, CT where he began his dance training under the tutelage of Jolet Creary. He studied contemporary dance, ballet West African movement and jazz as a student at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, The Artists Collective and Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts.
This early training provided opportunities to perform for a such individuals as Rennie Harris, Pop Master Fabel, Sam Waters, Jasmine Guy. In 2008, he was a scholarship recipient for travel to Cape Verde, Africa to participate in CulturArte, a youth arts residency program where he studied with Mano Preto, Artistic Director of Raiz di Polon, and Deborah Goffe, Artistic Director of Scapegoat Garden. As a high school senior in 2009, his work was selected for performance at Wesleyan University’s Dance Masters in recognition of his exception emerging artistry by David Doorman and Nicole Stanton, through an initiative of New Foundation of the Arts.
Most recently, TNMOT AZTRO completed three sold-out shows at Real Art Ways with over three hundred viewers, and another sold out weekend in July with an audience of 125 folks each night. The company’s sold out performances have taken place at art galleries, institutions and incubator spaces such as The Historic Town and County Club of Hartford, the Wadsworth Atheneum, University of Saint Joseph, Scapegoat Garden Center for Contemporary Dance, Ted Hershey Dance Marathon, New Britain Museum of Art, Connecticut Dance Alliance, and the CT Dance Awards
Brandon is a dedicated dancer from New Britain, CT and has been teaching the art of Hip Hop and Breakdancing for seven years. He has worked with students from all over the state in multiple studios and schools. Brandon has choreographed Breakdancing Shakespeare at the Hartford Stage and Choreographers Showcase at the Greater Hartford Arts Academy. He graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a BA in Journalism and is a videographer. He believes everyone should practice an art form that moves them and drives them to be contributing members to society and a better version of themselves.
While pursuing his Master’s degree in social work, Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad was diagnosed with kidney failure due to chronic high blood pressure. Three hours a day, for three days per week in a dialysis clinic provides an individual with a lot of time to think about all the things they wish they could do with their life. In addition to becoming a social worker, Muhammad always had dreams of starting his own business and traveling. By 2001, Muhammad felt like his dreams would forever be on hold until his younger sister Ayesha saved his life by donating one of her kidneys to him. From the moment he woke up from the transplant operation, Muhammad vowed to live his life to the fullest and to chase his dreams.
Muhammad started The Dream Support Network with a purpose to encourage, inspire and support individuals to live the life of their dreams. The Dream Support Network offers workshops, community events, motivational speeches and provides travel opportunities to individuals chasing their dreams.
In 2015, Muhammad formed Dreams Empower, Incorporated, a 501 c3, non- profit organization with the goal of strengthening the community by equipping dreamers with the skills, exposure and knowledge to live the life of their dreams. The signature programs of Dreams Empower are, Ice Cream for a Dream and the Dream Chaser Program.
Muhammad received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Tougaloo College and received his Masters in Social Work from Clark-Atlanta University. He is a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and a member of The National Association of Black Social Workers. Muhammad is married to his beautiful wife, Dayeshell and is the proud father of three children, Aminah, Amirah and Amir.
Mayor Luke Bronin is a husband, a father, a veteran, and an attorney, and he is committed to building a stronger Hartford for all of Hartford’s residents.
Mayor Bronin has had the opportunity to serve in senior positions in both federal and state government. In 2013, he was appointed by Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy to serve as General Counsel. In his position as the governor’s chief lawyer, Bronin partnered with legislators and state agency officials to advance the Governor’s agenda, and he was deeply involved in developing policies to combat veterans’ homelessness, expand economic opportunities, reform our criminal justice system, and protect our environment.
Prior to his role in Governor Malloy's office, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C.
Previously, he served as the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, as an international affairs fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, and as Chief of Staff to the President of Property and Casualty Operations at the Hartford Financial Services Group. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was a member of the military's anti-corruption task force during his deployment to Afghanistan from September 2010 to April 2011.
Sara C. Bronin (formerly Galvan) is an architect and attorney whose scholarly research examines property, land use, historic preservation, green building, and renewable energy law. Overarching all of her work is a focus on the way the law can facilitate economically and environmentally sustainable American cities. Professor Bronin has become one of the foremost scholars in two rapidly evolving areas of law: historic preservation and renewable energy.
Dianne Jones is an ordained Elder and serves in her outreach ministry—New Birth Ministry, Inc.,
Currently she is Vice President of the Board of Directors for CT Center for Nonviolence, Director for Re-entry Services and Promise Zone Community Empowerment. In these roles she works to bring a new awareness to addressing conflict, creating a sustainable and quality of life for individuals returning from prison to home and engage the community with a variety of advocacy resources.
Ms. Jones holds a Bachelor of General Studies degree from the University of Missouri; she is presently working on her Masters of Education degree at Cambridge College. She is an appointee of the Governor Malloy to the MLK Commission. Currently she serves as and is co-founder of the Exoneration of Marcus Gravey Foundation. Among other appointments, include At-Large Member for NRZ revitalization zone. She serves as a trainer in Kingian Nonviolence for the CTCN and AVP (Alternative to Violence Project) for Connecticut prisons. She headed the National Urban League’s youth movement NULITES (National Urban League Incentives to Excel and Succeed).
Pursuant to this work she worked alongside the then Governor Weicker in the establishment of legislation to create funding for afterschool community based centers within Hartford schools. She served as a representative for the Children’s Defense Fund to the State of CT Youth Services Commission. Her appointments include working for; Montgomery Alabama Community Action alongside of Martin Luther King, III; serving as a statewide organizer for several Baptist churches throughout Detroit, MI, MI;
Dianne continues to work with various organizations on the issues of disparity with the urban communities.
Rich Hollant started CO:LAB in 1988 and immediately began developing brand and product launches for Fortune 500 corporations. Two decades later, he evolved his business to put all of that knowledge to Good work.
He and his team have received numerous awards from AIGA, CADC, Print, How, Graphis, Cause/Affect, CXD, and Best of New England. His design work has appeared in trade publications and design books. He has been featured in Business Weekly and Communications Arts, was named one of GDUSA’s 20 People to Watch and one of Fast Company’s top 11 designers creating social value. His work on diversity is in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress.
An interdisciplinary major from Boston University and a media major from the Museum School of Fine Arts, Rich’s approach blends comprehensive strategic thinking with tightly orchestrated execution. He has lectured and conducted workshops on ethics, design for good, and branding for socially conscious organizations. He has juried competitions including the Strathmore Paper Show, American Graphic Design Awards, Say Something Posters, Start-Up CT, Flux, and Sappi Ideas that Matter.
Rich is a co-founder of the teen volunteer workforce Giv2, past president of AIGA Connecticut, AIGA national board member, and board chair of COMPASS Youth Collaborative. His latest venture is Parkville Studio, an emerging artists residency space and 360° mentoring program in Hartford.
Dr. Richard Fichman - Owner of Fichman Eye Center, the pioneer of Lasik eye surgery. Fichman is committed to revitalizing the struggling Upper Albany section of Hartford, where one of his Fichman Eye Center offices calls home.
Tang Sauce was recently mentioned as a torch bearer for the direction that hip hop is going by Abiodun of the legendary Last Poets.
Tang was born and raised in Hartford, CT and the Greater Hartford area. He has been involved in the Hartford arts scene for years involved in productions like The Wiz, A Raisin In The Sun, and Night Fall. He has hosted the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, has his ownpandora.com station, and has been featured on the cover of Connecticut newspaper CTNOW. Tang brings an old school Hip-Hop flow with a new school perspective, with which he spreads peace, love, and positivity.
Paul was born in Hartford, CT, the first generation son of Cuban refugees. He graduated from Trinity College with a B.S. in Computer Science, has earned an MBA from Yale and works as a project manager for MassMutual in Springfield, MA. Paul currently lives in West Hartford, CT with his wife Kristen and their two children Alex and Ava.
Paul’s proudest accomplishment is being the co-reviver of the Connecticut Veterans Day Parade. As one of largest parades in the in the country, with up to 40,000 spectators, it is a celebration of the men and women who have risked everything to ensure our most basic liberties and the American way of life.
Iran Nazario has been working in the program management, gang prevention, youth outreach, engagement and support field for 26 years. He began his career as a volunteer on the streets of Hartford, CT and is currently the Director of Peacebuilders and Community Relations at COMPASS Youth Collaborative where he leads a team of 16 men and women whose goal is to decrease the level of violence throughout the city of Hartford, Connecticut. Since the program operations began Peacebuilders has served over 3,000 youth and has a success rate of over 80%.
Iran is an expert in Gang Prevention and Mediation, a Drug and Alcohol Prevention counselor, Graduate of the National Youth Employment Coalition 2001, Certified Violence Mediator, YO! Leadership Institute Graduate 2001, Graduate of City of Hartford’s the Youth Development Practitioners Academy 2008 and Middle Management Institute in 2009. He has trained and presented for youth service agencies, court support services, schools, and many others on a local and national level
THE DIARIO / LA PRENSA, award dedicated to "a select group of Latinos who always faced challenges but never lost sight of their goals" in 2012 and a recipient of the 2013 “100 Men of Color Award” honoringprogress that pioneers, educators, service men, politicians, entrepreneurs and tastemakers have made in their professions, and the invaluable contribution these men have given to our communities.
In 2015 Iran received the Latinos United for Professional Advancement (LUPA) “50 Most Influential Latinos Award” in recognition of his influence in the State of Connecticut Latino community.
In June of 2015Iran was “Badged” by the Hartford Connecticut Police Department to serve as a community/law enforcement partner. In this role Iran is to serve as an intermediary in city wide crisis situations under President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative.
Vjosa Qerimi is originally Albanian from Kosovo. She lived her life in Kosovo where she majored in English. Vjosa is fluent in 3 languages and currently studying Arabic as her 4th. While still in Kosovo she worked at a NATO Base with the US Military where she made a lot of connections that brought her to the States 4 years ago. Here she's volunteered for The Salvation Army and worked for an Islamic School in Windsor, CT. She's currently the vice-president of Common Ground Services, an organization she and her husband founded to create peace between Muslims and the rest of the people of America.
Imam/Chaplain Sami A. Aziz is a public educator and spiritual peacemaker. He is an Imam for PrayerSpark.com, a global interfaith prayer service. He also serves as an Imam at Lighthouse for Humanity: Bloomfield Muslim Community Center in Bloomfield, CT. In his capacity as Imam he represents the Muslim community at the Bloomfield Interfaith Association and the Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Committee of which he is a founding member. He has experience serving in healthcare, educational, and university institutions. He is a graduate of the Master’s in Islamic Chaplaincy program at Hartford Seminary. Imam Aziz has been on an educational campaign to fight against ignorance, hate, and fear of Muslims. He has visited institutions across Connecticut to spread the message of peace, which is the core of Islam. More on his campaign can be found at Qalem.org, a non-profit aimed at uniting hearts through education.
Vjosa Qerimi is originally Albanian from Kosovo. She lived her life in Kosovo where she majored in English. Vjosa is fluent in 3 languages and currently studying Arabic as her 4th. While still in Kosovo she worked at a NATO Base with the US Military where she made a lot of connections that brought her to the States 4 years ago. Here she's volunteered for The Salvation Army and worked for an Islamic School in Windsor, CT. She's currently the vice-president of Common Ground Services, an organization she and her husband founded to create peace between Muslims and the rest of the people of America.
Hardenco. Hartford Denim Co.
We are three friends Luke Davis, Marshall Deming, and Dave Marcoux, in Hartford, Connecticut making jeans on old American machines, the old American way. While we draw much inspiration from vintage workwear and manufacturing of the past, we learn from all experiences and use that to create a product that is truly timeless. Hartford Denim Co, or as we like to say, Hardenco, started as three friends spending time in the forest. It has evolved into a cohesive lifestyle employing both traditional techniques and styles as well as unique and original innovations; using antique industrial Union Specials, Singer, Pfaff and Reece sewing machines and the finest grade natural materials available.
Every May, July, and September we travel to Massachusetts to attend and vend at the Brimfield Antique Market. Here, we are exposed to buyers and people from all over the world and are able to connect not only with our past but with the here and now. It is a wonderful connection between our brand and the show, illustrating to our customers our philosophies of longevity and beauty with age. If you have not been, you must attend
“These jeans will show you strong you really are” Marshall Deming, Co-Founder, HARDENCO
In 1970, after meeting Artists Collective Founder, Jackie McLean, and Dollie McLean, Founding Executive Director, Cheryl Smith was invited to become a co-founder of the Artists Collective.
Ms. Smith taught dance and later became the Director of the Dance Department. Ten years prior to her appointment in 2005, Ms. Smith functioned in a leadership position as Program Director.
Studying dance with Phyllis Stone and Angela Bowen-Peters, Cheryl went on to become the Director of Dance at Westledge School in Simsbury. She also taught at the Watkinson School in West Hartford, the University of Connecticut, Trinity College, as well as numerous public schools.
As an early exponent of African Dance in Hartford and under the tutelage of“Aca” Lee Thompson, Artists Collective’s master choreographer, she has been a role model to generations of Hartford dancers of all ages and the inspiration for the development of numerous dance ensembles now performing and teaching in Greater Hartford. A native of Connecticut, Ms. Smith has taught and performed throughout the state since the 1960’s.
Ms. Smith was appointed to Associate Director in April 2005.
In her position as Associate Director, Ms. Smith’s duties continue to include artistic administration and management functions of the day-to-day operations of the Artists Collective. She continues to inspire hundreds of Greater Hartford youth and adults and is an integral part of the leadership at the Artists Collective.
Cheryl Smith has received many community awards including most recently, The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs “Sojourner Truth Meritorious Service Award,” Distinguished Service for Dance Education from the Connecticut Dance Alliance, Trinity College Dance Department Pioneers Award, Saint Martins Episcopal Church Distinguished Service Award, and the Urban League’s Black History Month Imprints Award.
Jason Barco is a firefighter who was born and raised in the capital city. His sense of pride and passion for his hometown motivates him to make a difference in his community. From an early age he was heavily involved in many community based programs. These moments helped to nurture his love for the city of Hartford. In 2008 with encouragement from his family & friends he began his career as a Hartford Firefighter. He has fully dedicated himself to giving back to those who have given so much to him. More than just a job, Jason's career as a Hartford Firefighter has allowed him to see many sides of the city that he would have never been exposed to otherwise. Helping others is his calling and he wouldn't think of doing anything else than selflessly throwing himself into the fire to save the city he loves so much.
Revs. Heather and Cathy Rion Starr are Co-Ministers of the Unitarian Society of Hartford. Rev. Cathy also works closely with Showing Up for Racial Justice, and Rev. Heather also serves as Consulting Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Parish of Monson, Massachusetts. Together, they co-parent an amazing, articulate 4-year-old and are expecting another child in February 2017.
Prior to returning to Connecticut (where she grew up), Cathy served as Minister of Social Justice at All Souls Church in Washington, DC, and in Oregon for two years before that. Cathy’s background is in racial justice and anti-racist organizing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cathy brings a passion for relationship-building, strives to hold complexity and contradictions honestly, and seeks more spiritually grounded justice work. Heather is a native-Oregonian and brings her fresh West Coast perspective to all-things-New England. She is a poet, a passionate people-connector, an avid reader, cook, and joyful campaigner for justice.
Both Cathy and Heather are graduates of Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. They identify as agnostic and religious humanist/atheist, respectively, and would love to talk with you anytime about “nourishing spirit, building community, and working for justice” (their church’s mission statement, the succinct version) in the Hartford area!
Uyen Mai - Sarah’s Coffee house in Hartford
Chris and Jackie Allen-Doucot, co-founded the Hartford Catholic Worker with Brian Kavanagh in 1993. Chris, Jackie and Dwight Teal, Jr. are members of the Hartford Catholic Worker community, affectionately known by the residents of our neighborhood as the Green House. At the Green House we try to practice the Works of Mercy in a personal way on a daily basis. That is we share our food with hungry people, and our home with people in need of a place to stay. We share our time with the children of this neighborhood and we welcome folks from beyond this neighborhood to seek the Beloved Community with our neighbors. Martin Luther King Jr. often told folks that "the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice." We think Dr. King was right but we also think that the universe bends towards justice because there are folks everywhere tugging on it. We are tugging like crazy with our neighbors to bend this society of ours to be more just to the people, especially the children, of our neighborhood.
Dwight Teal Jr. grew up in this neighborhood. Dwight is an artist working with pastels, water colors, acrylics and twist ties. At the Green House he repairs bikes and makes art with the kids. Dwight has also taught himself computer skills and has recently built his own computer.
Jackie and Chris have two grown sons: Micah, 24, and Ammon, 22. Desteni Rose and Diamana Lilly Dullaire are Chris and Jackie's grand daughters. Their mom, Morliana, "adopted" Chris and Jackie when she was in high school. They're thrilled she did.
Fr. Charles Jacobs was assigned to Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in July of 2001. For over one hundred years, this parish has welcomed and embraced thousands of members from various cultural backgrounds. Building upon our proud heritage and living out our baptismal commitment under the guidance and protection of our triune God, we profess to live our faith in the words that we speak, the actions we share, the decisions we make, and ways in which we live out our lives; that we might be led to a greater awareness of God's presence, among us and within us.
Fr. Jacobs has been Chaplain of the Connecticut Children's Medical Center since 1996.
His dogs are named Snoop and Cheech.
The Sanctuary Choir of Asylum Hill Congregational Church is comprised of 60 singer/musicians who provide musical leadership for Sunday worship services and community events. With 8 professional section leaders and some of the community’s best soloists and instrumentalists, the AHCC Music Ministry is capable of extraordinary musical diversity and quality. The choir has presented such major works as the Brahms Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and the Solemn Vespers, Vivaldi Gloria, J.S. Bach Magnificat, a “Gospel” Christmas, and the Haydn Mass in Time of War. The Choir has also partnered with other area churches to present major works such as Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna with Immanuel Congregational Church Choir and the Duruflé Requiem with St. Joseph's Cathedral Choir, CONCORA and the New Haven Symphony. The AHCC Sanctuary Choir also leads the annual Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in January 2017. This musical and dramatic celebration of Epiphany attracts more than 4500 people to five sold-out performances each January. Additionally, the choir has also been honored to sing for special events and observances of the State Senate and House of Representatives at the Capitol Building, and since 2013 has been a regular performer with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival. Jack A. Pott, Director of Music & Arts
Susan Carroll, Organist and Music Associate
Rev. Dr. Shelley D. Best is an urban soulpreneur. She is a pastor, visual artist/activist, equity warrior, yogini, creative placemaker and intentional community builder. As the President & CEO of The Conference of Churches, her current venture is “The 224” a creative ecospace where educators, entrepreneurs and artists work, create and lead.
A 2014 recipient of The Hartford Business Journal’s Women in Business Award and a nationally recognized expert in faith-based community development,her education includes; a Master of Arts from Hartford Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Yale University, and a Doctorate in Ministry from Hartford Seminary.
Dr. Best travels internationally as a human rights and interfaith ambassador. With a passion for yoga found after the age of 50, she devotes her practice to the mission of personal and community transformation believing like Mahatma Gandhi we must, “be the change we wish to see in the world.”
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I present to you our Habitat Saints. They are the backbone of our construction department. They have traded in stethoscopes, desktops, and wall street for a Habitat hammer.
Hartford Habitat is fortunate to have over 44 Saints that volunteer with us on weekly basis regardless of the weather or location. With their support, we are able to deliver our construction schedule on time every year. So they are not only carrying me but our mission to build simple, decent homes for families in need!
John Talley volunteered during one of our blitz build a few years back; loved it and joined the team. Like many of our Saints; John brings a smile, a wise crack and laugh to every work day.
Mike Bassock and his family are committed volunteers in Hartford and Colorado affiliates. It is a family affair!
Paul Kiefer has volunteered with the affiliate for at least 15 years and is also a crew leader on many of our sites. Paul has so much patience; it is amazing.
Ralph Eustis has volunteered with us for over ten years and is also a crew leader. Ralph is known to say "measure twice cut once."
Rex Myers recently became a Saint this year after volunteering with us during public build days. He loved the sense of completion that you get from partnering with Habitat.
Robert Spencer has volunteered with the affiliate for over 30 years and became a saint immediately after retirement. Spencer recently completed a Habitat build in Vietnam.
We appreciate our Saints for their support and dedication to build homes, community and hope!
Karraine Moody
Executive Director
Glenn Winfree is currently the Head of School for Covenant Preparatory School, a tuition-free middle school for boys in Hartford and the surrounding communities. Glenn joined Covenant Preparatory School in the s ummer of 2014 aftera long and successful career in the for-profit sectors. Glenn spent much of his career leading human resource initiatives. Glenn is a certified instructor of the world-famous Dale Carnegie training program, andfunction ed as the regional trainer for the Dale Carnegie Generation Next Youth Character Development program.
Glenn is also licensed by Kahler Communications to teach the Process Communication Model (PCM), a language-based, personality assessment and behavioral model used in the selection and training of astronauts for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He is trained to deliver PCM programs in corporate, spiritual, and educational settings. Glenn founded Elegant Communication Solutions, LLC (ECS) in 2008 offering training and coaching for executives, managers, pastors, educators, professionals and students using the Process Communication Model®.
In addition, Glenn has played the saxophone for many years and has performed with accomplished artists such as Yolanda Adams, James Hall, JJ Hairston and Bobby Jones.
A graduate of Rutgers University and University of Hartford, Glenn lives in Bloomfield, Connecticut with his wife, Vera, a business-owner and entrepreneur, and son Ellis, a graduate of Covenant Prep and currently attends Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford.
Matt Fitzsimons is the Executive Director of Grace Academy, the first all-girls, NativityMiguel Network school in Connecticut. Grace Academy was founded by Matt and Sarah Fitzsimons and Lindsey McPhee in 2010. Matt’s connection with the NativityMiguel model dates back to the early 1980s when he tutored students at the original school located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Matt and Sarah live in Hartford and have two children Isabel and Kateri.
Grace Academy is a tuition-free, all girls middle school serving students from the neediest neighborhoods of Hartford. Grace Academy is a member of the highly successful network of Nativity Miguel schools, a 70 school network that serve students from inner-city communities across the U.S.
Pictured along with Matt Fitzsimons:
1. Ivania Quintuna
2. Eden Bailey
3. Moo Ket Po
4. Genesis Del Valle
5. Celinda Rodriguez
6. Paola Ocasio
7. Kee La Paw
8. Alanna Torres
Ronna Reynolds: The Bushnell--a sacred place in both my personal and professional life--has been a passion for over a half century. As a child, I had my first piano recital in its Seaverns Room and my glee club singing debut on its Mortensen stage. Throughout my youth, I came to the Hall often, and it was here that I experienced my first opera(Love of Three Oranges), my first play(The Miracle Worker), my first symphony concert( The Hartford Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the colorful Fritz Mahler); and I had my first real date attending a Kingston Trio concert here when I was a sophomore in high school.
My work history at The Bushnell began in 1978 and, over the past 38 years, has included a wonderful variety of responsibilities in marketing, development, strategic planning and executive administration... a deeply satisfying career through which I have privileged to witness the profound value--both intrinsic an instrumental – – of the arts. Each year, I have seen hundreds of thousands of individuals whose spirits have been elevated by the artists on our stages. As importantly, I have thrilled to the manifold impacts of the Bushnell's public programming which collectively elevates the spirit of our community far beyond our walls… in schools, hospitals, senior housing centers, social justice agencies, prisons, youth organizations, corporations and more. I honestly consider myself one of the luckiest people on earth; and there isn't virtually a day that goes by that I am not grateful for a career which enables me to help unleash the boundless power of the arts to the benefit of Hartford and its many residents that call the Capital City "home."
Yolande Spears is the Senior Vice President of Education & Community Initiatives at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Connecticut’s premiere performance venue for Broadway theatre, music, dance, children’s theatre, and special events. As SVP of Education, she co-created the Bushnell’s award winning PARTNERS® program which received recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, US Department of Education, the Connecticut Quality Innovative Award, and the Connecticut Department of Education. In her role as SVP of Community Initiatives, Yolande has developed numerous family literacy and enrichment programs. In recognition of this work, The Broadway League selected The Bushnell to be the first venue to roll out their Family First Nights program, a national endeavor designed to make Broadway programming accessible and affordable for underserved families in the Greater Hartford area. Along with her administrative leadership, Yolande has been a guest speaker at numerous organizations throughout the United States, Canada, and China. In August 2005, Plays for Living commissioned her to write two short plays for a corporate client. Subsequently, her short story, “Buttered Biscuits” was published in the bestselling motivational series, Wake Up & Live the Life You Love. Yolande’s other book, The Gift, was published in the spring of 2012, and won the National Grand Prize Award for children’s literature in June 2013.
Nick Cinea is a professional wedding and family photographer who uses his free time to photograph the everyday people of Hartford, CT and share their stories on his photoblog: Humans of Hartford. Nick has captured over 700 stories in the past two-and-a-half years, and drew his inspiration from his love for the Humans of New York photoblog. Nick was captivated by Humans of New York’s photography but more importantly its storytelling and believed he could apply the same practices in Hartford.
In March 2014, Nick bought his first professional camera and began photographing the people of Hartford. While approaching strangers wasn’t easy at first, Nick has found the confidence to ask hundreds of people to share some of their most personal moments in front of his camera. The stories he has captured are a range of unique emotional tones and perspectives from all geographical locations of Hartford.
Humans of Hartford strives to show Hartford’s human factor despite the stereotype that Hartford is a ‘scary city’. Nick hopes that the stories he shares remind everyone that no matter the time or place, everyone is similar in that we all have stories to share.
Joey Battaglia aka Joey Batts was born & raised in Uniondale, New York. He started his freshman year at the University of Hartford in 2000 and has been a Connecticut resident ever since. Using his fame and popularity in the music and arts community, the last 6 years has seen Joey take on various community efforts, most notably - Hip Hop for the Homeless. A series of rap concerts that collects food and clothing at venues in different cities and donates all proceeds (both goods & profit) to a cooperating non profit that works closely with the homeless and hungry.
A constant in the Hartford HipHop scene, Joey can be found touring with both his band, Joey Batts & Them, and his new project, the rap supergroup known as UZOO. Possibly even more impressive, Mr. Batts has been a Hartford school teacher for almost a decade - a two time Teacher of the Year candidate, he spends his days teaching American Literature to juniors at Hartford Public High School. Follow his journey @rapjoeybatts
Tang Sauce was recently mentioned as a torch bearer for the direction that hip hop is going by Abiodun of the legendary Last Poets.
Tang was born and raised in Hartford, CT and the Greater Hartford area. He has been involved in the Hartford arts scene for years involved in productions like The Wiz, A Raisin In The Sun, and Night Fall. He has hosted the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, has his ownpandora.com station, and has been featured on the cover of Connecticut newspaper CTNOW. Tang brings an old school Hip-Hop flow with a new school perspective, with which he spreads peace, love, and positivity.
With the goal of sharing his musical vision with large audiences, Daniel Salazar has reimagined the traditional concert experience, creating new programs that have redefined the Spanish classical guitar’s limits. In 1993 he conceived and founded Guitar Under the Stars, a large-scale outdoor concert production in Harford, Connecticut. Since then, Guitar Under the Stars has become a yearly event that draws an audience of thousands to hear his original music and brilliant orchestral arrangements of classical, Latin American and Spanish works. The event is free and open to the entire community, and is a genuine example of how music brings people together.
Daniel Salazar is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including the 2015 National Artist Teacher Fellowship, a Proclamation from the Office of The Mayor declaring “Daniel Salazar Day” in the of The City of Hartford, a 2013 Official Citation from The State of Connecticut’s House of Representatives for leadership in music and artistic vision and the 2011 Connecticut Public Service Award for the Arts. He is also a recipient of the Latino de Oro Award, which recognizes outstanding musical achievement. With his international performances, distinctive repertoire, dynamic original music and arrangements of Spanish classics for guitar and orchestra, Daniel Salazar continues to expand the guitar’s repertoire while introducing new audiences to the beautiful sound of the Spanish classical guitar.
Living Legends
Anne Marie Williams better known as “ Jedda” of K LA RUE Educational Arts in Motion is an Early Childhood Educator, Master Teaching Artist, an Educational Program Designer, and Performing Artist who is a songstress, dancer and actress, and an architect of each form. Ms. Williams, is native of Hartford, mother of two remarkable daughters, four impressive sons and Jedda (grandmother) to seven wonderfully inspiring grandchildren.
Jedda is the founder, artisan and educational program designer of K La Rue Educational Art in Motion.
Jedda was acknowledged in 2015 by the Permanent Commission on the Status of Hartford Women as one the “A Decade of Dedicated Women having a Positive Influences on Our City” for her diverse intergenerational program called K LA RUE’s Living Legends Among Us! “In order for our youth to respect our elders they need to know who they are".
In the photo with me:
Mama Patrica Johnson, Cultivator and Encourager of Artistic and Quality Community Life
"Brother Abu” Alvin Carter Sr., A Citizen of the entire City of Hartford that love to drum
Mama Gayle Rozie Alston-Green, Master Dancer, Special Educator, Performer
Mama Leslie Frances Manselle, Encourager, Supporter and Artist
Baba Mixashawn Rozie, A Wave Artist, I decode waves sonic, aquatic, percussive, and harmonic. (group paint shot)
Cindy Lovell is the executive director of The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. She previously served as the executive director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri.
Lovell has authored two children's novels and dozens of articles, textbook chapters, and essays. She was a contributing editor for the Mensa Research Journal for seven years and has been a contributor to The Huffington Post since 2010.
Lovell co-authored Down the Mississippi with CNN iReporter Neal Moore. In 2011, she wrote and co-produced Mark Twain: Words & Music, a double-CD telling Twain's life in spoken word and song featuring Jimmy Buffett, Garrison Keillor, Clint Eastwood, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, and others.
In 2015, Lovell wrote the narrative for Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited, a double-CD benefit for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
Active for over 30 years in urban development in New York and Connecticut cities, Mike became the Executive Director of the newly created Capital Region Development Authority in 2012 and has been active in creating housing in downtown Hartford while also managing large projects at the XL Center; along the newly created Front Street retail and entertainment corridor and increasingly in Hartford’s neighborhoods as well as in regional towns.
Mike’s career has taken him from a Presidential Management Internship in Washington DC to Congressional legislative positions on Capitol Hill to multiple cabinet level municipal positions. He is the recipient of the Connecticut Secretary of State Public Service Award, received the Citation of Outstanding Achievement from the Connecticut General Assembly and has made international presentations in Asia and Europe on urban development. He graduated from the University of Connecticut and is a ‘Distinguished Alumni’ from the George Washington University. Mike is married with three terrific sons and a beautiful daughter.
Terry Starks is the founder and CEO of the Hartford’s Proud Drill, Drum, and Dance Corp. With over 20 years’ experience in youth development. She dedicates herself to educating and equipping youth with the necessary tools for success after their high schools years commence. Terry uses her personal enthusiasm to inspire the joy of learning music as leverage to strengthen and empower youth and about four years ago, she embarked on a unique opportunity to strengthen youth through a show-style marching band and leadership program. Through this program she engage at risk youth in performing arts recreation, leadership workshops, and community engagements.
As a native of Hartford, Terry has assumed roles as a Youth Development Specialist and Community Planning Partner. She is a hands-on, behind the scenes, action driven individual who undertakes community efforts for change such as the Stomp the Violence Movement. Stomp the Violence is a collaboration between the community and our police to brainstorm effective changes and solutions to violence in the city of Hartford, while restoring relationships, mutual understanding, and inspiring youth on how they can make a difference in their community.
Throughout the years, Terry received numerous awards and in 2015 she was honored to receive a proclamation declaring March 28th Terry Starks Day in the city of Hartford. Terry is the Youth Development Chair, Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, a member of the 7th District Town Committee, and amongst all things, a wife, daughter, and proud mother. She is hopeful, energetic, and inspiring with a can-do spirit. She has been recognized for her superior leadership and unique approach towards solving complex community issues. She is part educator, part inspirer, part motivator and think in terms of the bottom line.
Meg Taylor is the executive director of Capitol Squash, a youth development program whose mission is to empower the youth of Hartford to reach their potential as athletes, students, and engaged citizens of character. Based out of Trinity College, Capitol Squash strives to provide students with life-changing opportunities through the sport of squash, intensive educational support, mentoring, and community service activities. Guided by an “inch wide, mile deep” philosophy, students join Capitol Squash in middle school with the long-term goal of four-year college placement.
A native of the Hartford area, Meg learned how to play squash on the Trinity courts before going to Vassar College, where she captained the women’s squash team. After graduation, Meg joined Teach For America and taught special education at an elementary school in Washington, DC. While teaching, she coached the girls’ soccer team and received a Master of Education with a concentration in Special Education from George Mason University.
When the Center for Latino Progress’ Yanil Terón and Tony Cherolis looked around Hartford for inspiration for ways to engage residents in a program that would best teach life skills leading to employment, increase mobility, and access to jobs they found their answer in bicycles. The BiCi Co. program, which stands for Bicicletas y Comunidad, provides two-wheeled human powered transport which is popular both for transportation, recreation and for addressing community needs.
Since 2007, Yanil has been at the helm of The Center as its Executive Director, increasing the organization’s visibility by strategically engaging, partnering, and expanding the agency’s services and programs. In 2015, Tony joined The Center as its Youth Programs Coordinator after leaving his career as an aerospace engineer. Both avid cyclists, this dynamic duo transformed the BiCi Co. program into an enterprise and made its storefront at 95-97 Park Street. It includes a community bike workshop with Do-It-Yourself hours, earn-a-bike classes, a women’s mechanic night, and bicycle safety classes.
Cuando Yanil Terón y Tony Cherolis del Center de Progreso Latino buscaron en el área de Hartford inspiración para involucrar a los residentes en el mejor programa para enseñar destrezas de vida que los llevaran a empleos, aumentar su movilidad, y acceso a dichos empleos encontraron la respuesta en las bicicletas. El programa BiCi Co., que significa Bicicletas y Comunidas, promueve transportación de dos ruedas de impulso humano lo cual lo hace popular tanto para la transportación, la recreación y a la vez se enfoca en las necesidades de la comunidad.
Desde el 2007, Yanil ha estado al timón de El Centro como su Directora Ejecutiva, logrando aumentar la visibilidad de la organización expandiendo los servicios de la agencia mediante la ubicación estratégica y asociación clave. En el 2015, Tony se unió a El Centro como Coordinador de los Programas para la Juventud después de retirarse de su carrera como ingeniero aeroespacial. Ambos como ciclistas ávidos, han formado un duo dinámico para transformar el programa BiCi Co. en una empresa y han ubicado la tienda en el 95-97 Park Street. La tienda incluye un taller comunitario para bicicletas que ofrece horas para Arreglar Tu Propia Bicicleta, clases para lograr ganarte tu probia bicicleta, noches de mecánica para mujeres, y clases de seguridad en la bicicleta.
We're Ben and Joy Braddock, and along with our little brewer's assistant Iyla, we're running a mom and pop craft beer taproom in the heart of Parkville, Hartford. When we were venturing into beer nerdom in our early twenties, we often dreamed of opening up our own place, and wanted it to be as welcome and comfortable as your own living room. Fast forward almost a decade later, after quitting the corporate gig, brewing all around the state, and putting the dream into action with the help of our family and friends, and Hog River Brewing Co. has come to life. It's truly a dream come true.
Bringing a craft beer taproom experience to Hartford was our goal from the get-go. We love this city and we believe in its potential. And the buzz we feel humming through the city now has never been stronger. Having traveled to beer destination cities around the country, we saw how taprooms can serve as community-oriented spaces that bring people together. Our taproom allows people to kick-back, hang out and feel like they are at home. It's not just about the beer, it's about spending time with family and friends, playing games, talking, laughing, toasting to good times. We're thrilled to bring this experience to Hartford and have it serve our Parkville community as a gathering space for all.
Shana Schlossberg has 15 years of experience directing a broad range of technology initiatives in the Internet, media, telecom and emergency services industries. She also frequently mentors startups and entrepreneurs.
She founded EZBZ in 2011 with the goal of creating an efficient and fair platform which uses innovative technology to connect between consumers and local businesses in real time. EZBZ is currently operating nationwide in over 1200 categories with more than half a million businesses and consumers in its network.
Shana is also the founder and CEO of Innovate Hartford, a 27,000 square feet high tech hub that will open in January 2017 in downtown Hartford CT with a goal of providing an ecosystem for the area's entrepreneurial and startup communities.
Prior to founding EZBZ, she was the founder and CEO of Israel Now, a chain of forty local news websites in Israel which offered comprehensive advertising, marketing and PR solutions for more than 25 thousand local and small businesses in Israel.
Earlier in her career, she was a senior business analyst at HP during which she participated in the NYC Emergency Communication Transformation Program (ECTP) as a liaison to FDNY and developed and implemented AVL, GIS and Automated Triage solutions to improve emergency response in the five boroughs of New York.
Before this, she was a project manager and business analyst at Amdocs where she led the development and implementation of numerous projects for Verizon and SBC (currently AT&T).
In 2015, Shana was honored in the White House by the Sustainable Business Council for her work in sustainable enterprises and for supporting local businesses.
Charter Oak Cultural Center, housed in the first synagogue built in Connecticut, does the work of social justice through the arts, offering free, high quality classes in the arts to 1,300 underserved Hartford children, three programs for the homeless community that provide educational and employment opportunities and performances and visual arts exhibits and other arts events. Many of our events are free to the public, and no person is ever turned away for the inability to pay for a ticket.
In the photo:
Donna Berman
Cody Daigle-Orians
Susan Mazer
Rebecca Scorso
Tianna Glass-Tripp
Rory Gale: Hartford Prints! is an urban goods brand that is all about handmade and homegrown love. Addy (Older Sister), Callie (Middle Sister), and Rory (Younger Sister) joined forces in 2012 to create letterpress stationery that is modern and fun. Embracing the idea that a company can both make and do good things, we opened our flagship store in downtown Hartford in 2013 and the Hartford Prints! brand was born. Retail with real purpose, Hartford Prints! offers letterpress stationery, urban streetwear, and locally-sourced goods. We continue to be an active retail space, using the power of our press to create positive vibes about our local community.
Youngest Sister Rory,is the hard-working glue that holds Hartford Prints! together. She creates and oversees the final design for all our products while running the day-to-day operations of the studio & store. Rory’s years of production experience in New York, combined with her passion for making any space a better place, means she continues to grow the business in exciting and unexpected ways.
Jim Barrett has a rich history of service to our country and to our Hartford community. He is currently a Hartford Police Officer assigned as a City Hall Community Service Officer (Downtown walk beat) for the past 13 years. He serves the downtown area enforcing the law as well as community outreach with a passion for taking care of our cities Veterans and our homeless population.
Jim served 21 years as an Army Combat Veteran served 3 tours of duty overseas in Iraq / Bosnia. He trained soldiers in Germany to fight in the Middle East.
Jim served 7 years in the Connecticut Department of Corrections as both a Correction Officer and with imitates that been identified with Gang affiliation (Security Risk Group). He also served 5 years in the Tactical Operations Unit with the Connecticut Emergency Response Team.
Ron Pitz a degreed horticulturist, has worked in horticulture and agriculture for most of his adult life. His mentor was his grandfather James Tomasiello who taught him the basics and especially the philosophy of the organic method of growing vegetables and ornamental plants.
After being a self employed landscape contractor for 16 years he sold his business and discovered a small non profit organization called Knox. This was a place he could use the skills and the passion for gardening and horticulture to help strengthen Hartford’s communities. He was hired by Knox in 1998 and became Executive Director of Knox in 2009.
Ron began a community strengthening tree planting initiative in Hartford called Trees for Hartford . This program plants on the average of 1,000 trees in Hartford per year.
Knox works with 3,000 volunteers per year, working in parks, planting trees and completing community beautification projects; including another Knox initiative called Hartford Cleans Up.
Knox is also now working with the Mayor’s Youth Corps..
Ron is also an accomplished bass player who continues to play professionally...he is also a board member of Associates for Training and Development. Knox has been in business for 50 years!
Tenaya Taylor is Grow Hartford staff co-organizer. Tenaya has been working with the Grow Hartford Youth campaign for a year and has been instrumental in creating new pathways of communication with city officials and community members, as well as continuing to push our campaign to be intersectional in its approach to discussing food justice and food freedom. Tenaya is part of several local initiatives focused on sustainability of our community, including the Complete Streets Committee, Summer of Solutions, and is currently completing a degree in Anthropology from Trinity College.
Martha Page is the Executive Director of Hartford Food System, a nonprofit organization devoted to building a healthy and just food system in Hartford through urban farming, youth leadership, community engagement, policy, and advocacy since 1978. Before coming to this role in January 2010, Martha was the Environmental Health Director for the City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to completing a Master’s Degree in Public Health in 2009, Martha spent more than 25 years in the health insurance industry in a number of executive positions.
Martha and her husband, Bill Young, are proud Hartford residents, calling the City home for more than 20 years. Martha volunteers as a board member of Hartford 2000 and is active in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy. An avid recreational cyclist, she and Bill have explored many countries by bicycle (and have many more to do!)
Anthony & Leticia Blanco founded Foster Buddies Network, Corporation in 2009, in Orlando, FL. Foster Buddies is a non-profit 501(c)(3), who's mission is to assist the underprivileged youth attend Arts or Sports activities in their communities without income related limitations. They founded the Network because they adopted children and found themselves unable to afford activities for their children. They started their own affordable sports and arts activities such as Basketball and Flag Football in their Orlando community with great success. The Blanco's moved to Connecticut in 2012 and by 2014 started Hartford Boxing Center with their partner, Michael Tran; who also believed in their mission. The Blanco team truly aspires to make their community aware of the impact Arts and Sports have on a youth, as it helps mold characteristics such as discipline, dedication and perseverance. They realize it takes a village to raise a child and encourage adults in the community to share their gifts and talents by mentoring, coaching, teaching or sponsoring a youth that has aspirations to become a champion. Anthony and Leticia believe guidance and encouragement among our youth can produce inspirational outcomes that will benefit all communities!
Wife. Mom. Friend. Leader. Change Agent. Comedian. Christian.
Martha is a bundle of energy who shows great passion for something she believes strongly in. She is unwilling to settle for the easy solution to a problem, if something more challenging will provide a greater outcome. Martha brings this desire to her Executive Director position at the Capital City Education Alliance. In this role, she loves bringing together other nonprofit partners with similar missions to exchange ideas and share best practices.
The process of transforming something not so pretty, into something spectacular stokes her fire. Martha enjoys working side-by-side with her husband, John, redesigning a kitchen, building a stone patio, painting a wall, or renovating a house. Similarly, she loves to see the transformation in her students in the Let’s Paint! program in as few as four weeks.
And finally, Martha has co-taught a Sunday School community with her spouse for the past 7 years. She feels blessed, to be able to share worship and fellowship with her community friends. It is amazing to see what God can do to change a life or improve a situation, if we simply step back and listen for His voice.
As Managing Director of the iQuilt Partnership, Jackie Gorsky Mandyck provides leadership and logistical support for iQuilt initiatives. The iQuilt Plan, formally imbedded in the City of Hartford’s 10-year master plan, lays out a strategy and design for linking Hartford cultural and physical assets and making the intersecting public spaces more walkable, engaging and vibrant.
Prior to this exciting and innovative endeavor, Jackie was the Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protectio. In the private sector, Jackie was the Director of Community and Institutional Relations for Trinity College. She was one of the principals leading the Neighborhood Initiative, which included the Learning Corridor, a $106 million, public school campus for grades K-12. She also served as the Interim Director of the college’s graduate program in public policy. Prior to that she held her most cherished job, which was working in the family business in Upstate New York.
When Jackie's not mapping out the future of downtown Hartford's public spaces, you can find her navigating the wilds of New England and New York in search of yet another far-flung soccer field or basketball court with her two amazing daughters. Jackie has her degree from Syracuse University and her Masters from the SUNY Albany and claims to bleed orange during basketball season.
Rich Rosenthal - Max Restaurant Group Founder and President Richard Rosenthal. In 1986, Max on Main, an innovative bistro-style restaurant, opened its doors and immediately became the talk of the town and the most popular restaurant in the capital city.
Carolyn Greenspan is an owner and the Chief Executive Officer of Blue State Coffee, a purveyor and roaster of fairly traded, organic coffee that donates 2 percent of sales to local nonprofit organizations chosen by its customers at its 8 retail locations. Carolyn believes that business can be a positive force for good and Blue State Coffee tries to be an example of this. She serves on the boards of several schools and non-profit organizations. She graduated from Brown University and Columbia Law School. She and her husband Marshall Ruben live in the Hartford area and have 4 children.
Patricia E. Kelly was born in Hartford, CT under the watchful eyes of blessed Nuns at St Francis Hospital. Born into a Native American and African-American culture; pretty normal beginning until Mr. Fisher, a Jewish grocer and his horse that turned me into an conundrum – that is, a Black Cowgirl in the 1950’s. – in Connecticut. Then I became a U.S. Marine handling classified information (opps), then a Wife, Mom, and back into a Black Cowgirl.
Jaleith Gary, Urban Alliance. Servant. Activist. Millennial. Learner. Black Woman.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Early on in my childhood, I saw that there were people living on the fringes of society and grew up knowing in my heart of hearts that things didn’t have to be that way, they simply were. Change is something I believe is necessary and achievable, even if only in my surroundings by my own hands. As an adult with my own experiential context for what change must happen, can happen and why, I am motivated and sustained by my faith, working to bring marginalized people from the fringes of society back into its core. Everyone has value and a role to play in bringing our communities to their fullest potentials. Currently, my efforts are concentrated in and around Hartford, CT where I live and serve. When I’m not working or serving, you can find me being a classic foodie and you’re more than welcome to join me!
Joanne Berger-Sweeney became the 22nd president of Trinity College in July 2014. Since that time, she has overseen several major accomplishments, including the creation of the Bantam Network mentoring program for first-year students; the launch of the Campaign for Community, a campus initiative promoting inclusiveness and respect; and the expansion of Trinity’s footprint to Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford.
Before coming to Trinity, Berger-Sweeney served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, creating the vision and setting the strategic direction for the university’s largest school. Prior to Tufts, Berger-Sweeney was a member of the Wellesley College faculty. Her teaching and research career at Wellesley spanned 13 years prior to being named associate dean in 2004. Berger-Sweeney received her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley, her M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Health (INSERM) in Paris, France. Berger-Sweeney serves on many boards in the Hartford region, including MetroHartford Alliance, Hartford HealthCare, the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, and the Capital Region Development Authority. She also is a corporator of Hartford Hospital. Berger-Sweeney and her husband, Urs V. Berger, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and a computer scientist, are the parents of two children.