Leadership in Transition

Mayor-Elect Luke Bronin recently announced that he would forgo the glitz and expense of an inaugural ball, favoring a reception only, following the swearing-in of all other elected officials in early January. In past administrations, there have been both the light refreshments and meet and greet in City Hall, and the evening wear on display in a much larger facility. The plan is for Bronin to be sworn into office following the midnight First Night fireworks.

This weekend Bronin held a Youth Engagement Town Hall at Wilson-Gray YMCA, where Hartford’s strengths, such as already existing youth services programs, were touted. Here, a resident urged others to get involved with the dozens of municipal boards and commissions, and to support the incoming mayor and provide him with ideas of what we need, saying that if we don’t advocate for ourselves, we can’t get mad at the leader for not knowing what needs attention. The takeaway from this meeting was that many residents felt that City and community resources are disconnected from each other.

A few weeks ago, Bronin created several committees and policy working groups. Essentially, these perform as ways to add oversight and transparency, along with provide more opportunity for comment from members of the public.

Since the initial release, there have been some additions in the form of clarifying who would be the person to represent certain larger entities that needed to be at the table. Here is a look at who will be serving on these committees and groups.

Bronin will chair the Personnel Committee, which exists to review employment applications. The members of this committee include:

Luis Cabán, who is the Chair Emeritus of Latino Endowment Fund. He is also the former Executive Director of SINA Inc. and Commissioner with the MDC. He is President Emeritus of Center for Latino Progress.

Bonnie Malley currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of The Phoenix Companies, Inc. She is the former Executive Vice President of Human Resources at The Phoenix Companies and has served on various boards, including: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Connecticut chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice, the MetroHartford Alliance, the Connecticut Forum and the iQuilt Partnership.

Robert Painter: Republican former member of Hartford City Council, retired surgeon, and recumbent bicyclist.

Lou Watkins is former Deputy Mayor and a former president of Blue Hills Civic Association. He is on the board of Hartford Community Loan Fund.

Shawn Wooden is current City Council President, West End resident, and is partner at Day Pitney, LLP.

The Financial Review & Audit Committee, to be chaired by Bonnie Malley, will consist of:

Christopher Lewis is the Chief Risk Officer at IFG Companies. He formerly served as Senior Economist in the Office of Management and Budget for the White House.

Mary Tzambazakis is currently Chief Administrative Officer at Hartford Public Library and past Chief Financial Officer of Springfield, MA. She has also served as Town Manager in Ware, MA.

Jason Newman is Partner at CohnReznick, LLP. He was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers for over seven years.

Raúl De Jesús is an outgoing Hartford City Councilman who has served on boards including Charter Oak Boxing Academy and Hartford Food System.

Glendowlyn Thames is  a Hartford City Council Member-Elect. She is the Director of Small Business Innovations and CTNext; has served as former Special Assistant for Major Projects to the Superintendent, former Director of Constituent Services, and has been a  board member of Wilson-Gray YMCA, along with Greater Hartford Arts Council Community Grants Review Committee member.

The Blighted Property Working Group will be chaired by Melvyn Colón, who is the Executive Director of Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) and was the Principal of MCS Consulting. He is active in the Frog Hollow NRZ.

Other members of this working group include:

Rex Fowler is ‎Executive Director of Hartford Community Loan Fund (remember the planned full-service grocery store that was supposed to be part of Downtown North?).

Hyacinth Yennie is Chair of Maple Avenue Revitalization Group; hyper-involved resident who, if you’ve been to any City Council meetings ever, you’ve heard speak.

Gordon Scott is CEO of Scott’s Jamaican Bakery. If you don’t know who he is, like, do you have a pulse? Served on a number of boards and committees: Billings Forge Community Works, Upper Albany Main Street, Upper Albany Merchants’ Association, Hartford Chamber of Commerce, and MetroHartford Alliance.

Steve Harris is Captain (Ret.), Hartford Fire Department and a former member of Hartford City Council. He spoke against public funding for the Rock Cats Yard Goats stadium.

Karraine Moody is the Executive Director of Hartford Habitat for Humanity and former Principal of Moody Consulting Firm.

Julianne Avallone is an attorney at Ford & Paulekas; served on various boards: Greater Hartford Arts Council, Hartford Preservation Alliance, Upper Albany Main Street, and Knox Parks. Former Senior Project Manager with City of Hartford.

Lynn Ferrari is Chair of the CSS/CON NRZ. She is leader and co-founder of Hartford History Today, and has been aHistoric Properties Commissioner since 2006. Ferrari has also served as Board President for Hartford Preservation Alliance.

Bimal Patel is Senior Vice President of Operational Integration at Hartford Healthcare.

TJ Clarke II is a Hartford City Council Member-Elect; he is also former Assistant to the Mayor and Chief of Staff, former Director of Workforce Development and Training for Urban League of Greater Hartford, and is currently Special Initiatives Coordinator for United States Senator Chris Murphy.

Yvette Meléndez is the Vice President of Government & Community Alliances at Hartford Hospital. For ten years she served as chair of Board of Directors for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. She has also served on the boards of SINA and and Partnership for Strong Communities.

Lance Gordon is a developer and urban planner; he is a past president of the West Indian Social Club.

Maureen Price-Boreland will be Chair of the Returning Citizens Working Group. She is the Executive Director of Community Partners in Action, an adjunct professor at Central Connecticut State University, and a former Cabinet Member of State Advisory Council on Children.

Other members of the working group include:

Dianne Jones is a community organizer and leader with the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence which offers Kingian Nonviolence Trainings, runs a youth anti-violence program, and has organized several community murals, including one at 687 Albany Avenue.

Stephen Camp is the Pastor of Faith Congregational Church which hosted one of the debates during the recent primary season. Camp has been a supporter of the Second Chance Society and is an advocate for the poor.

Kennard Ray is National Policy Director for Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. You might remember him from some nonsense in City Hall; former Political & Legislative Director of Working Families Party; founding member of Hartford Rising!;

Kattya Lopez is a Senior U.S. Probation Officer.

Thea Montañez is the North Hartford Promise Zone Director. She has been Managing Director of Montanez Consulting, LLC. and former Director of Operations for Connecticut Convention Center. She is currently serving as Director of The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN), Hartford Public Library, and University of St. Joseph. She was past Director of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Connecticut Women’s and Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), and Grace Academy. She was also a Commissioner and Gubernatorial Appointee to the Metropolitan District Commission, (MDC), and Chair, Community Relations and Diversity Committee. Currently, she volunteers with the Lifers Group at Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Lee Hunt is a very active employee of the Blue Hills Civic Association who also runs the Capital City Track Club.

Bill Carbone is a Senior Lecturer at University of New Haven who has been involved with alternatives to youth incarceration.

Andrew Woods is Executive Director of Hartford Communities that Care. He is former Director of Prevention Services and Substance Abuse & Mental Health Clinician with Hartford Behavioral Health and a former Substance Abuse Counselor.

Jimmy Sanchez is a Hartford City Council Member-Elect.

Steve Bonafonte, will be Chair of the Youth Service Corps Working Group. He is Partner at Davis Clark & Bonafonte LLC, and is former Internal Investigations with Citigroup/Travelers. He is the current chair of the Hartford Redevelopment Agency.

Other members of the working group include:

Herb Virgo is an event coordinator with the Family Day Foundation which is responsible for the annual Family Day in Keney Park.  Additionally, his Keney Park Sustainability Project is a youth service corp program that has students clear trails and build park benches.

Jacquelyn Santiago is COO of Compass Youth Collaborative. She has served as board member with Achieve Hartford! and Connecticut Afterschool Network.

Ron Pitz is the Executive Director of Knox Parks Foundation. He is a former member of Skateboard Task Force and former owner of New Leaf Landsapes.

Ken Blue is President of AFSCME Local 1716.

Chris Montross, Senior Director for Corporate Public Involvement, AETNA; former Board President of ConnectiKids, Inc.

Dion Watkins is a dynamic, young Pastor at Mt. Olive Church.

Maurice Eastwood is a community organizer.

Rita Ortiz is the Director of Employee & Community Engagement and a Community Relations Program Officer at Travelers Foundation.

Diane Cantello is the Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at The Hartford.

rJo Winch is a Hartford City Council Member-Elect who previously served on Hartford City Council.

Charmaine Waul is a ‎Student Accounts Assistant atTrinity College.

The Recreation Working Group will be chaired by Nicole Porter, President of the Blue Hills Civic Association, former Marketing Coordinator for Disney and ESPN and former Marketing Communications Consultant for Cigna.

Others involved in this working group include:

Doug Glanville, an ESPN Commentator, author, and former outfielder for Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phllies, and Chicago Cubs. He is also known for being a rogue snow shoveler.

Brian Gallagher is a PE teacher with Hartford Public Schools. He is the president of the Hartford Soccer Club and is in part responsible for reviving Saturday Hoopsters. He runs the West End Soccer League.

Beth Taylor is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at UConn, member of the Hartford Board of Education, and Director of Exercise Physiology Research at Hartford Hospital.

Maurice Eastwood

José Colón is the Principal of the Law & Government Academy.

Clinton Hamilton is the Executive Director of Wilson-Gray YMCA. He is the former Facility Service Manager at University of Hartford.

Sam Gray is the President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford.

Dave Jorgensen is chair of Police Athletic League (PAL) and vice chair of the Hartford Redevelopment Agency.

Fernando Marroquin is Staff Writer for Identidad Latina, the Executive Director of New England Soccer League, and former Executive Assistant to City Council Minority Leader (Joel Cruz and Luis Cotto). Additionally, he was a General Surgery Resident in Guatemala.

Craig Mergins serves as Assistant Director of Community Relations & Park Operations for Riverfront Recapture. He is Chair of Hartford’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission.

Julio Concepción is a Hartford City Council Member-Elect, Vice President of Hartford Partnerships with MetroHartford Alliance,  former Assistant to the Mayor, father to an adorable baby and owner of a pretty great dog.

The “Hartford Works” Working Group will be chaired by Andrea Comer, current Executive Director of Connecticut Business & Industry Association Education Foundation. She is the former Chief Development Officer for FUSE. former Director of Communications and New Media with City of Hartford, and former Director of Community Outreach with Achievement First.

Julie Watson is the Director of Capital Workforce Partners.

Roy Mainelli is the Economic Security Manager for Journey Home. He is a  former Encore!Hartford fellow, former Director of Supply Chain Management with United Technologies, and worked as an engineer for decades.

Meghan Freed is Attorney at Freed Marcroft. She was formerly Counsel for Hartford Steam Boiler. Freed is Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s LGBT Section. Her dog has a Twitter account.

Gloria Ortiz-Rivera is the Business & Community Liaison for Hartford Job Corps. She works as an adjunct professor at Goodwin College.

Max Kothari is the owner of two Main Street businesses — Express Kitchens and Star Hardware — and is known for employing mostly Hartford residents.

Christina Mainelli is a General Manager of CareCentrix and a trustee of St. Patrick-St. Anthony.

Jerry Lupacchino is  Vice President of Leadership & Organizational Development atHartford Healthcare.

John McNamara is the Director of Institutional Advancement atCapital Community College. He was the Development Manager for Community Renewal Team and the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at University of Hartford.

John Gale is a Hartford City Council Member-Elect. He’s done a lot of things. You probably know his children and/or have seen him playing music at Peppercorn’s.

Doreen Crawford is the Principal of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and had served in this position as Jumoke Academy for seven years previously.