Hartford Announces Five Recovery Working Groups

Published on May 07, 2020

Hartford Announces Five Recovery Working Groups

HARTFORD, CONN (May 7, 2020) – Today the City of Hartford announced that it has formed five Recovery Working Groups to provide near-term, actionable recommendations that will help the City restart in a responsible way and build a more equitable and resilient community.  The City anticipates initial recommendations will made by the working groups by the end of the month, and they will also help advise the city on long term recovery plans. 

The five working groups will focus on: public health; economic opportunity and business; arts, culture, recreation, and faith; housing and basic needs; and children, youth, and families (with two sub-groups, one focused on education and early learning and another focused on youth employment and recreation). 

“We’re at a critically important and delicate moment right now as we battle an ongoing public health crisis while doing everything we can to make sure that our community can recover as fully and as quickly as possible,” said Mayor Luke Bronin.  “Many decisions about reopening will be made at the State level, and Governor Lamont is approaching that process in a thoughtful, deliberate way.  There will also be a lot of decisions for us to make at the local level, and we need to draw on the experience, expertise, and wisdom of a broad range of community members and stakeholders as we make those decisions.  I am grateful to everyone who has agreed to participate in these working groups to help us move forward toward reopening and recovery in a responsible way.”

“We have confronted the coronavirus as a community, and that’s how we are going to approach the reopening and recovery process – together,” said Maly D. Rosado, City Council President.  “These working groups will focus on the key areas of life in our community, and they’re made up of so many people who are working so hard to support and serve our residents.  I am grateful to all of them for the work they do every day, and for their willingness to serve their city.  We look forward as a City Council to participating in this process and working with Mayor Bronin to develop recommendations that will help our residents, businesses, and visitors begin the reopening process in a safe and responsible way.”

Mayor Bronin and Council President Rosado will serve as ex-officio members of each working group, and each working group will have two City Council representatives.  The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving will have representation on each of the working groups. 

The working groups are made up of the individuals and organizations below, though some changes are possible:

Public Health – Chaired by Dr. Wizdom Powell, Director of the Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health

Nichelle Mullins, President and CEO, Charter Oak Health Center; Kim Beauregard, President and CEO, InterCommunity; Greg Stanton, CEO, Community Health Services; Sabrina Trocchi, President and CEO, Wheeler Clinic; Sarah Lewis, Vice President of Health Equity, Hartford HealthCare; Dr. Reginald Eadie, President and CEO, Trinity Health Of New England; Paul Dworkin, Executive Vice President for Community Child Health, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; Chris Wright, President and CEO, iCare; Annette Sanderson, Executive Director, Housing Authority of the City of Hartford; Representative of SEIU 1199; Deborah Chameides, Health Services Coordinator, Hartford Public Schools; Leticia Marulanda, Chief Operating Officer, Hispanic Health Council; Linda Estabrook, Executive Director, Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective; Dr. Galo Rodriguez, President and CEO, The Village for Families and Children; Gina Federico, Director, North Hartford Triple Aim Collaborative and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

Economic Opportunity and Business – Chaired by Max Kothari, CEO, Express Kitchens and Chair, Hartford Chamber of Commerce

State Representative Julio Concepcion, Executive Director, Hartford Chamber of Commerce; Arunan Arulampalam, Deputy Commissioner, State of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection; David Griggs, President and CEO, MetroHartford Alliance; Jordan Polon, Executive Director, Hartford Business Improvement District; Julio Mendoza, Executive Director, Spanish American Merchants Association; David Robinson, General Counsel, The Hartford Financial Services Group; Alex Johnson, President and CEO, Capital Workforce Partners; Fernando Rosa, President and CEO, HEDCO Inc.; Moraima Gutierrez, Assistant District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration; Herman Todd, Owner, Living Word Imprints; Hugh Russell, Owner, The Russell; Reggie Hales, President of HEZBA; Joe Gianni, Market President for Greater Hartford, Bank of America Corporation.

Arts, Culture, Recreation, and Faith – Chaired by Rich Hollant, Principal, CO:LAB and Chair, City Commission on Cultural Affairs

Cathy Malloy, CEO, Greater Hartford Arts Council; Donna Swarr, City’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission; Mike Zaleski, President and CEO, Riverfront Recapture; Mike Freimuth, Executive Director, Capital Region Development Authority; Bishop Jeremiah Torres, House of Restoration Church; Pastor Ronald Holmes, Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church and President, Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Pastor Daylan Greer, Bethel AME Church and Vice President, Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Veronica Airey-Wilson, Former City Council Member; Charles Christie, President, Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz; Sammy Vega, President, CICD Puerto Rican Day Parade Committee; David Jimenez, President of the Board, The Hartford Stage Company;  Jeff Devereaux, Co-Founder, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner; Charlie Ortiz, Executive Director, CLARO, Inc.; Leticia Cotto, Customer Experience Officer, Hartford Public Library; Tia Long, Power of CT.

Housing and Basic Needs – Chaired by Lena Rodriguez, President and CEO, Community Renewal Team

Marek Kukulka, CEO, Catholic Charities; Sharon Castelli, President and CEO, Chrysalis Center; Matt Morgan, Executive Director, Journey Home; Pastor AJ Johnson, Urban Hope Refuge Church; Martha Page, Executive Director, Hartford Food System; Yahaira Escribano, Foodshare; Representative from True Colors; Alok Bhatt, Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance; Paula Gilberto, President and CEO, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut; Maxien Robinson-Lewin, President, Greater Hartford Branch of the NAACP; Hector Glynn, Chief Operating Officer, The Village for Families and Children

Children, Youth, and Families – Chaired by Sam Gray, President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford

Bridget Quinn-Carey, President and CEO, Hartford Public Library; Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Superintendent, Hartford Public Schools; Tim Sullivan, Superintendent, CREC Schools; Karen Lott, Executive Director, Women’s League Child Development Center; Ayesha Clarke, Chair of the Hartford Board of Education and Vice President of Operations, COMPASS Youth Collaborative; Harold Sparrow, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Hartford; Adrienne Cochran, CEO, YWCA Hartford Region; Enid Rey, President and CEO, Our Piece of the Pie; Brian Gallagher, Chair of the City’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission; Jackie Santiago, CEO, COMPASS Youth Collaborative; Jim Boucher, Chief Strategy Officer, Capital Workforce Partners; Vicki Gallon-Clark, Executive Director, Blue Hills Civic Association; David Hopkins, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Hartford; Tia Miller, Owner, Creativista Charm; Yanil Terón, Executive Director, Center for Latino Progress; Paul Holzer, Executive Director, Achieve Hartford!; Hartford Youth Advisory Board Member; Member of Hartford Public Schools’ Student Senate.

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