The Connecticut Economy September 2015 Presenters

Transcription

1 James G. Baxter, Pharm.D., Ph.D Sr. Vice President, Development US Boehringer Ingelheim, Inc. Jim Baxter earned a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island (1982) and a Pharm.D. (1984) and Ph.D. (Pharmaceutics; 1989) from the University of Buffalo. He joined Pfizer Central Research (Groton, CT) in 1989, where he worked over the course of 10 years on the discovery and development of central nervous system drug candidates. In 2000 he was named site head for global pharmacokinetics, dynamics and metabolism at Pfizer; and in 2004 he moved to the Pharmaceutical Sciences group where he served as site head in Groton and later as global head of the Portfolio, Strategy and Operations group. Baxter joined Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield (CT) in 2007 as senior vice-president, development US. In this role, he oversees a wide range of non-clinical development activities in support of a wide variety of new drug candidates for the treatment of immunologic disorders, diabetes, and other medical conditions. Joseph F. Brennan President and CEO CBIA Joe Brennan is president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, the state s leading business organization. The association works to promote a healthy business climate, supporting economic growth and job creation in the Connecticut. Brennan also is president of CBIA s Education Foundation, which supports STEM education in public schools and training programs that enhance the skill sets of employees at member companies. Previously he was assistant counsel, counsel, and vice president for CBIA. He has served on numerous legislative task forces and commissions on economic and tax policies. He also serves on several boards and councils. Prior to joining CBIA as a staff attorney in 1988, Brennan was in a private law practice in Manchester. He received his juris doctor degree from the New England School of Law in Boston and a bachelor s degree in political science from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Dr. Susan Coleman Professor of Finance, Barney School of Business University of Hartford Dr. Susan Coleman is a professor of finance at the University of Hartford s Barney School of Business, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in entrepreneurial and corporate finance. She serves as the Barney School s Ansley Chair of Finance and has served on and chaired numerous committees at both the college and university levels.

2 Coleman received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and holds master s degrees from Penn State University and the University of Connecticut. She did her doctoral work at Pace University, where she was named the Outstanding Doctoral Student in Coleman has published extensively on the topic of financing women-owned firms. Her book entitled A Rising Tide: Financing Strategies for Women-Owned Firms was published by the Stanford University Press in 2012; and her next book, entitled The Next Wave, focuses on growth-oriented women-owned firms will become available in the spring of Coleman is an active member and past president of the Hartford Area Business Economists. She also served as a member of Governor M. Jodi Rell s Economic Advisory Council from 2007 to The role of that group was to advise the governor on economic issues affecting the state of Connecticut. Andrea Comer Executive Director CBIA Education Foundation Andrea Comer is executive director of CBIA s Education Foundation, stewarding the efforts of CBIA s nonprofit affiliate, which is responsible for promoting the development of Connecticut s workforce through education and training. She leads a committed team of professionals who facilitate partnerships with educational institutions, government entities, and sector-related business groups to ensure that Connecticut has a highly skilled workforce. A former member of the Hartford and state boards of education, she has spent the past two decades working to improve urban communities. Prior to joining CBIA, Comer served as chief development officer for an education management organization, where she oversaw communications, strategic planning, and fundraising. She has also worked in various municipal government roles as a consultant for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and as an officer for The Community Foundation in New Haven. She was a journalism major and is an award-winning writer for the Hartford Courant. Comer has volunteered her time in various capacities, including as the first female president of the African American Alliance, where she developed The Connect, a mentoring project that paired male students with professional males of color. Comer serves on the boards of the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission, the Urban League of Greater Hartford, and Teach for America Connecticut, for which she serves as vice chair. Her community efforts have been recognized by the CT Commission on Children, the YMCA, the Urban League, and the CT NAACP, which named her among the 100 Most Influential Blacks in the state. Justine Couvares Chief Program Officer Chrysalis Center Inc. Justine Couvares is the chief program officer at Chrysalis Center, Inc., a private, non-profit, socially innovative and multiservice organization that serves Connecticut families and individuals. An established leader with more than 25 years of experience in management, operations, sales, and marketing, she uses her business skills to further the organization s mission of transforming people s lives

3 through job training; employment and recovery services; housing, and community healthcare services. Couvares continually assesses the needs of the underserved in our community and plays an integral role in guiding Chrysalis Center toward new and expanded services. Previously Couvares worked for Phillips Healthcare and was a small business owner. She received an M.B.A. from Rensselaer at Hartford; a master s degree in education from the University of Connecticut; and a bachelor s degree in music therapy/psychology from Anna Maria College. Patrick J. Flaherty Assistant Director of Research and Information Connecticut Department of Labor Patrick Flaherty is assistant director of research and information at the Connecticut Department of Labor. Prior to his promotion to assistant director he was an economist in the Office of Research, where his responsibilities included occupational projections and long-term industry projections. Flaherty s research interests focus on displaced workers and human capital development. He has authored several manuscripts for the Office of Research and has given many talks and presentations to business and jobseeker groups. Flaherty worked for 14 years for Fleet Financial Group and its predecessor companies, where he was vice president and senior economist. He served 10 years as a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly. He received his bachelor s degree in social studies from Harvard University and his master s degree in economics from the University of Connecticut. Peter M. Gioia Vice President and Economist CBIA Pete Gioia oversees CBIA s economic and public policy research, tracking trends in Connecticut s manufacturing sector, international trade, business growth and profitability, workforce development priorities, and more. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, Gioia is quoted about 900 times a year in the media and is a regular guest on programs concerning business and public policy issues. He manages several economic and public policy conferences throughout the state and is CBIA s expert on government fiscal issues. Prior to joining CBIA, Gioia was a senior consultant with KPMG, a researcher for The Futures Group and the Criminal Justice Education Center, and a budget analyst for the Connecticut General Assembly s Office of Fiscal Analysis, where his responsibilities included public health and human service agencies. He also worked with the Institute of Social Inquiry s Connecticut Poll and was Connecticut Team Captain for USA*NAFTA. Gioia is a past president and member of the Hartford Area Business Economists, a member of the National Association of Business Economists, a former board member of the New England Economic Project, and a past economic advisor to Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

4 He holds a master s degree with distinction in public affairs from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor s degree in history and economics from Hobart College. Ahmed Hassan Student Academy of Engineering and Green Technology Intern UTC Aerospace Systems Ahmed Hassan is a senior at the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, located in Hartford Public High School. When his family moved to the United States from Egypt in 2010, Ahmed spoke only Arabic; but he is now also fluent in English. He has received many academic awards, including high honors, throughout high school. Ahmed has been a member of the student council since ninth grade and last year served as junior class president. Last year, Ahmed was part of the school s NASA Lunar Rover team that constructed a peoplepowered vehicle from recycled material. The team competed with it nationally against other high school and college teams. Ahmed was also a member of the school s Nepal 2.0 team, which designed and built renewable power systems for two schools in Nepal that had never had electricity. Ahmed has just completed his summer internship at UTC Aerospace Systems. His goal is to earn a doctorate in engineering. Donald Klepper-Smith Chief Economist and Director of Research DataCore Partners LLC Don Klepper-Smith has been a professional economist for 30 years. He served as chairman of Governor M. Jodi Rell s Economic Advisory Council between 2007 and 2010 and prior to that was an economic advisor to Governor Weicker. Klepper-Smith has been a long-time observer of the region's economy and is regularly quoted by various media sources for his insights on the national and Connecticut economies. He has been a frequent economics commentator on WTNH television in New Haven, Connecticut. Between 1982 and 1996 Klepper-Smith was corporate economist with Southern New England Telephone in New Haven, providing economic analysis and forecasts of national and state business trends. Today Klepper-Smith specializes in evaluating consumer markets and assessing the generators of consumer wealth, while also providing valuable perspective on business conditions as they relate to credit markets and employment growth. A technician by trade, Klepper-Smith's reliable forecasts of the changing U.S. and New England economic landscapes have kept him in demand. Klepper-Smith has chaired numerous economic outlook conferences over the last three decades and has served as president of both the Economic Club of Connecticut and the Hartford Area Business Economists, two organizations which explore economic issues of importance to Connecticut with a focus on business, government, and education.

5 Klepper-Smith earned his master s degree in public administration from Stony Brook University in New York in 1978, focusing on economics, econometric modeling, statistics, and forecasting theory. He also received his bachelor s degree in applied mathematics from Stony Brook University in Andrew S. Lattimer, CPA, MST Partner, Tax BlumShapiro As a tax partner, Andrew Lattimer specializes in tax planning, research and consulting for clients in a variety of industries including auto dealerships, aerospace, manufacturing, hospitality, consumer products, real estate, construction, technology service providers and healthcare, as well as private equity funds. He specializes in federal and state tax returns for individuals, partnerships and privately held businesses. Lattimer also has significant experience with domestic and multinational companies, as well as S and C corporations. As a consultant, he performs cash flow and liquidation analysis and has experience in research and development credits, mergers, acquisitions and international taxes. Prior to joining BlumShapiro, Lattimer served as tax director at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA); the Construction Finance Management Association (CFMA), and the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA). He is treasurer of the American Marketing Association Connecticut Chapter. Lattimer is the former chair of the Real Estate and Construction Industry Committee of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA). He is on the Finance Committee of the Mark Twain House and is a former treasurer and Finance Committee member of Leadership Greater Hartford Class of He is the president of the Windsor Little League and a former board liaison of the Connecticut Venture Group. Lattimer received a bachelor s degree in accounting from Northeastern University and a master of science degree in taxation from the University of Hartford. Thea Montanez Director North Hartford Promise Zone As a passionate advocate for stronger communities, Thea Montanez has spent the past decade serving as a trusted advisor on community affairs to senior public and private sector leaders, and she has been an actively engaged volunteer in her hometown of Hartford. Montanez s commitment to stronger communities eventually led her to manage the local and nationwide grant-making and sponsorship program for a Fortune 500 company. In this role, Montanez successfully led the planning and implementation of the company s first place-based initiative, resulting in a multi-year, $7 million investment focused on education, neighborhood revitalization, and community support services. In 2013, Montanez founded her own community development consulting firm where she recently helped North Hartford earn a Promise Zone designation by the Obama Administration. As a result of her

6 leadership throughout the Promise Zone planning phase, Montanez was appointed director of the North Hartford Promise Zone in spring Montanez has served and continues to serve on numerous boards of not-for-profit organizations, including Hartford Public Library, Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN), the University of Saint Joseph, and The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation. Her leadership in the community has earned her several awards and recognitions, including being named one of Connecticut Magazine s "40 under 40" in 2014; Woman of Distinction by the Connecticut Women s Alliance in 2012; and one of Connecticut's 50 Most Influential Latinos by Latinos United for Professional Advancement (LUPA). She is a contributor to The Huffington Post and a graduate of Syracuse University. Dave A. Smith Director, Global Environment, Health & Safety Pratt & Whitney As director of Global EH&S, Dave Smith provides strategic direction in advancing Pratt & Whitney s global environment, health, and safety programs. In this role, he is responsible for global environment and safety policy implementation, risk mitigation, compliance, due diligence, governance, and sustainability. He is also the company's principal liaison with associated regulatory agencies and other key external stakeholders. Smith joined Pratt & Whitney in 2010 as senior manager, Global EH&S, for the company's commercial engines and aftermarket business. Previously he was the general manager of WeRecycle LLC. He also spent many years managing EH&S at Bayer Pharmaceutical Corp. and Olin Chemicals Corp. Smith serves on the advisory board for the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology (AEGT), a high school within the Hartford public school system. He also represents United Technologies on the board of directors for the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG). He is a former industry co-chair of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association s Energy and Environmental Policies Council. Terri A. Wilson Executive Director BEACON Founding Member Hartford.Health.Works. Terri Wilson joined BEACON (Biomedical Engineering Alliance and Consortium) in 2003, when it began to evolve from an academic consortium of biomedical engineering programs at three of the colleges in the greater Hartford area into a medical device trade association. After many years of organizing successful academic symposia and involving more of the medical device companies in the region, BEACON created and ran two international trade shows, MEDi 2005 and MEDi 2008, at the Connecticut Convention Center. Over time BEACON has grown its mission of networking activities and educational seminars to become the nexus for those interested in next generation medical technology.

7 As BEACON continued to evolve, Wilson took over organizing and planning regular events, handling the marketing, membership development, and outreach. She was named co-executive director in 2013 and executive director in the spring of Early in 2014 Wilson and principals from two other BEACON member companies embarked on an 18- month effort to create Hartford.Health.Works. (HHW), a comprehensive plan to produce a medical technology innovation and manufacturing center in the city of Hartford. HHW won first place this spring in the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economic Development Administration s Strong Cities, Strong Communities Challenge (SC2) for the city of Hartford. Prior to joining BEACON, Wilson spent 18 years working for elected officials from the state and federal government in various leadership positions. Wilson is president of the Avon Historical Society and volunteers with several organizations in the Farmington Valley. She received a bachelor s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master s degree from Middlebury College.