In early 2018, Scott Dolch became the President & CEO of both the Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) and Connecticut Hospitality Educational Foundation (CHEF). The association represents the state’s $15.6 billion restaurant industry, with
more than 9,000 locations and 145,000 jobs across the state.

The foundation is the non-profit 501(c)3, philanthropic arm of the CRA and its mission is to promote the health and prosperity of state’s hospitality industry through education, scholarships
and financial assistance In a little more than seven years, the association has seen tremendous growth, as there are now over 2,100 restaurant members, which is an increase of more than 500%. In addition,
the association and foundation came to the rescue for the hospitality industry during the COVID pandemic, helping small businesses survive through advocacy efforts, communication resources and financial grants. The value of membership has never been in a better place and growth of the hospitality industry is on full display every year when they welcome more than 1,500 professionals to the CRAZIES Awards Gala at Foxwoods Resort Casino – the event is tabbed as the OSCARS of the hospitality industry.

Prior to the CRA, he spent more than 15 years in the athletics industry, with specific roles in marketing,
communications and sales. He worked for the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship, the University of
Connecticut, the University of Massachusetts Lowell and most recently he served as the Senior Associate
Athletics Director for the University of Hartford. During his career, he built a strong knowledge of
Connecticut’s consumer base, building relationships with the media and community leaders. Dolch has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, summa cum laude, from Central Connecticut State University, where he was also a four-year starting quarterback for their Division I-AA football program.

Anne-Marie is an accomplished executive leader, businesswoman, and passionate advocate for Black-owned businesses. As Executive Director of the Black Business Alliance, she drives strategic, intentional change to support and elevate Black entrepreneurs across Connecticut through impactful programs and services. Anne-Marie is also the founder and

Chief Strategy Officer of SHINE! Consulting & Training, LLC, which equips faith-based and minority-led nonprofits with expert training and resources.

With over 19 years of experience facilitating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training through the Anti-Defamation League, Anne-Marie has led workshops for more than 8,000 organizations across the Northeast. She is a Certified Master OASIS in the Overwhelm Stress Expert and Trainer, integrating mindfulness into her leadership and advocacy.

A respected community leader, she is Co-Founder of Hope and Healing Homes, Inc., and serves on the Executive Boards of Oasis in the Overwhelm and the K&K Community Rebuilding Foundation. She holds an MBA with a specialization in Training & Leadership, a Bachelor’s in Business Management, and multiple certifications in entrepreneurship and nonprofit management.

Anne-Marie was honored with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and named to New Haven Business Journal’s Power 25 Class of 2023.

Through her work with the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, Rebecca Mead is the Administrator for the Middlesex County Revitalization Commission (MCRC), coordinating grant programs and a broad range of economic development services and resources for the fifteen municipalities within the county.

She also manages Chamber activities in the member towns in the “down county” area – Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Westbrook.

Rebecca is also the founder and director of INQ Creative, a bespoke marketing agency that serves nonprofits, membership organizations, and honorific societies.

Rebecca serves on the Chester Economic Development Commission and the Chester Planning & Zoning Commission and has assisted the Chester Merchants with marketing services to promote the First Friday events, the Chester Earth Day Celebration, and the Chester Arts & Literary Festival, encouraging visitors to the uniquely vibrant town center.

Chris DiPentima is the president and CEO of CBIA, Connecticut’s leading business organization, with thousands of member companies, small and large, representing a diverse range of industries from every part of the state. The organization includes CBIA’s Foundation, CBIA’s products & services division, and two affiliates—the business consulting firm CONNSTEP and the nonprofit education and workforce ReadyCT.

DiPentima previously was division president of Leggett & Platt Aerospace, a S&P 500 company, leading manufacturing operations at the company’s Middletown-based Pegasus Manufacturing facility and locations in Washington, California, and France. He joined Pegasus, then family-owned, in 2002 and was named president in 2006, where he implemented a series of strategic initiatives resulting in a doubling of employment and revenue before selling to L&P in 2016. Prior to joining Pegasus, DiPentima spent eight years as an attorney representing corporations and individuals.

A former chair of CBIA’s board of directors, he chairs the Connecticut Manufacturers’ Collaborative (CMC), serves on the board of the Manufacturing Innovation Fund (MIF), and several non-profit and for-profit boards. DiPentima has a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and received his juris doctorate from Quinnipiac Law School. He lives in Durham with his wife and three daughters.

Anthony M. Anthony is the Chief Marketing Officer for the State of Connecticut, leading one of the boldest brand turnarounds in recent memory. As the state’s first CMO, he’s helped boost state pride by 25% to its highest point since the study commenced in 2012—and increased resident likelihood to recommend Connecticut by 144% to live, 107% to work, and 175% to visit.

Previously, Anthony served as Communications Director and Special Advisor to Governor Ned Lamont, helping the state’s leader earn the highest approval rating of any Democratic governor at the time and a double-digit re-election win.

He cut his teeth as a creative director and communications strategist in New York City, shaping brand identity and messaging for Fortune 500 companies that cut through the noise.

Outside of work, he’s a husband, dad, pop culture obsessive, and dinner party loyalist—always chasing great storytelling, strong coffee, and smarter ways to make Connecticut shine.

Taneisha is a producer, director and cultural architect working at the nexus of creative leadership and lifestyle. With over 20 years as a theater maker, her work lends itself to innovative frameworks for community gathering and storytelling–best expressed in the site specific and immersive production of WALDEN on the banks of the Connecticut River produced with

TheaterWorks Hartford and Riverfront Recapture, where she combined non-profit art-making and the public sector to bring together an unbelievable night of art, in community.

As a producer and arts administrator, she is propelled by the belief that the culture we advance is the society we become. Her work has varied from corporate marketing at Mattel, Lead Producer of First Night Hartford, directing at Juilliard, to her former position as an Associate Producer at Octopus Theatricals (Hadestown, Gypsy; Broadway). She trained as an actor at SUNY – Purchase College in The School of Theater Arts and Film, and is a 2016 National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow. Her proudest job is as a mama of two boys.

Bruce Flax joined the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce after working in Entertainment and Marketing at Foxwoods Resort Casino for 26 years.

As a 31-year resident of Groton, who served on the Town Council and as Mayor, Bruce has a wealth of local knowledge. He has worked to focus the Chamber on its members and to successfully grow Mystic and the SE Connecticut Region. In the last 5 years he has introduced a number of unique marketing programs that have elevated the Chamber and its members including the Go Mystic App, the Community Proud Program, the Five Things to Do in Mystic Videos, and the Traveling Visitor Center Truck. Bruce is the Treasurer of the Eastern Regional Tourism District and serves on the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region (seCTer) Board.

Lisa Scails is a strategic leader at the intersection of arts, culture, and economic development. As Executive Director of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, she champions the creative economy, fostering partnerships that drive regional growth and community vitality. Through collaboration with business leaders, policymakers, and local stakeholders,

Lisa advances initiatives that position the arts as a powerful force for economic resilience.

Her background in civil rights leadership—including her tenure as President of the NAACP CT State Conferences—equipped her with expertise in advocacy, coalition-building, and policy impact. As a diversity consultant, she has guided businesses and institutions toward inclusive practices that strengthen workforce engagement and organizational effectiveness.

Lisa serves on the Western Connecticut Economic Development District Advisory Group, partners with the CT Office of the Arts, and supports revitalization efforts through CT Main Street and Sustainable CT. She remains committed to harnessing creativity as a catalyst for economic innovation and community well-being.

Rufus de Rham is an archivist, community leader, and advocate who believes art is an integral part of how we build and strengthen community. He has over a decade of non-profit experience in the arts, and has deep experience with economic development, advocacy, and community organizing.

Andrew Martelli, Assistant Town Manager, Town of Cheshire

Andrew was appointed as the Assistant Town Manager in January of 2025. Prior to this role, he was the Director of Economic Development & Grants for the Town of Cheshire since 2021. Prior to joining the Town of Cheshire, Mr. Martelli served as a senior project manager for the Waterbury Development Corporation for 11 years managing municipal development projects, housing

development, grant writing and all facets of economic development.

Mr. Martelli received a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban & Community Studies from the University of Connecticut in 2006 and is currently working toward his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut. Mr. Martelli has served on various Boards and Commissions including four years on the Town of Cheshire’s Board of Education and is currently the Chairman of the Naugatuck Valley Regional Plan of Conservation and Development (NVRPOCD).

Ilona Somogyi, President & Founder, Ball & Socket Arts

Ilona is a faculty member in the design department at the Yale School of Drama. She has worked as a professional costume designer at regional

and commercial theaters in New York City, around the country and in Europe. She has collaborated at non-profit theaters of many different sizes

from very small artist ­initiated companies to multi-million dollar institutions. These include Hartford Stage, Westport Country Playhouse, Long Wharf Theater, Yale Repertory Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, among many others. She received a BFA from Parsons School of Design and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. She has been a Cheshire resident since the age of five.

Mark Barnhardt, Community and Economic Development Director, Town of Fairfield

Mark S. Barnhart is the Director of Community & Economic Development for the Town of Fairfield. During his 20-year tenure, Mark has been responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Town’s development plans, including the acquisition and redevelopment of the former Fort Devans site into affordable housing.

From 2010 through its December 2011 opening, Mark oversaw the partial remediation and construction of the Fairfield Black Rock Station site to facilitate the private mixed-use, transit-oriented development now underway. Previously, Mark served as Town Manager and CEO for the Town of Stratford from 1992 to 2002. Mr. Barnhart holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his undergraduate studies at Albright College. Mr. Barnhart serves as Treasurer of the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS).

Jennifer Anderson, VP Marketing & Communications, Fairfield University

Jennifer Anderson joined Fairfield in 2014 and oversees the University’s division of Marketing and Communications. Ms. Anderson brings more than 25 years of marketing and communications expertise to Fairfield including extensive

experience in traditional and digital marketing, employee communications, media and public relations, and marketing communications.

Prior to joining Fairfield, Ms. Anderson served as the Vice President, Digital and Event Marketing for Pitney Bowes where she oversaw the company’s external and internal web properties, content marketing efforts, and the global events organization. While at Pitney Bowes, Ms. Anderson also served as the Vice President, Office of the CEO, overseeing the operations of the CEO’s office.

Ms. Anderson is proud to be a Fairfield University Stag, earning her BA in English in 1997, and her MBA in Marketing from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business in 2002. Ms. Anderson is also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Programs at both Harvard University, and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Ms. Anderson won the inaugural Women in Business Community Impact award from the Town of Fairfield’s Chamber of Commerce in 2025. She currently serves on the Economic Development Commission for the Town of Fairfield, as well as the Board of Directors for St. Thomas Acquinas School and the Board of Governors at Fairfield Prep. Ms. Anderson has been a full-time resident in the Town of Fairfield since 2002 where she resides with her husband and three children.

Matt Oestreicher, Director, SHU Community Theater

Matt is the Executive Director of the 500 seat SHU Community Theater in Fairfield Connecticut. In 2018 he received a “Man of Vision” award by Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network for his “tireless efforts and creative work in nurturing, inspiring and empowering young people in the arts from multi-cultural communities” for his work in the non-profit sector.  He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Music from Tufts University and the New England Conservatory, respectively, and holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from New York University. Matt spent the greater part of four years living at yoga centers and meditation centers where he worked in exchange for multiple certifications in Eastern spiritual and body practices that included yoga, chi gong, martial arts, and meditation. He has studied with many of the great living masters of these arts including a winter living in the Maui home of Ram Dass(Richard Alpert.)  He is the co-author of the published works “The Be You Card Deck for Teens: 60 Mindfulness Practices to Manage Anxiety, Build Confidence and Be the True You” (Pesi Publishing & Media) and “This Is Your Spiritual Retreat” (Chonicle Books.)  As a musician and producer he has been a consistent presence on the stage, the screen, and behind the scenes.  He has enjoyed a long affiliation with the Apollo Theater in Harlem where he has been the keyboardist/guitarist/arranger for the world famous Apollo Amateur Night Band for the last 14 years.  He has worked with a who’s who list of international music artists including Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Snoop Dogg, Neil Diamond, John Legend, Weird Al, Michael Bolton, Jon Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, and many, many others.  He has appeared on TV shows like Showtime at the Apollo on FOX, The Macys Parade on NBC, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, Night of  Too Many Stars on Comedy Central, The Today Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, or the Wendy Williams Show.  As a touring musician he has performed on tours like The Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour, The Weezer/Blink 182 reunion tour, and Anita Bakers Farewell Tour.  He has worked on Broadway countless times, most recently as the music director and conductor for the revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe on 42nd Street for which he was nominated for an Audelco Award for Outstanding Music Direction.

Chief Erik Costa, Middletown Police Department
Chief Erik M. Costa has served as Chief of the Middletown Police Department since October 2021. He brings over 29 years of progressive law enforcement leadership and a strong commitment to community-focused policing. Prior to his current role, Chief Costa retired from the Connecticut State Police at the rank of Lieutenant, where he served from August 1999

September 2019. His extensive public safety background also includes serving as Director of Campus Safety at Mitchell College in New London, CT, from August 2019 to August 2021. Chief Costa holds a Master of Science in Leadership with a concentration in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California (2021). He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice with a concentration in Pre-Law and a minor in Communications from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI (1996), and also completed a Graduate Certificate in Administration of Justice and Homeland Security – Leadership from Salve Regina (2014).

A modern, goal-oriented leader, Chief Costa is known for fostering innovative community partnerships and prioritizing the health and wellness of both sworn officers and civilian staff. His leadership is defined by integrity, vision, and a deep commitment to public service.

Sandra Russo-Driska, Manager, Middletown Downtown Business District
Sandra Russo-Driska is the former City Clerk of Middletown, CT. After serving in that role for over 20 years she retired and served on the City Council and many boards and commissions including Arts and Culture and City Hall & Library Renovation Committees.

Sandra became the Manager for the Downtown Business District in 2020. In her role at the District she works with partners such as the Chamber of Commerce, Police Department, St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, and many City Hall departments, to ensure the safety, cleanliness and quality of downtown.

The Downtown Business District (DBD) is a special taxing district comprised of 72 properties and 58 owners in Middletown’s downtown corridor. The DBD’s main function is to support the businesses and property owners while focusing on safety, beautification and improvements to our Main Street and side streets. The DBD supports and helps provide cultural and artistic opportunities for businesses and the community in addition to a robust gift card program that infuses over $150,000 to our business partners.

Maryellen Shuckerow, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul Middletown
Maryellen M. Shuckerow, MHSA is the Executive Director of St Vincent De Paul Middletown, Inc. Ms. Shuckerow has been in Non-Profit Leadership for 27 years and holds a Master of Human Service Administration from Antioch New England Graduate School, in Keene New Hampshire.

Ms. Shuckerow has extensive experience in non-profit fundraising, executive management and organizational consulting. Ms. Shuckerow’s leadership skills have a strong track record of building community partnerships on all levels in communities where she has worked, including municipal and government relations, faith based and community groups, healththcare and business partnerships. She fosters a philosophy that strong non-profits are ones that have well developed partnerships in their community and community issues are resolved through the combined efforts of a diverse set of partners working together towards shared goals.

Michelle@ctmainstreet.org

Michelle brings over a decade of non-profit management experience to Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC). Her expertise in program development and strategic planning led CMSC’s expansion of its educational and technical assistance programming, member assistance offerings, and championing statewide policies that benefit Connecticut’s downtowns and Main Streets.

Michelle and the CMSC team developed an innovative new downtown management assessment tool;launched several new programs including Main Street Accelerator focused on  local  team leadership training and project implementation, and Diversity on Main, a partnership with the Black Business Alliance focused on filling storefront vacancies; engaged in regional work in partnership with the Northwest Hills Council of Governments and the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce; and identified key issues for advocating on behalf of Connecticut’s main streets. Michelle serves on the boards of Connecticut Arts Alliance, Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS) and Connecticut Preservation Action.

Main Street Accelerator trains local teams from communities across Connecticut to implement small-scale projects that make incremental positive change in their downtowns. During the program, participants learn and practice national best practices in main street management; sustainable and inclusive development practices; project management; and community engagement.

Bethel

The team is working together to create the Experience Downtown Bethel website to cultivate the growth, resilience, and prosperity of Downtown Bethel by delivering experiences that boost tourism, increase foot traffic, and enhance local commerce. The team also focused on developing a process for business owners to support each other on future projects.

Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District

Bridgeport DSSD team members are working together to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the ability of existing business owners to grow and expand Downtown, as well as welcome in and set up new entrepreneurs for success in brick-and-mortar spaces that will complement the neighborhood’s identity that is experiential, creative, and increasingly friendly to the growing residential population.

East Hartford

The team comprised of City, art, and economic development representatives are collaborating on a coordinated cultural plan for Downtown East Hartford, focusing on identifying current cultural assets and opportunities for arts programming that supports long-term cultural and economic development.

Enfield

The Enfield team set out to create an effective and organized non-profit Main Street program that will design a formal plan to address how to change perceptions of Thompsonville, including survey questions, meetings, and development of different pitches for the area.

Contact: Kyle McMahon, Strategic Sales & Account Consultant

960-491-8237

Kyle.McMahon@anthem.com

www.Anthem.com

108 Leigus Rd. Wallingford, CT 06492

Contact: Evan Dobos, Founder

(860) 619-2500

Evan@civiclift.com

www.get.civiclift.com

114 Vanderpool Ave. Bantam, CT 06750

Contact: Katie Morgan, Business Manager

(203) 264-8183

Katie@easternwater.com

www.easternwater.com

5 Benson Rd. Oxford, CT 06478

Contact: John Sullivan, Sr. Business Development Manager

(860) 410-3070

jtsullivan@loureiro.com

www.loureiro.com

100 Northwest Dr. Plainville, CT 06062

Contact: Sal Ceneri, President

800-553-0949

info@safesidewalks.com

www.safesidewalks.com

66 N Rutland Rd. Milford, CT 06461

Contact: Laurel Pepin, Office Manager

(860) 416-0012

lpepin@sertexllc.com

www.sertexbroadband.com

22 Center Parkway, Plainville, CT 06374

Contact: John Holland

267-615-1105

John.Holland@t2systems.com

www.verramobility.com/parking

Contact: Jason Pufahl, VP of Security Services

855-VANCORD

jpufahl@vancord.com

www.vancord.com

500 Boston Post Rd. Milford, CT 06460

1 Verizon Way, Basking Ridge, NJ

www.verizon.com