Business Summit in Hartford to Focus on Trends in CyberSecurity, Technology, Collaboration

The WorkSmart Hartford Summit, one of the largest complimentary Business and IT conferences in New England & New York, is all about staying ahead of the curve with business and technology. The Summit, to be held on May 10 at the Connecticut Convention Center, comes amidst heightened interest in cybersecurity and related IT issues. “We’re proud to work with our trusted partners to share a variety of perspectives on evolving business, IT and security trends, such as cybersecurity, compliance and regulations, business intelligence, data and analytics, team collaboration, cloud technologies and more,” conference organizers emphasized.

“WorkSmart is such a unique event because it evolves each year based on our clients’ business needs,” said Christopher Luise, Executive Vice President of ADNET Technologies. “Each year, our partners and subject matter experts from the ADNET team come together to share their knowledge with the business community. It’s exciting for us to be part of these interactive discussions that change the way people do business.”

The day-long event is produced by ADNET Technologies, a technology consulting firm with offices in Farmington, CT and Albany, NY. The company’s mission is to “connect people, process and technology to help our clients build a better business.”  Founded in 1991, ADNET “guides clients to better ways to connect, collaborate and compete in a global market.” This is the 13^th year ADNET has produced WorkSmart Hartford.

The Summit will feature nearly a dozen sessions and speakers, many from local businesses, highlighting best practices and latest developments in a range of technology arenas.

Morning keynote speakers Brian Foley, Deputy Chief of Investigations and Sergeant Johnmichael B. O'Hare, both of the Hartford Police Department, will speak about how the HPD uses cutting-edge technology combined with in-person police work to make the city safer. The "C4 Unit", or Capitol City Command Center, uses real-time web intelligence and social media monitoring to investigate leads, map criminal activity and proactively prevent crime.

Keynote Speaker Rob Thomas is a business development consultant, principal of Milford-based Rob Thomas CT and the creator of the Rob Thomas Method (RTM) of Networking, a step-by-step coaching process that helps professionals cultivate and grow business by building more effective relationships.  He will discuss how to grow business by identifying and building a network of effective relationships.

Included among the day’s sessions:

• Instead of simply trying to protect from the inevitable breach, organizations must adjust their focus and be ready to respond by mitigating their risk and liability should a security incident occur. In one session, Eric Monda, IT Security Analyst, Offensive Security Certified Professional and Certified Ethical Hacker at ADNET Technologies, will share best practices all organizations should implement prior to being affected by a security breach.
• Every major security breach will create some level of chaos initially; how long this chaos lasts is the true measure of an organization’s preparedness and ability to respond and recover from a cyber incident. A presentation by Robert Coro of Marcum will focus on Incident Response Planning and Playbook development.
• There are many layers of protection that can be implemented and not one is a magic wand that casts an impenetrable bubble around your data. In this session, Anthony Conti and Joanna Mack of Continuum will outline the present threat landscape, discuss the anatomy of an attack, common misconceptions, and how to work with your technology partner to manage risk.

There will also be a session on HIPAA compliance, changes in cloud options and data centers, how to automate processes to improve efficiency, and the ‘Global Cyber Arms Race.”

Joining ADNET in supporting the WorkSmart Summit are presenting sponsor Marcum LLP, as well as Continuum, SonicWall, SphereGen, Rob Thomas CT, Reduxio, ACT Group, Connecticut Society of CPAs, One Connect, Intermedia, Omni Data, Great America Financial Services and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce.  More information and registration is available at https://worksmartsummit.com

2017 event photo by J. Fiereck Photography

Children's Champions to Be Recognized for Commitment, Leadership

Two leading advocates for Connecticut children who have followed very different paths to impact the well-being of young people will be honored by The Center for Children’s Advocacy as Connecticut’s 2018 Champion of Children Award recipients later this month. Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) and Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad, Executive Director of My People Clinical Services in Hartford will be honored at the Center’s annual Spring for Kids event to be held at Infinity Hall in Hartford on May 8, 2018.

Fran Rabinowitz has been a dedicated and respected Connecticut educational leader for over 30 years. Prior to her appointment at CAPSS, she served as Associate Commissioner of Education for the State of Connecticut, Superintendent of Hamden Public Schools, and Interim Superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools.

In announcing her selection, organizers indicated that “in every challenging position, Ms. Rabinowitz has demonstrated vision, courage and passion in her forceful advocacy for the educational needs of every student.”

Abdul-Rahmann I. Muhammad leads My People Clinical Services, a community-based social service organization that helps Hartford-area youth and families rebuild their lives. Services include therapeutic support and crisis intervention, helping youth overcome the impact of family disruption, domestic violence, substance abuse and other barriers to health and safety.

Through collaborations with state, educational and other community based organizations, My People aspires to be a leading organization for positive change, supported transition and permanency for children, young adults and families. In announcing Muhammad’s selection as an award recipient, organizers stressed that “his focus on Hartford’s underserved youth provides critically needed support.”

My People Clinical Services sponsors many community events such as the Daddy Daughter Dance and the Female Empowerment Conference. He also launched The Dream Support Network in 2007, to encourage, inspire and support individuals to live the life of their dreams. The signature programs of the Dream Support Network are Ice Cream for a Dream (where free ice cream is exchanged for dreams) and the Dream Chaser Program.

The Center for Children’s Advocacy is the largest children’s legal rights organization in New England, fighting for the legal rights of Connecticut’s most vulnerable children. Areas of focus include protecting and defending abused and neglected children, improving child health, supporting teens and homeless youth, improving educational success, helping immigrant children, reducing racial disparities, promotion youth voice and reducing involvement with the juvenile justice system.  Martha Stone is founder, two decades ago, and Executive Director of the Center for Children’s Advocacy.

Tickets and information are available on the Center for Children’s Advocacy website at cca-ct.org or from Susan Stein at sstein@cca-ct.org.

Hit-and-Run Crash Deaths Increase in Connecticut and Nationally, Analysis Reveals

At the beginning of this month, Connecticut State Police investigated a hit and run car crash that killed one person on I-84 near exit 2 in Danbury.  Less than a week later, in Middletown, a person sought in a hit and run accident that resulted in a death last November was arrested.  Just two weeks earlier, Bridgeport police made an arrest in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed an elderly man last June. If you have a sense that reports of hit-and-run accidents have increased in frequency, you’re correct.

Data compiled by the AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety from 2006 to 2016, found there were 148 hit-and-run crashes involving at least one fatality in Connecticut. There also appeared to be a spike in fatalities from 2015, when there were 14 incidents, compared to 2016 where there were 24 such incidents.

Connecticut is not alone.

Hit and run crashes have killed more than 2,000 people in 2016, which equates to more than 1 such crash every minute on U.S. roads, according to a new study from AAA.  That’s the highest number of these types of crashes on record and a 60% increase since 2009.

With the number of hit-and-run crashes on the rise, AAA is calling for drivers to be alert on the road to avoid a deadly crash and remain on the scene if a crash occurs.

In the study, AAA researchers found:

• An average of 682,000 hit-and-run crashes occurred annually since 2006.
• Nearly 65% of people killed in hit-and-run crashes were pedestrians or bicyclists.
• Hit-and-run deaths in the U.S. have increased an average of 7.2% each year since 2009.

In Connecticut over the six-year span, it was determined more than half of the fatal crashes occurred overnight, primarily on weekends, in the Fall.  Earlier this year, a Connecticut man was sentenced to six years in prison for a hit-and-run that authorities say killed a mother after she pushed her 7-year-old daughter to safety in October 2016.

“Hit-and-run crashes in the United States are trending in the wrong direction, especially in Connecticut,” said Fran Mayko of AAA Northeast. “The analysis shows such crashes are a growing traffic safety challenge and the AAA Foundation wants to work with all stakeholders to help curtail this problem.”

In all states, it’s the drivers legal and moral responsibility to avoid hitting pedestrians, bicyclists, or another vehicle; and leaving a crash scene significantly increases the penalties, whether or not the driver caused the crash, AAA emphasized.

In the US, state laws make it illegal for drivers involved in crashes to flee the scene. Penalties vary depending upon crash type and guilty parties may face large fines, lose their license or spend time in prison. In Connecticut, drivers who hit a vulnerable user is required to stop, remain on the scene, render aid if necessary, and notify law enforcement.

In the latest analysis, New Mexico, Louisiana and Florida have the highest rate of fatal hit-and-run crashes on a per-capita basis while New Hampshire, Maine and Minnesota have the lowest rates.

PERSPECTIVE - The Bond Lock: A Threat to Connecticut´s Economy

by Ray Noonan and Rachel Silbermann Connecticut's future lies in opening new pathways to economic growth and opportunity for businesses, families, and communities. To achieve these goals, Connecticut needs a predictable and coherent fiscal policy that enables lawmakers to make the strategic choices that can spur economic growth. Unfortunately, a set of fiscal restrictions added to the budget in the final hours of negotiations last year might bring significant uncertainty on future fiscal policy and leave legislators unable to respond to current and future crises.

The fiscal restrictions - spending cap, bonding cap, volatility cap, appropriations cap, and Bond Lock - place a set of rules to guide Connecticut´s fiscal policy. When well-designed, fiscal restrictions can help create a strong foundation for the state´s budget practices, enabling legislators to focus on forward-looking investments to generate opportunity and spur economic growth. When hastily designed, however, restrictions may constrain fiscal policy to the point of making it wholly ineffective. 

One of the fiscal restrictions, the Bond Lock, might have this effect. The Bond Lock as a policy is untested to the point it could introduce unprecedented levels of uncertainty and potential instability to Connecticut´s fiscal future. The Bond Lock stipulates that, whenever the state issues a bond after May 15, it must vow not to change any of the new fiscal restrictions for the life of the bond except in extraordinary circumstances. As bond covenants are legally binding contracts, the Bond Lock will force the state to keep the fiscal restraints in place, preventing the governor and legislature from pursuing critical investments. In effect, it will prevent lawmakers adapting the budget for any changes—expected or unexpected—for more than a decade.

The consequences of the Bond Lock go beyond limiting the General Assembly´s fiscal authority. The uncertainty created by a broad-reaching bond covenant, once in place, could potentially damage Connecticut's credit rating and increase our borrowing costs. Under the Bond Lock, any attempt by the General Assembly to fix or amend its own fiscal rules would face the risk of expensive litigation and penalties. Even if the state were to prevail, the prospect of having state obligations tied in court might be enough to scare investors away.

National experts and bond rating agencies have warned that the Bond Lock could increase uncertainty. The Tax Policy Center pointed out that locking in strict fiscal restrictions might have unexpected long-term impacts, warning that enforcing them through bond documents brings new risks. Moody´s has talked about how the Bond Lock reduces budgetary flexibility. According to their analysis, the impact of the Bond Lock on Connecticut´s long-term credit rating is unclear. S&P wrote about how a violation of a bond covenant would create questions on who can sue the state and how.

Recent events show that the scenario of a possible Bond Lock violation is far from unlikely. Both the Democratic and Republican budget proposals introduced last week include provisions that, were the Bond Lock implemented, would break the fiscal restrictions: the Democratic plan proposed spending over the limit, while the Republican plan included some changes to the volatility cap. Either of these budget proposals would have left the state open to litigation if the Bond Lock were already in place.

Fortunately, the General Assembly is currently considering a bill (H.B. 5590) that mitigates the immediate impact of the Bond Lock by delaying its implementation on the spending cap and bonding cap and requiring various state agencies to study the cap. The bill does not, however, delay the implementation of the Lock to the volatility cap or appropriations cap, leaving the state still open to all of the uncertainty and risk associated with the Bond Lock.

We believe that the potential impacts of the Bond Lock warrant a full delay without exclusions. The General Assembly must fully evaluate and implement a set of fiscal restrictions that can genuinely produce lasting budgetary stability without taking on new credit risk, leaving it at the mercy of litigation-happy investors.

Connecticut needs an economy built on equitable opportunity to remain competitive. Our future lies in our cities, our workforce, and our willingness to connect and engage with the world at large. The Bond Lock, paired with the other fiscal restrictions, would undermine Connecticut´s fiscal reputation and would leave our state unable to respond to current or future challenges. We urge the General Assembly to assert its authority and repeal the Bond Lock this session.

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Ray Noonan is Associate Policy Fellow and Rachel Silbermann, Ph.D. is Fiscal Policy Fellow, Connecticut Voices for Children.  The organization's mission is to ensure that "all Connecticut children have an opportunity to achieve their full potential regardless of race, income or zip code."

Women in Manufacturing Summit Slated for May Amidst Increasing Focus

The Business, Management, and Advanced Manufacturing Department at Goodwin College has announced its inaugural Women of Manufacturing Summit to be held on Wednesday, May 16. Connecticut is home to 4,011 manufacturing firms that employ more than 159,000 workers – and employment opportunities are expected to increase in the coming years. Key industries include transportation equipment (primarily aerospace, submarines, and automotive), chemicals, fabricated metals, electrical equipment, computer and electronic products, machinery, pharmaceutical and medical, and plastics

The event will be held at the College’s Business and Manufacturing Center, One Pent Road in East Hartford, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

The Summit will bring together individuals interested in encouraging women to consider career options in business and manufacturing. Business leaders, educators, and students will participate in discussions focused on dispelling myths about today’s manufacturing environments; the variety and volume of job opportunities; compensation issues; and shift options for women, particularly those balancing family responsibilities and continuing education.

A photographic exhibit, courtesy of Jobs to Move America and sponsored by Andrews Benefits of Farmington, will feature women in all areas of modern manufacturing.

“Partnerships between businesses and educational organizations can help identify a successful employee fit prior to hiring and lead to entry-level positions,” said Melanie Hoben, Director of Workforce Development at Goodwin College. “We realized that, with our experienced faculty and our industry partners, we have a prime opportunity to host a Summit that encourages discussions among these stakeholders as well as women seeking pathways into the workforce.”

Goodwin currently offers business and manufacturing programs that range from certificates to associate and bachelor’s degrees. While there are some 13,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, women seldom see themselves pursuing those viable careers.

“Women are significantly underrepresented in the manufacturing industry, and we are committed to changing that dynamic,” Hoben adds. “Opportunities like this Summit will help harness an untapped talent pool, inform women of the opportunities for well-paid, rewarding work, and allow them to network with some of the region’s visionary business leaders.”

CBIA partnered with the NSF Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities last year to survey the state's manufacturers about their hiring expectations and workforce challenges for the next three years.

The survey found that almost every manufacturer surveyed expects to grow their workforce in the next three years. Forty-two percent of manufacturers in Connecticut said they anticipated near-term workforce growth, while 44% predicted flat growth, and 14% have contracted out work. With an average hiring rate of 22 people per year, manufacturers responding to the survey last year said they expected to hire primarily full-time employees by the end of 2019.

Women in Manufacturing, a national organization dedicated to supporting, promoting and inspiring women who are pursuing or have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry, held their annual summit in Hartford at the Connecticut Convention Center last fall.

The conference included plant tours at some of the area's most advanced facilities including CNC Software, Hartford Flavor Company, TRUMPF Inc., and Pratt & Whitney. The Milken Institute's State Technology and Science Index, evaluating each state's tech and science capabilities, ranked Connecticut sixth in the country in 2016.

In the survey of Connecticut businesses conducted for CBIA, graduates of major universities (such as the University of Connecticut), Connecticut's private colleges, and private occupational schools are largely viewed as highly qualified job candidates (78%, 75%, and 74% of respondents, respectively, are somewhat satisfied or extremely satisfied).

Recommendations for how educational institutions could address the skills deficit problem include a greater emphasis on technical training and skills (60%), integration of employability skills such as punctuality and professionalism (57%), greater access to internships (38%), opportunities for career development (35%), and more rigorous preparation in basic skills like reading, writing, and math (28%), according to the survey.

Seven of the state’s public community colleges participate in an Advanced Manufacturing Technology program, with the curriculum offered to students at Asnuntuck Community College, Housatonic Community College, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Quinebaug Valley Community College, Manchester Community College, Middlesex Community College and Three Rivers Community College.  Specialties range from welding and mechatronics to CAD/CAM programming, tool & die to precision sheet metal fabrication, and additive manufacturing to computer numerical machining. Not all the programs are offered at all seven of the state colleges.

Reservations (requested by May 9) for the Goodwin College summit can be made at www.goodwin.edu/summit.

School Resource Officers Gain Attention in Aftermath of School Shootings

School resource officers (SROs) are sworn police officers who typically perform a number of community policing roles to make schools safer for students and staff, including community liaison, mentor, role model, and law enforcement officer.  A new report from the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research (OLR), looked at nearly 70 Connecticut school districts with at least one SRO. With the assistance of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, OLR, the legislature’s non-partisan research arm, surveyed and researched 113 public school districts in Connecticut to learn whether SROs are utilized in their elementary, middle, or high schools.

Of the 113 districts, 70 were found to be utilizing SROs in some manner. SROs in Connecticut are primarily assigned to middle and high schools but often visit elementary schools in their district. They also may assist in the development of school policies that concern criminal activity and school safety, as well as teach classes in substance abuse awareness, gang resistance, and crime prevention, according to OLR.

Financial cost per SRO varies between municipalities and is sometimes unknown to the district, the report indicated.  Generally SROs are funded by the board of education or provided by local police departments through memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the school district.

Last month, the Wallingford Board of Education called for funding for four police officers to serve as SRO’s, one at each middle school and high school in town, along with other safety items, the Meriden Record-Journal reported.

Plymouth is considering bringing a school resource officer back to the school, in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting.  The school resource officer position was eliminated two years ago due to budget cuts, NBC Connecticut reported.  And Westport Now has reported that Westport’s Board of Education voted 5 to 2 in March to approve the concept of having an armed school resource officer in its schools.

Communities with the highest number of School Resource Officers in their local school district, among the towns surveyed, are New Haven (12), West Hartford (6), Bethel (5), Manchester (5), Meriden (5), and West Haven (5). Communities with four School Resource Officers include East Harford, Milford, and Monroe.  The remaining school districts surveyed have three or fewer.

Numerous districts have SRO’s in place, but the range of responsibilities – as well as the numbers - vary.

In Newington, for example, the SRO was initially funded by a grant; currently the Board of Education and the Police Department share the annual cost of the program.  The SRO at the local high school works full-time in conjunction with the education system to address a myriad of issues facing the high school population.

Manchester’s SRO’s are trained to fulfill three primary roles, according to the town police website. “First and foremost they are Law Enforcement Officers, whose main purpose is to keep the peace in their schools. Second, they are law related mentors who provide guidance and information to students, their families, and school staff. Thirdly, they are law related ‘teachers’, who can provide the schools with additional resources by sharing their expertise in the classroom (when requested and available).”

In Darien, the SRO's days are spent meeting with students, administration, support staff, and parents in regards to various issues or concerns, according to the police department website. The SRO also “visits classrooms to give guest lessons on alcohol and drugs, search and seizure, and other law-related topics. The SRO often attends extra-curricular events, in an effort to further immerse himself into the community and increase familiarity.”

New Haven’s SRO program, which was established in 1994, consists of 12 uniformed officers that are assigned to middle and high schools.  The program, according to the city website, “allows both home and school to be aware of any situation that may impact the health and safety of students, as well as the monitoring of those who show signs of at-risk or delinquent behavior. This interaction provides a valuable resource to keep our children out of trouble during their school years and keeping their focus on education and commitment to family and community.”

Women’s Economic Status in Connecticut Among Best in Nation, But Still Insufficient

Women are faring better in Connecticut than in most states in the nation, according to a new analysis that focused on data in two central areas of everyday life – Employment & Earnings and Poverty & Opportunity. Connecticut ranked 4^th in the Employment and Earnings category, earning a B+, and 4^th in the Poverty and Opportunity category, with a B- grade.

Status of Women in the States is a project of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a comprehensive project that presents and analyzes data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Institute suggests that the data can be used “to raise awareness, improve policies, and promote women’s equality.”

Connecticut’s grade for women’s Employment & Earnings, B+, has improved since the 2004 Status of Women in the States report.  Its grade for women’s Poverty & Opportunity, B-, has dropped since 2004.

In the subcategories of Employment and Earnings, Connecticut ranked Connecticut ranked 2nd in median annual earnings for women employed full-time, 5^th in the percent of all employed women in managerial or professional occupations, 13^th in the percent of women in the labor force, and 38^th in the earnings ratio between women and men employed full-time, year-round.

The Employment & Earnings Index measures states on women’s earnings, the gender wage gap, women’s labor force participation, and women’s representation in professional and managerial occupations. The top states were District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.

Women working full-time, year-round have the highest earnings in the District of Columbia, where women’s median annual earnings are $65,000. Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are tied for second, with women in those states earning $50,000 at the median.

In the Poverty and Opportunity subcategories, Connecticut ranked 2^nd in the percent of women age 18 and older above poverty, 5^th in the percent of women age 25 and older with a Bachelor’s degree or higher, 10^th in the percent of women age 18-64 with health insurance, and 29^th in the percent of businesses owned by women.

New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey have the highest rates of women living above poverty in the country at 89.2 percent, 88.4 percent, 88.1 percent, and 88.1 percent, respectively.

The report noted that women in Connecticut aged 16 and older who work full-time, year-round have median annual earnings of $50,000, which is 76.9 cents on the dollar compared with men who work full-time, year-round. Hispanic women earn just 47 cents for every dollar earned by White men, according to the report. According to the report’s analysis, if employed women in Connecticut were paid the same as comparable men, their poverty rate would be reduced by more than half and poverty among employed single mothers would be cut in half.

In Connecticut, 32.7 percent of businesses in 2012 were owned by women, up from 28.1 percent in 2007.  The report also indicates that 94.2 percent of Connecticut’s women aged 18 to 64 have health insurance coverage, which is above the national average for women of 89.4 percent.

The report, published in March 2018, concludes that “Women in Connecticut have made considerable advances in recent years but still face inequities that often prevent them from reaching their full potential.”

Small Business Administration to Honor CT’s Leading Small Business Owners

April M. Lukasik, President & CEO of Bright & Early Children’s Learning Centers, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2018 Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year, SBA’s top award, Anne Hunt, SBA’s District Director, has announced. “We are extremely excited to honor a truly amazing line up of small business owners and champions this year, said Anne Hunt, SBA’s Connecticut District Director.  It is important to recognize these outstanding small businesses in the state as they are the job creators, innovators and the fabric of our local communities!” 

The slate of leading small business owners in Connecticut will be honored at the Annual Small Business Week Awards Luncheon at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven on May 3.  National Small Business Week is obsered April 29-May 5.

Bright & Early Children’s Learning Centers have four locations in Connecticut.  The business was founded in Middletown 2012 by Lukasik.  The mission statement describes the Center as “a child care and early education solution in a nurturing and scholastic environment where dedicated teachers are awakening young minds when it matters most.”  Old Saybrook, Branford locations followed, with West Hartford soon to open.

“We hope the small business community will join the SBA and our host, SCORE for an inspiring awards luncheon on May 3rd in New Haven,” Hunt added.

The 2018 Connecticut SBA Honorees are:

• Region 1 & Connecticut Manufacturer of the Year  Brian Weinstein, CHAPCO, Chester
• Region 1 & Connecticut Family-Owned Small Business   Charles Buck Jr., Buck’s Spumoni Company, Inc., Milford
• Exporter of the Year  Dennis Nash, Control Station Inc., Manchester
• Woman-Owned Small Business  Erin Emmons, Lucky Taco Cantina and Tap Room, Manchester
• Minority-Owned Small Business  Marilyn Ortiz, Borinquen Bakery, New Britain
• Veteran Owned Business of the Year Nicholas W. Wright, Unlimited Fun LLC., Prospect
• Home-Based Business of the Year Linda Longboardi, ReGift the Wrap, LLC., Glastonbury
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year  Alyssa DeMatteo, Wildflour Confections, Seymour
• CT Microenterprise Award  Stefanie Toise, At Once LLC., Vernon
• Financial Services Champion  Aaron M. Bohigan- Webster Bank, Hartford

Lukasik, founder of Bright & Early Children's Learning Centers, finds her roots in a family of entrepreneurs. Her grandmother owned and operated a nursing home that her parents later grew into a successful entity. She started off working in the family business, gathering experience and cultivating her passion of caring for others. After obtaining her Bachelors Degree in Marketing, she jumpstarted her entrepreneurial career, creating and operating multiple companies while gaining experience and insight into what it takes to build and grow a successful organization.

When her children were toddlers, she found herself searching for child care options that suited her needs and standards as a discerning parent… a safe, secure, nurturing, warm, home-like, educational, organized, and clean child care center. Not finding what she was looking for, she tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit to start her own child care center that met all of these standards.

The Young Entreprenuer of the Year, Alyssa DeMatteo, is a 26 year old Seymour resident who quickly gained popularity in southern Connecticut's cake and cupcake scene when she launched Wildflour Cupcakes & Sweets as a Facebook page in 2013.

Control Station was founded in 1988 and headquartered near the University of Connecticut. Control Station harnesses the creative energies of its surrounding, solving difficult plant monitoring and controller challenges facing process manufacturers with a broad portfolio of software-based solutions. Exporter of the Year Dennis Nash is President and Chief Executive Officer of Control Station, Inc.

PERSPECTIVE: Don’t Undermine the 2020 Decennial Census and Jeopardize Federal Funding

by Michelle Riordan-Nold The Connecticut Data Collaborative, on its monthly open data calls, has provided updates on data in the news. The biggest newsmaker by far has been Census 2020. Besides the challenges the Census Bureau has faced in maintaining their federal funding and finding new leadership, a recent ruling has put the accuracy of the Census 2020 count in jeopardy.

Several months ago, the Justice Department made a request that a question on citizenship be included in the Census 2020 count. Advocates raised concerns immediately about the possibility that a question on citizenship could impact whether people respond to the Census survey, but that question has been approved for inclusion in the upcoming count by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, despite grave concerns expressed by career civil servants working at the Census Bureau.

The Justice Department argues that the citizenship question would allow the agency to better enforce Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which bars the dilution of minority voting power through redistricting. The letter states, "to fully enforce those requirements, the department needs a reliable calculation of the citizen voting-age population in localities where voting rights violation are alleged or suspected." However, these data are collected every year in the American Community Survey and therefore are not necessary to fulfill the requirements of Section 2. The last time the immigration question was asked in a decennial census was in 1950.

Advocates are rightly concerned about the impact on the count that a citizenship question could exert.  In a November presentation by the Census Bureau, an official cited numerous examples of respondents expressing concern about the confidentiality of the data related to immigration.

The question on citizenship will not be field tested, which means there is no way to know in advance whether people will choose not respond. The Census Bureau has been finalizing and field testing questions for over a year and the only end-to-end field test is already underway in Rhode Island. Not knowing whether the citizenship question will impact response rates has two important consequences: the non-response follow-up and the undercount.

The most costly piece of the Census work is in non-response follow-up work--this is the work that Census field employees do when they go out to meet with residents and work with them to complete their census surveys. The Census budget is insufficient to conduct extensive non-response follow-up work and will result in lower funding for other Census programs such as the American Community Survey, which provides town level data for Connecticut.

The undercount has serious consequences for our country and our state.

Our immigrant residents are concentrated in major metropolitan areas--these areas are typically dependent on the federal government for crucial funding for health and human services. A question about citizenship in the current political climate could be seen as a threat in many communities. If residents choose not to respond to the survey, we could see an undercount. The decennial census population counts are used to determine legislative redistricting as well as federal funding for health and human services programs, and thus will remain in place for ten years.

Based on decennial Census counts, in Federal Fiscal year 2015, Connecticut received $8 billion in federal funds for the top 16 programs. The five largest funds that distribute aid based on decennial-census derived estimates are:

• Medicaid
• Medicare Part B - (Supplemental Medical Insurance) Physicians Fee Schedule Services
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Highway planning and construction
• Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers  (source: The George Washington Institute of Public Policy)

An undercount could have serious fiscal implications to our state, which is already in a fiscal crisis.

However, states are joining forces to oppose this decision. At the beginning of the month, Connecticut joined a coalition of attorneys general, cities and the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors in filing a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump Administration from demanding citizenship information in the 2020 decennial Census, according to an announcement by Attorney General George Jepsen and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

Good, reliable data are needed for fair provision of federal resources. Proceeding with a citizenship question without fully understanding the impact and implications it would have on the count – and the program funding that flows from it – puts the integrity of the census count, and the fair and accurate distribution of millions of dollars in doubt.

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Michelle Riordan-Nold is Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative. She is responsible for executing the vision and strategy of the Collaborative which seeks to democratize access to public data, facilitate data-driven decision making, and build data literacy. In leading the Collaborative, she seeks to increase the use of public open data and grow the community of users across the state. The organization’s monthly open data calls  updates data users and provides opportunities to collectively impact change in the use of and access to public data.

Advancing Racial Equity in Nonprofits to be Among Themes for National Conference in Hartford

When members of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, a national association based in St. Louis, hold their 20^th anniversary conference this fall, they will be gathering in Hartford.  The conference, “Re-envisioning Our Field:  Advancing Racial Equity & Leading Innovation in Capacity Building,” will be held October 10-12 at the Hartford Hilton. The organization’s Board Chair is Anne Yurasek, Principal of Fio Partners, which is based in Chester, CT.  Yurasek has been an organizational development consultant and trainer for over twenty years in the nonprofit and private sector.

The Alliance is the “national voice and catalyst for the field of capacity building.”  The organization’s mission is to “increase the effectiveness of the individuals, groups and organizations that help nonprofits and communities achieve positive social change.”  The Alliance seeks to “create spaces for professional dialogue and learning by amplifying research in the field and promoting its implications for effective practice.”

More than 250 attendees will include consultants, coaches, funders, academics, and executives from across the country. The conference intends to “convene the diverse perspectives that shape and advance our field.”

The conference provides participants with the chance to “convene, dialogue, learn, shape and advance our field for the good of the nonprofits and communities we serve,” official explained.  The theme was selected because now “is a critical time for our field to reflect, to learn together, and to consider how our work should evolve to address racial inequities in our society. From amplifying emerging approaches to reflecting on research and exploring its implications for practice,” participants are urged to “bring your perspectives, experiences, and energy” to the annual conference.

The three-day event includes presentation opportunities with local nonprofits, work-sessions for Affinity & Interest Groups, twenty-plus workshop sessions “curated for capacity builders by capacity builders, and thought provoking plenary sessions.”

The Alliance for Nonprofit Management is the result of the 1997 merger of the Nonprofit Management Association and Support Centers of America. The organization is described as unique as a cross-sector professional association of individuals and organizations that are devoted to increasing the effectiveness of the individuals, groups and organizations that help nonprofits and communities achieve positive social change.

The 2017 conference was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.