Female Executive Panel

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Nancy Wyman

Lieutenant Governor

State of Connecticut

Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman began her service in government more than 30 years ago when she successfully ran for a seat on her local school board so she could have a say in the education of her two young daughters.



After eight years on the Tolland Board of Education, she was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1986. During her four terms representing the 53rd District she held leadership positions including House Chairperson of the Education Committee and Chairperson of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education.



In 1994, she was the first woman ever to be elected State Comptroller, and for the next 16 years used that office to advocate for fiscal responsibility and accountability on behalf of taxpayers. She also administered the health insurance plan for all state employees, retirees and their families.



Since being elected Connecticut’s 108th Lieutenant Governor in 2010, she has been a true partner to Governor Dannel P. Malloy as they work to help the state recover from the economic downturn and build a foundation for long-term stability and prosperity.



Lt. Governor Wyman and her husband Michael live in Tolland, along with their two daughters and their husbands: Stacey and Steve Papa and Meryl and Bill Baldwin, and grandchildren Kyle, Taylor, Lindsey, Max, and Sydney.

Kate Houlihan

Vice President

Marsh USA

Kate Houlihan is a vice president in the National Brokerage Division at Marsh specializing in manufacturing and healthcare industries. She has been providing insurance products and consulting services to businesses and nonprofits in Connecticut for 30 years. Casualty driven exposures, including Workers’ Compensation Coverage and Professional Liability, are of particular areas interest to Kate when working with her clients.



She is passionate about and dedicated to helping companies implement and realize their business strategies. Whether it's to grow market share, expand globally or to retain top talent, she delivers value-added solutions that support these objectives.

Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor

Commissioner

Connecticut Office of Early Childhood

Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor is the Commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood was established in 2013 to coordinate and improve the various early childhood programs and components in the state to create a cohesive high-quality early childhood system. She was appointed to lead the new agency by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in June 2013.




Dr. Jones-Taylor previously served as an assistant professor-faculty fellow at the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. She is a cultural anthropologist with expertise in early care and education policy. Her research focused on the effects of early care and education reform on child care providers in low-income urban communities and the children and families who are intended to benefit from those reforms.




She received her doctorate in American studies and anthropology from Yale University, where she also received two master's degrees: one in African American studies and the other in American studies. She is an Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy Fellow and a recipient of the Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship. She is a former member of the New Haven Board of Education and the New Haven Early Childhood Council, and former Board Secretary of All Our Kin, a nationally-recognized organization that trains and support child care providers. She was also an Honorary Faculty Research Fellow at the Humanities Initiative at New York University.




Dr. Jones-Taylor lives in New Haven with her husband and two children.

Donna Haghighat

Chief Development Officer

Hartford Public Library

Donna Haghighat is a Strategic coalition builder who creates partnerships, programs, communications and events that move people and organizations forward. As the chief development officer at Hartford Public Library, she directs both a comprehensive long and short term fundraising plan and a communications plan that support the library's mission. She directs a team of development and communications professionals who work together to get the word out and the money in to continue and build upon the Library’s mission. Donna serves as a national delegate to Vision 2020, an organization that advances pay equity for women and their families, promote economic security and health and safety of women. She also serves on the National Alumni Marketing Advisory Committee of her alma mater Trinity College. Donna is the co-president of AAUW CT, a national organizations that empowers women and girls, where she also served as the chair of Tech Savvy CT, a day long program that encourages middle school girls and their parents/caregivers to explore careers in STEM. Donna has also been an entrepreneur, attorney, consultant and foreign language teacher.

Veronica Montalvo

Senior Vice President

Post University’s Online Education Institute

Ms. Veronica Montalvo has been Senior Vice President of Post University’s Online Education Institute (OEI) since August, 2013. Montalvo has been with the University since September, 2005. For the last 9 years, Ms. Montalvo has overseen operations of the University’s Enrollment Management Center responsible for Post’s strategic development of enrollment and retention services for all Online under-graduate, graduate and regional site student populations. Under Montalvo’s leadership, Post University has expanded their accelerated degree seeking student body from under 100, 9 years ago to nearly 8,000 today. Montalvo was the first female appointed to, and has served on Post University’s Executive Management Team, since 2010.




Montalvo is a recipient of the prestigious Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Award in 2012 and also the Remarkable Business Woman in Business awarded in 2013. She has been an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management, National Society of Hispanic MBA’s, and the American Society for Training & Development. As a Cancer Survivor, Montalvo is an advocate for cancer prevention and early testing/diagnosis. She supports causes such as The American Cancer Society, The United Way, and Operation Smiles. Veronica is passionate about developing young professionals, and motivating college-bound students/professionals of all ages. She is frequently asked to speak and present on topics such as Strategic Visioning, Life-Long Learning, Successful Goal Setting, and Career Development.

Erin O'Neil-Baker

Owner

Hartford Legal Group

Attorney Erin O’Neil-Baker is a licensed attorney and has been practicing in Connecticut since 2000. She is admitted in the U.S. District Court, Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Connecticut Superior Court. Attorney O'Neil-Baker has been the owner of Hartford Legal Group, LLC, since 2005. She was honored as a 2014 Women In Business winner by the Hartford Business Journal.




She has practiced a wide range of law including federal constitutional violations, personal injury, wrongful death, birth defects, product liability, breach of contract, employment discrimination, civil rights violations, and defamation claims. Her practice currently focuses on immigration law. She represents individuals seeking legal status and citizenship in the United States, including: extraordinary ability artists, dancers and athletes, asylum seekers, victims of domestic violence or criminal activity, and people in removal and deportation proceedings.




When not running Hartford Legal Group, LLC, she is part of the media committee for CT American Immigration Law Association, a Board member of her local library, CT Bar Association seminar presenter and active participant with the Pro Bono Network, accepting Pro Bono immigration cases.

Tricia Brunton

Founder and President

The Females' Center of Excellence and Leadership, Inc.

Tricia Brunton founded "The Females' Center of Excellence and Leadership" (Xcel) as a student-focused organization at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, in 2002. Tricia served, as President and member of NU Xcel's Executive Board until 2005.




In 2005, Tricia and then co-Directors, Neakai Lewis, Olympia Valentine, Makeda Keegan and Allison Appel incorporated The Females' Center of Excellence and Leadership in Massachusetts. Tricia continues to lead organizational efforts to provide value added programs and services to its members and the community, while expanding its outreach through resource development and establishing long-term relationships with businesses, community organizations and educational institutions.




Tricia Brunton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing from Northeastern University as well as an MBA and a Master of Science in Finance degree from Indiana University. She is also the Controller at Access Health CT, Connecticut's health insurance marketplace and CEO of gomom.me, a social network and resource for moms on the go.

Mary McLaughlin

Senior Vice President

Comcast Corporation

Mary McLaughlin serves as Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Western New England Region. In this role, McLaughlin is the senior executive responsible for operations, financial performance and customer service for approximately 800,000 customers in more than 300 communities in Connecticut, Western Massachusetts, Western New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. She is also accountable for the oversight of the company’s more than 1,700 employees throughout the region.




McLaughlin’s efforts extend beyond the workplace and into the community where she is a widely respected civic leader. She currently serves as co-chair of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, a nonprofit public-private organization dedicated to keeping Connecticut youth safe, successful and drug-free, and she also sits on the Board of Directors for Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and serves on the Vermont Business Roundtable. Additionally, McLaughlin is a gubernatorial appointee to the Massachusetts Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Taskforce, which is focused on increasing STEM career awareness among middle school students. She also serves a mentor through Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT).



McLaughlin has received many accolades over the years. She was recognized by the Hartford Business Journal as a 2013 “Women in Business” honoree. Additionally, in 2012, she was recognized as a “Visionary Woman of Excellence” by Unity First for her leadership and the inspiring example she sets for others, including many young women, students and emerging professionals. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, she was recognized by CableFAX: The Magazine as a “Top Regional Player” on the publications’ “The 100” top power players list and she was also named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by the magazine in 2008. McLaughlin was also honored with the “Industry Leader of the Year” award in 2009 by the New England Chapter of Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT), where she currently serves as a mentor to the Board of Directors.



A native of Massachusetts, McLaughlin graduated from Bridgewater State College and Suffolk University Law School. She resides in Longmeadow, Massachusetts with her husband and two children.