Marietta S. Lee, the third-generation leader of The Lee Co., has been named the next chair of Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s board of directors.
Lee was elected on Dec. 4 to lead the state’s largest business organization, which lobbies for pro-business policies at the state Capitol.
She succeeds Kevin Grigg, CEO of engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill, in the role.
Lee became vice chair of the CBIA’s board in 2022, the year before she was named CEO of The Lee Co. She is the granddaughter of Leighton Lee II, who founded the Westbrook-based manufacturing business in 1948.
The CBIA board also elected two vice chairs: Brian Montanari, president and CEO of aerospace company HABCO Industries in Glastonbury, and Michael Brooder, Hartford office managing partner at CBIZ, a national management consulting business.
Lee said she is ”thrilled” to work with “an outstanding and diverse board of directors and staff” to find ways to improve the business climate in Connecticut.
“Connecticut’s future is brighter than it has been in a long time, but we have a lot of work to do to reach our potential,” she said.
CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima said Lee’s “insights and perspective have been immensely valuable” since she joined the board.
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“She is an outstanding leader who has the respect of the Connecticut business community,” he said. Â
Grigg will remain on CBIA’s board as immediate past chair.
Lee began her career in journalism and joined her family’s business in 2002, going back to school to earn a master’s degree in engineering management.
Correction: Marietta Lee became vice chair of CBIA’s board of directors in 2022. An earlier version misstated the year.
