Nearly 50 of Connecticut’s top health, business and education experts have been assembled to advise Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration on how and when to gradually reopen the state’s economy as the COVID-19 outbreak subsides.
An executive order issued by Gov. Ned Lamont mandates that all “non-essential” businesses remain closed until at least May 20. But the governor in a recent interview with HBJ said the May 20 date represents when he would like the advisory group, formed by AdvanceCT, Connecticut’s business recruitment arm, to submit its recommendations on reopening commerce in a safe and healthy manner.
The advisory group is meeting weekly with the governor’s administration and leadership of the state’s General Assembly, he said.
“I have given them May 20 as a date, not a date that we open things up, but the day that I expect to have strong recommendations about how we can proceed from there,” Lamont said. “We will have a lot more data between now and May 20.”
According to Lamont’s office, the members of the advisory group include:
Main Advisory Group
- (Co-Chair) Indra Nooyi: Board co-chair of AdvanceCT; former CEO of PepsiCo
- (Co-Chair) Dr. Albert Ko: Professor of epidemiology and medicine and department chair at the Yale School of Public Health
- Oni Chukwu: Executive chairman of Aventri
- Alex Karnal: Partner and managing director of Deerfield; co-founder and board member of The Institute for Life Changing Medicines
- Dr. Mehmood Khan: CEO and board member of Life Biosciences, Inc.
- Dr. Harlan Krumholz: Cardiologist and health care researcher at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital
- Dr. Charles Lee: Scientific director and professor at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
- David Scheer: President of Scheer & Company; Former chairman of Achillion Pharmaceuticals
Business Committee
- (Chair) Oni Chukwu: Executive chairman of Aventri
- Joe Brennan: President and CEO of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association
- Rodney Butler: Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
- Peter Denious: President and CEO of AdvanceCT
- Howard Hill: Owner of Howard K. Hill Funeral Services
- Roberta Hoskie: President and CEO of Outreach Realty Services
- Steve Matiatos: President of the Connecticut Lodging Association
- Dan Meiser: Chairman of the Connecticut Restaurant Association
- John Olsen: President Emeritus of the Connecticut AFL-CIO
- Fran Pastore: President and CEO of the Women’s Business Development Council
- Timothy Phelan: President of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association
- Meredith Reuben: CEO of EBP Supply Solutions
- David Roche: President of the Connecticut Building Trades
- Garrett Sheehan: President and CEO of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
- Pedro Soto: President and CEO of Hygrade Precision Technologies
Community Committee
- (Chair) Dr. Marcella Nunez Smith: Director of the Equity and Innovation Research Center at the Yale School of Medicine
- Marie Allen: Executive Director of the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging and Independent Living
- Dr. Ken Alleyne: Vice Chair of the Connecticut Health Foundation
- Nora Duncan: State Director of Connecticut AARP
- Rochelle Palache: Assistant District Leader for SEIU, Local 32BJ
- Daria Smith: Executive Director of the Connecticut State Independent Living Council
Education Committee
- (Co-Chair) Rick Levin: Former President of Yale University
- (Co-Chair) Linda Lorimer: Former Vice President for Global and Strategic Initiatives at Yale University
- Rick Branson: Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools
- Jan Hochadel: President of AFT Connecticut
- Steve Kaplan: President of the University of New Haven
- Alice Pritchard: Chief of Staff to the President of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities
- Rachel Rubin: Chief of Staff to the President of the University of Connecticut
- Jen Widness: President of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges
- Donald Williams, Jr.: Executive Director of the Connecticut Education Association
Governor Lamont’s Representatives
- Paul Mounds: Chief of Staff for the Office of the Governor
- Josh Geballe: Chief Operating Officer for the Office of the Governor and Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services
- Renée Coleman-Mitchell: Commissioner of the Department of Public Health
- Dr. Matthew Cartter: State Epidemiologist for the Department of Public Health
- Miguel Cardona: Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Education (Also co-chair of the Education Committee)
- Beth Bye: Commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (Also member of the Education Committee)
- Deidre Gifford: Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services (Also member of the Community Committee)
- Amy Porter: Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services (Also member of the Community Committee)
- Jordan Scheff: Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (Also member of the Community Committee)
- David Lehman: Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (Also member of the Business Committee)
