The Basics
Name of organization: Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA)
Title: President & CEO
Size of organization: 81 employees
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Colgate University; Law degree from Suffolk University
Previous job(s): Joined CBIA in 1977
On the job
Guiding business principle: Don’t do it if you cannot defend it in the press. Ethical behavior is essential for any organization to achieve its goals and objectives.
Best way to keep your competitive edge: Hire a talented and diverse team of people, encourage them to stay connected to our stakeholders and their communities and trust their advice.
Proudest accomplishment: Helping CBIA build its capacity to effectively represent and serve our members.
Goal yet to be achieved: Making Connecticut a top state in which to do business to unlock our state’s enormous potential to be a leader in economic growth, job creation, and strengthen the middle class.
Favorite part of the job: Interacting with business leaders and owners from across the state who deeply care about their employees, their local communities, and Connecticut’s future; working with policymakers who are passionate about securing a brighter economic future for our state and; getting to know students from low-income neighborhoods who are both successful in the classroom and role models for their peers.
Least favorite part of the job: How politics has changed over the last decade or so. There is a growing intolerance among some politicians for differing opinions even within their own party. It makes it more difficult to find the common ground needed to address the fundamental issues facing our state, discourages good people from seeking public office, and contributes to the public cynicism about politics.
Most influential business book: “Redefining Healthcare” by Michael Porter and Elizabeth Teisberg
Personal touch in your office: Pictures in my office of my wife, Susan, three adult children, and black lab.
Judgment calls
Best business decision: Hiring and supporting an outstanding team of colleagues at CBIA who believe in the association’s mission to serve our members and improve Connecticut’s economic competitiveness.
Worst business decision: During a very difficult business cycle, not spending enough time with our staff to assure them that we had the right plans and capacity to reverse the trend. I simply assumed that they had the same confidence as I and the senior team did in the future of the organization.
Best way to spot trends: Having a diverse circle of friends and colleagues who are connected to their communities and listening to their points of view. Reading and listening to a variety of new sources.
Next big move: Retirement
Your pet peeve: Thinking that students from lower income families cannot be successful in the classroom or become future leaders.
Personal side
City of residence: Berlin
Favorite way to relax: Traveling/vacationing with family and friends
Hobbies: Running, golf
Last vacation: Wohelo Family Camp on Sebago Lake in Maine
The car you drive: Infiniti
Currently reading: “The Bully Pulpit” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Favorite cause: Closing the achievement gap by ensuring that every student has the opportunity for a quality public education.
Return to the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Awards landing page
Second choice career: TBD
