Leadership Greater Hartford has named its current acting president, Larisa Kottke, as its permanent president and CEO.
Kottke formerly served as the organization’s vice president for finance and operations, and has helmed Leadership Greater Hartford on an interim basis since the spring.
“During the last several months, it became abundantly clear that Larisa is the right person to lead LGH into its next chapter,” said Leadership Greater Hartford Board Chair Tisa Rabun-Marshall. “In many ways, her work is already well underway. Her passion and dedication to the LGH team, our communities and our region, as well as her extensive background in business operations and organizational management, make her the right fit for this time of great opportunity for the Greater Hartford region and for LGH.”
Kottke will formally take on the new role Oct. 1.
“As I look to the future of LGH and our region, I know we have work to do, but I also see tremendous opportunities to collaborate with individuals, organizations and businesses throughout Greater Hartford,” she said in a statement. “We have the right people in place as well as the desire and dedication to effect real, enduring change.”
Kottke stepped in to head the professional development- and networking-focused nonprofit after the dismissal in May of then-president Chris Duffy.
A vigilante group claimed to have lured Duffy to a gas station in East Hartford under the pretense of meeting a 15-year-old boy there. Once the group’s allegations began to circulate online, Leadership Greater Hartford cut all ties with Duffy, saying he could not continue to represent and lead the organization.
Prior to joining Leadership Greater Hartford, Kottke served in leadership roles at Hartford Performs, which supports arts education in Hartford Public Schools.
