Fran Pastore founded the Women’s Business Development Council in 1997 and has led it for nearly three decades as a statewide resource for women entrepreneurs. The organization provides training, advising and capital access support to small businesses across Connecticut.
Over the past year, WBDC navigated a shifting federal funding landscape that threatened long-standing sources of support. In addition, a fire last March damaged its Stamford headquarters. Pastore said the organization continued delivering services without interruption despite those setbacks.
She has served in advisory roles at the federal, state and local levels, including on the National Women’s Business Council, and currently chairs the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority Board of Directors. Pastore also serves on several nonprofit and corporate advisory boards.
Looking ahead, she cited continued unpredictability in federal funding as WBDC’s most significant challenge.
What qualities are most essential for effective leadership today?
Resilience and authenticity.
What do you value most about living or doing business in Connecticut?
Connecticut is progressive and entrepreneurial — it is a place where ideas move quickly and turn into real, statewide impact. We are close to New York, Boston and Rhode Island, yet grounded by our beaches and rolling hills. There is great pizza, world-class health care and communities rich in history, architecture and culture.
In the Land of Steady Habits, Connecticut is a state where leadership is accessible, small businesses truly matter, and values drive policy — advancing support for women, children and families even when national consensus falls short.
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What is one change that would make Connecticut more competitive economically?
Improvements in the transportation infrastructure and the breaking down of zip code silos, retention of college graduates, and housing affordability are critical factors in the state’s ability to compete economically in the region.
Book recommendation: “Lead to Win, Strategize to Win, Expect to Win” by Carla Harris; “It’s Up to the Women” by Eleanor Roosevelt; “In the Garden of Beasts” by Erik Larson; “Prague Winter” by Madeleine Albright; “Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed” by Maureen Callahan.
Go-to news media outlets: Hartford Business Journal, NY Times, Washington Post, CT Insider, Hartford Courant, CT News Junkie
Hobby or leisure activity: Swimming, reading and walking my German Shepherds
Favorite podcast: “Ezra Klein Show,” “Wiser than Me” by Julia Louis Dreyfus