MITCHELL COLLEGE CHIEF OF STAFF TO BECOME KEY MEMBER OF SENIOR TEAM
Kelly L. Hart has joined Mitchell College as chief of staff. A key member of President Tracy Y. Espy’s senior team, Hart will support the president on a wide range of strategic issues and provide leadership and operational oversight to the college.
Hart's expertise in higher education encompasses strategic planning and execution, higher education enrollment optimization and student affairs operations. Most recently, she served as VP of enrollment management at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W. Va. Prior to that, she directed admissions at Westfield State University in Westfield, Mass., and served as associate director of athletics at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.
Hart holds a doctorate in physical education from The Florida State University, a master's degree in physical education from The College of New Jersey and a bachelor's degree in secondary education, English, from Villanova University.
People & Places
Mystic Aquarium, in collaboration with leading restaurant groups from eastern Connecticut, hosted the annual ‘Freezin' for a Reason' Arctic Splash on Sunday, Feb. 25, at Esker Point Beach and The Fisherman Restaurant. This year's event saw a record-breaking 201 participants take the icy plunge into Long Island Sound, exceeding the initial fundraising goal of $40,000 for the Aquarium's Animal Rescue Program and its clinic and surpassing $100,000 in charitable giving.
Among the restaurant groups involved were the 85th Day Food Community, CK Restaurant Group, S&P Oyster Co., Cannonball Restaurant Group, Shipwright’s Daughter, and Milestone. The 85th Day Food Community, known for popular establishments such as the Port of Call and Oyster Club, triumphed in the competition by contributing $31,380 to the overall total.
For more information about Mystic Aquarium and its Animal Rescue Program, visit www. mysticaquarium.org.
Local chef Sherry Pocknett, who has brought Native American cuisine to a wide audience, was one of 59 Women of the Year winners from across the United States named by USA TODAY.
Pocknett learned Mashpee Wampanoag food traditions from her family, going on to cook at
Foxwoods Resort & Casino before starting her first
Sly Fox Den restaurant in Preston, and later opening the Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, R.I. Pocknett went on in 2023 to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast, the first Indigenous person to do so.
The newspaper is featuring the award winners during Women's History Month through the end of March.
SCORE Eastern CT will host a free Zoom webinar from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, on "ChatGPT, AI, and How They Can Help Your Small Business,” sponsored by Charter Oak Federal Credit Union.
To register, visit https:// www.score.org/easternct.
SCORE mentor and technology expert Charlie Morris will talk about how Artificial Intelligence, and ChatGPT specifically, have rapidly become valuable tools to make small businesses more creative and efficient. In this free webinar, Morris will review the current state-of-the-art AI tools focusing on ChatGPT's capabilities. He will highlight specific use cases for ChatGPT in the small business environment.
The New London County Fire Chiefs Association has selected Capt. Jay Carson of the Bozrah Volunteer Fire Company as the New London County Emergency Medical Technician of the Year for 2023. In a Feb. 7 ceremony at the Jewett City Firehouse, Carson was presented with a plaque and a badge, which was pinned on him by his wife Jessica. Others in attendance included daughter Nevada as well as Mike Gordon Randy Baker, Ray Barber and Ryan Sholes of the Bozrah Fire Co. In all, about 110 first responders from the region were on hand.
New England Science & Sailing Foundation has announced the election of Yvette Ramos to its Board of Directors.
Ramos, Ed.D., MBA, is a credentialed bilingual
high school math and science educator, test preparation expert, and administrator with 28 years of experience in public and private schools. Ramos specializes in curriculum design and has a passion for helping English Language Learners succeed through quality and culturally appropriate instruction.
Ramos has served on several boards and is the Chief Academic Officer and CEO of Innovative Learning Consultants, an education company specializing in curriculum design and development and differentiated instruction.
The Chamber of Commerce
of Eastern Connecticut will hand out its annual ECTy Awards at the Mystic Marriott from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. At the same event, the Cultural Coalition also plans to hand out two of its top awards.
ECTy winners include Miranda Creative, Small Business of the Year; Mystic Seaport Museum, Business of the Year:
Drip Bar, New Business Award;
Project Oceanology, Nonprofit of the Year; Wonderlosity, Industry Innovator; Eversource, Best Place to Work, and Hilton Mystic, Tourism Leader of the Year.
Individual awards to be handed out include Keith Turner, Young Professional of the Year; Heather Ford Bunn & Dale Bunn, Volunteers of the Year, and Jeff Godley, Board of Directors Special Award.
The Cultural Coalition Awards will go to Lyman Allyn Art Museum as Outstanding Arts & Cultural Organization and RJ Development + Advisors as Outstanding Business Supporter of Arts & Culture.
The Long Island Sound
Study announces the official launch of the Long Island Sound Resilience Resource Hub website at https://lisresilience.org, created as a user-friendly platform designed to enhance the resilience of New York and Connecticut coastal communities.
The LIS Resilience Resource Hub is expected to help foster a coordinated regional response to the impacts of climate change, ultimately boosting the implementation of sustainable and resilient projects throughout the region.
Connecticut students in grades K-12 are invited to register for the 19th annual eesmarts™ Student Contest sponsored by Eversource and Avangrid Inc.
The contest has invites students to answer grade-level-specific prompts on how they would promote energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable solutions.
This year, students in Grades K-8 are asked to submit their entries in the form of a poster (Grades K-2), limericks (Grade 3), outdoor billboard (Grade 4), fictional story with an energy-saving character (Grade 5), persuasive letter (Grade 6), comic strip (Grade 7), or social media post (Grade 8).
Students in Grades 9-12 will produce a persuasive image in words or pictures, such as a short poem (125 words or less) or cartoon strip (12 cells or less) that advocates for an energy topic. Entries will be evaluated based on scientific validity and imagery.
Contest registration is open until March 22. Submissions are due on March 29. For more information, visit EnergizeCT.com/student-contest.
Britta Obertello has joined Waterford Public Library as its Adult & Technical Services Librarian. Obertello previously worked in the South Kingston, R.I., library system.
Rachel Lenda, formerly with Hard Rock Café International
and the Eastern Regional Tourism District,
will serve as the new director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism. Lenda is the first Connecticut born and raised resident to occupy this position in a generation.
“With Rachel’s extensive background in the tourism industry and her forward-thinking approach, she is well equipped to lead Connecticut tourism toward sustained growth,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “Given the record-breaking numbers of the past two years, my optimism for the future of Connecticut’s tourism industry has never been stronger.”
In 2023, the state saw nearly 68 million visitors, resulting in occupancy revenue of $1.173 billion — a 6.7% increase from the previous year, according to state figures. Simultaneously, CTvisit.com reached new heights, reaching an all-time high of 9.4 million visitors — a 32% increase from the previous record year.
President and CEO Andy
Pond is retiring from Justice
Resource Institute after nearly 40 years, and will be succeeded by Mia DeMarco, who began her career at JRI over three decades ago. She was promoted through the organization, taking on roles with increasing responsibility and has spent the past 11 years as chief operating officer.
DeMarco has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Children’s League of Connecticut.
Jim Mulcahy has been chosen by the Organizing Committee of the 42nd Annual Windham Invitational Special Olympics Swim Meet as honorary meet director of this year’s event. This recognition is given to individuals and organizations whose efforts significantly benefit Special Olympics and the community.
Mulcahy has devoted much of his life to the betterment of individuals with special needs. In 1979, he was one of the founders of the Windham Invitational Special Olympics Swim Meet. For many years, as president and founding member of the Tolland Fund, he has raised money and administered programs to promote sports and recreation for people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
On Saturday, March 23, at Windham Community & Senior Center, athletes with intellectual disabilities from Connecticut will participate in swim competition as well as other activities such as sports clinics, aerobics and arts and crafts. The opening ceremony begins at 9:15 a.m., and ends when Mulcahy, proclaims, “Let the games begin!”
For more information about the meet, visit www. Facebook.com/windhamswim or call Meet Director Charlie Wynn at (860) 228-9313.
Chamber News
The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut will hold a ribbon cutting at Tin Peddler Renovation, 230 Norwich Westerly Road, North Stonington, from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 14. The ribbon will be cut at 4 pm.
Guests can enjoy their regular dinner service, which includes Happy Hour from
3-5 p.m.
The Tin Peddler offers culturally influenced contemporary American cuisine in a modern atmosphere. After renovations during the winter, the restaurant now offers a 15-seat bar boasting the latest in craft beer, wine, and spirits. The Buzz is a weekly roundup of business news compiled by Business Editor Lee Howard. To get in The Buzz, email businessbriefs@theday.com. To easily access urls cited in print, go to www.theday.com and type “The Buzz” into the search bar.