Issues & Solutions
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Make An Impact
Founders, Board & Team
Roots are important. It is from our roots that we can grow.
That’s why we remain incredibly grateful to the committed men and women who brought our organization to life.
A brief history
In 2010, Gov. M. Jodi Rell commissioned a task force to examine the achievement gap — the difference in academic performance between Connecticut’s low-income and non low-income students. At the time, Connecticut had one of the worst achievement gaps in the country, largely because our low-income students were performing in the bottom third of the nation.
That task force was led by Steven J. Simmons, who went on to chair the ReadyCT Board of Directors which today includes four other original task force members. When the task force submitted its 2011 report, the members deemed their findings so valuable that they formed a nonprofit — the Connecticut Council for Education Reform, now known as ReadyCT — to pursue the policies it recommended.
Download the 2011 Task Force ReportFounders & Board Members
Since the beginning, our founders and board members have steered us toward success. ReadyCT has been involved in nearly 80 separate legislative efforts to improve education in Connecticut, with over half of them reaching implementation! This happened because of the dedicated individuals who have worked tirelessly to ensure opportunity reaches all Connecticut public school students.
Board of Directors
Jeff Auker – Chair
Associate Vice President – Head of Innovation and Delivery, Infosys (Hartford Hub)
Rick Sharma – Vice Chair
Chief Legal Advisor, Bridgewater Associates
Marinka Natale – Secretary & Treasurer
CEO & Founder, HealthLynxIQ
Andrew Bond
Vice President, Human Resources, General Dynamics Electric Boat
William T. Brown
Associate Vice President for Strategic Economic & Workforce Partnership Development, Connecticut State Community College
Tracy Church
Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, Hartford
Chris DiPentima
President/Chief Executive Officer, Connecticut Business and Industry Association
Donna Galluzzo
President (ret.), The Corridor Group
William W. Ginsberg*
President/Chief Executive Officer, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Jason Howey
President/Chief Executive Officer, Okay Industries, Inc.
Jeffrey A. Klaus
Regional President, Berkshire Bank
Fran Rabinowitz
President, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS)
Beth Regan
Mohegan Council of Elders at Mohegan Tribe
Mark Scheinberg
President, Goodwin University
Alan Schnitzer
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Travelers
Jason Trujillo
Vice President, Advanced Manufacturing, Stanley Black & Decker
Melissa Turner
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer, Yale New Haven Health
Ron Utterbeck
Chief Information Officer, Eversource
Michael Van Leesten
Director, Organization Development & Stakeholder Engagement, Social Venture Partners – Connecticut
*founder
Founders
Steven J. Simmons
Ramani Ayer
David E. A. Carson
Roxanne Coady
William W. Ginsberg*
Carla Klein
Yvette Melendez
Peyton Patterson
Steve Preston
John R. Rathgeber
Dudley N. Williams, Jr.
*current Board of Directors member
Creating a ready Connecticut is our passion, and maybe it is yours, too.
Please know we welcome your input!
Reach out to speak with us about the work!
