WALT ANSEL grew up in a boatbuilding and sailing family in Mystic Connecticut. He has taught restoration and boat building at the WoodenBoat School for 25 years. Walt is recently retired from directing the HB duPont Shipyard at Mystic Seaport. He has worked on restoring the Whaleship CW Morgan, Dragger Roann and the Grand Banks Schooner LA Dunton. He has built dories, whaleboats and skiffs; some with his boatbuilder father Will. Walt lives in Mystic with his genealogist wife Carol and two beloved grey farm cats. They are proud parents of a son Douglas, a film maker in LA and a daughter Evelyn who is a maritime curator and author. Walt spends too much time at sea catching striped bass.
Category: Speaker Announcements (Page 1 of 11)
Speaker programs at Wednesday DMA Meetings
Todd Cave has over 25 years’ experience in sales and sales management in Medical Device and Healthcare. He has worked for both fortune 500 companies and startups including Director of business development for Smith & Nephew and VP of Sales for a small startup IA company. In his current role as Vice President of Sales at DICOM Director, he has setup global distribution and built strong relationships with KOL’s and surgeons throughout the world in many specialties.
He is also currently working on launching a new company’s go-to-market strategies for a spin-off company providing AI Segmentation. Todd also has a patent pending for the phantom project that brings several modalities together providing next generation training in healthcare. Todd resides in Sturbridge, MA with his wife of 30 years. They have 3 adult children and one grandchild.
Lawrence Ward became University of Hartford’s seventh President on July 1, 2024. He previously served as Vice President for Learner Success and Dean of Campus Life at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He served as Associate Dean for Academic Programs at American University’s Kogodd School of Business in Washington, D.C.
Ward earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UConn, his Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan, and his Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
He has held multiple leadership positions in higher education: as member of the NCAA Board of Governors, chair of the NCAA Division III Management Council, and Trustee at Albertus Magnuss College in New Haven, CT.
Several years ago Bob and Jane took a 22 day trip across China. Along the way they had four plane rides, an overnight train ride, stayed overnight at a farmers home and three days on the Yancey River as the river was rising 3 feet per day. Some of the highlights of the trip was visiting: panda museum, Tibet, terra-cotta warriors, the Great Wall of China along with several other interesting stops.
Bob is a West Hartford native who graduated from Hall High and started working in Hartford for the Connecticut Natural Gas company. He moved to Pittsfield as Senior Vice President of the Berkshire Gas Company. His next move was to Washington DC area where he was President of a natural gas trade association. His latest venture was flipping 30 homes in the West Hartford area.
Bob has been very involved helping civic and community groups and he served as President for: two local Homeowners Associations, two Chamber of Commerce, Avon Canton Rotary, Seniors Job Bank and The Old Guard. He is very active with his church and helped coordinate the refurbishing of the Church steeple. He is also active on several Old Guard committees: Habitat, MOW, UConn Hospital Volunteer, Food Share and most importantly—Golf.
Bob is married to Jane with three children, five grandkids and one great grandchild.
Renee Bernasconi is President & CEO of Seabury, Inc., a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community in Bloomfield, Connecticut. She holds an MBA in Healthcare Management, is a licensed administrator, and has spent her career in senior living and aging services, focusing on mission-driven leadership, community, and innovation. Renee serves on the Connecticut Department of Social Services Advisory Committee, is a member of the LeadingAge Connecticut Board. She was instrumental in changing state legislation to enable Life Plan at Home programs in Connecticut—the first such program in the state and the fifth in the country.
Kevin Rennie writes a political column for the Sunday edition of The Hartford Courant since 2002. He has operated the popular political website DailyRuctions.com since 2010. Kevin’s stories have led to corruption investigations, resignations, and criminal convictions, reminders that there are many ways to serve the public interest without holding elective office.
Kevin was elected to represent the 14th House District in the Connecticut General Assembly for three consecutive terms starting in 1988. In 1994, he became the first Republican to win election to the State Senate from the 3rd Senate District in 70 years. He served one term and is no longer a Republican.
In 2002 scandals involving the administration of Governor John G. Rowland began to unfurl. Kevin’s column provided news of Rowland’s disappointing abuse of his position as the Waterbury Republican began descent to resignation and prison. In 2008, Kevin’s columns on Senator Christopher Dodd’s concealed Irish real estate dealings made international news.
Kevin is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Connecticut School of Law. He lives and practices law in South Windsor.
Robert Cave is a Program Coordinator at Bloomberg LP. He graduated from Syracuse University in 2009 with a degree in Information Technology and a minor in Computer Science and has nearly 20 years of experience in the cyber security field.
Rob’s career has taken him around the country, working for leaders in various industries including JPMorgan Chase, Cigna, and Activision (now part of Microsoft). He achieved various certifications in the field including Certified Forensic Analyst, Certified Forensic Examiner, Advanced Smartphone Forensics Certification, Python Coder. He has been an expert witness for legal consul with regards to digital forensics and digital acquisition. He also has worked with federal and state law enforcement including the Secret Service.
Rob currently resides in Queens NYC with his wife and newborn son, Jack. In his spare time (haha) he enjoys cooking, baking, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.
In today’s times two things are true: you cannot get through the day without interacting with the digital world and it is not altogether a safe place. How can we navigate the Internet and still protect ourselves from the threats therein?
Due to Dr. Liu’s being stranded out of town because of weather, Dr. Francesca Menghi stepped in to inform us of her research on triple negative breast cncer.
At the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, I am involved in several projects that explore the genome-wide patterns of genetic and transcriptional alterations characterizing human cancers. In particular,I am interested in the identification of key regulatory genes and/or pathways as well as complex rearrangement profiles, which may explain tumor initiation and progression as well as provide valuable targets for the development of novel therapeutic approaches and prognostic biomarkers. At present, I am investigating critical genomic aberrations implicated in ovarian and breast cancer tumorigenesis. By exploiting next-generation sequencing technologies combined with in vitro cell culture models andin vivo patient-derived xenografts, I aim at a better understanding of the individuality of cancer genomes and at the development of novel approaches toward the personalized management of cancer patients.
In the past several decades, new technologies from convergent disciplines have transformed biology and medicine from explaining phenomena to predicting outcomes and now, to augmenting biological functions and even changing life forms. How this has happened, and how these discoveries will change the course of human existence, and what we will need to manage our future wisely will be explored.
Dr. Edison Liu, M.D. is a physician, scientist, institution builder, and global thought leader in science and economic development. He was president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory (JAX). Under his watch, JAX nearly tripled its revenues and expanded from Maine and California, to Connecticut, Japan, and China. Before that, he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, and chairman of the board of Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (Singapore’s FDA equivalent). An expert in cancer biology and genomics with a focus on breast cancer, he has authored over 360 scientific papers, reviews and books, and is a frequent commentator on the role of science in economic development of nations. A graduate of Stanford University with post graduate training in Washington University, St. Louis, and University of California at San Francisco, Dr. Liu has received numerous awards and honors, and advises both biotech companies, and non-profit organizations across the world.
Dr. Lewis is the retired inaugural Physician-in-Chief of the Hartford Healthcare Bone & Joint Institute in Hartford. Following graduation from the UVM College of Medicine, residency at the University of Maryland Hospitals and an adult reconstruction fellowship at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Dr. Lewis joined the full-time faculty at the University of Connecticut Health Center where he was Residency Program Director for many years. He was selected for a sabbatical at the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy in 1992 and was promoted to Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1997.
After transitioning to private practice in Hartford, Dr. Lewis was Director of Research & Quality at the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute at St. Francis Hospital from 2007 until 2013 when he assumed his position at Hartford Hospital and oversaw design and building of the Bone & Joint Institute. After a clinical career as a total hip and knee replacement surgeon, he retired in 2018 from active practice. He currently serves on the Board of Hartford Hospital.
Jeffrey A. Flaks is a nationally recognized healthcare leader. He is President and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, an $8-billion system serving more than 28,000 people daily and has transformed Hartford HealthCare into a highly integrated network of 500+ locations with 48,000 colleagues, including 8,000 employed and aligned providers.
Under Mr. Flaks leadership HHC earned the 2025 AHA Quest for Quality Prize; “A” grades for safety from the Leapfrog Group; Nation’s First Care Partner of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; ranked #1 in the U.S. for mitral valve surgery; named the top employer in Connecticut for career development by Career minds: recognized for its commitment to helping employees build meaningful, long-term careers; forged partnerships with Google, Amazon, MIT, Abridge, Aidoc, K Health & others; and recognized on Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies list.
Mr. Flaks is the recipient of the 2025 Steven Schroeder Award for Outstanding Healthcare CEO; named Press Ganey’s Innovator of the Year in 2026. He has built academic pipelines with UConn, Quinnipiac and the Connecticut State Colleges system, supporting scholarships, mentorship and workforce development.
A Connecticut native, Mr. Flaks joined Hartford HealthCare in 2004 and serves on numerous
boards, including vice chair of the Connecticut Hospital Association. He holds honorary doctorates from Trinity College, Eastern Connecticut State and Sacred Heart universities
Trinity Academy—a tuition-free, independent & unique elementary school with a kindergarten in Hartford, primarily serving students from Hartford’s neighborhoods that is literally life-changing for its students.
Mark Panico
Board Chair
Senior executive with more than 20 years of experience successfully leading midsize P&Ls both domestically and internationally. A strategic problem solver who thrives on dissecting businesses to identify opportunities for growth, profitability, and leadership development. Currently serves as Chair of the Board for Trinity Academy, a tuition-free elementary school in Hartford, where he provides governance and strategic oversight in support of educational equity and student success.
Barton Darney
Development Director
Barton Darney is the Development Director at Trinity Academy, a tuition-free elementary school in Hartford serving students from historically underserved communities. With over 15 years of experience in nonprofit development and education, Barton leads fundraising strategy, community partnerships, and board engagement, raising more than $500,000 annually to support high-quality academics, innovation, and wraparound services for students. Barton is passionate about building relationships that expand opportunity, strengthen equity in education, and empower young people to thrive.
Biography – Jason Jakubowski
Jason Jakubowski is President & CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, the official Feeding America food bank serving the entire state of Connecticut. With a dedicated team of 120 employees and more than 5,700 volunteers, Connecticut Foodshare distributes more than 40 million meals each year through a statewide network of 600+ pantries and mobile distribution sites. Throughout Jason’s tenure, Connecticut Foodshare has been named a “Top Workplace” seven times by the Hartford Courant and Hearst newspapers; and in 2020, Jason received the prestigious C-Suite Award from the Hartford Business Journal for his organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining Connecticut Foodshare, Jason served as Vice President of External Relations at Hospital for Special Care and he worked as the Director of Corporate & Community Development at Charter Oak State College. Jason holds adjunct faculty appointments at both the University of Connecticut School of Public Policy and Central Connecticut State University’s Department of Political Science.
Jason holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Connecticut, and he is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program. At the age of 21, Jason was elected to the New Britain City Council followed by two terms as City Treasurer. In 2012, he was one of Connecticut’s seven Presidential Electors for Barack Obama.
Jason has chaired the Board of Directors at both Leadership Greater Hartford and Community Health Resources, and he currently chairs Feeding America’s national Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee (PEAC). Jason also serves on the boards of the United Way of Connecticut, the Connecticut Food Association, and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Transition Teams for Governors Ned Lamont (2018) and Dannel P. Malloy (2010), and in 2019 he received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Association of Leadership Programs. In 2021, he received the Polaris Award for Visionary Leadership from Leadership Greater Hartford.
Jason currently lives in West Hartford with his wife and five children. He is slightly obsessed with UConn basketball and the New York Yankees (which have brought him a lot of joy), and with the New York Jets and New York Knicks (which have not).