Category: Speaker Announcements (Page 9 of 14)

Bill began his government affairs career by working directly for two Democratic Speakers of the House of Representatives, learning the intricacies of the legislative process from inside this key leadership office. Following service on behalf of the Speaker, Bill entered the private sector and served as the Director of Government Relations for the Connecticut State Dental Society, one of Connecticut’s largest health related associations, and thereafter became associated with a large Hartford lobbying group. During his extensive career as a lobbyist Bill established a strong reputation for being able to accomplish the legislative and administrative goals of his clients. He believes in a bipartisan, leave no stone unturned approach to advocacy in Hartford.

Bill has a wealth of experience within state government and brings these talents to the team at FOCUS Government Affairs. During his five years on the staff of the Speaker, Bill developed strong ties to both parties and learned how to navigate the legislative process in order to achieve the goals of adopting legislation. He served on the staff of Speaker Richard. J Balducci during the fiscal crisis of the early 90’s providing him with a keen understanding of how government can best operate in challenging times.

Mr. Malitsky brings his drive for success and commitment to excellence to the forefront of any challenge. He has a great deal of experience and expertise in crisis management for the clients he represents. Bill has worked on a variety of complex issues such as: insurance, health care, environmental and tax issues, as well as, energy, pharmaceutical, business, education and construction and development issues. Knowledge of the people involved in decision making is a vital role in any lobbying activity. Bill is uniquely able to combine his knowledge of the people involved in State Government with his understanding of the legislative process and provide his clients with a seamless approach to achieving results. He is also a frequent speaker before client groups, providing them insight into the lawmaking process and best preparing them to advocate for their positions.

College

Southern Connecticut State University, BS, 1989

Video of the meeting

Ed’s Presentation

video of presentation

Anthony G. Alessi, MD, is a board-certified, Connecticut neurologist specializing in general neurology, neuromuscular diseases, EMG and sports neurology.

Dr. Alessi is a Clinical Professor of Neurology and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut and is Director of the UConn NeuroSport program. He serves as a consultant to many professional and collegiate sports organizations and was named Ringside Physician of the Year 2009 by the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians for his efforts in making boxing safer.

As CEO and Chairman of Colonial Cooperative Care, Inc., he oversees this physician-owned, Connecticut medical management company and insurance brokerage.

Dr. Alessi’s career in medical journalism includes hosting Healthy Rounds, a weekly medical information program broadcast on WTIC Hartford. His book, Healthy Rounds: A Doctor’s Lessons for a Winning Lifestyle, is a compilation of his weekly columns published in the Norwich Bulletin.

Video of Dr. Alessi’s Presentation

Col. Frank Tantillo, CT Army National Guard

Subject – “CT Guard Status and Activities”

Colonel Frank A. Tantillo is Distance learning student at the United States Army War College, serves in the Connecticut Army National Guard and works as an Attorney for Travelers Ins. Hartford, CT.

He received his commission as an Engineer Officer from Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Early Commissioning Program in 2000. He is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic and Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Airborne School, Mountain School, Sapper School, Command and General Staff College, the Advanced Operation Course, and the United

States Army War College Defense Strategy Course and Defense Planners Course.

He holds a Juris Doctorate Degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law, Hamden Connecticut and a B.A. from Georgetown University, Washington D.C. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal with 1 OLC, the Meritorious Service Medal with 1 OLC, the Army Commendation Medal with 3 OLC, Navy

Commendation, Army, and Air Force Achievement medals the OEF Campaign Medal, the GWOT Expeditionary medal the Parachutist Badge, Ram’s head (MTN School), the Combat Infantryman and Combat Action Badges, and the Sapper Tab.

Presentation video

Lori Riley has been a sportswriter at the Courant for 25 years, covering everything from high school sports to UConn women’s basketball. She went to Rutgers University, and cut her teeth working at the Daily Targum. She also worked at the Times of Trenton and the Asbury Park Press, covering high school, college, the Yankees, Mets, and Giants.

Video: Video of meeting

William Tong is the 25th Attorney General to serve Connecticut since the office was established in 1897. He took office on January 9, 2019 as the first Asian American elected at the statewide level, in Connecticut.

Before his election as Attorney General, Tong served for 12 years in Connecticut’s General Assembly representing the 147th District, which includes North Stamford and Darien. Most recently, Tong served as House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In this position Tong was responsible for all legislation related to constitutional law, criminal law, civil rights, consumer protection, probate, judicial nominations and the Judicial branch, and major areas of substantive law.

During his service in the legislature, Tong helped lead passage of landmark legislation, including the Connecticut Second Chance Act, Domestic Violence Restraining Order Act, Lost and Stolen Firearms Act, the Act Protecting Homeowner Rights, and the Act Protecting Schoolchildren.

A Connecticut native, Tong grew up in the Hartford area and attended schools in West Hartford. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, Brown University, and the University of Chicago Law School. He has practiced law for the last 18 years as a litigator in both state and federal courts, first at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, in New York City and for the past 15 years at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, in Stamford.

Tong is the oldest of five children, and grew up working side-by-side with his immigrant parents in their family’s Chinese restaurant. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Stamford with their three children and too many pets. Elizabeth is Vice President of Tax for North America for Diageo Corporation.

Great turnout – 113 people!

Video recording

Sean Scanlon began his term as Comptroller in 2023, succeeding Natalie Braswell. The son of a police officer and small business owner, Sean attended Guilford public schools and worked his way through high school and Boston College. After graduating, Sean returned to Connecticut with the goal of helping others.

He began working as an aide for U.S. Senator Chris Murphy where he helped the Senator fight for gun safety and better health care, as well as addressing constituent concerns. In Guilford, he worked with neighbors to organize successful grassroots campaigns to build a new high school and institute a full-day kindergarten.

In 2014, Sean was elected State Representative for Connecticut’s 98th District. In the House, Sean became a champion for health care reform, a passion rooted in his own life experiences coming from a family that was often uninsured or underinsured. As chairman of the legislature’s Insurance Committee, Sean wrote and passed legislation protecting people with pre-existing conditions from insurance discrimination, established the lowest monthly co-pay cap for insulin in the nation at $25, prevented insurance companies from covering mental health differently than physical health, required health insurance plans to cover ten “Essential Health Benefits,” and created Connecticut’s first prescription drug price transparency law. During his fourth and final term, Sean served as Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee where he led the fight to create tax relief for working families like the one he grew up in and worked with Governor Lamont to pass the largest tax cut in state history.

Outside of the legislature, Sean previously served as Executive Director of Tweed-New Haven Airport, where he secured a $100 million public-private investment deal, brought in a new air carrier, and created over 100 new community jobs. Sean lives in Guilford with his wife Meghan, who is the President & CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, their two young sons Jack and Declan, and their dog Delaney.

Meeting recording: Sean Scanlon 3-19-24

Video of his presentation: video

I serve as the President of Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (HIU), a dynamic institution of higher education. At HIU we take the word “for” in our name seriously. It is an action word. We believe that religion and peace are not only intertwined but dependent upon each other.

Professionally, I am first and foremost a scholar of religion, and have made contributions to my field and won awards for some of my published work. My areas of expertise are Jewish-Christian Relations, Interreligious Dialogue, and the Hebrew Bible. I have published 11 books with academic presses like Oxford University Press, Brill, Purdue University Press, and Eisenbrauns, as well as popular presses such as Oneworld, Zondervan, Baker Academic, Eerdmans, and Abingdon. My first monograph, Chosen and Unchosen: Conceptions of Election in the Pentateuch and Jewish-Christian Interpretation, was awarded the R. B. Y. Scott Award by the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies for “outstanding book in the areas of Hebrew Bible and/or the Ancient Near East.” My uniquely tri-authored book, The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible: Understanding Jewish and Christian Scriptures, was awarded the CHOICE Magazine Outstanding Academic Title award for 2014. I have also published peer reviewed journal articles in the Journal of Biblical Literature, Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Horizons in Biblical Theology, and Journal of Interreligious Studies, among others. I am a member of Phi Kappa Phi.

Away from work, I am a husband, father, bodysurfer, snowboarder, hop-forward west coast IPA taster, spicy Indian food lover, and dedicated user of the Oxford comma. Perhaps more importantly, I am a fan of “the big four.” Those who know what that means, know what that means. In the 1990s I attended concerts of all four, and consider myself one of the lucky ones to have caught the Clash of the Titans tour during the summer of 1991, in Toronto.

Meeting video