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In announcing Erin’s appointment last August as executive director of the DCA, the board described Erin as a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in the development of business and brand strategies, digital and communication plans, and integrated campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized and most well-loved brands. Those brands included Nike, ESPN, American Express and Pepsi. She has brought her vision and experience to bear on revitalizing the DCA for a new era.
Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives where he is serving his eighth term. He serves as Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and on the House Financial Services Committee.
Jim grew up as the child of a single working mom in a small town. As a member of Congress, Jim works hard to provide all American children the same opportunities he had to succeed: access to a first-rate public school, affordable and effective health care, a decent and safe home, and a supportive community.
Born in Lima, Peru in 1966 to American parents, he spent the early years of his childhood in Peru and Colombia while his father worked for the Ford Foundation and UNICEF. As an American abroad, Jim grew up fluent in both Spanish and English and was raised with an awareness of the unique position of the United States in the world. At the age of ten, Jim moved with his mother and sisters to the United States.
Jim graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School and then attended Harvard University. After completing his undergraduate work, Jim earned a Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled him to attend Oxford University in England where he continued his studies of Latin America, including research in El Salvador.
Prior to his service in Congress, Jim ran the New York City branch of The Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of urban poverty. Jim’s team led the way in financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York metropolitan region, often using new green technologies to achieve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs.
Jim’s experience at Enterprise spurred his involvement in politics. Putting his expertise in affordable housing to work, Jim served as a Commissioner of the Greenwich Housing Authority, ultimately chairing the board and leading it through a much-needed program of reforms. Jim went on to become an elected member of his town’s finance board, setting tax and budget policy for Greenwich. Jim has also served as Chair of his local Democratic Town Committee, organizing others in the community to become more active in the political process.
Jim began his professional career at Goldman Sachs & Co. where he worked his way up to Vice President over the course of a 12-year career. He worked extensively in Latin America and headed the bank’s telecommunications technology group there. Jim and his wife Mary live in Greenwich (with not frequent enough visits from their daughters Emma and Linley).
Bruce Putterman is CT Mirror’s publisher and CEO, responsible for the strategic direction of the organization, revenue generation, product innovation, reader engagement, and all business operations.
Before joining CT Mirror in 2017 Bruce owned and operated a West Hartford-based consulting practice for 16 years, providing strategic planning and marketing services to more than 50 nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, public agencies, private equity firms, and other for-profit clients. His interest in journalism dates back to his college years when he worked in commercial radio and TV news. Bruce served as an elected member of the West Hartford Board of Education from 2003 through 2015, including three years as chair of the board.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in History and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Cornell University.
Arranged by Charles Salmans
Local author Tim Manners will give a special talk about his book, Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero (University of Nebraska Press). Manners, who was a recent guest speaker at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., co-authored the book with Waite “Schoolboy” Hoyt, using a trove of records and writings from Hoyt, who passed away in 1984. Hoyt’s improbable baseball journey began when the 1915 New York Giants signed him as a high school junior, for no pay and a five-dollar bonus. After nearly having both his hands amputated and cavorting with men twice his age in the hardscrabble Minor Leagues, he somehow ended up as the best pitcher for the New York Yankees and teammate with such legends as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. You don’t have to be a fan of baseball to be fascinated by Hoyt’s astonishing life story!
Tim Manners is a writer, communications consultant and baseball fan. A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University with a BA in history, he is a former FM-radio disc jockey, publicist and magazine publisher. Currently an essay specialist with The Manners Group, he is co-author of “Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero” (2024) with baseball great Waite Hoyt (University of Nebraska Press) and “Relevance: Making Stuff That Matters” (2008), published by Penguin/Portfolio.
Arranged by Frank DeLeo
One of the basic premises of the Bystander Initiative is that there is an entire systemic framework around sexual and other abuse, which Guiora has labelled the ecosystem. Guiora’s work focuses on bystanders – individuals who witness the crime – and enablers – individuals and institutions who are in positions to prevent the crime but do not do so. He has previously written books about bystander and enabler complicity in the Holocaust and in sexual abuse in USA Gymnastics and other athletic programs.
Amos N. Guiora is Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, the University of Utah. He is a Distinguished Fellow at The Consortium for the Research and Study of Holocaust and the Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Distinguished Fellow and Counselor at the International Center for Conflict Resolution, Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Professor Guiora is on the Board of the Lauren McClusky Foundation.
For the past 10 years Guiora has been researching-writing-lecturing on the question of bystanders (originally in the Holocaust) resulting in his books, The Crime of Complicity: The Bystander in the Holocaust and Armies of Enablers:Survivor Stories of Complicity and Betrayal in Sexual Assaults.
Professor Guiora’s most recent article, Holding Enablers of Child Sexual Abuse Accountable: The Case of Jeremy Bell, addresses the role of enablers in sexual assault of children.
Professor Guiora Directs the SJ Quinney College of Law Bystander Initiative, a publicly funded student-staffed initiative.
Professor Guiora has an A.B. in history from Kenyon College, a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and a Ph.D. from Leiden University.
Learn more about contributing to the Bystander Initiative’s work.
Additional information on the Bystander Initiative:
Person to Person
Person to Person (P2P) supports families and individuals as they move toward stability with healthy food, clothing, housing assistance, and a path to economic opportunity.
Each person P2P has the opportunity to serve has a unique story. Whether it’s a single mother struggling to work enough hours to provide for herself and her children, an elderly man living alone on disability, or a young family looking for guidance to navigate housing expenses in Fairfield County, each person has a unique reason for calling on P2P and P2P is there to serve them all, no questions asked.
Nancy Coughlin, CEO, Person to Person
Nancy joined Person to Person in June of 2019, bringing expertise and experience in food insecurity, anti-poverty, and women’s and children’s issues. Prior to joining P2P, Nancy served for seven years as the Executive Director at Neighbor to Neighbor, a Greenwich-based organization dedicated to providing food and clothing to low-income families and children, and prior to that, practiced employment litigation with Baker McKenzie in NYC.
Nancy received a BA in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and a J.D. from the Suffolk University Law School.
Arranged by Alex Garnett
Connecticut, as we all know, is actually a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Yet only half of Connecticut residents said they were proud of the state in a recent survey, even though 73% felt it was a good place to live. Part of the challenge is that Connecticut has not defined itself around its resources and attributes; there are few who can describe what’s wonderful about our state and those in Fairfield County might see it merely as a suburb of New York. Governor Lamont is determined to change that so that people know better what makes Connecticut special.
Anthony M. Anthony is an executive marketing and communications professional currently serving as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the State of Connecticut. As the first CMO, he oversees the newly created Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism, working tirelessly to shape and promote a compelling narrative about Connecticut as an exceptional place to live, work, and play.
Previously, Anthony served as the Special Advisor and Communications Director to Governor Ned Lamont, where his storytelling skills and strategic guidance contributed to Governor Lamont’s high approval ratings.
Anthony’s expertise was built over the years in the private sector as a creative director and strategist at boutique brand communications agencies in New York City guiding Fortune 500 brands across the tech, media, consumer packaged goods, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Anthony enjoys a good cup of coffee, cooking for his wife and two children, and voraciously consuming pop-culture from the last 70 years.
Aaron Cooper has dedicated his career to pre-k through grade 9 independent school education. He has been a teacher, coach, advisor, and administrator for the last 22 years. Aaron Cooper joined New Canaan Country School in July 2018.
Aaron earned an Ed.M. in Private School Leadership and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University; he received his B.A. in the Growth and Structure of Cities from Haverford College, and a diploma from Groton School.
Juliet Cain is a cofounder of the Darien Pollinator Pathway with Deepika Saksena. The DPP seeks, through events and publications as well as through advocacy at the state and local levels, to help eliminate the use of pesticides in our yards and public spaces and to restore pollinator populations with native plantings. As former Chair of the Darien Beautification Commission, Juliet spearheaded the native plantings on the slopes at the Darien Town Hall.
Darien Pollinator Pathways is a part of a larger undertaking to create a corridor of adjacent properties—private residences and public spaces—that provide safe habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other insects. The goal is to make Darien one big pollinator pathway with private, commercial and municipal spaces being pesticide free and hosting native plants. Native plants, as opposed to invasives, are plants that existed before Europeans arrived. These plants will be more resilient, low-maintenance and healthy choices for gardens, and will support native insects and birds—enhancing our natural ecosystems.
Juliet has been a resident of Darien for almost 20 years. Since retiring from the practice of law in New York City, she has focused on environmental issues. She served on the Policy on Resilient Forests for CT’s Future (the PRFCT Future) working group 2021-2022 and on the CT GC3 Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry working group in 2022. She was Chair of the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of Darien and Zone Representative for the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of America 2020-2022. As former Chair of the Darien Beautification Commission, Juliet spearheaded the native plantings on the slopes at the Darien Town Hall. Juliet is also an accredited organic land care professional certified by CT Northeast Organic Farming Association and an Adviser to the Darien Land Trust.
Even while veterans are often welcomed home from combat tours as heroes, they also may encounter long term neglect in health care, disorientation and PTSD, and even homelessness. This presentation will address these challenges, their scale, their conditions, and programs that seek to address them.
Brigadier General, (Ret.), USA, Ronald P. “Ron” Welch is the Connecticut Commissioner of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs. Ron enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 22, 1978, and served on active duty with the 2 Ranger Battalion of the 75 Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis Washington. During his active-duty service, he attained the rank of sergeant and completed Basic Airborne School, Ranger School, Jungle Warfare Course, USMC Amphibious Recon Scout Swimmer Course, Jumpmaster Course, Primary Non-Commission Officer Course, USMC Scout Sniper Course, Emergency Medical Technician Course, Special Operations and Tactics Course, and the Pathfinder School. On May 4, 1981, he sustained serious injuries during a line of duty parachute accident. He left active service after completing his tour of duty on October 2, 1982.
He returned home and joined the Connecticut National Guard and eventually attended Officer Candidate School and on August 11, 1984, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. He then served full-time in numerous positions in the Connecticut National Guard’s Infantry units as a rifle platoon leader, company commander, and various staff positions. He was promoted to Colonel on October 1, 2004, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2005 to 2006 as a senior American advisor to an Afghan National Army, Infantry Brigade located in Eastern Afghanistan, providing training, advice, and conducting combat operations.
He retired from military service in 2017. Following his retirement, General Welch sought opportunities to provide support for veterans and active-duty service members and families, and he accepted a position as Vice President of Military and Family Services for Veterans Rally Point with Easterseals Capital Region and Eastern Connecticut, a nonprofit organization that provides expanded access to healthcare, education, and employment opportunities for those with disabilities and the veteran population.
Brigadier General Welch is a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 and a Master of Science degree in organizational management in 2007. He also earned a Master of Strategic Studies in 2011 from the U.S. Army War College.
He resides in southeastern Connecticut. His oldest son Stephen is a combat veteran with three tours. He is a full-time Physician Assistant for the CT National Guard, previously serving in the ED at Yale, a daughter Katherine is attending Quinnipiac University in the Occupational Therapy master’s program. And his youngest son Ethan is entering his senior year at Pennsylvania State University majoring in Public Health.
Summary
Brigadier General (Ret.) Ron Welch, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, provided a thoughtful and comprehensivel presentation in Darien, outlining the state’s history, current initiatives, and pressing needs in caring for its veterans.
Welch opened by highlighting Connecticut’s unique role in veterans’ history, noting that the nation’s first veterans’ home and hospital were founded in Darien in 1864 by philanthropist Benjamin Fitch. That legacy lives on today in the Shady Grove cemetary in Darien (the first veterans cemetary in our history) and the Connecticut Veterans Home now in Rocky Hill—a 92-acre campus with 40 buildings, 1.5 miles of tunnels, and a five-star rated healthcare facility. The Rocky Hill campus also includes dormitory housing and family homes for women veterans and their children.
A decorated veteran himself, Welch served with the 75th Ranger Regiment and later as a senior American advisor to the Afghan National Army. After retiring, he led efforts at Veterans Rally Point, helping veterans reintegrate through healthcare access, employment training, and education. His personal connection to public service is reflected in his children’s careers—his son is a flight surgeon with the Connecticut National Guard, his daughter is an occupational therapist, and his youngest is pursuing a Ph.D. in epidemiology.
Welch explained that Connecticut is home to roughly 150,000 veterans, with over 80% over the age of 60. This aging population requires increasing support in healthcare, housing, and advocacy. The DVA’s four core missions include skilled nursing care, residential services, advocacy and assistance, and cemetery and memorial services. The department also supports family housing, with five houses on campus currently occupied by single mothers and their children.
Among the DVA’s top priorities are expanding housing, upgrading electronic medical records, enhancing website accessibility, realigning budgets, and increasing outreach. Welch emphasized the importance of local Municipal Veterans Representatives—trained volunteers who serve as the first point of contact for veterans in their towns, helping them connect to services and benefits.
He also discussed the importance of Connecticut’s certified Veterans Service Officers, who have generated $199 million in direct benefits for veterans. Welch is advocating for more service officers in underserved areas, particularly the northeast and northwest corners of the state.
Cemetery services remain a focus, with Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien long at capacity and a growing need for expanded burial space. While efforts to acquire new land in Middletown were recently blocked, the department is actively seeking alternative sites and already has state bond funding secured for the expansion.
Mental health and suicide prevention were a central theme in Welch’s remarks. Since 9/11, more than 120,000 veterans have died by suicide—double the number of names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Welch emphasized that social isolation, substance abuse, and mental injury are common threads in these tragedies. He urged veterans and their families to reach out for help, referencing the importance of confidential therapy, peer support groups, and strategies such as removing ammunition or using gun locks to reduce impulsive actions. “Suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems,” he said. And he highlighted the need to distract a troubled veteran for 5-8 seconds when they are considering harming themselves in order to give them time understand the consequences of what they are planning.
Welch shared efforts under the Governors’ Challenge, a national initiative to reduce veteran suicide. He also highlighted new approaches to mental health, including peer meetups and emerging therapies like psychedelic-assisted treatment, which is currently being studied. He stressed the effectiveness of group sessions that blend casual conversation, shared activities, and emotional connection.
While traditional veterans’ organizations such as the VFW and American Legion have seen declining membership, Welch noted that younger veterans are engaging in different ways. Events like Irreverent Warriors hikes and “Hike to Remember” ruck marches offer camaraderie and purpose. These modern gatherings, he said, help veterans reconnect and begin to process their experiences in healthier ways.
In response to an audience question, Welch acknowledged the strong partnership between Connecticut’s state and federal VA systems. He praised the care provided at West Haven and Newington facilities, which are affiliated with Yale and UConn medical programs. Despite national budget uncertainty, he assured attendees that veterans’ healthcare and benefits remain protected.
Welch closed by returning to the local history. He spoke about the statue originally placed in Darien, now relocated to Rocky Hill, depicting a Civil War officer comforting a young girl—symbolizing the enduring costs of service and the need to care for veterans and their families.
In presenting a commemorative coin to a local host, Welch thanked the community for its continued support. “We owe our veterans more than words,” he said. “We owe them a life of dignity, opportunity, and care.”
Dr. Joseph W. Polisi was president of the Juilliard School for 34 years from 1984-2018 and is now president emeritus and chief China officer of the School. Through his experiences at Juilliard and Lincoln Center, Polisi creates in his book a complex tableau which traces the idealistic and determined efforts by John D. Rockefeller, 3rd and his colleagues to create a unique environment where the most prominent performing arts institutions in New York City would be brought together at a venue named Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Through readings and historic photos, Polisi will guide members through the Center’s history from late 1955 to the present day, pointing out the involvement of such artists, architects and politicians as Leonard Bernstein, Beverly Sills, Robert, Moses, Philip Johnson, and many others and reflect on the current status of Lincoln Center as it shifts away from classical programming in favor of genres like pop, hip-hop, social dance, and comedy.
Upon stepping down from his role as president of Juilliard, Polish became Chief China Officer, supervising the overall development of The Tianjin Juilliard School in Tianjin, China. Opened in fall 2020, Tianjin Juilliard offers audition-based programs on pre-college and graduate levels. The graduate school program is taught in English and offers a USA-accredited master’s degree from The Juilliard School. There are also public programs for adult learning and instrumental training, as well as an innovative learning environment, Juilliard Imagination, featuring interactive exhibitions for adults and children.
Polisi is an accomplished bassoonist who has performed throughout the USA, produced several recordings, and released a solo album of twentieth-century bassoon music for Crystal Records. He has published many scholarly and educational articles and frequently speaks about arts and education. He has authored three books The Artist as Citizen (2005), a collection of articles and speeches concerning the role of performing artists as leaders and communicators of human values; and American Muse: The Life and Times of William Schuman (2008), the first full-length biography of Schuman. Both are published by Amadeus Press. Polisi’s third book, Beacon to the World: A History of Lincoln Center, was published by Yale University Press in June of 2022.
Before Juilliard, Polisi was dean of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, dean of faculty at Manhattan School of Music, and executive officer of Yale University School of Music. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has been awarded ten honorary doctorates and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
–Summary
What began as a Cold War-era dream to elevate America’s cultural standing has, over six decades, become one of the most iconic performing arts institutions in the world. Dr. Joseph Polisi, President Emeritus of The Juilliard School and author of Beacon to the World, recounted the complex and colorful history of Lincoln Center in a sweeping presentation that spanned its political inception, architectural misfires, artistic triumphs, and cultural transformations.
At the heart of the story is John D. Rockefeller III, who envisioned Lincoln Center as a “beacon to the world.” In the 1950s, Rockefeller and a group of business leaders began planning a center that would unify opera, dance, theater, and music—a first of its kind—as a means of complementing the US atrength in economics, politics, and the military with global leadership in culture.
The location—16 acres on Manhattan’s Upper West Side—was cleared through Robert Moses’ urban renewal program, displacing thousands in what remains a deeply controversial chapter. Moses, a champion of automobile-centric infrastructure, imagined Lincoln Center as a cultural destination surrounded by parking lots. That vision quickly evolved as the area gentrified and grew around it.
The construction of Lincoln Center was monumental. It cost $185 million (over $2 billion today) and brought together “star” architects like Wallace Harrison (Metropolitan Opera), Philip Johnson (State Theater), and Eero Saarinen (Drama Theater). But it wasn’t always smooth. Philharmonic Hall, now David Geffen Hall, opened in 1962 to acoustic disaster. The Cleveland Orchestra’s George Szell famously told officials to “tear it down.” Over the decades, the hall underwent six costly renovations, culminating in a 2022 overhaul praised for dramatically improved sound and design.
Lincoln Center is home to 11 constituents, including The Juilliard School, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Ballet. But it has also been a battleground. Artistic rivalries, political wrangling, and high-stakes power plays shaped its development.
Lincoln Center’s public art installations—by the likes of Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, and Henry Moore—were not without controversy either. Bureaucratic resistance and artistic boldness clashed, especially when Lincoln Kirstein smuggled massive sculptures into the State Theater before they could be vetoed.
Today, the institution faces new challenges. The pandemic disrupted attendance patterns and the digital era has redefined how people engage with classical music. The average age of concertgoers is rising. Lincoln Center Inc., once a major presenter of classical music, has pivoted toward hip-hop, comedy, and social dance in an effort to diversify its audience—a move that has drawn criticism from traditionalists like Polisi, who urged a return to artistic excellence over political trendiness.
Meanwhile, abroad, Polisi has been leading the Tianjin Juilliard School in China, where classical music is booming. With tens of millions of children studying piano, China today mirrors the United States of the 1930s in its enthusiasm for the Western canon—an irony not lost on the former Juilliard president.
Lincoln Center remains a living institution—one that, for all its imperfections and politics, continues to shape and reflect American cultural life. As Polisi concluded, “Art doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. It just has to be true.”