Panelists and Speakers
Dr. Richard Bachoo has been chief administrative officer of the University since 1998. His responsibilities include Facilities Management, Intercollegiate Athletics, Environmental Health & Safety, Event Management, and University Police. During his tenure, he has overseen the completion of more than $200 million in construction and renovations on the campus. Additionally, CCSU has won three Northeast Conference championships in men's basketball, received NCAA tournament berths for men's basketball, baseball, and women's soccer and sent its men's soccer team to the Final 16. Bachoo created the Office of Environmental Health and Safety to maintain a safe and healthy environment for the University community and surrounding towns. He also initiated the development and implementation of a university-wide sustainability program. Prior to his appointment as Central's CAO, he was the senior policy advisor in the State of Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management (OPM.) In that job, he advised the OPM's secretary and governor's offices on a wide range of management, policy, and budget issues. Previously, he worked for the last three presidents at the University of Connecticut; he was charged with the division's budget and personnel matters. Bachoo earned his BA, MPA and PhD degrees from the University of Connecticut. He lives in West Hartford with his daughter.
Dr. Kirsten Bechtel, MD is a pediatrician at the Yale School of Medicine and an attending physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. In 2008, a car ran a red light at a New Haven Intersection, killing a classmate of her daughter's. Since then, she has been actively involved in community efforts to make streets safer in New Haven and throughout Connecticut. With the Connecticut Livable Streets Coalition she has provided testimony and has helped to draft legislation for Red Light Camera Enforcement and Complete Streets initiatives.
Tim Blumenthal is the President and CEO of Bikes Belong Coalition, the U.S. bicycling industry association dedicated to putting more people on bicycles more often. He has led this growing national organization since September 2004. He also directs the Bikes Belong Foundation, an affiliated 501c3 non-profit group that supports children's bicycling and bike safety projects. Together, the two groups have an annual budget of nearly $5 million, making Bikes Belong one of the world's largest non-profit bicycle organizations. In April 2010, Bikes Belong launched PeopleforBikes.org, an ambitious campaign to unite a million voices to support bicycling in the United States. More than 150,000 Americans have already pledged their support. Blumenthal previously served 11 years as the executive director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Under his leadership, IMBA grew from a single staffer and $60,000 annual budget into the world¹s largest mountain bike advocacy group with a staff of 24 and a budget of $2.1 million. Blumenthal began his cycling work as a journalist, serving as an editor for VeloNews from 1980-84. He later became the managing editor of Mountain Bike Magazine and the racing editor of Bicycling Magazine. He was a top editor/writer at Rodale Press for nearly a decade. Blumenthal has been a TV commentator for more than 35 ESPN and OLN mountain bike programs. He has served as the scriptwriter and consultant for the U.S. network TV cycling coverage of the last seven Summer Olympic Games. He was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2001. He is an Executive Board member of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the America Bikes Coalition.
Kathy Campbell has held a wide spectrum of positions during her 31 year career at Aetna. She is currently Head of Product Engineering, where her focus is to build and operationalize the company's product portfolio. Ms. Campbell works closely with leaders from throughout the Aetna organization, as well as Aetna customers and industry consultants, to ensure that the company's product offerings meet ever-changing constituent needs. Prior to this role, Kathy worked as Sr. Product Manager, responsible for the product development teams supporting Aetna's consumer directed products -- Health Reimbursement Arrangements, Health Savings Accounts, Value Based Insurance Design and Personal Health Record. Ms. Campbell graduated from the University of Connecticut and has a Bachelor of Science in Risk and Insurance. She volunteers as a Wellness Ambassador at Aetna, and is also a certified yoga instructor.
Mary Collins worked for more than 20 years in Washington, D.C. as a freelance writer and editor and taught part-time at Johns Hopkins University's graduate MA in Writing program from 1995 to 2007. She has published three adult nonfiction books, American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture (Capital Books, 2009), The Essential Daughter: Changing Expectations for Girls at Home (Praeger), and National Public Radio (Seven Locks Press.) In 2008 she edited New Models for News for the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs at Louisiana State University, a collection of essays from eight major players in the media industry, including Pulitzer-Prize winner Geneva Overholser and former 60 Minutes producer and founder of the Center for Public Integrity Charles Lewis. Ms. Collins has also written many books for hire for major clients, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Grolier, and McGraw-Hill. In 2003 National Geographic Books published her award-winning young adult biography of the Wright brothers, Airborne: A Photobiography of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Her articles have appeared in The Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post and other major newspapers and magazines. She has won Best Essay of the Year Awards from ASJA and AIW (twice) and earned starred reviews from Kirkus Review, Booklist and the New York Public Library. She is currently a full-time professor of creative nonfiction at Central Connecticut State University.
Karl Dauphinais, MD believes the purpose of medical care is to help one live their life to the fullest by preventing, treating and managing the impact of disease and injury. He has a master's degree in sports medicine and worked in cardiopulmonary rehab and bariatric medicine. After medical school, he completed residency at the Yale Primary Care Internal Medicine program. He went on to treat medically complex and severely debilitated patients at Gaylord Hospital as they worked to regain function. Dr. Dauphinais was born, raised and lives in the Greater Hartford area. He is married and is a 3-time All-American triathlete.
Kathy Eldergill, Esq. has practiced law in Manchester, Connecticut since 1981. She primarily represents plaintiffs in employment matters, civil rights claims and other civil litigation and has special expertise in litigating constitutional claims. Kathleen graduated in 1976 from the University of Connecticut with highest honors and in 1981 from the University Of Connecticut School Of Law with high honors. She is rated AV (the highest possible rating) by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as one of the top lawyers in her field by Super Lawyers, Best Attorneys Network and Best Lawyers in America.
Domenic Forcella is Director of Environmental Health & Safety and Director of Sustainability for Central Connecticut State University. His is a dual role of managing wastes of all kinds with an effort to look for recycling options. He is also responsible for maintaining a safe campus environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Sandra Fry is the Principal Transportation Planner responsible for bicycle, pedestrian and transit planning for the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), where she organized Hartford's monthly Bike to Work events. As a bicyclist and someone who enjoys a good walk, she has a keen interest in improving the safety of our transportation infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians. Sandy is a League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor (LCI #2680.)
Todd Gauvin has been a CT State Trooper for over twelve years, one year at Troop "E" in Montville and ten years at Troop "H" in Hartford. He is currently assigned to the Troop "H" Community Policing Unit and has been for the past four years.
Samuel Gold, AICP is a Senior Planner at the Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley responsible for transit and greenways planning in the thirteen municipality Waterbury region. Sam is heading a regional Naugatuck River Greenway routing study and is a member of Waterbury's Greenway Advisory Committee. He also served on the steering committee for the 2009 Connecticut Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan. Sam came to Connecticut in 2004 from Buffalo where he earned a master degree in urban and regional planning from the State University of New York at Buffalo. As a graduate student he worked on a food security plan to help an inner city neighborhood access affordable and nutritious food. This plan won the client a $250,000 USDA grant for implementation and was recognized with a national best student project award from the American Planning Association. In Buffalo, he also worked at the Regional Institute and completed a master's thesis researching the impact of neighborhood design on children's physical activity. The research results were published in the journal Psychological Science. In his spare time Sam likes to hike, bike, and travel.
Tom Harned is a planner with Milone & MacBroom, Inc. working in the company's transportation and land-use planning office in Branford, CT. A native of New Haven and long-time livable-streets advocate, Mr. Harned has aggressively worked to promote active transportation and improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. Serving on the board of directors of Elm City Cycling, a local cycling advocacy organization, he was the lead author of the group's 2010 City-Wide Bike Plan. In 2009, Mr. Harned was appointed to the City's Complete Streets Committee, taking an active role in the development of the New Haven Complete Streets Design Manual, authoring several sections and providing technical research on a number of topics. Following his work on the Complete Streets Committee, Mr. Harned oversaw the City's most recent Point-in-Time survey, developing a standardized methodology for accurately counting cyclists and pedestrians at high-volume downtown intersections. Mr. Harned earned his Bachelor's of Arts in Geography at McGill University and his Master's of Science in Research, Statistics and Measurement from Southern Connecticut State University.
Tom Kehoe began his second term in the Connecticut General Assembly in January 2009. Previously, he was elected twice to the Glastonbury Town Council. He was first elected in Glastonbury in 2003. Tom has been consistently involved in issues of concern to Glastonbury residents for many years, which include property tax relief, conservation and improving funding for education. In the State Capital, Kehoe has served on committees that address many of these issues directly. As a State Representative, Tom has been able to work effectively with legislative members on both sides of the aisle. After years of legislative attempts to reform the formula for Education Cost Sharing (ECS) to ensure that Towns get their fair share of funding for Education costs, Tom was instrumental in making that happen during his first year at the Legislature, bringing an additional $2.8 million back to Glastonbury over a two year period.
Aurash Khawarzad is an Associate with the Project for Public Spaces and an Urban Planner with a background in sustainable metropolitan planning and public policy. He is passionate about planning communities that foster healthy social and environmental interactions. Aurash is currently working on a number of projects including the FHWA Context Sensitive Solutions Clearinghouse; PPS' "Building Community through Transportation" and "Streets as Places" initiatives; an FTA project that is developing tools for low-income communities to get involved in the transportation planning process; and an NYSDOT transit oriented development training program for communities along the I-287 corridor. Prior to joining PPS, Aurash worked in local government in Northern Virginia, where he assisted local groups in creating livable communities by building affordable housing and alternative modes of transportation including bicycle and transit infrastructure, and advocating for policy that incentivized green building and mixed-use development. Aurash has published the reports Urban Design & Transport Strategies to Reduce Carbon Emissions, which was presented at the Salzburg Congress of Urban Planning and Development in 2008, and the report Farmshoring in Virginia: Domestic Outsourcing Strategies for Linking Urban and Rural Economies in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which detailed the potential of converting existing economic resources into tools for the promotion of sustainable development. This report received a 2007 APA award. He received his M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech University and a B.A. in Urban Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Ken Livingston, AICP, is a principle planner for Fitzgerald & Halliday Planning Consultants in Hartford. Mr. Livingston concentrates much of his professional energy bicycle and pedestrian planning, including policy and program evaluations, network development and physical route planning. He is currently managing the update to Connecticut's Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. He has been involved with the development of regional bicycle plans and conducted numerous bicycle and pedestrian demand analysis studies for regional plans and corridor studies. He has also worked in bicycle routing feasibility studies for on- and off-road bicycle networks. His work has focused on community development issues and the linkage between transportation and "livable communities." Mr. Livingston holds a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science from SUNY, and a B.S. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.
Thomas J. Maziarz has 35 years of experience in transportation planning. He has served for 11 years as the Transportation Director for the Capitol Region Council of Governments in Hartford, where he has put emphasis and priority on developing the region's bike-ped program. He was appointed as Chief of Planning at the CT DOT in February 2010, where Commissioner Parker directed Tom to develop proposals for making DOT policies and practices more supportive of non-motorized forms of travel.
David McCluskey (D-West Hartford) was elected to the Connecticut House of Representative from the 20th Assembly District in 1998. He grew up in West Hartford and attended local public and parochial schools, graduating in 1978 from Conard High School. McCluskey received his Bachelors of Arts Degree with Honors in Political Science from the University of Chicago. He received his Master's Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. From 1986-1988, he was the District Office Manager for New York State Senator Martin Connor. McCluskey was the Director of Public & Political Affairs for the Connecticut State Police Union from 1989-1997. He was the Staff Representative for the University Health Professionals, representing the nurses at UCONN Health Center from 1997-2001. Currently, he is the Education Coordinator for the Connecticut State Employees Association. Among his community service activities, he is a Vice President of the Greater Hartford Labor Council; a member of the Capitol Community College Foundation and a member of the Cornell Club of Greater Hartford.
Jeff McGuane is President of Cycling Sports Group (CSG) North America. Formerly President of CSG International, McGuane was appointed President of CSG North America in March 2009 and is charged with driving the CSG business in North American from its Bethel, Connecticut global headquarters. For the past 15 years McGuane has held positions with Cannondale and CSG in the United States, Japan and Europe. He was appointed President of Cannondale Europe in 2004 and named President of CSG International in August 2008. Under McGuane's leadership, Cannondale Europe experienced a truly exceptional rate of growth and success. McGuane sits on the Board of Directors for Bikes Belong and is a member of the International Mountain Biking Association.
Improving the safety of our streets and the availability of places to ride in Connecticut is a goal McGuane has set for CSG. Advocating for bicyclists by working in conjunction with groups like Bike Walk Connecticut, local bicycle dealers and cyclists will help to create positive change in our state. McGuane is an avid cyclist and enjoys riding for recreation, commuting and with his family.
Paul Melanson is Police Chief in the Town of Farmington. Before that he was with the West Hartford Police Department for 20 years. Three of those years he was a full-time bike cop. He is a Police Cyclist Instructor and teaches classes every year to certify police cyclists. He is also an avid cyclist in his personal time.
Kyle Wiswall is the former General Counsel and Staff Attorney at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. At TSTC, Kyle led efforts to remove the Sheridan Expressway in the Bronx, fight large scale highway expansion in NJ and gain better legal protection for bicyclists and pedestrians in NY, NJ and CT. A resident of Newark, NJ, Kyle co-founded the Brick City Bike Collective, a bicycle advocacy group fighting for safer streets for all users and fostering bike culture in Newark. He is a member of the NYC Bicycle Commuting/Bicycle Parking Task Force and Board Chair of Brick City Bicycles, Inc. in Newark, NJ. Kyle earned his J.D. from the University Of New Mexico School Of Law where he concentrated in environmental and natural resources law. He also holds a B.A. in Religion from Colorado College.