Economic Development Forum Panelists
Panel 1: Connecting the Dots in Green Economic Development
How can communities strengthen their local economies while modernizing infrastructure, supporting housing, and keeping businesses competitive? In this candid conversation, Connecticut’s leading municipal economic development voices, will discuss how communities are integrating building improvements, energy solutions, and resilience strategies into everyday economic development work.
Expect a practical discussion about what is working, where challenges remain, and how local leaders, funders, and program partners can better align resources to support thriving, affordable, and resilient communities.
Kristen Gorski leads the Economic Development Division for the Town of West Hartford. In her role, she is responsible for business retention and expansion, new business attraction, new development, and small business and entrepreneurial support. Kristen is a liaison between the Town and its businesses and non-profit organizations as well as the real estate and development community. Prior to joining the Town of West Hartford in 2016, she worked at the Bristol Development Authority for the City of Bristol.
A Massachusetts native, Kristen moved to Connecticut in 2015. In Massachusetts, she worked for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the state’s largest regional planning agency whose focus is to promote smart growth and regional collaboration. While at MAPC, she served as a liaison between federal and state agencies as well as local government representatives statewide implementing homeland security planning initiatives. Kristen also assisted with the Cambridge Post-Disaster Recovery for Small Businesses project, working collaboratively with the City of Cambridge, MA and their various business districts. Additionally, she has more than six years of business management experience in the retail sector.
Kristen is a past president of the Connecticut Economic Development Association, which is the statewide association for economic development professionals. She is actively involved with the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce where she serves on the Economic Development Committee and is the Town representative to the Board of Directors. Kristen was recognized as a member of the 2022 Class of the Hartford Business Journal’s prestigious Forty Under 40 as well as the Hartford Business Journal’s 2023 Power Real Estate.
Kristen holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Geography and Regional Planning and a B.S. in Criminal Justice, both from Westfield State University. She is an avid hiker, skier and competitive volleyball player.
As the Executive Director of The Black Business Alliance, Anne-Marie Knight leads bold and intentional efforts to educate, empower, and grow Black-owned businesses through high-impact programs, strategic partnerships, and practical pathways to economic advancement. Her leadership is grounded in measurable change, cultural fluency, and a deep commitment to business excellence. A trusted convener and facilitator, Anne-Marie is widely recognized for guiding organizations through meaningful conversations about race, equity, leadership, and systemic change. She pairs strategic clarity with compassion, helping institutions move beyond aspiration and into decisive action. Anne-Marie is also a seasoned trainer with more than 19 years of experience delivering diversity, equity, and inclusion learning with the Anti-Defamation League. As a Certified Master OASIS in the Overwhelm Stress Expert and Trainer, she integrates mindfulness and human-centered practice into leadership development and culture work. Her workshops have reached more than 8,000 organizations throughout the Northeast. Her civic leadership reflects the same breadth and purpose. She is the Co-Founder of Hope and Healing Homes, Inc. and serves on the State of Connecticut DEEP Energy Efficiency Board as a Commercial & Industrial Committee Member and Chair of the Equity Working Group. She is also the President of the Meriden Historical Society, where she champions the preservation of community memory and legacy
Patrick McMahon serves as the Economic Development Director in his hometown of Windsor where he leads efforts to market the 3,000-acre Day Hill Corporate Area and advances key initiatives such as transit-oriented development in Windsor Center. He previously led the Connecticut Main Street Center, working with more than 100 communities to strengthen downtowns. He spent 15 years in Suffield marketing land by Bradley International Airport and pursuing town center initiatives. He worked on revitalization efforts in Windsor Locks including relocating the Hartford Line train stop back into downtown and the redevelopment of a mill building into 160 mixed-income apartments. He began his career in Windsor focusing on neighborhood and commercial district revitalization. He is a Past President of CEDAS and remains active in regional economic development through the Bradley Development League. He is also a resource to communities seeking to understand Tax Increment Financing as a tool to further economic and community development initiatives.
Cierra Patrick is an economic and community developer from New London CT. Cierra orchestrates the strategic planning, implementation, and investment for local improvements, infrastructure, and community assets for the City of Groton. Cierra earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Hampton University and went on to receive a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Georgetown University. Feeding her curiosity about developing tools for entrepreneurs, bottom-up economic development, and community revitalization. Cierra devises creative approaches to community engagement that encourages participation and collaboration to design and develop Groton City. Cierra’s gift is her ability to engage diverse members of the City’s citizenry in developing and implementing plans/projects that support economic activity, stimulate local excitement, and enhance local quality of life.
Peter Ludwig is a Senior Manager on the Outreach team. In this role, he works with building owners and economic developers to access clean energy and resilience through Green Bank programs.
Prior to the Green Bank, Peter was Director of Energy Efficiency Programs at Elevate Energy, where he developed and led award-winning energy efficiency retrofit programs in affordable housing and commercial nonprofit buildings. These programs delivered energy efficiency improvements to over 35,000 homes and created 500 new jobs over 10 years. Peter was selected as 2014 Young Professional of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers.
Peter received his B.A in Earth and Environmental Studies from Wesleyan University in 1999 and his Master of Environmental Science from the Yale School of the Environment in 2018. At Yale, Peter developed and implemented original master’s research about materials, culture, and the political economy amongst a community of Central Javanese musical instrument makers in Indonesia.
Peter is excited to help the Green Bank fight climate change and increase investment in low- to moderate-income communities across Connecticut.
*moderator
Panel 2: Thinking for the Future
Sustainability is not just an idea, but a practical engine for community strength and economic renewal. Hear from leaders who are transforming buildings, developing financing tools, and thinking at the neighborhood scale to build a more prosperous and equitable Connecticut through clean energy and resilience.
Kevin Bielmeier is serving his second term as President of the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS), and organization he joined in 2016. He served two years as 1st VP and the board since 2021. In 2019, he became the Town of Southbury’s first Economic Development Director. The town achieved Gold Certification for Best Practices in Land Use and Economic Development in 2024.
Previously, Mr. Bielmeier worked for the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) through its transition into AdvanceCT, providing onsite municipal economic development services to the multiple towns throughout the state and serving as staff liaison to the Bradley Development League (BDL).
Prior to CERC, he served as the Economic Development Director for the Town of New Milford where, in two years he converted a school into a community center, helped launch a successful 5,000 SF co-working space, multiple breweries, new restaurants and retail shops, a community art co-op, an affordable housing development and a riverfront development project, while rebranding the town, producing a promotional video, and securing and implementing millions in state funding to remove a contaminated factory and remediate a 72-acre brownfield site.
Kevin’s diverse career path has also included business development, corporate fundraising, video production, cruise directing, and professional acting for stage and screen.
With dual bachelor degrees in Business and Music, he currently is VP of Development for Curtain Call, a year-round nonprofit theatre in Stamford. He is most proud of his long-lasting relationship with his wife Josie, and their two amazing daughters. They live in their dream home by the sea in Lordship.
Robin Sharp is the President & CEO of Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern CT, a nonprofit organization that provides services to Veterans and individuals with disabilities and their families. With over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Robin is a dynamic leader who is passionate about health equity and creating opportunities for people to reach their full potential.
Prior to joining Easterseals, Robin held leadership roles at several nonprofit organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association and the YWCA. She has a proven track record of success in organizational management, fundraising and program development and is committed to building strong partnerships with community organizations and
stakeholders.
Robin holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brandeis University. She has served on the board of directors for multiple non-profit organizations and chambers of commerce. She loves traveling, spending time with family, and is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan
Brenda Watson is the newly appointed Executive Director of The North Hartford Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing equitable social and economic development in the North Hartford Promise Zone. The North Hartford Partnership’s mission is to collaborate with neighborhood residents in efforts to close health, housing and economic opportunity gaps across North Hartford.
Watson’s professional career spans 20 years in the non-profit, municipal, and quasi-government sectors, with a comprehensive focus on equity and a proven track record of driving impactful community development initiatives. Watson is the former CEO of Operation Fuel and currently serves on the Conservation Law Foundation CT Board of Directors, and Connecticut Green Bank Board. Watson has Bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration from Florida Memorial University and a Master’s degree in public policy from Trinity College.
Austin Dziki joined the Green Bank in 2024 as a Senior Manager on the Environmental Infrastructure team where he supports the development and execution of new programs that generate private investments in nature-based solutions, climate resilience, and other environmental infrastructure projects across the state – ensuring that at least 40% of capital deployed benefits vulnerable communities. In his role, he oversees project origination, market development, and partnerships to advance measurable environmental and social impacts.
Prior to joining the Green Bank, Austin served as an Investments Manager at New Forests, a global investment manager of nature-based real assets, where he specialized in climate-smart timberland transactions, carbon strategy, and cross-functional deal execution. Austin takes a science-based approach to finance and program development, drawing from prior experience in ecological research, conservation, ecotourism, and forestry across New England, Latin America, and Africa.
Austin holds a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Vermont.
Alysse Lembo-Buzzelli is Director of Program Development and Origination on the Connecticut Green Bank’s Financing Programs Team.
Alysse joined the Connecticut Green Bank team in 2014. She works primarily on the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program (C-PACE), concentrating on project management, as well as supporting and educating contractors and project developers on how using C-PACE financing can help create new opportunities and grow their businesses. Prior to joining the Green Bank, Alysse was the Residential Sales Manager for a Connecticut-based solar PV installation company where she helped educate homeowners on the environmental and financial benefits of going solar.
Alysse completed her undergraduate studies in Storrs at the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, concentrating in Environmental Conservation. During her time at UCONN, she worked with the Office of Sustainability (formerly the Office of Environmental Policy) on projects such as recycling, food waste reduction, and achieving campus-wide carbon neutrality. She was also the President of the student environmental organization (EcoHusky) that focused on student outreach, education, and awareness of environmental issues.
Alysse also holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Design from the University of Florida, focusing on holistic sustainability approaches for buildings and communities.
Alysse is proud to be a Connecticut Green Building Council Board member, serving as the chair of the IT Task Force. She is also currently serving on the Governor’s Council on Climate Change and holds a G-PRO Certificate for Operations & Maintenance Essentials.
Keynote: The Power of Place-Based Investment in Community Prosperity
Erik Clemons, CEO of ConnCORP, will highlight how ConnCAT, ConnCORP, and the First Haven on Dixwell are reshaping economic opportunity in New Haven. His remarks will focus on how strategic, community rooted investments—spanning education, entrepreneurship, food innovation, and commercial revitalization—can drive inclusive growth. He will share how these initiatives are creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and restoring long disinvested corridors as vibrant hubs of culture and commerce.
Erik Clemons is the founding CEO and President of two New Haven based organizations, the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT), and its sister organization the Connecticut Community Outreach and Revitalization Program (ConnCORP).
ConnCAT, founded in 2011, is a non-profit organization which is dedicated to creating empowering art-based educational environments for underserved students and training programs for under and unemployed adults.
ConnCORP, founded in 2018, was designed to explore and implement opportunities for economic development and investment in New Haven most impoverished communities.
Erik has an extensive background in organizational leadership, and leadership development. For more than two decades. His dedication to supporting Black, Brown and low-income communities throughout the state of Connecticut has led to sweeping changes in the lives of countless young people and early career individuals.
Erik is presently leading a $200MM development project (ConnCAT Place on Dixwell) in the Dixwell community; a historic, Black neighborhood in New Haven.
Additionally, for the past four years Erik has been working with the Boston Federal Reserve Bank; co-creating the Wealth Accelerator—an economic justice initiative aimed to address the racial wealth gap in New Haven CT.
Erik also serves as a lecturer on Social Entrepreneurship, and Fellow at Yale University’s School of Management.
After the death of his wife Sharon (2020), Erik erected the Sharon M. Clemons Butterflies Fund with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to provide grant scholarships for young women at the alma maters of their daughters: Smith College, Tuskegee University, Hampton University and Spelman College. In its first year, Erik raised $1.8 million for the Butterflies Fund.
Erik serves as trustee at New Haven Bank, a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce board member, and a trustee at Quinnipiac University.
Erik holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Master of Arts in Theology and Ethics from the Hartford Seminary, and is currently a Comprehensive Master of Arts in Religion student at Yale Divinity School.
He is also a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters; Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT.