For 2025’s first Conversation at Noon on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, author and educator Jana Laiz, M.Ed. will discuss the life and times of Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman and her co-authored children’s biography, “A Free Woman On God’s Earth” The True Story of Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman, acknowledged by the Trustees of Reservations as the most historically […]
Join us for the Legislative Landmarks series at Connecticut's Old State House featuring geneaologist John Mills. In 1876, Connecticut changed its state constitution, removing the requirement of being white to vote. This change is the culmination of a history of legislation intertwined with the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment and its members, and Connecticut's Old State […]
Join us for an engaging discussion on universal voting and its potential impact on democracy in the United States When it comes to voting, the United States lags behind other democracies, with barely over half of all eligible voters participating in most major elections. The 2024 presidential election saw around 64% of voter turnout, and […]
Matthew LaCoille brings almost ten years of experience in nonprofit leadership, community impact, and fundraising to the Connecticut Democracy Center. As Director of Development, Matthew is focused on cultivating and maintaining partnerships with businesses, foundations and individuals who wish to support our mission to provide people of all ages a lifetime pathway to civic engagement.
Matthew came to The Connecticut Democracy Center from Look Memorial Park in Florence, Massachusetts where he successfully collaborated with the Board Trustees and Development Committee to drive revenue increases in corporate and individual giving. While at Look Park, LaCoille successfully implemented several new programs, including their Community Partners and Low-Income Pass programs, while bringing back many of their popular events post-COVID, including their Summer Celebration Auction and Santa’s Trains. Matthew is credited with the complete rebranding of the park, including its marketing plan and strong integration into the Western Massachusetts community.
Previously to Look Park, Dr. LaCoille worked successfully in academic fundraising for five years, with stops at several educational institutions. He began his career working for baseball legends Bill and Cal Ripken Jr. at Ripkin Baseball.
Matthew currently serves on several boards and committees in the community, including as an Adjunct faculty member and on the Grants and Skookum Awards Committee at Western New England University, his undergraduate alma mater. After completing his business degree at Western New England, Matthew earned his master’s degree from the University of Florida while working full-time at Ripken Baseball.
Matthew continued to earn his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of the Cumberlands in 2023, with significant focuses on nonprofit management, leadership theory, and the change process related to organizational decision-making. He successfully defended his dissertation “Examining the Institutional Enrollment and Philanthropic Effects of Adding Athletic Programs at NCAA Division III New England Colleges & Universities,” published and utilized in several academic research areas.
Brian joined The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) team in 2014 as Head of Education at Connecticut’s Old State House. In this role, he manages the museum’s K-12 school programs and works with a team of educators to create authentic, educational, and participatory experiences that awaken civic engagement and awareness
In 2015, Cofrancesco created Kid Governor®, a statewide civics program for 5th graders which unites CTDC’s mission of teaching civics and history with his personal values of civic participation and engagement. His vision, design and strategic development of the program have resulted in Kid Governor®’s recognition nationally by the National Association of Secretaries of State and the American Association for State and Local History, and the launch of affiliate programs in Oregon and New Hampshire. He currently leads the Connecticut and national Kid Governor® programs.
Prior to CTDC, Cofrancesco worked at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and the University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum of Art. He is active in the museum and heritage communities and has served on the Planning Committee for the Connecticut Museum Educator Roundtable, the board of the Meriden Historical Society, and coordinates a Hartford-based museum networking group. He has served on boards and committees for the Connecticut League of History Organizations, Connecticut Humanities, the Connecticut Society of Genealogists, the Center of Connecticut Regional Tourism District, and Kiwanis International. He is a frequent workshop facilitator and keynote speaker in the museum and community service communities, and delivered a keynote address at the New England Museum Association’s 100th Anniversary Conference.
Cofrancesco holds a Bachelors of Architectural History from the University of Virginia. He is co-editor of Falmouth, Jamaica: Architecture as History (2014, University of the West Indies Press).
Sally leads the Connecticut Democracy Center team at Connecticut’s Old State House. For more than 12 years the team has managed the National Historic Landmark, on behalf of the General Assembly, creating popular school and public programs, tours, exhibitions, the Kid Governor® and Connecticut History Day programs, and a downtown Farmers Market. Every program uses history and civics to help people understand the world and take action on issues that concern them.
In 2015, the New England Museum Association honored Whipple with an Award of Excellence for more than 30 years of innovative, visionary management of museums and museum programs at four historic sites: Connecticut’s Old State House, the Mark Twain and Noah Webster Houses, and the Lebanon Historical Society Museum. She has provided consulting services for 25 Connecticut institutions. In 2004, she consulted as the Education Director for the National Archives’ American Originals exhibit at the University of Hartford’s Museum of American Political Life and as a lead exhibit team member for the accompanying Connecticut Originals exhibit. In 2005, Whipple oversaw the installation and programming of the Smithsonian’s Barn Again! exhibit at the Lebanon Historical Society and created innovative hands-on learning spaces for students and families. Her 1989 exhibition on African Americans in West Hartford, eventually led to West Hartford’s decision to name a school after Bristow, a man once enslaved and then freed in West Hartford.
Successful programming at Connecticut’s Old State House has relied on her leadership and strategic thinking. Her expertise is sought after in the history and museum communities, evidenced by her speaking engagements and roles as past Chair of Connecticut Humanities, past President of the Connecticut League of History Organizations, and board member for Discovering Amistad, Inc., the Coltsville Heritage Partnership, and the Association for the Study of State and Local History. She also serves on the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Civic Health Advisory Group. In addition to a B. A. in History from Seton Hill College and M. A. from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum Studies, Whipple has leadership certificates and a Certificate in Civic Engagement for Historic Sites from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
A New Jersey native, Paul began his journey into professional media production at Seton Hall University’s radio station (WSOU) where he ushered in an era of unprecedented live concert broadcasts from New Jersey and New York nightclubs. His passion for audio production led him to fine tune his craft at a local recording studio where he mastered the art of audio engineering and lent his musical talents to local artists demos.
Paul found new inspiration for bringing audio and video together at a local cable television company in 1989. With an innovators spirit, he leveraged his production sensibilities and created a talent show for local musical artists at Suburban Cablevision. “I quickly learned everything about anything to do with video. I made friends with all the video engineers and found myself rocketing through the technical aspects of television production.” With a new skill set, Paul took over operation of the John H. Stamler Police academy video production studio in 1992 and demonstrated the power of media to law enforcement professionals. Paul wrote and directed policy and tactical training videos, crime scene re-enactments, documentaries, and used the emerging digital video technology to develop his own forensic video enhancement protocols that surpassed those of the FBI academy in Quantico.
After seven years of creating an extensive media library for the law and order community, Paul moved to Connecticut with his wife Kate and found new opportunities with the Connecticut Public Affairs Network where he has served for the last 19 years as a project manager. During his tenure, Paul found ways to bring unprecedented award-winning technical achievements to C-SPAN like coverage of the Connecticut state legislature (Emmy nominated Producer-2015 and Emmy nominated Technical Producer-2012). On November 1, 2018, Paul took the reins of overseeing the management and operations of the Connecticut Television Network where he proudly stewards television coverage of the “people’s house”.
