Connecticut Democracy Center Honors Champions of Democracy

Photo Caption: The Connecticut Democracy Center honored Theresa Hopkins-Staten of Eversource Energy; JoAnn H. Price of Fairview Capital Partners, Inc,. and Patricia Russo of The Campaign School at Yale University for strengthening democracy through acts of citizenship, service, and community engagement.

(HARTFORD, CONN) – The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) recently celebrated those committed to strengthening democracy through acts of citizenship, service, and community engagement at the third annual Connecticut Democracy Center Awards at Connecticut’s Old Statehouse. This year, the 2026 CTDC Community Leader Award was presented to Patricia Russo, Executive Director, The Campaign School at Yale University. Theresa Hopkins-Staten, President of the Eversource Energy Foundation and Vice President of Community Partnership and Engagement, took the stage to accept the CTDC Business Leader Award in recognition of the Eversource Energy Pro-Equity Advisory Team. JoAnn H. Price, Co-Founder of Fairview Capital Partners, Inc., was also honored with the Mary C. Gawlicki Philanthropic Leader Award.

As a leader in civics education, The Connecticut Democracy Center brings people of all ages together through programming that empowers them to prioritize productive civic engagement. “These awards not only recognize civic achievement but celebrate leading by example,” said Paul Skaff, President and CEO of the Connecticut Democracy Center. “This year’s honorees embody what it means to live out our democratic values—showing us that democracy is not something we simply have, but something we actively do. Their leadership challenges each of us to step forward, stay engaged, and take responsibility for the health of our communities.”

The awards celebration recognizes Connecticut community, business, and philanthropic leaders who represent the best of that engagement and whose stories encourage others to do the same. “Each year we have honored principled individuals and corporations committed to serving Connecticut communities creating a positive impact,” says Board Chair, Terryl Mitchell Smith. “What is exciting for me is knowing we have just scratched the surface of revealing this type of exceptionalism in the state” The ceremony included an inspirational, non-partisan conversation with award recipients talking about the importance of their work and its impact on government, democracy, and social issues.

CTDC COMMUNITY LEADER AWARD:
Patricia Russo, Executive Director, The Campaign School at Yale University
For over thirty-five years, Patricia has held leadership positions centered on women’s equity. As Executive Director of The Campaign School at Yale University, Patricia oversees the nonpartisan, issue-neutral leadership program whose mission is to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. She has worked on federal, state, and local political campaigns for both Democratic and Republican candidates and served more than two decades on Connecticut’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, eight of them as Chair. Patricia is part of the national leadership team of Political Parity, a bipartisan initiative dedicated to increasing the number
of women in elected office, and is a member of the Advisory Board for Republican Women
for Progress.

CTDC BUSINESS LEADER AWARD:
Eversource Energy, in recognition of the work of its Pro-Equity Advisory Team

The Eversource Energy Pro-Equity Advisory Team (PEAT) was established in 2021 under the leadership of Theresa Hopkins-Staten, President of Eversource Energy Foundation and Vice President, Community Partnership and Engagement. PEAT’s mission is to incorporate equity into all company decision-making policies and practices, and to drive fair and equitable outcomes for their communities and customers, particularly those that have been historically underserved, under-resourced, and environmentally overburdened. Under the guidance of the PEAT, Eversource now offers Equity Fundamentals Training to educate employees and provide them with the tools and resources they need to improve communication between customers and community partners, and to design accessible programs to better meet the needs of the communities in which they serve.

MARY C. GAWLICKI PHILANTHROPIC LEADER AWARD:
JoAnn H. Price, Co-Founder of Fairview Capital Partners, Inc.
JoAnn H. Price has dedicated her career to building dynamic relationships for institutional investors, providing unparalleled access across the most compelling segments of the private markets. She is a member of Fairview’s investment committee and manager of all Fairview-sponsored funds. She currently serves on the Howard University School of Business Board of Visitors, the YMCA of Greater Hartford Board of Trustees, the Wilson-Gray YMCA Board of Advisors, and on the Amistad Center for Art & Culture Board of Trustees. She also serves on the boards of the Apollo Theater Foundation in New York City, Trinity Health of New England, and 4-CT. JoAnn also recently completed her term as Chairperson of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which was recently renamed the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation.

The Mary C. Gawlicki Philanthropic Leader Award was established in 2023 to celebrate the service of Mary Gawlicki, who served on the Connecticut Democracy Center Board of Directors from 2018 to 2023. As co-founders of Corporate Translations Inc. (CTi), Mary and her husband, Ted Gawlicki, launched the Gawlicki Family Foundation in 2012 to offer grants to Connecticut and Northeast U.S.-based non-profits committed to transformative change in education, pulmonary health, and municipal and economic development.

The Connecticut Democracy Center provides people a lifetime pathway to take civic action in their communities through ground-breaking and immersive civics and history programs such as Kid Governor^®, Connecticut History Day^®, We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution, and Project Citizen. CTDC also manages Connecticut’s Old State House in partnership with the Connecticut General Assembly to provide a unique setting for civic exploration. Exhibits, workshops, and events bring together civic experts, educators, historians, public figures, and the public for timely, nonpartisan conversations to explore historical and modern-day perspectives on government, democracy, and social issues.

Originally founded in 1998 to launch Connecticut Network (CT-N) in partnership with the Connecticut General Assembly, The Connecticut Democracy Center continues to manage the 24-hour cable TV and streaming service along with its civic education programming. CT-N is considered the state’s source for complete and balanced coverage of Connecticut state government and public policy.

For more information on The Connecticut Democracy Center and the Connecticut Democracy Center Awards, please visit ctdemocracycenter.org.

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 The mission of the Connecticut Democracy Center is to inspire people of all ages to engage in civic life and strengthen their communities. We envision a society where everyone is empowered to participate in our democracy. With an entire family of civic education and engagement programs, CTDC provides audiences of all ages with the information and skills needed to be effective modern citizens