Connecticut Data Conference May 4 to Focus on Current Data Gaps

Bridge The Data Gap, a day-long, in-person conference coordinated by the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData), will focus on exploring existing data gaps that may be hindering organizations’ work or keeping Connecticut from creating a place where everyone can thrive.

Keynote speaker Natalie Evans Harris, executive director of the Black Wealth Data Center, will discuss how to empower decision-makers with reliable data and raise the national standard for data collection and accessibility, including an exploration of their comprehensive repository for Black wealth data.

An impressive roster of 24 outstanding presenters during the CTData Conference will include experts from Connecticut nonprofit organizations, businesses and agencies highlighting critical data issues and opportunities, locally and nationally.

“This is the most comprehensive and most diverse conference in our history, because data has never been more important to a broad range of organizations, in government and the private sector. Data literacy is only the beginning, and the breadth of data tools and industries in which data-informed decisions are essential continues to expand,” said CTData Executive Director Michelle Riordan-Nold. “We’re looking forward to dynamic discussions and sharing valuable information throughout our sessions.”

The conference will take place on Thursday, May 4, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Sheraton Hartford South in Rocky Hill. Check-in starts at 8:00 am; space is limited and advance registration is recommended at www.ctdata.org. The conference is free of charge.

Natalie Evans Harris has two decades of experience advancing the public sector’s strategic use of data, including 16 years at the National Security Agency, where she led an analytics development center and was a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration. Most recently, she has been a Senior Advisor for Delivery for the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Biden administration.

During the conference closing plenary session, CTData/Census State Data Center staff will share helpful information about population estimates, changes from counties to county equivalencies, and what data users need to know regarding the use of census race and ethnicity data over time. During the conference, CTData staff will also share new ways to use existing data tools and highlight a range of free tools that can help organizations in their data work.

Throughout the day, session topics will include Challenges & Changes to Measuring Race and Ethnicity; Early Childhood Data Gaps in Connecticut; Black Business Ownership and Data Gaps; Census Data and Data Tools; Accurate Representation in Race & Ethnicity Data Collection; and Using Data to Promote Anti-Racist Policies.

Among the conference presenters are Samaila Adelaiye, Research & Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices; Harry Amadasun Jr., Data Team Lead, Manager, Data Analytics & Quality Improvement at The Village for Families & Children; Ken Barone, Project Manager, Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project; Kate Breslin, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Data and Policy Analytics, Connecticut Office of Policy and Management; Jason Oliver Chang, Director of Asian and Asian American Studies and Associate Professor of History, UConn College of Liberal Arts and Science.

Sessions will also be led by Carline Charmelus, Collective Impact & Equity Manager, Partnership for Strong Communities; Ayesha R. Clarke, Interim Executive Director, Health Equity Solutions; Rosana Ferraro, Program Lead for Health Justice Policy Advocacy, Universal Healthcare Foundation; Scott Gaul, Chief Data Officer, Data and Policy Analytics, Connecticut Office of Policy and Management; Steffany Gomes, Graduate Assistant, DMHAS Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics (CPES), MPH Candidate, UConn Health, Department of Public Health Sciences; and Alfredo Herrera, Geographic Information Officer, Data and Policy Analytics, Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

"For two decades, I've been working in the public and private sectors to bridge data gaps, fueled by the belief that better data will lead to better policies and more opportunities for all people," said Natalie Evans Harris, Executive Director of the Black Wealth Data Center. "I'm excited to share the lessons I've learned about data collection and accessibility and to explore the work I'm now leading to leverage actionable data and advance racial wealth equity."

Presenters at the CTData Conference also include: Celeste Jorge, Epidemiologist, CT Department of Public Health; David Kraiker, Data Dissemination Specialist, US Census Bureau; Alana Kroeber, Senior Director, United Way of Connecticut/211; Barbara Lopez, Executive Director, Make the Road Connecticut; Fawatih Mohamed-Abouh, Health Equity Epidemiologist, Yale New Haven Health; and Onyeka Obiocha, Executive Director, CTNext.

“As CTNext continues to deploy capital and technical assistance to support Black entrepreneurs, data plays an increasingly important role,” said CTNext Executive Director Onyeka Obiocha. “The Bridge the Data Gap conference is crucial in helping decision-makers reimagine their ability to use a data informed approached to learn, process, and ultimately improve the deployment of resources in a more equitable manner.”

Additional aspects of the “Bridge the Data Gap” Conference will be led by Yaprak Onat, Assistant Director of Research, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation; Julian Pierce, Director, Economic Opportunity, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation; Luc Schuster, Executive Director, Boston Indicators; Susan R. Smith, Director, Business Intelligence + Analytics, CT Department of Social Services; Lynn Stoddard, Executive Director, Sustainable CT; Bethanne Vergean, Early Childhood Project Coordinator, UConn Health Public Health; and Pauline Zaldonis, Open Data Coordinator, Data and Policy Analytics, Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

Conference lead sponsors include NOVUS Insight, M&T Bank, Open Communities Alliance, The Charter Oak Group, UConn Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, and the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, with additional support provided by nearly a dozen local businesses and organizations.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative empowers an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy skills. CTData serves residents, nonprofits, policymakers, and funders in using data to drive policy, program, and service improvements. CTData strives to promote and engage data users in implementing equitable data practices across the state. More than 200 data sets are now accessible on the CTData website, including many subject areas and policy categories.

Among its areas of responsibility, CTData has been designated as the lead organization for the State of Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program. CTData also works with nonprofit organizations to develop Data Strategic Plans© to map out their use of data to further organizational missions. CTData offices are located on Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford; more information and datasets are available on the website at www.ctdata.org.