CTMEETINGS Elects 2023-24 Officers & Board, Adding 2 New Board Members

The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTMEETINGS) elected its 2023-2024 Executive Committee and Board of Directors at its recent Annual Meeting. Two new Board members also were added: Patrick Fisher, Business Travel Manager for DRVN; and Sabrina Godeski, Director of Business Development and Tourism for the City of Norwalk. The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau is the only statewide sales and marketing organization for Connecticut meetings, conventions and sports events.

The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau’s 2023-2024 Officers (Executive Committee) are:

• Chair: Thomas Madden, Associate Principal of BFJ Planning;
• Vice-Chair: Julie Nash, Director of Economic & Community Development for the City of Milford;
• President: Bob Murdock, President of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau;
• Treasurer: Michael Trinks, Partner at Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP (FML);
• Assistant Treasurer: Michael Johnson, Vice-President of Government Affairs for Sullivan & LeShane; and
• Secretary: Roger Wierbicki, Director of Marketing for R&D Dynamics.

The 2023-2024 At Large Members (Executive Committee) are:

· Anthony M. Anthony, Chief Marketing Officer of the Connecticut State Department of Economic & Community Development;
· Gary Baker, Director of Sales at Visiting Angels;
· Peter Murphy, Partner at the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin LLP;
· Karen O’Connell, Executive Director of Resort Sales & Hotel Operations for Foxwoods Resort Casino; and
· Alex Peterson, Senior Advisor and Director of Government Affairs at the Connecticut Airport Authority.

The 2023-2024 Board of Directors are:

• Constantine (Dean) Andrews, Senior Vice-President of Commercial Banking for Bank of America;
• Karen Bachofner, Vice President of Waterford Hotel Group;
• Leo Barrieau, President of Barrcom Associates, LLC;
• Connecticut State Representative Dorinda Borer;
• Connecticut State Senator Jorge Cabrera;
• Scott Dolch, President & CEO of the Connecticut Restaurant Association;
• Evan Feinglass, Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Connecticut;
• Michael Ferguson, General Manager of the New Haven Hotel;
• Patrick Fisher, Business Travel Manager for DRVN*.
• Sabrina Godeski, Director of Business Development and Tourism for the City of Norwalk*.
• Dr. Jan Jones, Professor and Program Coordinator at the Pompea College of Business at the University of New Haven;
• David Kooris, President of Stamford Downtown;
• Mia Schipani, Sales at Houlihan Lawrence Commercial and Co-Founder of Pickleball America;
• Heather Solomon, President & Founder of Solomon & Associates Event Management;
• Cian Stein, Executive Vice President of Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport;
• Vicki Ward, Senior Vice President of Sales for iHeartMedia Group – Hartford region; and
• John Washko, Vice President of Expo & Convention Sales for Mohegan Sun.

*The two new members of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau are:

• Patrick Fisher – Business Travel Manager for DRVN that provides elite black car and chauffeur service to individuals, corporations, and governments throughout North America and 65 countries. At Drvn, Patrick is responsible for developing new business and managing corporate accounts for industries all over the U.S., with a focus on East Coast markets. Prior to joining that company last summer, he was Executive Director of the Connecticut Sports Management Group, Inc. – a nonprofit organization with a statewide presence that has worked with the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau for years. During almost 20 years there, he managed the two largest amateur, multi-sport, Olympic-style sporting events in Connecticut: the popular Nutmeg State Games and The Connecticut Masters’ Games. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Nichols College and has completed coursework towards his M.B.A.

• Sabrina Godeski – Director of Business Development and Tourism for the City of Norwalk, where she is responsible for supporting existing businesses and drawing new businesses and people to the city along with her team. She uses her extensive planning knowledge to provide technical assistance to Norwalk businesses and has assisted the City in releasing financial incentive programs to support Norwalk's existing and new businesses. A certified urban planner, Sabrina has worked on a variety of planning projects throughout her career, including comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, and development reviews. She earned her master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Southern California, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

“I look forward to the coming year with a Board composed of dynamic individuals who bring a wide range of specialized expertise and perspective as we develop and execute strategies to attract new and returning meetings, conventions, and sports events for Connecticut,” explains Thomas Madden, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTMEETINGS), and the Associate Principal of BFJ Planning.

“The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau works to secure events for our state that generate revenue for local hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other businesses that result in increased tax income,” adds Robert Murdock, President of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTMEETINGS). “I am confident that our strong leadership team and an expanded relationship with the State Office of Tourism, with our intensified sales outreach to meeting planners and sports promoters will result in a tremendous year ahead.”

The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTMEETINGS) markets all of the state – its convention and meeting venues, hotels, attractions, and sports facilities and athletic sites – as a premier destination for international, national, regional and statewide conferences, conventions and major sports events. In partnership with Connecticut’s businesses, institutions, nonprofit organizations and their surrounding communities, the Middletown, Conn.-based organization works to generate new and return events, thereby generating increased economic impact for Connecticut’s local regions and tax revenue for the State. For more information about the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau, visit www.CTmeetings.org or call 860-728-6789.