Junior Achievement to Induct Local Leaders into Hall of Fame

Three of Connecticut's notable leaders in Greater Hartford and one of the region’s leading healthcare institutions will be honored by Junior Achievement of Southwest New England at the Business Hall of Fame event on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

The prestigious event recognizes business and community leaders for significant contributions to the prosperity and quality of life of the Greater Hartford region and Connecticut. The 40th annual Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will be held at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

Being honored with induction into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame are:

• Greg Barats, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hartford Steam Boiler
• Yvette Meléndez, President, YMR Consulting
• Don Shaw Jr., Retired Associate Partner, Accenture, Director Emeritus, Hartford Habitat for Humanity
• Saint Francis Hospital

Barats and Meléndez are being inducted as Hall of Fame Laureates, Shaw will receive the Spirit of Hope Award, and Saint Francis Hospital will be recognized with the Community Leadership Award. The Laureates are recognized for contributions to the prosperity of the region through leadership in business and the community. The Spirit of Hope Award recognizes an individual who has exhibited a deep sense of commitment to providing hope for the future of others in the community.

"They have each established a standard of excellence that reflects their commitment to community and determination to improve individual lives in meaningful and enduring ways," said Jeremy Race, CEO of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England. "We are particularly pleased to honor their leadership and their example at this year’s ceremony, which promises to be a very special evening celebrating their impact across the region.”

Greg Barats is President and Chief Executive Officer of HSB Group Inc., parent company of The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company with insurance and engineering affiliates worldwide. He also heads up Munich Re’s Global IoT business, targeting commercial and industrial markets with new technology, risk solutions and business models. Barats serves as Chairman of HSB Solomon Associates, LLC, the leading performance improvement company for the global energy industry. While at HSB, he has developed and holds seven U.S. business-method patents, and founded Munich Re Ventures, the venture capital arm, which invests in and partners with innovative tech companies.

Yvette Meléndez is a former healthcare policy executive, with more than 30 years of experience leading large government agencies, educational institutions and non-profit organizations. Meléndez retired in 2017 as Interim President of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. She is the former Vice President, for Government and Community Alliance, for Hartford HealthCare. Previously, she was Chief of Staff and Chief Administrative Officer for the Connecticut State University System. Her experience also includes leadership roles at the State Department of Education, where she was the architect of Connecticut's entry into the charter school movement; as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Health; and as Chief of Staff for the Department of Social Services.

Don Shaw has enjoyed a distinguished career in the private sector and in public service. He retired in 2010 after seven years in the City of Hartford’s Management and Budget Office. Prior to that, Shaw was an Associate Partner at Accenture, retiring in 2003. His career began in Wethersfield as an Assistant to the Town Manager from 1975–81. Shaw served as Interim Executive Director for Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity, 2012–14, chaired the organization’s board of directors, 2004–08, and was elected Board Member Emeritus in 2016. He is currently on Hartford’s Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation Board of Trustees, and is a Top 10 member of the 2018 Class of Connecticut’s 60 Over 60.

Saint Francis Hospital has been an anchor institution in north central Connecticut since 1897. In 2015, Saint Francis became part of Trinity Health Of New England, a member of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Saint Francis Hospital is licensed for 617 beds, is a major teaching hospital and the largest Catholic hospital in New England. Other Saint Francis entities include the Comprehensive Women’s Health Center, the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute, the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute of Connecticut, the Smilow Cancer Hospital Yale-New Haven at Saint Francis, and Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group.

Junior Achievement is a global leader in providing cutting-edge, hands-on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work-readiness education. During its four decade history, the JA of Southwest New England Business Hall of Fame has inducted more than 140 individuals and organizations for their career achievements and contributions to the community. Also among this year’s inductees, at the planned March 5 Induction Ceremony for Greater New Haven, are Thomas Beirne III, Kevin Myatt, Marta Moret and Gateway Community College.

The support of leading local businesses and individuals is indispensable in furthering JA's work with local schools throughout the region. Top sponsors for the Hartford Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony are Stanley Black & Decker, Webster Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Prime Materials Recovery, Saint Francis Hospital, and The Hartford.

Providing children from kindergarten through 12th grade with positive adult role models who illustrate ways to build self-confidence and develop financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness skills, is a hallmark of Junior Achievement. JA volunteers come from all walks of life and use their personal experiences to make the JA curricula of more than a dozen programs practical and realistic, helping to empower students to own their economic success.

The program committee for the JA Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Hartford includes Don Allan, Stanley Black & Decker – Committee Chair; Tom Barnes, Barnes Group; Eric Brown, Retired KBE Building Group; Howard Carver, Retired, Ernst & Young; Jeffrey Hoffman, Hoffman Auto; Matt Hoffman, Hoffman Auto; Peter Kelly, Updike, Kelly, Spellacy, P.C.; Margaret Lawson, Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network; Lynn Rossini, Saint Francis Hospital/Trinity Health Of New England; Amanda Scheyd, Hartford Steam Boiler; Bernie Schilberg, Prime Materials Recovery; Tina St. Pierre, Landmark Partners. All net proceeds will benefit JA educational programs.

Last school year in Connecticut, with the help of more than 3,300 volunteers - business professionals, parents, retirees, and college students - JA of Southwest New England taught more than 47,000 Connecticut students about business, jobs, and the importance of education for success. In 2019, Junior Achievement of Southwest New England was awarded one of Junior Achievement USA’s highest honors for the fourth consecutive year: the Five Star Award, in recognition of its growth in student impact and superior fiscal performance.

To learn more about Junior Achievement’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 8, or for reservations or sponsorship information, contact Jacqueline Lombardi, JA's special events and marketing manager, at 860-525-4510 ext. 230 or jlombardi@jaconn.org.