About CTDOT Commissioner Eucalitto

Garrett T. Eucalitto was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont and confirmed by the legislature as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) in January 2023. He serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Operations and Performance Committee; chairs the state’s Vision Zero Council; sits on the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; and serves as the state’s Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.

From January 2020 until January 2023, Eucalitto served as the Deputy Commissioner of CTDOT. In this role, he oversaw CTDOT’s Bureaus of Finance & Administration, Policy & Planning, and Public Transportation.

Prior to joining CTDOT, he was Transportation Program Director for the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington, DC. In this capacity, he was responsible for assisting the nation’s 55 governors (states, territories, and commonwealths) in advancing their policy objectives in transportation, including combating impaired driving and improving safety on the roadways, the implementation of innovative financing tools, transit-oriented development, and accelerating electrification of the transportation sector.

Before joining the NGA, Eucalitto was the Undersecretary for Comprehensive Planning and Intergovernmental Policy for the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management during the administration of Governor Dannel P. Malloy. In this position, he researched, evaluated, and developed transportation, environmental, and regional planning initiatives.

He began his career working in Washington, DC, for six years on the staff of former Senator Joe Lieberman as his legislative assistant, covering appropriations, transportation, and infrastructure. In this role, Eucalitto advocated for Connecticut’s transportation needs at the federal level and led efforts to protect Long Island Sound and improve the state’s air quality and environmental assets. He also secured federal protections to allow continued dredging of the state’s ports and harbors, worked to secure the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and collaborated with CTDOT to secure annual appropriations and discretionary funding and in the consideration and passage of MAP-21.

Eucalitto earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree from Boston University. He is a native of Torrington and currently lives in New Haven.

About CTDOT Deputy Commissioner Laoise King

Laoise (pronounced Lee sha) King comes to the CTDOT with more than 20 years of experience in local government and not-for-profit organizations.

Most recently, Laoise served as Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Norwalk, CT. As Chief of Staff, Laoise managed all administrative functions for the City or Norwalk at the direction of the mayor. She also provided guidance to elected officials on policy and planning as well as working closely with the City’s State and Federal delegations to achieve the City’s legislative agendas and secure funding for municipal projects.

Prior to coming to the City of Norwalk, Laoise served in various capacities in local government and non-profit sectors. She worked as Vice President of Education Initiatives at United Way of Greater New Haven where she was a member of the senior management team and was responsible for the design and management of community investments, partnerships and programs related to education. Before joining Unity Way, Laoise served the City of New Haven as Assistant Corporation Counsel, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor and finally as Chief of External Affairs for the New Haven Public Schools. Laoise also advised the Mayor on public policy matters, implemented Mayor’s Office initiatives, and assisted the Chief of Staff in day-to-day operations of the City.

Born in Ireland, but raised in Connecticut, Laoise returned to Connecticut in 2005 after living in Colorado for ten years. In Colorado, Laoise worked as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Denver. Laoise received her Juris Doctor from University of Denver College of Law and her B.A. degree from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Laoise and her family love to travel - they have traveled to South America, Central America, Europe, and Africa, but her favorite place to go is to their lakeside cabin in Minnesota near where her husband grew up.

About CTDOT Deputy Commissioner Karen Kitsis

Karen Kitsis joins us most recently from Seattle, Washington. There she served as the Deputy Executive Director for the Office of Capital Project Development at Sound Transit in Seattle, Washington. During her eleven years at the agency, her previous positions at Sound Transit included serving as South Corridor Development Director, and as Senior Planning and Project Development Manager. While at Sound Transit, she was responsible for overseeing the preliminary engineering and project development of commuter rail, light rail, bus, and bus rapid transit projects totaling over $10 billion across four of Sound Transit’s subareas. She managed the system-wide planning process known as ST3, which resulted in a successful $54 billion ballot measure. She also led the long-range planning division with staff conducting alternatives development, multi-modal corridor-level planning studies, environmental analysis, capital project development, and ridership forecasting.

Karen brings almost two decades of transportation planning and management experience to CTDOT. Prior to moving to Washington to work at Sound Transit, Karen worked as Transit Development Officer at Hampton Roads Transit, was a planner at Kimley-Horn in Tallahassee, FL, and started her career at as a Project Manager at Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission in Woodbridge, Virginia. Karen has a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Originally from Virginia, she is excited to be back on the East Coast. This marks her fourth cross-country move. Karen is joined in Connecticut by her husband and middle-school age daughter, both from Washington State. They are very excited to explore Connecticut and New England. She is a Seahawks fan by marriage but would rather go to a baseball game, enjoy a great meal with friends, travel, watch Grand Slam tennis, or go kayaking.

About CTDOT Chief of Staff Lora Rae Anderson

Lora Rae comes to the Department of Transportation after serving for several years in various capacities in state government and elected politics. Most recently, Lora Rae served as Director of Planning and Special Projects for the Office of Governor Ned Lamont. In addition to her role with the Office of the Governor, Lora Rae served as the Director of Communications to the Chief Operating Officer.

In both roles, Lora Rae continued to oversee public communications efforts at the Department of Administrative Services. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Communications at the Department of Consumer Protection for five years.

In the past, Lora Rae has held several leadership roles in organizational management and operations in Wisconsin, Ohio, and with the New York City Department of Education.

In her spare time, Lora Rae enjoys participating in the West Hartford Women’s Choir, for which she serves on the board, and volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Lora Rae is originally from Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.

She is a fan of the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburg Penguins, and Leicester City Foxes.

Lora Rae resides in Enfield with her husband Chris, who is also a public servant and serves as an Administrative Law Judge for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and their two beloved dogs, Torple and Patson.

About CTDOT Chief of Legal and Regulatory Affairs Elizabeth Keyes

Elizabeth Keyes comes to CTDOT with more than 15 years of state experience that spans all three branches of Connecticut government.

Most recently, Elizabeth spent eight years as Legal Counsel to the Senate Majority Caucus in the General Assembly. In that capacity, she served as legal advisor to the President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader, reviewed and recommended action on pending bills, and assisted in developing, drafting, and negotiating legislation, including major caucus policy initiatives.

From 2011 to 2014, Elizabeth was the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Public Health where she developed a passion for health law and policy. While at DPH, she managed the legislative program and oversaw the promulgation of agency regulations. She acted as a liaison to the Governor’s Office and other state agencies and worked with community partners on department-initiated activities.

Following her graduation from law school, she had the great privilege to serve as a legal clerk in the Connecticut Appellate Court. She also previously worked as in intern in the Office of United States Senior District Judge Peter C. Dorsey.

Elizabeth was born and raised in New Haven. She holds a BA from the College of the Holy Cross and began her career in state service as a legislative aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney. She received a dual JD/MPA from the University of Connecticut in 2009. She is admitted to the bars of Connecticut and New York.

Elizabeth is currently serving as Vice Chairperson of Connecticut Judicial Selection Commission, the Acting President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and is a member of the Connecticut Tobacco and Health Trust Fund Board of Directors. She served on the Wethersfield Zoning Board of Appeals from 2018-2021.

Elizabeth and her husband, John, live in Wethersfield with their two young sons.