Press Releases
09/13/2019
Governor Lamont Selects Josh Geballe to Chair the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority, Appoints Three Members
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is naming Josh Geballe, Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), to serve as chairperson of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority’s board of directors. In addition, he is appointing Molly Weston Williamson, Henry J. Zaccardi, and Richard Duffy to serve as members.
The authority is the quasi-public state agency formed by legislation Governor Lamont signed in June that will be responsible for establishing and administering Connecticut’s recently adopted paid family and medical leave program. When the program begins in 2022, workers in Connecticut will have access to the necessary benefits that will allow them to take time off work when they need to care for their own health, a newborn child, or a sick family member.
“Nobody should have to choose between their family’s financial security and their own health, the health of a loved one, or time with a newborn child,” Governor Lamont said, noting that 25 percent of mothers go back to work within two weeks of giving birth. “This program will not only benefit workers, but it levels the playing field for small businesses that want to do right by their workforce but cannot afford robust medical leave policies of their own. Connecticut and our businesses are looking to attract talent, and by joining the growing list of states that are establishing insurance programs such as this, we are making Connecticut an even stronger place to live, work, and do business. I applaud the advocates and legislators who tirelessly championed this important law, and I am grateful to these members who have agreed to serve on the board. I look forward to working with them to ensure that this program operates transparently, efficiently, and resourcefully.”
Commissioner Geballe was appointed by Governor Lamont in January to serve as the head of DAS, the state agency that comprises the business functions of state government, including information technology, human resources, procurement, facilities and real estate, construction services, fleet, and workers compensation, among other responsibilities. Prior to joining the state earlier this year, he gained extensive experience in business management and information technology services, working for multinational technology companies such as IBM. As the CEO of a Connecticut-based software startup, he led the company through a period of significant growth, gaining experience that will be relevant in scaling up the authority to establish its operations and begin providing benefits by 2022. As commissioner, the governor tasked him with leading a review of human resources, procurement, and information technology practices across state agencies to assess opportunities that streamline processes, improve services, and produce savings for the state.
Williamson is a senior staff attorney at A Better Balance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equality and expanding choices for men and women at all income levels so they may care for themselves and their families without sacrificing their economic security. In her five years with the organization, she has helped advance paid family and medical leave laws around the country, including in Connecticut. Previously, she clerked for Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and graduated from Swarthmore College and the Yale Law School.
Zaccardi is retiring after 30 years as an attorney, the last 24 of which were with Shipman & Goodwin LLP, where he represented public and private employers and nonprofit organizations in all aspects of labor relations and employment law, including significant experience with Connecticut family and medical leave policies. He graduated cum laude from the Suffolk University School of Law.
Duffy is director of engineering at Thermo Fischer Scientific, a multinational scientific technology company. With over 20 years of experience in developing and delivering enterprise software solutions to a broad range of customers, Duffy has extensive experience in all aspects of product delivery, software engineering, product management, solutions architecture, and service delivery. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UConn and a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In addition to these members, the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management is naming Executive Budget Director Paul Potamianos to serve as her designee, the commissioner of the Department of Labor is naming Deputy Commissioner Daryle Dudzinski as his designee, and the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development is naming Deputy Commissioner Glendowlyn Thames as his designee.
Background on the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority’s Board of Directors
As established under Public Act 19-25, the board contains 15 members, two of whom are nonvoting members. They include:
- State Treasurer or designee (nonvoting member)
- State Comptroller or designee (nonvoting member)
- Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services or designee
- Commissioner of the Department of Labor or designee
- Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development or designee
- Commissioner of the Office of Policy and Management or designee
- Appointee of the Speaker of the House who must be an individual with skill, knowledge, and experience in the interest of employees
- Appointee of the House Majority Leader who must be an attorney advocating for employee rights, benefits, and opportunities
- Appointee of the House Minority Leader who must be an individual with skill, knowledge, and experience in the interests of disability insurance plans
- Appointee of the Senate President Pro Tempore who must be an impacted person who has personal knowledge and experience with economically distressed and underserved communities and is reflective of such communities’ ethnic and economic diversity
- Appointee of the Senate Majority Leader who must be an individual with skill, knowledge, and experience in the interests of small business employees
- Appointee of the Senate Minority Leader who must be an individual with skill, knowledge, and experience in the interests of employees of large businesses
- Three appointees of the Governor, two of whom must be individuals with skill, knowledge, and expertise in family and medical leave programs, and one of whom must be an individual with skill, knowledge, and expertise in modern software practices
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