What is the governor's fellowship program?
The governor’s fellowship program is an opportunity for early career professionals to gain skills and experience in state government. The program is a partnership with the Connecticut Office of the Governor, Connecticut Department of Administrative Services, Yale University Tobin Center for Economic Policy, and Social Impact Partners.
Each fellow is placed at an executive branch agency within Connecticut state government and will work on policy and strategic initiatives. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in professional development opportunities, including a weekly speaker series, fellows' day at the State Capitol, and opportunities to present to leadership within state government.
Program background
The governor’s fellowship program started in 2020 to support Connecticut with its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The program has since developed into a program to support the governor’s office and executive branch agencies with strategic projects and initiatives. Here are examples of a few projects that previous fellows have accomplished:
- Drafted and led the passage of legislation including Public Act 22-49, An Act Reducing Lead Poisoning, which brings Connecticut in-line with CDC guidance on allowable lead levels in CT’s children and makes a $30 million investment in removing lead from homes in CT’s most vulnerable communities.
- Developed plans for the strategic allocation of over $3.9 billion in Federal COVID recovery dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act with a focus on: defeating COVID-19, investing in CT’s future, creating a more affordable Connecticut, inclusive economic growth, and modernizing state government.
- Led the design and stand-up of an Evaluation and Evidence-Building unit to facilitate the development of program evaluation plans and coordinate access to state data resources while focusing on providing ‘hands-on’ assistance to agencies as well as collecting and synthesizing evidence relating to program effectiveness.
- Founded and chaired the Governor’s Afghan Evacuee Taskforce, an interagency-public-private-nonprofit working group focused on bringing a coordinated approach to providing a safe haven and hope for all who are resettled in Connecticut.
- Developed and managed Connecticut Communities Challenge, a competitive grant program to spur investment in CT's main streets and vibrant neighborhoods through high- quality, transit-oriented development.
- Designed, developed, and launched the Connecticut Campus Mental Health Program, which allocated $2.7 million in federal funding to support Connecticut’s colleges and universities implement mental health programs and supports for students.
For questions about the program, please contact Chidi.Nwuneli@ct.gov
How to apply
We are not accepting applications at this time.
How it works
Fellows are contracted with the state for yearlong fellowships and are assigned to specific state agencies based on fellow skills and related experience. The state recruits for fellows approximately two times per year, usually in the spring and fall.
How to sign up
Sign up for the governor’s fellowship program email list to hear the latest updates on recruitment and events.
2025/26 governor's fellow biographies
Chinenye Ifebirinachi
Chinenye Ifebirinachi
Office of Policy and Management
Chinenye is a Governor’s Fellow with the Office of Policy and Management’s Data and Policy Analytics Division (OPM-DAPA), where she is leading the development of a contractor database to support the creation of new spending allocation goals and improve access to contracting data across Connecticut agencies. She also contributes to projects focused on state workforce data and reporting analytics.
Before joining OPM, Chinenye worked with the World Bank’s Development Research Group as a WBG Africa Fellow and currently serves as a Consultant with the Bank’s Global Transport Team, supporting the development of data tools for the transport sector. Her previous experience includes data science roles at Microsoft and Apple, as well as digital product analytics at Guaranty Trust Bank in Nigeria. She holds a Ph.D. in Data Science and Analytics from North Carolina A&T State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (Distinction) from the University of Benin, Nigeria.
Eniola Fasola
Eniola was a lecturer at Eastern Connecticut State University and a Fellow at the World Bank Group and supported the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice in implementing activities and conducting impact evaluations for a program in Liberia designed to increase income-earning opportunities for vulnerable populations and expand livelihood support to poor and food-insecure households.
Eniola holds a Doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Connecticut, along with a First Class Honors Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Eniola Fasola
Department of Economic and Community
Eniola was a lecturer at Eastern Connecticut State University and a Fellow at the World Bank Group and supported the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice in implementing activities and conducting impact evaluations for a program in Liberia designed to increase income-earning opportunities for vulnerable populations and expand livelihood support to poor and food-insecure households.Eniola holds a Doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Connecticut, along with a First Class Honors Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Olufemi "Femi" Olamijulo
Olufemi "Femi" Olamijulo
Department of Transportation
Femi is a Governor’s Fellow at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, where he is leading the creation of a centralized knowledge management program to strengthen institutional knowledge sharing and improve internal communication across the Department.
He holds master’s degrees in public policy and urban planning from Harvard University and has worked across the robotics, policy, and housing sectors. His experience includes roles with the United Nations Headquarters, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and Harvard University, where he contributed to climate policy initiatives, operations management, and geospatial analysis for urban planning.
Riley Carbonneau
Riley Carbonneau
Department of Social Services
Riley serves as a Governor’s Fellow with the Connecticut Department of Social Services, where she supports the implementation of SNAP and Medicaid changes following the passage of H.R.1. She most recently served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, where she led initiatives to modernize State plans and advance access to nutritious food for families. As part of this work, she managed automated application development, provided technical assistance on high-priority program and regulatory matters, and engaged state agencies to incorporate user perspectives in program design.
Riley was a 2021 Presidential Management Fellow, serving at both USDA and HHS. She holds an MPA from the University of Southern California and a BA from Washington College.
Tim Sowa
Tim is a Governor's Fellow at the Department of Administrative Services' Bureau of Information Technology Solutions, providing strategic leadership on policy development and responsible use cases of Artificial Intelligence-based systems across government operations.
His previous experience includes serving as a team leader at the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), designing AI systems for enhancing public service delivery for the Finnish government, and leading the digital transformation of NYC school operations during COVID. As a Fulbright recipient, he conducted research in the Nordic region on design maturity, knowledge management, and sustainable technology development.
Tim holds a master's degree in Digital Sustainability and Ethical Business from Tampere University (Finland) and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Bowdoin College. He is passionate about the outdoors, swimming, and lifelong learning. For over ten years, he has continued teaching swimming lessons to all ages.
Tim Sowa
Department of Administrative Services
Tim is a Governor's Fellow at the Department of Administrative Services' Bureau of Information Technology Solutions, providing strategic leadership on policy development and responsible use cases of Artificial Intelligence-based systems across government operations.His previous experience includes serving as a team leader at the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), designing AI systems for enhancing public service delivery for the Finnish government, and leading the digital transformation of NYC school operations during COVID. As a Fulbright recipient, he conducted research in the Nordic region on design maturity, knowledge management, and sustainable technology development.
Tim holds a master's degree in Digital Sustainability and Ethical Business from Tampere University (Finland) and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Bowdoin College. He is passionate about the outdoors, swimming, and lifelong learning. For over ten years, he has continued teaching swimming lessons to all ages.
