(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC) co-chairs Indra Nooyi and Jim Smith today announced that Donald Kendall, Jr., co-founder and chair of Social Venture Partners Connecticut, and R. Adam Norwitt, president and CEO of Amphenol Corporation, have been voted to serve as members of the board of CERC, a nonprofit corporation that seeks to foster business formation, recruitment, and growth in Connecticut.
The new additions – which also include recently announced David Lehman, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Jim Loree, president and CEO of Stanley Black & Decker, and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Sr., associate dean at Yale School of Management – are part of an effort to expand CERC’s board with key business leaders from across the state with expertise in areas like workforce development, advanced manufacturing, transportation, business advocacy and urban policy.
“There is nobody better to serve as an ambassador to recruit companies to grow and expand in Connecticut than business leaders themselves, who can tell their stories directly about the opportunities our state and our workforce provide for businesses to succeed,” Governor Lamont said.
Governor Lamont’s vision is for CERC to work collaboratively with DECD, the state’s leading economic development agency, to drive business development through retention and recruitment as an innovative, public-private partnership.
“CERC’s new and expanded board will act as ambassadors to drive business development and assist in retention and recruitment,” Nooyi and Smith said in a joint statement. “We are grateful that Adam and Don have agreed to join our team.”
Both Kendall and Norwitt have expertise in workforce development.
Kendall, a resident of Weston, is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, working to close the glaring gap in educational and employment opportunities for affluent versus low-income people in Connecticut. He leads SVP-CT, a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives and leaders from the philanthropic, nonprofit and academic communities who pool their time, expertise and resources to strengthen the capacity and impact of nonprofits.
“Being involved with the new CERC is an exciting opportunity to help enhance the competitiveness of Connecticut,” Kendall said.
Norwitt, a resident of Ridgefield, joined Amphenol Corporation in 1998, and has been based in both Asia and Connecticut. Prior to joining the company, he was a corporate attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Amphenol, which is headquartered in Wallingford, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high technology interconnect products, antennas and sensors used in a broad array of end markets.
“I am thrilled with the opportunity to contribute to the Governor’s vision for growing Connecticut’s economy,” Norwitt said.
Over the next few weeks, additional members will be announced as CERC’s board of directors broadens to reflect both the geography and business diversity of the state, while adding expertise that focuses on key areas of impact for Connecticut’s future economic growth.