(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Commissioner James Rovella today announced that the governor is appointing Brenda Bergeron to serve as deputy commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, overseeing the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Bergeron will succeed Deputy Commissioner Regina Rush-Kittle, who has served in the position since 2019 and is leaving state service on December 1 to take on a new professional role with the City of New Haven.
“Regina Rush-Kittle has been an invaluable member of our public safety team since I came into office and I am sad to see her go,” Governor Lamont said. “She has been a stalwart of our pandemic response efforts and have provided valuable leadership during severe weather emergencies, and I will miss her presence at the Emergency Operations Center. Mayor Elicker and the City of New Haven are lucky to have her.”
“I have been incredibly fortunate in my years of public safety and law enforcement to serve with some incredibly talented individuals, and Regina Rush-Kittle is one of them,” Commissioner Rovella said. “She has been a steady and effective presence throughout my time working with her, showing leadership in our response to COVID-19, and especially during severe storms like Isaias and Ida. This is another great advancement in her career. She will be a valuable addition to Mayor Elicker’s administration and it’s an exciting opportunity for her and her family.”
Bergeron currently serves as legal advisor for the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security in a position that she has held since 2005. Among other duties, she advises the governor’s unified command on legal issues during emergencies as the State Emergency Operations Center in Hartford. Since 2016, she has also served as the program coordinator for the division’s All-Hazards Planning Unit. She has served as state coordinating officer, deputy state coordinating officer, and alternate governor’s authorized representative for at least eight presidential major disaster declarations. In addition, Bergeron serves as chair of the Legal Counsel Committee of the National Emergency Management Association in a role that she has held for nine years. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UConn and UConn Law School.
“I am honored to have been chosen by the governor and the commissioner for this position, and I look forward to continuing to foster collaboration with our federal, state, local, and private sector partners to enhance public safety in Connecticut,” Bergeron said.
“This will no doubt be a seamless transition for Brenda as she is intimately familiar with Connecticut’s emergency management needs,” Governor Lamont said. “She is the consummate professional, has the respect of emergency management colleagues throughout Connecticut and around New England, and she has a wealth of knowledge in public safety that makes her the perfect person to take on this new role. I can’t wait for her to get started and I appreciate her taking on this new responsibility.”
“Brenda Bergeron has more than 16 years of experience in Connecticut’s emergency management,” Commissioner Rovella said. “With her extensive experience and leadership within the division, Brenda is a perfect fit for this role. Together, we are in an immediate position to continue protecting our citizens and the entire State of Connecticut.”