APPENDIX A
BIOGRAPHIES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PETER A. CLARK is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (B.A., 1963) and Rutgers University (J.D., 1966). He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Judge Advocate General Corps from 1966 to 1969, and is a Vietnam veteran. He served as Assistant United State's Attorney, District of Connecticut, from 1970 to 2004, and served as a Clinical Instructor, Trial Practice, at Yale University Law School from 1978 to 1981. He has extensive trial and appellate experience in the litigation of criminal matters in U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He has tried more than 100 jury trials of up to one month duration and has briefed and argued approximately 50 appeals of convictions in the Second Circuit. Cases ranged from simple to very complex multi-victim, multi-million dollar fraudulent schemes and complicated tax matters, including all of the trials arising from the collapse of Colonial Realty Company, and an international industrial espionage effort to defraud the U.S. Air Force. In 1997 he received the Directors Award from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys for Colonial series of cases. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the National District Attorneys’ Association, American Judicature Society, and the Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel. He assumed the position of Interim Executive Director in June 2006, and was appointed Executive Director in September 2006.
JUDGE MEMBERS
HONORABLE PATRICK L. CARROLL, III, is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University and the Franklin Pierce Law Center. He practiced law in Fairfield County for seventeen years. While in private practice, he also served as a part-time Assistant State's Attorney and as Counsel to the Grievance Panel for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk. He was appointed as a Superior Court Judge in March 1996. He formerly served as Administrative Judge for the Judicial District of Danbury and is currently assigned as the Presiding Criminal Judge in Bridgeport, for the Judicial District of Fairfield. He is a past President of the Connecticut Judges Association. Judge Carroll is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since May 2004.
HONORABLE CHRISTINE E. KELLER is a graduate of Smith College and the University of Connecticut School of Law. She practiced law in Hartford, Connecticut, for sixteen years before her appointment as a Superior Court Judge in 1993. She has served as the Administrative Judge for the Judicial District of Hartford and is currently serving as the Chief Administrative Judge for Juvenile Matters. Judge Keller has taught several courses to other judges on judicial ethics. Judge Keller is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since March 2006.
HONORABLE SUSAN SHERIDAN REYNOLDS is a graduate of City College of New York with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics. She then graduated from Pace University School of Law with a Juris Doctor. She practiced in Ridgefield and New Canaan for fourteen years before her appointment as a Family Support Magistrate in 1997. Judge Reynolds was appointed a Superior Court Judge in 2001. Since then, she has served as Presiding Judge for Waterbury Juvenile Court, Bridgeport Criminal Court and Norwalk Criminal Court. She has also been assigned to the Civil Jury Court in Stamford. Judge Reynolds has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since April 2007.
PUBLIC MEMBERS
CARLOS A. DEL PORTAL is a resident of Newington, Connecticut. Mr. del Portal received a degree in accounting in 1972 from Louisiana State University and a master's in business administration in 1974 from the University of New Orleans. He is presently employed as a human resources manager at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Connecticut, with over twenty-three years of service with UTC. Prior to his service with Pratt & Whitney, he worked in hospital administration in the south Florida area, and, as a Certified Public Accountant, practiced with Ernst & Young and Coopers & Lybrand from 1974 to 1979. He is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since October 2001.
SUSANNE N. DONOHUE is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of Connecticut, School of Business Administration (MBA, Healthcare Management). She is a resident of Newtown, Connecticut where she has resided with her husband and two daughters for 14 years. She is presently employed as Associate Director, Human Resources for Penwest Pharmaceuticals in Danbury, Connecticut. She has been with Penwest for four years and prior to working for Penwest was an active member of the community and schools in Newtown as a stay-at-home mother of her two children. She has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since May 2007.
THOMAS H. FERGUSON is a lifelong resident of Manchester. Mr. Ferguson is a Director for Oregon based Saber Corporation although his local office is located in Manchester, Connecticut. He is a software consultant with expertise in elections, voter registration and campaign finance. Prior to joining Saber Corporation, he was the Director of Election Services in the Office of the Secretary of the State, a position he held for just under ten years. His election experience was derived from his years as the Registrar of Voters, as well as the Deputy Registrar of Voters for the Town of Manchester. Mr. Ferguson has served on the Board of Directors for the Town of Manchester for two terms (local legislative body), as well as President of the Eighth Utilities District of Manchester for 15 years, and has served in many other community positions. He has been the recipient of numerous recognition awards and certifications. He is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since March 2006.
CAREN KITTREDGE is a resident of Glastonbury, Connecticut. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and her master’s in business administration with a major in finance from the University of Hartford. She is currently the Head of National Marketing for Aetna’s Small and Middle Market Business. She has been with Aetna since 2002, and her prior roles have included Product Head for Disability and Absence Management, and Director of Strategic Marketing for Group Insurance. She has also held various positions at Lincoln Financial Group, MassMutual and Connecticut Mutual. Caren also serves in a number of community related positions including: President of the Bushnell Park Foundation in Hartford, Commissioner of Economic Development in Glastonbury, and as a member of the Connecticut Women’s Council. She is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since April 2006.
SHARON B. MURRAY is a graduate of the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in 1991. Immediately after college she worked in advertising in Manhattan, and then sold real estate on Long Island. From 1995 until 1999 she worked as a health insurance representative for Aetna USHealthcare, covering the territories of Brooklyn and Staten Island. She arrived in Connecticut in 2001 and is an active member of the West Hartford community where she resides with her three daughters. She is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since April 2007.
JOE TOWNSLEY is a graduate of Ohio State University (B.S. 1965, M.A. 1969), Northeastern University (CAGS 1976, Ed.D. 1982). He is currently the General Director of Magnet Schools for the Capitol Region Education Council and has served in that capacity since 2004. Prior to that, he was Superintendent of the Simsbury Public Schools for 20 years, retiring in 2004. Under his leadership, Simsbury Public Schools was selected as one of the top 100 school districts in the nation. He also served as Assistant Superintendent in Westport, Connecticut, and in administrative positions in Massachusetts and Ohio. He has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities throughout New England, served as an Evaluator of Connecticut Universities and Colleges Schools of Education for the Connecticut State Department of Education. He has served as a consultant for private sector companies and school systems. He has served on and chaired numerous boards and committees. He is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since April 2007.
ATTORNEY MEMBERS
RAYMOND M. HASSETT is a practicing attorney and founding partner of the law firm of Hassett & George, P.C. with offices in Rocky Hill and Simsbury. As an attorney, Mr. Hassett has served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, concentrating in litigation while supervising the Financial Litigation Unit. Mr. Hassett's present practice focuses predominantly on family legal matters including divorce and mediation, criminal defense and issues of governmental compliance, residential and commercial transactions, and labor and employment matters. Mr. Hassett is a graduate of Catholic University of America (B.A., 1984) and Quinnipiac College School of Law (J.D., 1987). Mr. Hassett is admitted to practice in all Connecticut State Courts, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Hassett is a member of the American, Connecticut, and Hartford County Bar Associations. He has served on the Board of Directors of several non-profit community organizations, including as President of South Hartford Initiative (SHI), and as Chairman of the Glastonbury Republican Town Committee. He also serves on the Alumni Board of Governors for the Catholic University of America located in Washington, D.C. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut since 1997. He is a frequent speaker on legal topics. Mr. Hassett is a member of the American Judicature Society and was appointed Chairman of the Judicial Review Council in May 2004.
BRIAN R. FARNEN is corporate counsel with MassMutual Financial Group. His practice areas are securities, insurance and general corporate matters. Before MassMutual, Brian was an attorney with the national law firm Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge. Mr. Farnen completed a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Barry Schaller of the Connecticut Appellate Court. He has also spent time as a law clerk for both the United States Attorney’s Office and the State of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development. Mr. Farnen’s community involvement includes such volunteer positions and activities as the following: camp counselor for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, United Way business unit leader, Team In Training volunteer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, lobbying members of Congress on behalf of Hogar Crea drug treatment centers, acting as the Hearing Officer for the City of Shelton and acting as a Boxing Commissioner for the State of Connecticut. Mr. Farnen received his B.A.in Political Science and History from the University of Connecticut. He received his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut School of Law and School of Business, respectively. During law school, Mr. Farnen was President of the Student Bar Association. Mr. Farnen currently is an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut. Mr. Farnen is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the State of Connecticut, and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He is a member of the American Judicature Society and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since November 2005.
G. KENNETH BERNHARD is a principal with the law firm of Cohen and Wolf, P.C. Dividing his time between the firm's Bridgeport and Westport offices, Mr. Bernhard represents municipalities and a wide range of businesses in litigation and commercial matters. He presently serves as town attorney for the Towns of Wilton (since 1992) and Weston (since 2000). He served as town attorney for the Town of Westport from 1981-1985, 1989-1993, and 1997. Mr. Bernhard has extensive experience in all phases of municipal law, including land use; administrative appeals; condemnations; foreclosures; contracts; and the drafting of municipal legislation. He volunteered his services to the Connecticut Judiciary as an attorney trial referee from 1984-1996. Mr. Bernhard is active in state and local matters. From 1997-2005, he was Westport's State Representative to the Connecticut General Assembly and served as an Assistant Minority Leader. Mr. Bernhard previously served as Westport's Third Selectman from 1987 to 1989 and was elected to the Westport Zoning Board of Appeals in 1989. He served or presently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Westport Public Library; Mid-Fairfield County Nursing and Home Care; The Norwalk Human Services Council; Earthplace; the Westport Historical Society; and the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. Mr. Bernhard is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut. He is a member and former president (1987-88) of the Westport Bar Association. He is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association and the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association. Mr. Bernhard received his B.A. in 1966 from Yale University, and his J.D. (1969) and LL.M. (1970) from New York University Law School. While in the U.S. Army, he served as an associate professor of law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, teaching both criminal and constitutional law. Mr. Bernhard is a Senior Attorney with the Center for International Relations located in Salzberg, Austria, and has been a member of the Judicial Review Council since April 2005.