Dear CEDAS Members,
With the holidays in full swing, may you have a wonderful season filled with happiness and joy. And as the year comes to a close, may you reflect on all that has been accomplished and so much positive momentum this past year.
At CEDAS, it has been another incredible year filled with milestones and achievements, not just for the organization but for so many of you. While our tremendous Board and dedicated volunteers have worked hard to bring great value to your membership, it has been wonderful to celebrate the accomplishments of members and member communities throughout year. Thank you for continuing to be the change in our state.
As my term comes to an end, I would like to say what an absolute pleasure it has been serving as your President. Thank you for trusting in my leadership and allowing me this opportunity!
On behalf of CEDAS, we look forward to your continued support of the organization. We’d like to wish you and your families a very happy holiday season!
Best Regards,
Kristen Gorski
Outgoing CEDAS President, 2021-2022
Economic Development Coordinator
Town of West Hartford
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We Need Your Help! Send Us Your Economic Development Photos
CEDAS has recently contracted with Connecticut-based Quinn & Hary on an exciting venture to develop a new website for the organization! In order to support content on the new site, we would love for members to send any signature shots or professional renderings that represent existing or completed business and/or development projects or that represent economic vitality in your community. We request that you send photos to info@cedas.org no later than Friday, December 30th. For each high-resolution photo you send, we ask that you include a caption with brief description and approximate date of photo.
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 Best Wishes; Warmest Regards!
CEDAS is sad to see our longest serving Board Member go. Trenton Wright has served since 1989! He is a former CEDAS Vice President and served as Chair of the Scholarship Committee for many years.
He has been re-certified multiple times since receiving his Certified Economic Developer designation in 2000 and completed the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma in 1992.
He has served on the CEcD Examination Committee, mentored fellow colleagues for the exam, and advocated for his colleagues to pursue the designation, and actively advocates for funding assistance for his colleagues. He received the CEDAS President’s Award in 2009 for his work in developing a statewide competition and recognition program for Workforce Development.
He also served as the Economic Development Coordinator for the Sterling Industrial Park from 1989-1994 in partnership with DECD. Mr. Wright also received the Arthur Little Award for Economic Excellence in 1992, at the AEDC (now IEDC) national convention for work with development of the Exeter Energy Project, the world’s largest tire-to-energy facility.
Mr. Wright has served as Coordinator of Institutional Advancement at Middlesex Community College since 2000 and is also the Coordinator of the Magic Food Bus (MFB). The MFB is a student–run food pantry that has expanded to a second location in Meriden and includes a 7,000 sq. ft. Veteran’s Memorial Natural Garden that provides food for students and their families and the local Middletown community.
Mr. Wright has served as a union officer, serving as Chapter Co-Chair for the last 10 years. He has also served as a state wide union officer for the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges for seven years, including Governance Chair, Political Action Committee Chair, and as a Presidential Aide.
In 2007, he received the Connecticut Secretary of State Public Service Award for his almost 25 years of public service working with municipal elections.
In 2006, he received the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges Chapter Member of the Year Award for “his dedication and conscientious service to our members”.
In 1999, Mr. Wright received The Deane C. Avery Award “for advancing the cause of information and freedom of speech in the state of Connecticut” as the lead complainant in the Freedom of Information Complaint later referred to as the “Connecticut Meghan’s Law Case” in the state court system.
Mr. Wright will be retiring from the state on September 1 with over 23 years of service. He anticipates spending time spin biking (he is the World Record Holder at 6 Hours), karate, Happy Hour, and some volunteering. Enjoy your retirement, Trent!
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Fare Thee Well!
As we close out 2022, we’d like to acknowledge the CEDAS Board of Directors who are stepping down:
- Garrett Sheehan, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
- Delpha Very, Town of Putnam
- Trent Wright, Middlesex Community College
- Jalmar De Dios, United Illuminating
We thank them all for their time and effort spent working to advance economic development here in Connecticut!
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Economic Development Career Opportunities
Check the CEDAS website periodically for new career opportunities in economic development. Currently, the following positions are seeking applicants:
- Clean Economy Program Manager, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Office of the Commissioner
- Director of Regional Planning and Development, Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG)
- Lead Planner, Town of Mansfield
- Environmental Planner, Town of Mansfield
Learn more...
If you have a position you would like to post, email it to info@cedas.org.
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Breaking down an $80 billion surge in place-based industrial policy
The 117th Congress may be coming to an end, but its major legislation continues to reverberate.
Those laws—the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),
CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—stand out for their sheer number of sizable programs, with some $3.8 trillion in total spending. But beyond this historic scale, three of the bills—ARP, IIJA, and the CHIPS and Science Act—merit special attention for another reason: the significant dollar investment they’re making into place-based industrial policy.
Click here to read more.
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