Board of Directors
Rick Dunne, CTBLB President
Executive Director, NVCOG
Rick Dunne, President of the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, Inc. is also the Executive Director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments where he oversees administration of regional policy and planning, brownfields redevelopment, and shared municipal services. Rick is Co-Director of the Greater Bridgeport/Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Connecticut Association of Councils of Governments, the lead advocate for regional solutions to municipal issues in Connecticut. Rick also spent a decade as the director of development and administration for the City of Derby, CT, and previously worked as a Policy Director for the Connecticut General Assembly’s Connecticut Institute of Municipal Studies where he supervised policy development and drafted legislation on a variety of issues.
Arthur Bogen
President Emeritus
Founder and first President of the CT Brownfield Land Bank; worked with municipalities and private developers to remediate and repurpose contaminated sites throughout the State. Drafted successful applications for more than $25,000, 000 in federal, state and foundation funding for brownfield cleanup. Recipient of numerous awards and recognitions.
Erin Howard, CTBLB Vice President
Field Director, Grow America
Erin Howard joined the Grow America, formerly NDC, as Field Director in 2024. Previously she worked for the City of Hartford as Director of Economic Development and Interim Planning Director, and the City of Torrington for five years as Director of Economic Development. Prior to focusing her career on Economic Development, she has a strong background in planning having worked for the Town of Windsor, City of Middletown and Town of Ellington along with a few years in the private sector at Milone and MacBroom, Inc. Ms. Howard graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double major in Political Science and Economics. From there she attended the University of Massachusetts and obtained her Master’s Degree in Regional Planning with a focus on economic development. In 2012, Ms. Howard received her AICP certification from the American Planning Association. She is a member of the Connecticut Planners Association and sits on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Economic Developers Association (CEDAS).
Thomas Hyde, MBA, CTBLB Treasurer
Chief of Staff , AdvanceCT
Thomas (“Tommy”) joined AdvanceCT as the chief of staff in February of 2025. Prior to joining AdvanceCT, he served as Executive Director for the Waterbury Development Corporation and CEO of the closely linked Naugatuck Valley Regional Development Corporation. The Waterbury Development Corporation managed more than $100 million in economic development projects during Hyde’s tenure, including the ongoing reconstruction of underground utilities and streetscapes in the city’s downtown; several multimillion-dollar brownfield cleanups; the construction of a greenway along the Naugatuck River and major park construction projects, among others. His previous positions include four years at the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development as Director of Outreach and then as Director of Government Affairs and Special Projects. Tommy also worked as Special Assistant to Governor Dannel P. Malloy. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Trinity College, Hartford and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Roy E. Cavanaugh, P.E., CTBLB Secretary
City Engineer, Waterbury
Roy E. Cavanaugh, P.E., is currently the City Engineer for Waterbury, CT after serving as the Director of Public Works for Watertown for 18 years. Prior to that he was a Project Manager for civil and environmental consulting engineer firms responsible for projects throughout the Northeast. Mr. Cavanaugh has a BS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MS Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Haven. He was a long serving chairperson with the Regional Brownfields Partnership and is currently the President of the Tree Wardens’ Association of Connecticut.
Kevin T. Taylor, Assoc. AIA
Executive Director, NEST
Born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, Kevin T. Taylor, a graduate of Hampton University, is the Executive Director of NEST, formerly known as the Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury, Inc. (NHSW), where he serves as public spokesperson for the organization, directs all aspects of the organization, accountable for strategic planning, human resources, finance management, fundraising, management leadership, and policy-making (in joint effort with Board of Directors), and turning “neighborhood of circumstances” into “neighborhood of choices”. In addition, Kevin Taylor founded m.e.s.h., an architectural design practice focused on modern design and urban planning with a focus on sustainability. His deeply held belief is that design excellence must serve a greater purpose and enrich the lives of all by way of experience and interaction with architecture and space.
Randi Mendes, PhD
Program Manager, UConn Technical Assistance for Brownfields
Neil O’Leary
Former Mayor, City of Waterbury
Neil M. O’Leary was born in the City of Waterbury and attended Northeastern University for two years before leaving to join the Waterbury Police Department in 1980. He received a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven. O’Leary graduated from the 49th Session of the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) and was elected Mayor of Waterbury in 2011 and served for twelve consecutive years. Mr. O’Leary served as the Chairman for the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments for ten years, the President of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities for two years, and the Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations for five years. At the National Brownfield Conference in 2015, O’Leary’s PAL park remediation project was in the top five projects recognized by EPA that year. In 2016 O’Leary received the Region One EPA Distinguished Service Award, and was selected to serve on the EPA’s National Advisory Committee in 2023, and 2024.
Elizabeth Stocker, AICP
Land Use Planner & Business Development Consultant
Annmarie Drugonis
First Selectwoman, Seymour
Annmarie Drugonis currently serves as the First Selectwoman of Seymour, earning an appointment to the position in 2020 after serving on the Board of Selectpersons for more than a decade. Subsequently, she was elected in 2021. Annmarie holds a bachelor of science in environmental management from Columbia Southern University. Annmarie is an executive vice president and environmental engineer at Facility Support Services, where she oversees environmental enforcement and policies. Possessing extensive municipal experience, she formerly served on Seymour’s Water Pollution Control Authority and as chair of the Board of Public Works.
Christopher Edge
Director of Economic Development, Berlin
Rista Malanca, AICP
Director of Economic and Community Development, NHCOG
Rista Malanca, AICP is the Director of Economic and Community Development at the Northwest Hills Council of Governments. She has over 15 years of municipal experience, previously serving as Torrington’s Economic Development Director, and as the Zoning and Wetlands Enforcement Officer in more rural Towns such as New Hartford & Barkhamsted, providing experience working with a variety of property owners, development teams and State/Federal partners to transform these properties into Community assets. Rista has a passion for walkable communities and serves as the Co-Chair of the Naugatuck River Greenway Steering Committee and Vice Chair of the CT Greenways Council.