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C-Suite & Lifetime Achievement Awards

Being a decision-maker is always a challenge. 

Being a decision-maker in 2020 has been the ultimate test of a leader’s values and strategic thinking. 

Dealing with a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, which has upended the state economy, has been too much to handle for some company executives, forcing the closure of many local businesses. 

But there have been other leaders who have not only dealt with the challenges of the pandemic, but excelled in the process. 

As part of Hartford Business Journal’s 2020 C-suite Awards, we recognize top executives who have made significant contributions to their companies. We’ve identified six leaders who stood out for their commitment to excellence and guiding their companies through extremely difficult conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The winners include Jeff Flaks, president and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, whose hospital system has been at the forefront of the state’s coronavirus response, and two health insurance executives — Wendy Sherry, Connecticut market president of Cigna and ConnectiCare President Eric Galvin — who have also responded to the pandemic. 

Other honorees include Candace Adams, the CEO and president Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England; American Eagle Financial Credit Union President and CEO Dean Marchessault; and Foodshare CEO Jason Jackubowski, who has been dealing with rising food insecurity among individuals and families left struggling from the economic downturn. 

In this special section we also honor some longtime local executives who have made lasting impacts on the business community with Lifetime Achievement Awards. 

They include Joe Brennan, former CEO and president of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association; Galo Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Village for Families & Children Inc.; Bob Sullivan, president of Standard Builders Inc.; Anne Evans, area director of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration; and the late Oz Griebel.

In terms of methodology, the business community was invited to nominate C-suite executives for both awards and the winners were chosen by HBJ’s editorial staff.

2020 C-Suite Award Winners

  • Candace Adams
    Candace Adams
    President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York, and Westchester Properties
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  • Jeffrey Flaks
    Jeffrey Flaks
    President & CEO, Hartford HealthCare
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  • Eric Galvin
    Eric Galvin
    President, ConnectiCare; EVP & Chief Growth and Medical Cost Officer, EmblemHealth
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  • Jason Jakubowski
    Jason Jakubowski
    CEO, Foodshare
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  • Dean Marchessault
    Dean Marchessault
    President & CEO, American Eagle Financial Credit Union
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  • Wendy Sherry
    Wendy Sherry
    President, Cigna Connecticut and Payer Solutions
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2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

  • Joe Brennan
    Joe Brennan
    Senior Advisor, retired President and CEO, Connecticut Business & Industry Association
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  • Anne Evans
    Anne Evans
    Director, U.S. Dept of Commerce International Trade Administration
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  • Oz Griebel
    Oz Griebel
    In Memoriam
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  • Galo Rodriguez
    Galo Rodriguez
    President & CEO, The Village for Families & Children Inc.
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  • Robert Sullivan
    Robert Sullivan
    President, Standard Builders Inc.
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