The Waterbury Talks

Dr. Darren Schwartz is the Superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools – a system that educates nearly 20,000 students each year. Darren is a lifelong learner who has drawn on his experiences as a teacher, math coach, intervention specialist, principal, and community leader to lead the school system into what many describe as its most ambitious era. You’ll hear what he was like as a youngster, the...

Terrance Myers is the CEO of Myers Medical Coding Education – a post-secondary school he founded in 2020. Myers offers online certification courses that train the next generation of medical coders in Connecticut and across the United States. Get Terrance’s opinions on upskilling professionals for in-demand jobs in healthcare, why he left New York City for Waterbury, how the Women’s Business Develo...

Susan-Jayne Caballero is a leader in the field of fashion design, textiles, and décor, with professional stints at companies like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. Recently, Susan-Jayne created her own brand called Sacra Indumenta – which makes bespoke garments, accessories, linens, and gowns for sacrament milestones. Hear why she chose to bring her family and business to Waterbury, what local reso...

Celina Caetano is a Doctor in Residency at Yale New Haven Health. A Waterburian through and through, Celina was raised in one of the city’s diverse neighborhoods, has been active since childhood in a local church, was taught through her formative years by the Waterbury Public School system, and was inspired during her time on the UConn Waterbury campus. Hear about the best advice she ever received...

Fred Spagnolo is Waterbury’s 22nd Chief of Police. From joining as an officer in 2002 to assuming the top role in 2018, Fred has led the Waterbury Police Department with a deep commitment to community service, continual training, and innovative uses of technology. Hear about why he actively supports youth programs, what new advancements are being used on the community’s behalf, what he advocates f...

Over the last decade, the City of Waterbury has made major investments in its educational system – including the building of three new schools. At of the newly-created institutions, Waterbury Career Academy, Daiana Lilo earned Valedictorian honors from its second cohort. Here, Daiana discusses her path to graduating from Harvard, the start of her career in law, and the advocacy that has garnered h...

Fran Pastore is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Business Development Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs. After helping a number of Waterbury businesses open and grow in the last several years, the Council has established offices in the city – and is poised to deliver more “capital and confidence,” as Fran says, to women-owned ente...

3x10 is a special three-part docuseries about the amazing progress made in Waterbury over the last ten years. Part I goes into how Waterbury was on the verge of bankruptcy at the beginning of the 21st century. But by doing the difficult analysis to determine the causes, and adhering to a new fiscal blueprint, the City restored confidence – and showcased the resolve of its people. A companion book...

3x10 is a special three-part docuseries about the amazing progress made in Waterbury over the last ten years. Part II describes the Mixmaster – which to many was more a mess than an efficient system. When the highway was improved, though, it sparked a flurry of development projects that will impact Waterbury’s cultural, educational, and corporate fabric for generations to come. A companion book is...

3x10 is a special three-part docuseries about the amazing progress made in Waterbury over the last ten years. Part III shows how the City – starting in an unlikely place – took stock of the ways that living, working, and playing in Waterbury could be improved. Then it began to do something about each. A companion book is also available for purchase – with proceeds benefiting Waterbury nonprofit or...

Dr. Fumiko Hoeft is the director for UConn Waterbury. Most known for her groundbreaking work in the field of dyslexia, she is a significant voice on healthcare research who has provided a variety of insights to international audiences, has given two TEDx Talks, and has spoken at the White House. Dr. Hoeft is also a notable educator who maintains professorial appointments at UConn, Stanford Univers...

Julie Loughran is Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Community Foundation, a non-profit organization helping strengthen Greater Waterbury since 1923. Julie was raised in the Silicon Valley of California, a land of “big egos and the next big thing,” where she went from Stanford University to political campaign work and the legal world – enjoying each phase of her career but ultimately reali...

Kelonda Maull is the Executive Director of Waterbury Promise, a non-profit organization in collaboration with the City of Waterbury and Waterbury Public Schools that provides Waterbury high school students with college access opportunities. Through Waterbury Promise, high schoolers are given the financial resources, support services, and key relationships that lead to success in college and beyond...

Joe Gramando is the Managing Partner of Green Hub Development, a commercial property development and management company. His neat appearance and cordial manner belies the scrappy Staten Island kid who grew up with a penchant for hard rock drumming. Born into a big Italian family who was all in the construction industry, Gramando has a soft spot for historic buildings, and a resiliency to see compl...

Kristen Jacoby is the Chief Professional Officer at the United Way of Greater Waterbury – a non-profit organization focused on the education, financial stability, and basic needs of the Waterbury region. With an entire career devoted to supporting the less fortunate, Kristen talks about the strength of local partnerships, achieving measurable outcomes, the qualities that make Waterbury such a supp...

Jim O’Rourke is the CEO of the Greater Waterbury YMCA – a health and wellness organization offering programs to thousands of people, of all ages and abilities. Jim grew up an only child of a single mother in the Bronx. Upon moving to Connecticut, the YMCA became, as Jim describes, “his stepfather” – a place that helped raise him through early adulthood. Hear about how Jim pushed past his humble be...

The Art Of Yum is an eclectic fusion restaurant nestled within the Mattatuck Museum in downtown Waterbury, with a second location in Southington. Fueled by boundless creativity, brotherly chemistry, and completely unique culinary delights, it has established itself as one of the top restaurants in the vibrant Waterbury scene. Two of its ownership trio are Waterburians – Michone Arrington and Donte...

At a recent community event, Hubbard Hall CEO Molly Kellogg approached Grant Copeland with a loaded question: How did The Waterbury work all come together? Because of the depth and complexity of the question, the two ultimately decided to talk about it here. In this episode, Kellogg turns interviewer to go inside the mind of Copeland – the President and Chief Creative Officer of marketing agency W...

Bob Burns is the Executive Director of the Mattatuck Museum. Highlighted by a major transformation, the Matt – as it is affectionately called – is expanding its role as a storytelling space. Bob himself is a great storyteller – a walking Wikipedia of interesting facts and fables. In eloquent detail, Bob regales us with stories of his upbringing in West Virginia, his early acting career in New York...

Dr. Steve Schneider is the President of Saint Mary’s Hospital – an acute care, community teaching hospital that has served Waterbury since 1909. Growing up during tumultuous times in Chicago, and beginning his career in Emergency Medicine for the U.S. Army, Schneider has seen first hand the horrors of human conflict, and the wonders of the human spirit. He’s made it his mission to meet people wher...

Dr. Verna Ruffin is the Superintendent of the Waterbury Public Schools – which includes nearly twenty thousand students across dozens of schools. Having started her career as a band director in Louisiana more than four decades ago, she’s now orchestrating a complex plan to better align teachers, administrators, parents, and partners in making beautiful music together – that is, in delivering quali...

Eric Pedersen is the CEO of Ideal Fish – an aquaculture company whose Waterbury headquarter is the largest saltwater fish facility in the United States. A Princeton grad who left a successful career on Wall Street, Eric put his innovative thinking toward raising branzino, and found a kindred spirit in the City of Waterbury. Learn about the meeting that catapulted his business forward, about his mo...

Cathy Awwad was born and raised in Waterbury, one of six daughters whose father owned a local manufacturing shop. Her lifelong curiosity has gotten Cathy involved in all kinds of endeavors. Board of Education member. High school basketball coach. Pharmacist. The Governor’s Workforce Development Council. With some surprise stories mixed in, the Executive Director of the Northwest Regional Workforce...

Molly Kellogg is the sixth-generation leader of Hubbard-Hall – a specialty chemical giant who is innovating scientific ways to, as she says, “be the chemical company that sells our customers fewer chemicals.” Her story is compelling: former Ivy League hockey player, turned political campaign worker, turned female business executive who has had to earn her stripes. And, her views on what Waterbury...

Frank Tavera is the CEO of a magical place – the Palace Theater in downtown Waterbury – which has reached regional and national prominence for its beauty and sound quality. In many respects, the Palace is what it is today because of Frank’s wild idea nearly two decades ago – and because of Waterbury’s enormous support then and now. Ironically, Frank was never a performer – more a “tile guy” – nor...