Richard Sugarman Joins CTData Collaborative Board
The CTData Collaborative (CTData), a statewide nonprofit organization with a mission focused on connecting people and data to promote informed decision-making, has added Richard Sugarman to its Board of Directors. Sugarman is a highly-regarded and accomplished leader in Connecticut, the Founding President of both Hartford Promise and The Connecticut Forum.
CTData works throughout Connecticut with nonprofits, advocates, policymakers, community groups, and funders to further the use of data to drive policy and improve programs and services, budgeting and decision-making at the state, regional and local levels.
“Richard has had proven success at both starting and sustaining organizations, and engaging people in initiatives that strengthen community,” said CTData Board Chair David Nee. “As CTData expands its work with support from State government and the philanthropic sector, we look forward to Richard bringing his vast experience to our Board.”
Richard Sugarman is the Founding President of Hartford Promise, a large-scale scholarship and college success program for Hartford students. Since it began in 2015, more than 1,000 Promise Scholars have received scholarships, counseling, coaching, and other essential services and supports. Promise Scholars have attend 80 different colleges.
Previously, he was the Founding President of The Connecticut Forum, a non-profit organization that for more than three decades has brought nationally known panelists to Hartford, four times a year, in front of engaged and enthusiastic audiences, to discuss a variety of timely and important topics. CT Forum programs cover a wide range of and the roster of Forum panelists is widely seen as a “who’s who” of the most significant and interesting people in our nation.
“We are thrilled to have Richard join our Board, and welcome his considerable expertise and vast experience, which will certainly help to advance our work in Connecticut,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of CTData. “He brings an unwavering commitment to engaging people in meaningful and enduring ways.”
Sugarman has also advised and consulted with many leading nonprofit and for profit organizations in Connecticut, sharing his experience and expertise to advance their programs and initiatives.
The CTData Board is chaired by David Nee, retired executive director of the Graustein Memorial Foundation. Officers include Robert Santy (Treasurer), retired President and CEO Richard Sugarman of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, and Paula Palermo (Secretary) Data Director of Norwalk ACTS. Members include Christopher Brechlin of COMPASS Youth Collaborative, Julia Camarco of Shipman & Goodwin, Lakshmi Prathima Devarasetty of Google, Carmel Ford of Guidehouse, Rydell Harrison of Partners for Educational Leadership, Rachael Klayman of Ascendus, Tyler Kleykamp of Connecticut Foodshare, and Beresford Wilson.
In 2024, the CTData Academy hosted 28 workshops across the state, in communities including Hartford, Norwalk, Glastonbury, Middletown and Waterbury, reacing ovr 400 participants. Over 92% of attendees reported improved data literacy skills and plans to implement workshop learnings, jpriasing the emphasis on data planning and ethical considerations. The sold-out annual CTData Conference resulted in 96% of attendees indicating they would recommend the conference to their networks., praising the inspirational and informative content.
CTData works with nonprofit organizations to develop Data Strategic Plans© to map out their use of data to further their organizational missions, offers a range of programs and working groups through the CTData Academy, and seeks to engage the people most affected by the decisions in the data exploration. CTData also operates a data “helpline” for assisting data users with obtaining, displaying, interpreting, and using data, and responded to nearly 200 requests during the year.
Program initiatives have included Hartford Youth Data Fellows, which had its 3rd cohort in 2024, and Youth Ambassadors program in Bridgeport. CTData’s Equity in Data Community of Practice, a group of data users in Connecticut working toward integrating more equitable data practices, meets regularly and includes data analysts, evaluators, or researchers, to data coordinators and GIS analysts.
CTData has accessible data projects available on the CTData website within categories including: Business & Economy, Children & Families, Civic Engagement, Criminal Justice, Demographics & Population, Education, Hartford, Health & Healthcare, Housing, Migration and Regional/Town Data. Interactive data projects on topics including housing, demographics, population, and civic engagement are available on the CTData website, making these data accessible to inform decision-making
A member of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, CTData earned the 2024 Network Steward Award from the Partnership, the first time the award has been presented to an entire organization.
More information about CTData is available on the CTData website at www.ctdata.org.