www.HartfordBusiness.com • September 24, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 3
Newsmakers
EDITORIAL
Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139, gbordonaro@HartfordBusiness.com
Gregory Seay | News Editor, ext. 144, gseay@HartfordBusiness.com
Matt Pilon | News Editor, ext. 143, mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com
Sean Teehan | Staff Writer, ext 145, steehan@hartfordbusiness.com
Joe Cooper | Web Editor, ext. 127, jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com
Stephanie Meagher | Research Director
Heide Martin | Research Assistant
Steve Laschever | Photographer
BUSINESS
Joe Zwiebel | President, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com
Christopher Santilli | Publisher, ext. 124, csantilli@HartfordBusiness.com
Donna Collins | Associate Publisher, ext. 121, dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com
Lauren Stroud | Marketing & Project Manager, ext. 137, lstroud@HartfordBusiness.com
Christina Zuraw | Events Coordinator, ext. 134, czuraw@hartfordbusiness.com
Shannon Vincelette | HBJ Office and Events Coordinator, ext. 122,
svincelette@hartfordbusiness.com
David Hartley | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com
Christopher Mazzaia | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 128, cmazzaia@HartfordBusiness.com
Kristen P. Nickerson | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 133, knickerson@HartfordBusiness.com
Karen Spatafora | Accounts Manager, ext. 131, kspatafora@HartfordBusiness.com
Raki Zwiebel | Credit and Collections Manager
Valerie Clark | Accounting Assistant/Office Manager
Jill Coran | Human Resources Manager
PRODUCTION
Christopher Wallace | Art Director, ext. 147, cwallace@HartfordBusiness.com
Liz Saltzman | Creative Director, ext. 140, lsaltzman@HartfordBusiness.com
Peter Stanton | CEO, pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Joseph Zwiebel | President, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com
Mary Rogers | COO/CFO, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Annual subscriptions are $84.95. To subscribe, visit HartfordBusiness.com,
email hartfordbusiness@cambeywest.com, or call (845) 267-3008.
ADVERTISING:
For advertising information, please call (860) 236-9998.Please address all correspondence
to: Hartford Business Journal, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hart ford CT 06103.
NEWS DEPARTMENT:
If you have a news item: Call us at (860) 236-9998, fax us at (860) 570-2493,
or e-mail us at news@HartfordBusiness.com.
Hartford Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts
or materials and in general does not return them to the sender.
Hartford Business Journal (ISSN 1083-5245) is published weekly, 49x per year - including
two special issues in November and December — by new England Business Media, LLC,
15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06103. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT
and at additional entry points.
Tel: (860) 236-9998 • Fax (860) 570-2493
Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
Postmaster:
Please send address changes to:
Hartford Business Journal
P.O. Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894
www.copyright.com
HartfordBusiness.com
(860) 236-9998
Looking to create a custom publication?
CALL
TODAY!
Let us take care of it for you.
ADVERTISING@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/CUSTOMPUBLISHING | 860.236.9998
Whether it's the celebration of a major anniversary or the opening of a new headquarters, Hartford
Business Journal's Custom Publishing Division can help you create a custom magazine for your
business. Our division's top flight team of writers and designers can help you tell your story – and
make your business look great! Based on our unique publishing model, it's surprisingly affordable.
Chris Cusano | Executive Director, Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance
By Sean Teehan
steehan@hartfordbusiness.com
Learning the ropes in leading a nonprofit after
spending years at a corporate law firm might
present some challenges for Chris Cusano, the
new executive director of the Connecticut Brain
Tumor Alliance.
But that's nothing com-
pared to the challenges he
faced having to re-learn
basic functions like read-
ing and writing following
his own surgery after he
was diagnosed with a brain
tumor in 2008.
Cusano, a West Hartford
resident, served on the
Alliance's board since 2015, and was appointed
executive director last year. He said there may
be some getting used to reporting to a board he
previously led, but believes his relationships with
board members will help smooth the transition.
What is the most challenging part of living
with, and receiving surgery for a brain tumor?
I learned on July 1, 2008, that I had a tumor
and was in the operating room the next day, so
there was not much time to process it. The hard-
est part was overcoming adversity. I went from
completing law school exams to reading chil-
dren's books and relearning how to write, as well
as rebuilding the strength I lost on my right side.
Give us an anecdote of the trials and tribula-
tions you faced during your recovery.
At the time of my diagnosis, I was writing a song
and it was halfway complete. When I returned home
from my first hospital stay, I sat at my piano to play,
but I had lost the ability to play and read music.
Following my third operation, a miracle had
occurred — I sat at the piano to play my original
composition and into the song I went. Over the
next few weeks, I completed the song and subse-
quently titled it "Brainstorm."
Is there anything about brain tumors — and
those living with them — that most people don't
know, but should?
When you are diagnosed with a brain tumor,
and after surgery, life will be different and the
recovery will differ for every single patient. How-
ever, as a patient, you need to take control and be
your own best advocate, and this includes asking
questions that you believe are ill-suited or you
are uncomfortable asking.
What are your top priorities for CTBTA?
I want to see the CTBTA be the driving force
in making Connecticut a center of brain tumor
excellence. Step one in achieving this goal will be
having our most successful annual 5K walk and
run — Path of Hope — to date. The event is on
Sept. 29 at Jennings Beach in Fairfield.
VERBATIM
Larson's tunnel vision
"Money for this project
is coming from the federal
government."
U.S. Congressman John
Larson on the need for
the federal government
to pick up most of the tab for his ambitious,
multibillion-dollar plan to bury I-84 and I-91 in
Hartford in two separate underground tunnels.
Chris Cusano
New development czar
"I've worked to bring
residential and commercial
development projects to life
across the country and I
think Hartford is in a strong
position to build on the
growth we've already seen."
New Haven housing official Erik Johnson
on his new job as Hartford's director of
development services.
