Hartford Business Journal

36 Hartford Business Journal • April 20, 2020 • www.HartfordBusiness.com 2020 POWER 50 nancial, where he was CEO since the mid-1990s. His father founded the bank in 1935, which today is publicly traded and has grown to more than $30 billion in assets. He briefly toyed with a run for governor in 2018. Patricelli, a noted philanthropist and investor, has built, led and sold three healthcare companies — most recently Avon-based Women's Health USA — for a total deal value of well over $1.4 billion. James Pitaro When Bristol-based sports media behemoth ESPN turned 40 last year, James Pitaro, who took over as president in 2018, was there to cut the cake. In an age of streaming content, Pitaro is run- ning ESPN at a time of extreme disruption in the cable TV industry, and so far he's leaned into adjusting to a changing landscape. In 2019, he led ESPN's expansion of NBA, ultimate fighting and gambling con- tent. Under Pita- ro the network also introduced the ESPN Plus digital streaming service, which offers live sports and other original content. That streaming service had 3.5 million subscribers by the begin- ning of 2020. The biggest challenge he faces right now is a lack of sports pro- gramming since all major U.S. and international sports leagues are dormant with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As ESPN continues to expand across the U.S. with studios in Los Angeles and New York City, Pitaro said he remains committed to Bristol. In fact, the company added 100 jobs there last year and now has about 4,000 employees in the state. Ray and Barbara Dalio Ray and Barbara Dalio have lots of money and influence in Fairfield County, where Ray has run one of the world's largest hedge funds, Westport-based Bridge- water Associates, which manages more than $160 billion in worldwide assets. But the Dalios became statewide power players last year when they announced their foundation was giving $100 million to support an education-reform initiative with the state of Con- necticut that aims to bolster some of the state's low-per- forming public schools. Since the launch of the effort — which also calls on state government and other philanthro- pists to throw in an additional $200 million — the Dalios have come under tighter scrutiny from the press, especially after the state legislature agreed to exempt the group, called The Partnership for Connecticut, from Freedom of Infor- mation laws, allowing some of their meetings and what is said in them to be done in secret. Jennifer M. DelMonico Attorney Jennifer M. DelMonico deploys her influence on Connecti- cut's business community far out- side of her law practice. DelMonico, the manag- ing partner of Murtha Cullina, joined the firm in 2000 after moving to Connecticut from Atlanta, Ga., and has served stints as partner and chair of its litigation department. She has also been very active in the busi- ness commu- nity, chairing the state's largest business lobby, the Connecticut Business & Indus- try Association. That position gives her major influence in helping shape the business commu- nity's legislative agenda in Hartford and approach to hot-button issues that impact the private sector. DelMonico also currently serves on the board of directors of Lex Mundi, a worldwide network of independent law firms. Mark Scheinberg Mark Scheinberg essentially built a college from scratch and he was so successful he recently converted it into a university. What was once Goodwin College recently became Goodwin Univer- sity. Scheinberg said he made the change to the East Hartford-based school he founded decades ago because of the addi- tion of master's degree programs in nursing, public health and organi- zational leadership. Part of the calculus in that change, Scheinberg said, is that it could encourage more corpora- tions to enlist Goodwin for employee train- ing and degree programs. In ad- dition to build- ing a school, Scheinberg has built a sprawling Burnside Avenue riverfront campus on the site of an abandoned oil storage yard. The school is currently building an $8-million commercial building at Main and Ensign streets that will serve as a new campus gateway. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Scheinberg recently cancelled all in-person classes for the rest of the spring semester and moved to online-only learning. Rhona Free Rhona Free has literally changed the face of the University of St. Joseph since becoming president in 2015. By far her biggest move has been making the former women's-only col- lege co-ed. Enrollment at USJ was trending downward and stood at about 2,400 the year before that change went into effect. In fall 2019 enrollment reached about 2,500. She also recruited former legendary UConn basketball coach Jim Cal- houn to develop a new men's bas- ketball program. Additionally, Free serves as board chair of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Educa- tion and vice chair of the Con- necticut Confer- ence of Indepen- dent Colleges board of directors. Greg Woodward University of Hartford President Greg Woodward thinks UHart isn't always seen with the prestige he said it deserves, but he's been in overdrive to change that. Since Woodward be- came president in 2017, he's initiated plans to build a new $58-mil- lion, 62,000-square-foot academic building that will provide a state-of-the-art facility for two of the private college's most in-demand and growing ma- jors: engineering and nursing. Those con- struction plans came after the uni- versity opened its $5-million Barney School of Business expansion last summer. That project renovated 1,300 square feet and added 10,000 square feet in the school's Auerbach Hall. Coronavirus has disrupted UHart like all local colleges. Woodward was forced to close his campus in March, cancel in-person classes and imple- ment virtual learning for the rest of the spring semester. Cloud Family The Cloud family carries signifi- cant sway in Hartford. Adam Cloud is currently the city treasurer, overlooking Hartford's finances, which have been on shaky ground for years. He was in of- fice when Mayor Luke Bronin helped win a major long-term bailout for the city, which prevented Hartford from filing for potential bankruptcy. Adam has now won re-election multiple times, proving some staying power. He was also the first black man to serve as city treasurer. But the real Cloud fam- ily power stems from the pa- triarch, Sandy Cloud Jr., a law- yer by trade who became the first black barrister to work at law firm Robinson+Cole. He also served two terms in the state senate, be- 40 34 35 36 38 37 39 James Pitaro, President, ESPN Jennifer M. DelMonico, Managing Partner, Murtha Cullina Mark Scheinberg, President, Goodwin University Greg Woodward, President, University of Hartford Adam Cloud, City Treasurer, Hartford Sandy Cloud, Developer, The Cloud Co. LLC Rhona Free, President University of St. Joseph Ray Dalio, Co-Chairman, Bridgewater Associates Barbara Dalio

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