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www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 19, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal CLA 13 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2020 contact: Jeff White Jeff White | jwhite@rc.com | 860.275.8252 Congratulations to Anne Evans of the U.S. Department of Commerce for being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. A well-deserved recognition for a person that has spent her career as a leader in the business community. Boston | Hartford | New York | Providence | Miami | Stamford | Los Angeles | Wilmington | Philadelphia | Albany | New London | www.rc.com www.rc.com © 2020 Robinson & Cole LLP | Attorney Advertising 1 75 A History of Embracing Change Rodriguez's career devoted to serving mental health needs of underserved By Liese Klein A s a physician in Colombia, Galo Rodriguez delivered more than 200 babies over a decade spent in family medicine. But when he arrived in the United States, Rodriguez decided he could have more impact in the field of public health. He now serves as CEO of The Village for Families & Children, a major nonprofit provider of behavioral health and other services in Hartford. "My desire was to continue my career in human services in a way that I can improve people's lives in general," Rodriguez said. He said he was especially moti- vated by his encounters with Latino residents in and around Hartford, where he saw generations chal- lenged by issues of poverty, poor health and educational disparities. "I saw a population that required a lot of services, a lot of education about how to access services and improve their lives for themselves and their children," Rodriguez said. The young doctor got acquainted with Hartford's needs in his first public-health job, at Catholic Chari- ties, where he rose to direct programs in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties. He earned a master's in pub- lic health from UConn in addition to his medical training at the University of Cartagena in Colombia. Giving credit to guidance of a strong mentor, Rodriguez was named chief operating officer for Catholic Charities for the Arch- diocese of Hartford. Although he had considerable autonomy at the church-run nonprofit, Rodriguez said he was yearning for a larger role in the leadership and direction of an organization. In 2006 he applied to lead The Village, which has been helping Hartford's neediest children in various incarnations since 1809. "The Village has had a strong com- mitment to children and families and a strong staff," Rodriguez said. "We did have some management is- sues we had to address." By consolidating administrative roles and restructuring programs, he was able to grow the nonprofit's resources and bolster programs on prevention and early intervention. Today the nonprofit boasts a workforce of 517 employees, and an annual budget of $44 million. "We shouldn't be just treating, we should prevent illness, we should pre- vent trauma and issues that impact families and children," Rodriguez said. "We have been able to move The Vil- lage to be one of the go-to organiza- tions for children as well as adults for services in mental health." The Village is now focusing on in- tegrating its strengths in behavioral health services with primary care providers, aided by a collaboration with Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Under a new protocol, when children visit their doctors for physi- cal issues like obesity or asthma, they will also get screenings for develop- mental and behavioral issues. "We're looking at more strategic partnerships with other healthcare providers," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez also seeks to make a dif- ference as part of the Connecticut Be- havioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, in addition to serving on the boards of the CT Council of Family Ser- vices Agencies, Connecticut Associa- tion of Human Services and St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. THE BUSINESS NEWS YOU NEED DELIVERED EACH BUSINESS DAY FROM YOUR TRUSTED, LOCAL SOURCE VISIT HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/ENEWSLETTERS TO SIGN UP. MORNING BLEND POWERED BY HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL & NEW HAVEN BIZ HARTFORD BUSINESS.COM TODAY HARTFORD BUSINESS.COM TODAY Every day by 7:45 A.M., our editors pull the top news sources in the state and nation to provide you with the must-know information you need to start your business day. Every business day, our award- winning reporting and news staff canvases the market for breaking news and sends it to your inbox by noontime.