NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | J u n e 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 25 P O W E R 2 5 : H e a l t h c a r e 2 0 2 1 double rooms to single occupancy. According to Venoit, potential residents want privacy and more space, which will mean greater safety. Venoit is active in the community. He is vice chair of the Wallingford planning and zoning commission and is also a member of the town's board of ethics. He is the former chair of the board for the Connecticut Assisted Living Association. Alfred Montoya Jr., Director, VA Connecticut Healthcare System Alfred A. Montoya Jr. has been director of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, which has medical centers in West Haven and Newington, since October 2019. He oversees the delivery of health care to some 59,000 veterans throughout Connecticut and southern New England. In addition to the main medical center campuses, the system also includes outpatient clinics around the state. The system provides a full range of health services to veterans, from cardiology to dentistry, to cancer and mental health treatment. Like medical institution leaders throughout the region, Montoya has also had to lead as the system adapted to the impact of the pandemic. The system has treated patients suffering from COVID and has been administering vaccinations to veterans. Montoya is a veteran himself, having served in the U.S. Air Force for over 10 years as a Russian cryptologic linguist. When Montoya took the Connecticut job, Ryan Lilly, network director for the VA New England Healthcare System, said Montoya's "sound leadership qualities and proven experience," would be assets for the network, employees, volunteers and veterans. Just prior to coming to Connecticut, Montoya served as director for the VA Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. Montoya joined the VA in 2009 and has served in various leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including as assistant director for the VA Connecticut Health Care System. Dawn Hocevar, President & CEO, BioCT Dawn Hocevar's role as president and CEO of BioCT involves working with a multitude of city, state, company and academic leaders to advance Connecticut's bioscience industry, which is working to cure a host of human ailments. Hocevar has worked to help the industry overcome its long-time lack of enough laboratory space. Her efforts are seeing results — construction is beginning on a planned New Haven bioscience tower at 101 College St. in June. Hocevar was a contributing author in the development of the state's 10-year strategic plan to guide investment in the state's bioscience industry. Hocevar has been working to encourage the state to include bioscience as an anchor industry due to its economic potential. She also serves on the Southern Connecticut State University BioPath Advisory Board, which is helping prepare students for bioscience industry jobs. Under Hocevar's leadership, BioCT is working to grow the bioscience industry around the state through supporting innovation, collaboration, networking and education. The organization fosters interest among students and young scientists at its incubator, Innovation Commons in Groton. Hocevar and BioCT work to help startup and emerging bioscience companies grow in the state, and to recruit existing companies to move here, helping to boost the state's economy. n Healthcare 2021

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