Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

52 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 23, 2021 Jason Jakubowski Year Won: 2008 Current Title: President and CEO Company: Connecticut Food Bank/Foodshare Current Age: 43 40 Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? I t's been 13 years since I won the 40 Under 40 award. I've had a lot of professional accomplishments that I'm very proud of, but nothing compares to the amazing work our CFB/Foodshare team has done over the past year and a half. The pandemic not only changed our business model, but it changed people's lives. Just as we had to adapt to new ways of distributing food, our neighbors and friends all across the state were forced to adapt to a frightening new normal. At Rentschler Field alone, we distributed 7.8 million meals to more than 275,000 households — and that was in addition to our regular food operations. From our staff and volunteers to our board of directors and our donors, everybody truly came together during this most difficult time and helped us serve families who never thought they would need our services. There's a lot that I'm proud of over the past 13 years, but my team's extraordinary work during COVID is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Julie Daly Meehan Year Won: 2008 Current Title: Chief Operating Officer Company: MetroHartford Alliance Current Age: 38 40 Q: What did the 40 Under Forty award mean to you? R eceiving the award at the age of 24 and after just one year at the helm of HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs) was a clear indication of how much young talent is valued in the Hartford Region. As an early career professional completely focused on helping other young professionals share my love of Hartford and build their lives here, I'm not sure I can adequately put into words just how much it meant to me. The collective impact of the generation of HYPEsters I worked with is truly inspiring. I've been watching HYPE members grow into leadership roles across industries for over a decade and am so proud to have been a part of their journeys. It's incredibly rewarding to watch current HYPE leaders modernize efforts to retain young professionals in our region, and the addition of AllHart as a complimentary talent attraction initiative is really exciting! I'm also so grateful to have had the opportunity to grow my own career from multiple angles at the MetroHartford Alliance. I care deeply about this organization and the region we work so hard to strengthen, and am honored to be part of the Leadership Team. Wilson Camelo Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? A fter receiving this award, I went on to own, run and grow my own marketing and advertising agency. This has been a culmination of hard work, perseverance and experience, with support from all the people who helped make my entrepreneurial dream a reality. Camelo Communication has grown to be a recognized agency that helps market to the New America, with a rapidly growing multicultural population. Year Won: 2010 Current Title: President and Chief Marketing Offi cer Company: Camelo Communication Current Age: 50 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Year Won: 2009 Current Title: President & CEO Company: Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, Inc. Current Age: 42 Jeremy D. Race 40 Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? I am most proud of how the Junior Achievement team pivoted and stayed strong together during the pandemic. Early on, we set an objective as an organization to stay needed, relevant and supportive. We made it our mission to show empathy and support to our educators and corporate partners. In an effort to keep our communities safe, we purchased and donated 24,000 pieces of critical PPE supplies to 75 schools, hospitals and fellow non-profit organizations in Connecticut. We invited open and honest dialogue on important racial issues and voiced support of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. At the same time, we virtualized all Junior Achievement programs and successfully converted all our special events to a virtual format. Through these efforts, we ensured that student impact and community impact remained our priorities. Overall, despite many obstacles and challenges in 2020 and 2021, we served more than 14,000 students with Junior Achievement's life- changing programs. Said one student, "Thank you Junior Achievement for shaping me into the person that I am today. You distilled in me the confidence, the drive and the motivation to be greater than my situation, and I cannot thank you enough for that." WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

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