Hartford Business Journal

32 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY 28, 2021 Rhonda Tobin In 2021 attorney Rhonda Tobin joined the growing ranks of women assuming top leadership positions in Greater Hartford's legal sector when she was named managing partner of Hartford law firm Robinson+Cole. Tobin, who joined Robinson+Cole in 1990, is the first woman to fill that role — which involves overseeing business operations and essentially acting as CEO — in the firm's 176- year history, another step in what many hope will be a sea change toward gender parity in senior leadership posts, both in the legal profession and corporate America in general. Tobin's practice focuses on the litigation, arbitration and mediation of complex disputes involving insurance and reinsurance coverage. She has been involved in high-profile coverage litigation, including cases arising out of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, sexual abuse claims involving the Catholic Church and academic institutions, and coverage issues stemming from the #MeToo movement and COVID-19 pandemic. She has been a member of Robinson+Cole's managing committee since 2009 and co-chaired the firm's litigation section from 2007 to 2021. A frequent lecturer at industry conferences, Tobin has often expressed pride in spending her entire career with one firm, lauding Robinson+Cole's philosophy and values. "Our culture is important to us," Tobin told the Hartford Business Journal in 2020. "It's why I came to the firm back when I was starting. There is a commitment to collaboration, inclusion and civility." Moy Ogilvie One of the few Black women managing partners in the state and country, McCarter & English's Moy Ogilvie is a leader inside and outside her firm. She was named managing partner of McCarter & English's Hartford office in 2018, but held leadership roles before that. She was appointed the firm's diversity and inclusion partner in 2017, in charge of coordinating and overseeing initiatives aimed at recruiting, promoting and retaining women and diverse lawyers. 2022 POWER 50 In December 2020, ESPN also reached a 10-year deal with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to take over the rights from CBS to air the conference's 15 spotlight college football games starting in 2024. Pitaro originally joined The Walt Disney Co. in 2010 as co-president of Disney Interactive, where he led the turnaround of the digital media and gaming division, according to his bio. Before that, he worked at Yahoo, where he rose to the head of media. The Westchester, New York native has a law degree from St. John's Law School. Michael & Shari Cantor Michael and Shari Cantor are one of Greater Hartford's foremost power couples. Michael is co-managing partner of Hartford intellectual property law firm Cantor Colburn LLP and board chair of Connecticut Innovations (CI), the state's quasi-public venture capital arm. Shari Cantor is the mayor of West Hartford, one of the region's wealthiest towns. Last September, the married couple and former UConn alums announced their support to help fund a new entrepreneurship course at their alma mater, which will include working to solve problems faced by startup companies in Greater Hartford. As public and private actors in the state work toward boosting entrepreneurship in Connecticut, Michael Cantor has become a central player bringing both worlds together. He's also a major Hartford cheerleader. As board chair of CI, he's helped the firm become a leading player in funding and promoting Connecticut-based startups. As a leader at Cantor Colburn — which was founded in the 1990s with three attorneys — Cantor oversees a major U.S. patent legal practice employing more than 100 attorneys and 300 total staffers across offices in Hartford, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Atlanta and Houston. In 2020, Cantor Colburn was ranked as the No. 4 law firm in the country for patents issued, according to industry tracker Harrity & Harrity. Shari Cantor has been West Hartford's mayor since 2016 and won reelection this past November. She's spent much of the last two years dealing with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and helped launch a successful outdoor dining scene in West Hartford Center that not only helped restaurants survive but thrive. West Hartford is also the focus of several major apartment redevelopments that aim to add hundreds of residential units to the town, known for its diversity, quality schools and vibrant downtown restaurant scene. Shari Cantor is a CPA who formerly worked for PwC and Cigna and was inducted into the UConn Business Hall of Fame in 2017. Leander Dolphin As managing partner of Shipman & Goodwin, Leander Dolphin leads one of the state's largest law firms with 146 attorneys. Dolphin took over the firm's leadership role Jan. 1. With its headquarters at One Constitution Plaza, in downtown Hartford, the firm also has offices in New Haven, Old Lyme, Stamford, Greenwich, Lakeville and New York. Dolphin said her focus is to build upon the firm's performance in 2021, which she described as one of its strongest years despite the pandemic. In her practice, Dolphin has helped clients, such as educational institutions and private employers, deal with COVID- related issues, such as vaccine mandates and workplace health and safety. As an attorney, Dolphin regularly advises universities, colleges, public school districts, independent schools and other clients on a variety of education and employment matters. These range from special education disputes to claims of sexual harassment to policies involving the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dolphin, who was born in St. Lucia and wrote a book of short stories about her hometown, said a key focus in the year ahead will be growing the firm's national environmental, litigation, education and business practices by adding lawyers and staff. She originally joined Shipman in 2004. Prior to becoming managing partner, she served for three years on the firm's management committee and became a co-managing partner last year. Dolphin is also active in the community. In November she was elected to the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's board of directors. She is also the former vice president of human resources and general counsel for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. 33 34 36 37 35 Michael Cantor Leander Dolphin Shari Cantor Rhonda Tobin Ogilvie is also a prominent speaker and has taken part in many forums and lectures. She is active with the Connecticut Bar Association, George W. Crawford Black Bar Association, Connecticut Judicial Branch's Access to Justice Commission, and the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity. At one point, Gov. Ned Lamont appointed Ogilvie to serve on the Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission. Her areas of practice include commercial litigation matters, representing clients in toxic tort and product liability cases. Lou Gianquinto Lou Gianquinto leads the state's largest health plan that covers more than 1 million people in Connecticut. He was named president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut in November 2020, replacing Jill Hummel, a well- respected insurance executive who spent seven years in the same role. Leading Anthem's Connecticut business represents a homecoming for Gianquinto. He's got strong ties to the state having graduated from Southern Connecticut State University and earned an MBA from the University of New Haven. He also held several jobs in the Connecticut insurance industry at UnitedHealthcare and Oxford Health Plans, where he led initiatives to improve quality, manage costs and increase affordability. Most recently he served as president of Missouri Care, Anthem's Medicaid business in Missouri. As he works to protect Anthem's Connecticut market share lead, he said one of his top priorities is to advance more value-based contracts with providers that pay doctors and hospitals more based on performance rather than a fee-for- service model. In September Anthem announced a new agreement with Hartford HealthCare that makes a shift toward value-driven healthcare programs by increasing the focus on primary and preventative care. Anthem also recently debuted a new virtual primary care plan. Gianquinto was recently named to the board of Southern Connecticut State University's foundation, and he's the chair of the American Heart Association's 2022 New Haven Heart Walk. Moy Ogilvie Lou Gianquinto

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