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Women In Business | April 11, 2022 | Hartford Business Journal 5 WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS 2022 F rom her days as a Division 1 Academic All-American basketball player to becoming a trial attorney, Beth Alquist has long been a standout on and in the court. She built her practice from scratch in what was a newly formed intellectual property group. She represents diverse clients in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, noncompetition and technology-related disputes in federal and state courts, as well as before the International Trade Commission, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Q: What's been your biggest professional accomplishment so far? Becoming a trusted advisor to clients. Winning a significant motion, hearing or trial is certainly what we do (and what I love to do) but at the base, the accomplishment is the confidence a client has placed in us to handle their important matters. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? As the new litigation department chair at Day Pitney, I plan to leverage technology to continue to foster teamwork amongst our approximately 100 trial lawyers. Welcoming new team members and getting to know each other better professionally and personally will only make us a stronger team. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? Without too many female role models to learn from, I built a practice from scratch, which was difficult, scary and incredibly satisfying. Although gregarious, I was not comfortable at first developing business and making the 'ask' for clients to send matters to me. How has the COVID-19 pandemic forced you to adapt as a leader? Because interactions don't happen by chance at the office anymore, we all had to be more intentional in creating interactions with our teams. We used to take it for granted, but a short call just to ask 'how are you' can be so meaningful in building teams. What do you like to do outside of work? Spending time with my husband and our three daughters, whether traveling, golfing or just walking our dog. Our daughters teach us so much through their interests and compassionate viewpoints, and manage to keep us laughing throughout the journey. Y vonne Alston is an unapologetically authentic amplifier and advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She established Indelible Impressions Consulting to advance important conversations, education and training to help organizations understand the importance of culture and its impact on the human experience. Her firm and team focus on centering the employee experience, amplifying personal and professional value, and inspiring hearts and minds as they challenge systems of inequity, champion dimensions of diversity, and drive inclusive practices holistically. What's been your biggest professional accomplishment so far? My biggest accomplishment is learning how to use my education, lived experience and voice to help others become truly visible, perhaps for the very first time. We often think being seen is an action based on the visual experience. However, being truly visible means others see each part of us. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? To help larger communities desire to experience one another in their lived communities, at work and at play. To help larger groups realize the richness and benefits of diverse experiences and to make intentional decisions to continuously expose their lives to one another. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? Being told who I am and what I'm capable of by people who never knew me well enough to make such judgments. Limitations were projected onto me because they didn't allow all of me to be present. Now that I'm 100% visible, the freedom and success has been tremendous. How has the COVID-19 pandemic forced you to adapt as a leader? The pandemic has brought out the best (and sometimes worst) of people. Listening without judgment but with radical curiosity has allowed me to lean in more to my work – even amid uncertainty and discomfort. I'm a better leader and leadership coach for it. What legacy do you want to leave after your career is over? I want to leave a legacy of care, lovingkindness and greater understanding as the epicenter of the human experience – regardless of any single or multiple dimensions of diversity or difference. Beth Alquist Employer: Day Pitney Title: Litigation Department Chair Yvonne Alston Employer: Indelible Impressions Consulting Title: CEO & Founder P rior to leading the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority, Andrea Barton Reeves was the CEO of Harc Inc. in Hartford, which supports people with intellectual disabilities and their families. She was named one of five business leaders to watch in 2021 by Hartford Business Journal. She has also been named to HBJ's Power 25 in Health Care list. She is a fellow of the Connecticut Bar and American Bar foundations. Barton Reeves is also a fellow in the 2021 Fall Cohort for Women Leaders for the World. What's been your biggest professional accomplishment so far? Standing up the Paid Leave Authority, from scratch, in a pandemic, is my biggest professional accomplishment. We created the Paid Leave Authority completely remotely. Our team is phenomenal, and I am so proud of their work to bring paid leave to the people of Connecticut. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? I would like to be an effective force in bringing paid family and medical leave to more states and support the passage of paid leave on the federal level. I would also like to mentor more young women to become powerful leaders in their own right. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? Starting the Paid Leave Authority in a pandemic was certainly a professional challenge. The statute had very aggressive timelines to be met and no one could have imagined that the world would look as it did in March 2020. Navigating all the complexities of starting a $400-million agency certainly tested us, but we were able to stand up the agency and make paid family and medical leave a reality for our state. How has the COVID-19 pandemic forced you to adapt as a leader? Leaders are always adapting because organizations are never static. I adapted by hiring my team remotely, establishing relationships with state-agency colleagues without meeting with them in person, and creating new relationships with state legislators, all while adapting to the impact of the pandemic. R enée J. Bernasconi holds an MBA from Quinnipiac University; she is a lifetime member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and a licensed nursing home administrator. She has played an enormous role in Seabury's success over the last 25 years, most notably the oversight of the three- year, $75-million campus repositioning project and launching new legislation for the first home-based life-plan program in Connecticut, Seabury at Home. In addition, Bernasconi serves as an ex-officio on Seabury's three boards and oversees all aspects of campus development and strategic planning. What's been your biggest professional accomplishment so far? My biggest accomplishment so far is being instrumental in the 2008 launch of new legislation for the first home-based life-plan program in Connecticut was a gratifying challenge. It was the fifth such program in the nation, beginning as a separate nonprofit organization, which has grown to current assets of over $15 million. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? My goal is to complete the final phase of the campus repositioning project, paused due to the pandemic. Additionally, the future development of Seabury at Powder Forest in Simsbury, a second campus, is significant to me in ensuring that this 146-year-old organization will be well- positioned for the future. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? When COVID engulfed the world, I had been CEO for nine short months. I enacted the emergency disaster plan, which included accelerating a 360-degree change in operations for a campus of almost 500 residents. I moved to campus for three months during the pandemic's most challenging and daunting times. What do you like to do outside of work? I relish time on the Cape with my family, my husband of 25 years, our twins (Marco & Ibrianna), and our favorite dog, Ruger. Relaxing on the beach, boating, bicycling and other water sports round out an excellent way for me to have fun and enjoy time with family and friends. Andrea Barton Reeves Employer: Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority Title: CEO Renée J. Bernasconi Employer: Seabury Title: President & CEO