Hartford Business Journal

APRIL 3, 2023 | HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | WOMEN IN BUSINESS B 15 Kelly Smith Papa President & CEO Duncaster I n 2021, Kelly Smith Papa was named president and CEO of Duncaster, Connecticut's first LifePlan community, established in 1984 in Bloomfield. She brings to this position more than 25 years of nationally recognized clinical and executive leadership in senior living. Her extensive resume includes positions as a director of nursing, a clinical educator and a national consultant in building dementia care programs. She facilitates the Leadership Academy of LeadingAge Connecticut, a year-long development program for leaders in aging services and is the author of eight books on senior living and long-term nursing care. Papa's leadership combines the compassion of her clinical nursing background with a collaborative and respectful engagement with staff and residents. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments so far? Professionally, the accomplishment I am most proud of was being appointed president and CEO of Duncaster. Duncaster 's culture is one of trust, respect, fulfillment and relationships. I find myself drawing from my life experiences, values and education as I lead with collaboration and transparency. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? My priority is to continuously foster our culture where residents and employees are encouraged to bring their authentic self, knowledge, curiosity, ideas and talents every day. It is my goal to continue to bring out the best in each person as we reposition, renovate and expand our community. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? I am proud that by following my guiding values and immersing myself in places of deep learning, I have developed the confidence to lead with authenticity, enthusiasm and compassion. I never imagined, starting as a young nurse, that someday I would be a CEO. I believe these practices have drawn me into this role. Mitzy Rowe Chief Executive Officer, The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol President, Bristol Neighborhood Development Corp. Manager, Zbikowski Park Neighborhood. F or the past 23 years, Mitzy Rowe, CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA), has provided low-income housing and has created and promoted opportunities for self-sufficiency to more than 1,500 families. She has fashioned the agency as a pace setter within the public housing industry. BHA is one of only 126 agencies chosen as a Moving to Work agency. This designa- tion is reserved for the most innovative agencies nationwide. She has planned and implemented major rehabilitation projects of almost 100% of the agency properties. The projects will secure approximately $90 million in private and public financing. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments so far? I have maintained the agency's high-per- former designation by HUD for more than 10 years, created award-winning programs to aid residents in their efforts to gain employment, further their educa- tion, and become first-time homeowners. I've also mentored members of my staff who have become successful executives. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? I am working to complete a workforce apartment project for working families. For this project, we have formed a partnership with Vesta Corp. and the City of Bristol to renovate a 113-year-old ex-factory building called the J. H. Sessions & Sons building. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? I had not previously gone through the process of procuring funding to reha- bilitate a property. We partnered with a developer to renovate our first property and gained the "know-how" in the process. I assembled a team and went on to complete two projects and will close on two more this spring. BNDC 31 Quaker Lane, Suite 2 Bristol, CT 06010 (860) 585-2044 Congratulations to BNDC CEO Mitzy Rowe who has been honored with the Hartford Business Journal's Top 25 Women in Business Award! Sabrina Washington-Sales Executive Underwriter – Management Liability, The Hanover Group Founder & Owner, Sassy & Inspirational LLC S abrina Sales is an executive manage- ment liability underwriter for The Hanover Insurance Group. She has more than 15 years of experience as a management and professional liability underwriter, with most of her career spent working with agents and brokers in New England and upstate New York. Sales is currently responsible for a portfolio that includes underwriting directors and offi- cers liability insurance, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, crime insurance and kidnap and ransom insurance for nonprofit organizations and private companies. Sales is also the founder and owner of Sassy & Inspiration LLC. Her company creates custom specialty gift baskets for all occasions. All prod- ucts in her baskets are from Fair Trade Organiza- tions, women-owned and local businesses. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments so far? The insurance industry was slower to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and when the opportunity presented itself, I became a change agent. I'm also one of the founding members of the Association for Professional Insurance Women (APIW) – Boston Chapter; a committee member of the APIW Hartford Chapter and vice president of the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) – Boston Chapter. I created the DEI Council for the Northeast region at Philadelphia Insurance Companies and was co-team lead for the Philadelphia Insurance Companies. What's the next big goal you want to accom- plish professionally? I want to continue to be a change agent for DEI and a mentor to new underwriters within the industry with a focus on women and minorities. I want to support and encourage my mentees to forge their own path, assist them with creating their own personal brand and provide guidance on being successful in the insurance industry based on my experiences and lessons I learned. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? I have spent most of my life in a predominately white male-dominated industry and have had to overcome various obstacles as an African-Ameri- can woman and single mom. I studied and learned my craft and took advantage of all available oppor- tunities for leadership, management, navigation of corporate politics and career development. THE 2023 WOMEN IN BUSINESS HONOREES

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