Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 15 ©2023 CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. Investment advisory services are offered through CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. CPAs | CONSULTANTS | WEALTH ADVISORS 860-561-4000 West Hartford CLAconnect.com We'll get you there. Where is your there? CLA brings balance to get you where you want to go. "We wanted to have that exper- tise in-house so that we can be helping those companies to grow in Connecticut, or come to Connecticut in the first place, and make sure that there's someone here that really speaks their language and can really explain the value proposition of Connecticut, or get their feedback on what we need to do differently to make it an even better place to grow your company," Daum said in an interview with the HBJ. Since taking office in 2019, Lamont, a former small business owner, has created several C-suite-type roles within state government, including the chief operating officer position, which is currently vacant, and chief marketing officer, held by Anthony Anthony, a former Lamont aide. Anthony also works for DECD. But O'Keefe said he doesn't see the new positions as moves toward corporatizing state government. "Yes, we call it chief innovation officer, which sounds corporate, but the actual mandate is public service, right?" he said. "This is all about helping people, helping communities thrive, helping to invest in those communities and really just make Connecticut an even better place to live." Adopted state O'Keefe, who lives in New Canaan with his wife, Sarah, two daughters, 11 and 14, and two dogs, came from humble beginnings. He grew up in a small house outside Boston, and his mother was a public school teacher. He took an interest in technology at a young age and was intellectually curious. He said he taught himself how to code and started an e-commerce website in 1994, the same year Yahoo! was founded. Then he learned how to invest. Outside of work, O'Keefe serves as a board member and chair- person emeritus of The Opportu- nity Network, an education and career-skills nonprofit that reaches more than 40,000 high-poten- tial students from historically marginalized communities. He's also served in positions at his alma maters, including presi- dent of the alumni board at Harvard Business School, where he received his MBA, and on the President's Leadership Council at Brown University, where he received his bachelor's degree. He calls Connecticut his adopted state, but says he's fully invested in it. He said he chose the Nutmeg State for its quality of life and business opportunities. "We have all of the assets and work already underway to create and foster this concept of innovative ecosystems," O'Keefe said. "And now there's an opportunity to come in and hopefully play a role that helps further coordinate, further catalyze, for it to grow." easternct.edu/business

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