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T H E 2 0 2 4 WOMEN IN BUSINESS H O N O R E E S HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 1, 2024 B19 Lisa Tepper Bates President & CEO United Way of Connecticut L isa Tepper Bates leads a United Way of Connecticut (UWCT) staff of nearly 400 people, providing the state's 211 health and human services contact center and 988/Suicide and Mental Health Lifeline, administering the Connecti- cut child care subsidy (Care 4 Kids), and offering additional services to support Connecticut residents in need. She brings more than 25 years of expe- rience working in U.S. diplomacy, public policy, and state and nonprofit leadership to her role at United Way. Tepper Bates holds degrees from George- town University and the Yale School of Management. She is a board member of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and Stonington Board of Police Commissioners. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments? UWCT provided critical support to Connecticut during the pandemic through the 211 COVID hotline (500,000-plus calls in four months; 187,000 people scheduled for vaccinations). We expanded 211's crisis team for the rollout of 988, the nation's new mental health crisis exchange, winning the National 2022 Crisis Center Excellence Award. Carol Quinn Toomey Managing Director Accenture C arol Quinn Toomey is the office managing director for Accenture's Hartford office, and the client account lead for Accenture's Connecticut public service work. She leads a global team of more than 150 resources for her public service work and manages over 600 employees in the Hartford office. Quinn Toomey's Accenture career spans 36 years and has crossed multiple industries, including two decades in public service. She is actively engaged in workforce devel- opment initiatives across Connecticut, and a leader in mentoring girls and women. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments? I am the first woman to lead Accenture's public service team and serve as Hartford office managing director. I've more than doubled the account I lead over the last two years by focusing on building trust in my teams and with my clients. I was instrumental in the launch of the Workforce Partnership Initiative in Congratulations Carol Quinn Toomey We are thrilled to join the Hartford Business Journal in celebrating the Top 25 Women in Business and honoring Carol for her inspiring leadership and dedication to our business and local community. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? We need to create an advancement path for promising nonprofit staff who have not had the chance to secure the credentials and experience they need to rise through management. Great potential leaders need our active support to reach their highest potential, and we can enhance leadership diversity in the process. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? Coming to Connecticut as a non-native and changing careers at the same time I faced two challenges: switching gears professionally from being a U.S. diplomat to being a social service provider; and learning how the Connecticut state government's partnership between state agencies and nonprofit partners works. Connecticut, which will prepare an addi- tional 1,500 Connecticut residents to secure high-tech jobs by December 2025. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? My goal is to double the size of my locally based account team, so I can bring even more Connecticut-based Accenture employ- ees to my public service clients, hiring more Connecticut residents. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? Working to revitalize the Accenture Hartford office after the pandemic. I've looked for ways to connect and engage our employees and our clients, bringing best practices to spark engagement and strengthen community. We have successfully partnered to create events such as A Taste of Hartford in the office, a Bushnell Park cleanup, Hour of Code, and more.