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T H E 2 0 2 6 WOMEN IN BUSINESS H O N O R E E S B2 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 23, 2026 Constantine alleyne Senior Manager Pratt & Whitney (RTX) allison aboud Holzer Founder & CEO Aha2Impact Contents Thank you to our 2026 Women in Business Judges C onstantine Alleyne is a senior manager at Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, where she manages business relationships with commercial operators and oversees contractual obligations tied to a reserve exceeding $250 million. Her work focuses on financial controls, risk management and operational account- ability across aerospace programs. She is also the founder of Alleyne & Co. LLC and the creator of Resilience Intelligence and the Pivot Quotient, a leadership framework used in corporate, academic and community settings. Alleyne is a bestselling author and a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership. Her work spans leadership development, public health advocacy and workforce resilience. What have been your biggest profes- sional accomplishments so far? I've built and scaled multiple impact- driven ventures, created a nationally recognized leadership framework (PQ), led high-risk operations in jails and prisons, authored award-winning books, and founded a nonprofit serving families impacted by Type 1 diabetes. My work now shapes leaders across corpora- tions, universities and communities. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? My next goal is to institutionalize Resilience Intelligence by licensing PQ frameworks nationally across corpora- tions, universities and public systems — making resilience measurable, teachable and scalable while expanding headcount, partnerships and long-term economic impact. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? I pivoted from corrections and public health into aerospace leadership — without losing my mission. Navigating credibility, culture and complexity in male-dominated spaces required reinvention, not retreat. That challenge became the blueprint for the frame- works I now plan to teach leaders worldwide. How are you involved in the community? I founded the Kendall Wyche Foun- dation Inc.: Rising Above Diabetes to support children and families impacted by Type 1 diabetes through education, wellness and advocacy — reaching schools, athletes and caregivers. I also serve on boards, mentor emerging lead- ers, teach criminal justice and partner with organizations advancing equity and community resilience. A llison Aboud Holzer is a master-certified coach, exec- utive adviser, and founder and CEO of Aha2Impact, a Women's Business Enterprise National Council-certified, woman-owned firm that works with organizations on innovation, talent and leadership issues. Over more than 25 years, Holzer has coached and advised thousands of senior leaders and executive teams during periods of organizational change and growth. Her work focuses on leadership development, strategy and innovation. Holzer is a frequent speaker on leadership topics and oversees Aha2Impact's work and direction. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments so far? I define success less by what I've done and more by whom I have been for clients and colleagues over the years — a passionate, caring, generous, loyal and high-integrity partner to their success. I keep notes of gratitude from clients over the years and feel tremendous pride in seeing the positive difference the work has made in their lives: 'it's been transformational,' 'career-de- fining,' 'the most impactful development experience,' and 'you remain one of the key influencers of who I am as a leader today.' In more traditional 'success' terms, I'm proud of coaching more than 2,000 senior leaders over 25 years; designing transformational large-scale leadership, innovation and strategy programs; delivering two TEDx talks (on unstruc- tured time and inspirational leadership); lead authoring a business and leadership book called 'Dare to Inspire'; building and leading a successful leadership develop- ment business for 13 years; and, more recently in 2025, launching a new firm, Aha2Impact, with an expanded focus on business innovation and strategy. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? My personal vision for the next 10 years is almost embarrassingly simple: I want to do great work with great people that has great impact. More concretely, I plan to grow Aha2Impact's presence through expanding strategic partnerships with top-tier higher education institutions, innovative health care systems and purpose-driven corporations. I also plan to build new future-forward content and online, experiential mini- mods to customize and scale for clients. At the highest level, I plan to grow the team, partners and resources dedicated to achieving Aha2Impact's vision: a world where empowered people create positive, lasting impact. MEET SOME OF CT'S TOP WOMEN LEADERS H artford Business Journal's 2026 Women in Business awards recognize top leaders who are making a significant difference within their organization and the broader community. This year's honorees hail from diverse backgrounds and industries, including the accounting, banking, legal and nonprofit sectors. We also have entrepreneurs. In each of the past 24 years, Hartford Business Journal has honored some of the most talented women in leadership roles throughout Connecticut. The winners are nominated by readers and chosen by a panel of independent judges. This year we'd like to thank our judges — Bonnie Stewart, executive director and CEO of the Connecticut Society of CPAs; Katie D'Agostino, president and CEO of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce; and Ronke Stallings, chief strategy and engagement officer for the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System — for helping choose our winners. We will honor this year's Women in Business leaders during an April 29 event at the Aqua Turf Club in the Plantsville section of Southington, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. We hope you enjoy this issue and are able to attend the event. If you have ideas of deserving honorees, please consider nominating them next year. Greg Bordonaro | Editor ALLISON ABOUD HOLZER ...B2 CONSTANTINE ALLEYNE .....B2 MELANIE BALLESTAS ..........B3 HANNAH BELMONT .............B3 LINDSAY CASTONGUAY HANY B3 MARGIE CRAIG .....................B4 KATHLEEN E. DION ..............B4 TRACY FELICIANI .................B5 ANDREA GOMES ..................B5 BEATRIZ N. GUTIERREZ ........B7 SHANNON HEALY .................B7 SARAH JAYNE ......................B7 CASANDRA ROSA KING .......B9 SCARLETT LEWIS .................B9 DINORA E. LOPEZ .................B9 MAURA MALO ....................B10 BETH MAZZA .....................B10 LAUREN MURPHY ...............B11 ERICA NOLAN ....................B11 DAWN O'SHAUGHNESSY ....B12 MONICA OBREBSKI ............B12 LISA M. PROCH ..................B13 TISA RABUN-MARSHALL ....B13 MICHELE ROUX ..................B14 ELONA SHAPE ....................B14 STEPHANIE SOBKOWIAK ...B14 CHARLYN TANNER .............B15 SARAH WESTBY .................B15 SUSAN WINKLER ................B15 Katie d'agostino President & CEO Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce ronKe stallings Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer Connecticut Technical Education & Career System bonnie stewart Executive Director & CEO CT Society of CPAs