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2026 C-SUITE AWARDS HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 19, 2026 B13 Jeffrey Cohen, MD, FACS, FASCRS Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Operating Officer Recipient of the Hartford Business Journal's C-Suite & Lifetime Achievement Award Dr. Cohen, was instrumental in the creation of Hartford HealthCare Medical Group and played a pivotal role in advancing clinical integration, expanding access to care, mentoring physicians, and establishing Hartford HealthCare's nationally recognized Institute Model. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor. WINNER CATEGORY | N O N P R O F I T C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R Jeffrey Cohen Executive Vice President & Chief Clinical Operating Officer Hartford HealthCare Size of Organization: $8 billion net revenue Employees: 47,000 D r. Jeffrey Cohen is executive vice president and chief clinical operating officer at Hartford HealthCare, where he advances clinical integration, physi- cian network growth and operational excellence. He previously led Hart- ford HealthCare Medical Group and physician network development after leading his practice, Connecticut Surgical Group. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University, Cohen completed a colorectal surgery fellowship at Lahey Clinic. He is a surgeon, published author, speaker and Best Doctors in America honoree. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments? I helped lead the creation of the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, which today has more than 2,000 physicians and advanced practice providers in more than 500 locations. I was also privileged to play a major role in the formation of Hartford HealthCare's unique Institute Model, which provides and ensures a singular high standard of care for seven clinical specialties across the entire healthcare system. I worked with leaders as we expanded access to care and launched new services in our new Fairfield Region following the acqui- sition of St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport in 2020, and for our newest Greater Manchester Region as Manchester Memorial Hospital and its Rockville Campus became part of Hartford HealthCare in 2026. I help lead succession planning with other executives and regional presidents, and I am part of the executive team in charge of master facilities planning for a $1-billion project at Hartford Hospital. WINNER CATEGORY | C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R James Dowd Chief Operating Officer & Chief Creative Officer Rebellion Group Size of Organization: $25 million Employees: 75 Education: Bachelor's degree, journalism, George Mason University J ames Dowd is chief operating officer and chief creative officer of marketing agency Rebellion Group, where he oversees operations and creative work. His career spans advertising, tele- vision and branding. He writes and speaks about human behavior, lead- ership and creativity in the workplace. He is the author of "Write Dumb" and the upcoming "XQ: Be More Human," about adapting and leading in the age of artificial intelligence. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments over the past year? Over the past year, I've gotten to help a great team launch new brands, build event series that bring people together and strengthen Connecti- cut's business culture, expand into new services, grow the Rebellion, and create work that feels a little more rebellious, interesting and human. We also created XQ, a business intelligence methodology and tool designed to help people and orga- nizations think, lead, communicate and adapt more effectively in the AI era. My greatest accomplishment, though, is probably just being useful to the team: solving problems, bringing some humanity to the work, and occasionally adding a little calm to the chaos. In what ways are you involved in the community? I'm active across Connecticut's creative and entrepreneurial commu- nities, helping connect people to greater access and opportunity. I serve on the board of AIGA — the association for design — and work with The CONNective, a mentorship and networking program with CT State Housatonic's Werth Center.