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18 Hartford Business Journal • July 17, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com Katie Hanley Q&A: What do you do in your current job? I oversee several innovative disability service programs called Oak Hill Centers. I manage a team of brilliant, dedicated professionals that I learn from, and have fun with, every day. As a member of Oak Hill's leadership team, I work with other senior leaders to operationalize the objectives in our strategic plan. What are your goals in your current job? Ultimately, my goal is to fulfill our mission with genuine passion and enthusiasm and to optimize our resources to increase impact. On the day to day, my goal is to learn something from every experience and to make meaningful and last- ing connections with my team and the people we serve. What's your biggest passion? My biggest passion is social inclusion and equitable opportunity within the community. I've cared about social justice my whole life, it seems, and I knew very early that I wanted to work with people with disabilities. At 16, I volunteered as a Special Olympics gymnastics coach, and that led to my first job as a self-advocate liaison. Everyone — including people with disabilities — is better off when they are part of a community. What are your future professional aspirations? I feel lucky to be where I am professionally, and want to continue to build on my experience. I'm hoping to join a volunteer board of directors to gain experience and practical understanding of organizational func- tions at that level. One day I would like to be CEO of a nonprofit with a mission that speaks to my heart. I want to leave a lasting impression on the world and be someone my daughters admire. How are you involved in the community? I am living, working, playing, and raising my kids in Hartford. My husband serves on community boards in Hartford. I served on the Hartford Commission on Disability Issues for six years. It's personal. We care about this city and plan to stay here. If you were governor of Connecticut for a day what is one policy you'd push to improve the state's future? I have worked with individuals with disabilities and families for a long time. Meaningful, lasting communi- ty connections is the way to a better life for everyone, you and me included. Right now, there are too many families without support options for their loved one with a disability and/or they are virtually stranded on a "waiting list." We will improve our state's future when there is a strong safety net for our residents. I would eliminate costly, outdated programs and rein- vest the funds to better serve the thousands of people who are in desperate need of a life in the community. List four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: Started inclusive arts program for Hartford youth that still runs today, thanks to Charter Oak Cultural Center. Awarded "Field Instructor of the Year 2013" for University of St. Joseph's social work program. Hosted Miss Wheelchair America 2016 at Oak Hill to raise aware- ness and (hopefully) start a Connecticut pageant. We now have a Miss Wheelchair Connecticut 2017, Shannon Mazurick! The 2018 pageant is in October at Chapter 126, an Oak Hill Center. Member of leadership team at Oak Hill — largest disability services provider in the state. Best job I ever had was as a stunt performer! I learned about taking risks and working with a team. Age: 34 Company: Oak Hill Title: Director, Oak Hill Centers Town where I live: Hartford Town where I work: Hartford College: UMass, UConn FUN FACT Paul Diego Holzer Q&A: What do you do in your current job? At Achieve Hartford!, I lead a team of six in the development and execution of programs that really push stakehold- ers to support education in ways that can actually increase the quality of schools in Hartford. It's not always comfortable, but helping people change their mindset and behavior seldom is. What are your goals in your current job? My goal is to make Achieve Hartford! the go-to partner in solving the toughest education problems in our city whenever the solution must work across sectors. We have an approach to collective action that we believe works, and every year choose a handful of challenges to try to address. What's your biggest passion? My biggest passion is helping people recognize and realize greater potential in themselves than they previously thought possible. I used to put this passion into students when I was a teacher, and then into both students and staff when I was an administrator, and now it goes into the stakeholders we partner with. Despite constraints such as budget cuts, politics, or even tough personalities, my job is to help people see the solutions and work towards them. What are your future professional aspirations? In the not-so-distant future I hope to publish a book on how to create systemic change without waiting for institu- tions to change themselves, and draw from all that I have learned from my almost eight years at Achieve Hartford! and my time in the nonprofit sector and classroom before that. With key concepts in this book, I hope to consult other districts and cities to support their efforts to address systemic problems. How are you involved in the community? While my current job keeps me very involved in the community, I relish the time I get to spend as a board member of the coolest nonprofit in Hartford, called Hartford Performs. I also serve on the board of visitors at the University of Hartford's School of Education, Nursing, and Health Professionals. If you had one wish to brighten Greater Hartford's economic future what would it be? I would not wish for a gift of $100 million to support schools or the entire talent pipeline in Hartford; instead I wish for Hartford philanthropies and nonprofits and schools to all work under one budget to drive outcomes for students by any and all means necessary. Then, we could address any challenges our students face together, and in doing so ensure the Greater Hartford region has the strongest talent pipeline of any region in America, with business- es flocking to Hartford to take advantage. List four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: I've stewarded Achieve Hartford! successfully throughout eight years to become the recognized voice for high-quality education in our city. I've strengthened the bridge between the private sector and the public sector here in Hartford so that more problems can be addressed and more students impacted. I've catalyzed the launch of programs that have helped hundreds of families in Hartford make informed school choices or become stronger partners in their children's educa- tions. I helped found a charter school at age 26 in Wash- ington D.C. that still to this day is the nation's capitol's only bilingual vocational school. On the side, I run a business in career development called Career Cadence. Age: 39 Company: Achieve Hartford! Title: Executive Director Town where I live: West Hartford Town where I work: Hartford College: Dartmouth, Yale FUN FACT 40 Under Forty 2017