2023 Trainings

Day One: Saturday, February 25, 2023

A one-day intensive training from The Campaign School at Yale University for people of color with a newly discovered or revived passion for politics. This session will provide a foundation and skillset for launch as community leaders.

Discussion topics included:

• Making the Decision to Run: A Holistic Approach to Preparing to Run for Office, Run a Campaign, or Lead in Your Community
  • Patti Russo, Executive Director, TCSYale
• Putting the 'FUN' in Fundraising: Effective Fundraising Techniques
  • Patti Russo, Executive Director, TCSYale
• Finding Your Voice, Making It Matter
  • Gilda Bonanno, President, Gilda Bonanno LLC
• TCSYale Alumnae Presentation: How The Campaign School at Yale Transformed My Life
  • Hon. Penny Rashin, Member, New Canaan Board of Education
  • Hon. Yterenickia (YT) Bell, City Council Member, Clarkston, GA
  • Hon. Katherine Gilmore Richardson, City Councilwoman, Philadelphia, PA
  • Cynthia Wallace, Co-Founder & Executive Director, New Rural Project
• Effective Networking Techniques, Q&A, and Wrap-Up
  • Patti Russo, Executive Director, TCSYale

Click here for Day One speaker bios.

Day Two: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Day Two included presentations from and conversations with individuals with varying local government backgrounds.

Discussion topics included:

• Civic Engagement: Why You and Why Now 
  • Stephanie Thomas, CT Secretary of the State
• Become a Leader in Your Community and State and Work for Change
  • Erick Russell, State Treasurer
• Getting Involved and Working Toward Elective Office
  • Roberto Alves, Danbury Democratic Town Committee Chair  
  • Brendan Saunders, Clinton Republican Town Committee Chair
• How CT Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA) helps municipal leaders respond to emergencies and manage risks
• Panel of Seasoned Experts—Lessons Learned/ Best Practices for Leadership
  • Moderator:  Melvette Hill, State Director, Parent Leadership Training Institute
  • Panelists:
    • Aidee Nieves, City Council President, Bridgeport
    • Don Harris, Chair, Bloomfield Board of Education
    • Leonard Lockhart, Windsor Board of Education
    • Dr. Carlita Cotton, Town Council Member, Town of Mansfield
    • Danielle Wong, Mayor, Town of Bloomfield
    • Juan Melendez, Mayor, Town of Groton
    • Yukiyo Iida, Co-Chair of the CT Family School Partnership Advisory Council and Lead Organizer for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Parent Affinity Group series through CT SERC.
• Municipal Government and Finance 101
  • Scott Jackson, Former Finance Director, West Haven, former Mayor of Hamden, former Commissioner of CT Department of Revenue Services and Department Labor
  • Thea Montanez, Chief Operating Officer, City of Hartford
• Ethics, Public Meetings, Roberts Rules, Freedom of Information
  • Kari Olson of Murtha Cullina

Other Presenters Included:

• Tom Dunn, Mayor, Town of Wolcott; President, CCM
• Patrice McCarthy, Executive Director, CT Association of Boards of Education (CABE)
• Steven Hernandez, Executive Director, CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity
• Ron Thomas, Deputy Director, CCM

What People Are Saying About the 2023 Sessions

• Program encourages Connecticut residents of color to run for office
• Training program focuses on bringing more people of color into political office

2022 Trainings

Day One: Saturday, March 12, 2022

A one-day intensive training from The Campaign School for people of color with a newly discovered or revived passion for politics. This session provided a foundation and skillset for launch as community leaders.

Discussion topics were:

• Making the Decision to Run: A Holistic Approach to Preparing to Run for Office, Run a Campaign, or Lead in Your Community
  • Patti Russo, Executive Director, TCSYale
• Finding Your Voice, Making It Matter
  • Gilda Bonanno, President, Gilda Bonanno LLC
• Putting the 'FUN' in Fundraising: Effective Fundraising Techniques
  • Hon. Mona Das, Washington State Senator, 47th Legislative District and TCSYale Class of 2016
• TCSYale Alumnae Presentation: How The Campaign School at Yale Transformed My Life!
  • Yterenickia Bell, TCSYale Class of 2019
  • Kate Farrar, TCSYale Class of 2014
  • Natalie Murdock, TCSYale Class of 2019
• Effective Networking Techniques, Q&A, and Wrap-Up
  • Patti Russo, Executive Director, TCSYale

Day Two: Saturday, March 19, 2022

Day Two included presentations from and conversations with individuals with varying state government backgrounds.

Learning objectives:

• How to pursue elective (or appointive) office in state government (or municipal government)
• What to know when assuming elective (or appointive) office: ethics, public meetings, basic government and finance, and more
• Why and how to get engaged and involved in your community

Discussion topics included:

• Become a Leader in your Community and State and Work for Change
  • Jahana Hayes, US Representative, Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District
• Civic Engagement: Why You and Why Now
  • William Tong, Connecticut Attorney General
• Getting Involved and Working Toward Elective Office
  • Alex Rodriguez, Hartford Democratic Town Committee
  • Brendan Saunders, Clinton Republican Town Committee Chair
• Panel of Seasoned Experts—Lessons Learned / Best Practices for Leadership
  • Moderator: Melvette Hill, Parent Leadership Training Institute
  • Raghib Allie-Brennan, State Representative for 2nd Assembly District
  • Joe de la Cruz, State Representative for 41st Assembly District
  • Treneé McGee, State Representative for 116th Assembly District
  • Tony Hwang, State Senator for 28th Senate District
  • Marilyn Moore, State Senator for 22nd Senate District 
  • Avery Gaddis, Senate Republican Office’s Community Development and Public Affairs division
• State Government and Finance 101
  • Jason Rojas, House Majority Leader
• Ethics, Public Meetings, Roberts Rules, Freedom of Information, and more
  • Kari Olson, Partner, Murtha Cullina

Other Confirmed Presenters:

• Paul Mounds, Chief of Staff, Governor's Office
• Steven Hernandez, Executive Director, CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity
• Maryam Khan, newly elected member of the Connecticut General Assembly, representing the 5th Assembly District
• Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford and CCM Board President

What People Said About the 2022 Sessions

• CCM and the Campaign School at Yale partner again on training to encourage people of color to run for public office - Fox61 (3/11/22)
• Yale Campaign School workshops aim to boost people of color in politics - New Haven Register (3/2/22)
• A new training will help prepare Connecticut residents of color run for public office - wshu Public Radio (3/1/22)
• CCM, Campaign School at Yale Partner on Training to Help Get More People of Color Elected - CT News Junkie (2/28/22)
• Local Legislators say more people of color needed in government - The Day (2/28/22)
• Opinion: Representation in every level of government matters more than ever - Melvette Hill, CT Post (2/26/22)
• CCM's Ron Thomas and The Campaign School's Patti Russo joined Lovebabz Lovetalk with Babz Rawls Ivy (2/23/22)
• The Municipal Voice with Melvette Hill of the Parent Leadership Training Institute (2/16/22)

2021 Trainings

Representation Matters: Are You Ready to Run for Local Office?

The 2021 sessions provided People of Color the fundamentals to run for local office or serve on a board or commission.

Day One: February 13, 2021

A one-day intensive training from the School for people of color with a newly discovered or revived passion for politics. This session provided a foundation and skill set for launch as community leaders.

The training included a comprehensive discussion of all of the components necessary to begin a political career, both personally and professionally; cogent and inspiring speaking techniques; and effective networking.

TCS Yale has been training women to lead for over twenty years and in recent years has included men in the training. That training covers a range of topics including: setting up a campaign, fundraising, developing your message, building your communications and strategy plan, digital and social media best practices and more. The first day of CCM’s training for men and women representing communities of color was adapted from TCS’s great work over many years.

Presentation Topics Included:

• Making the Decision to Run - Patti Russo, Executive Director, TCSYale
• Essentials of Fundraising - Francesca Capodilupo, Professor at Fordham University
• Finding Your Voice, Making It Matter - Gilda Bonanno, President, Gilda Bonanno, LLC
• Roundtable Discussion with TCSYale Alumnae - YT Bell, Renee Johnson, Babz Rawls Ivy, and Jamie Scott
• Effective Networking Techniques, Steps and Questions - Patti Russo, TCSYale

Day Two: February 27, 2021

Day Two included presentations from and conversations with individuals with varying local government backgrounds.

Presentation Topics Included:

• How to Become a Leader in your Community and Work for Change
     Shawn Wooden, State Treasurer and former Hartford City Council President
• I Want to Get Involved in My Community and Local Government—Where do I Start?
     Mark Overmyer Velazquez, UCONN Hartford Campus Director and former West Hartford Board of Education member
• Panel of Experienced Municipal Officials of Color Discuss Lessons Learned / Best Practices
     Moderator: Melvette Hill
     Panelists:
     Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, Mayor, Bloomfield;
     Ed Ford, Councilmember, Middletown City Council;
     Roberta Gill-Brooks, Tax Collector, Branford;
     Cathy Iino, First Selectwoman, Killingworth;
     Aidee Nieves, President, Bridgeport City Council;
     Gerard Smith, First Selectman, Beacon Falls;
     Francisco Santiago, Minority Leader, New Britain City Council
• Municipal Governance and Finance 101
     Scott Jackson, Finance Director, Hamden; Former CAO City of New Haven; Former Mayor of Hamden; Commissioner,
     CT Department of Revenue Services and Department of Labor
• Ethics, Public Meetings, Roberts Rules, Freedom of Information and more
     Kari Olson of Murtha Cullina

What People Said About the 2021 Sessions

• CCM's Ron Thomas and The Campaign School's Patti Russo joined Lovebabz Lovetalk with Babz Rawls Ivy
• Opinion: In government, representation matters, and we need to see more of it - Aidee Nieves (CT Post)
• Representation Matters To Mayor DeBeatham-Brown (New Haven Independent)
• Training program urges people of color to run for office in Connecticut (Hartford Courant)
• Free training program aims to help people of color run for public office (New Haven Register)
• CCM Launches Program To Get People Of Color Involved In Local Government (Valley Independent Sentinal)