Richard Blumenthal, State of Connecticut Attorney General

First elected in 1990, Richard Blumenthal is serving an unprecedented fifth term as Attorney General.  Blumenthal’s aggressive law enforcement for consumer protection, environmental stewardship, labor rights and personal privacy, has helped reshape the role of state attorneys general nationwide -- and recover hundreds of millions of dollars for Connecticut taxpayers and consumers each year.

visit the State of Connecticut Attorney General's website

Dr. Henry C. Lee, Distinguished Professor at the University of New Haven and founder of Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at University of New Haven

Dr. Henry C. Lee is one of the world’s foremost forensic scientists.  Dr. Lee’s work has made him a landmark in modern-day criminal investigations.  He has been a prominent player in many of the most challenging cases of the last 45 years.  Dr. Lee has worked with law enforcement agencies in helping to solve more than 8000 cases.  In recent years, his travels have taken him to England, Bosnia, Canada, China, Brunei, Bermuda, Singapore, Middle East, South America and other locations around the world.

visit Dr. Lee's website

Mike Lawlor, State of Connecticut Representative serving East Haven's 99th Assembly District and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven

Representative Mike Lawlor is serving his eleventh term as a member of the House of Representatives. In the legislature, Mike has been recognized for his work reforming Connecticut's criminal justice system. As Chair of the House Judiciary Committee since 1995, Mike played a key role in two amendments to the Connecticut Constitution. The first established rights for victims of crime. The second eliminated the patronage-ridden county sheriff system. Mike has also been a leader in efforts to enact workable gun control laws; to address racial disparities in the state's criminal justice system; to pass laws ending discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; to rewrite Connecticut's domestic violence laws; to reform the juvenile justice system and to address prison overcrowding. In 2007 Mike was named "Professor of the Year" in the Henry C. Lee College of Forensic Science and Criminal Justice at UNH.

visit Representative Lawlor's information page

Francisco Ortiz, Chief of the New Haven Police Department

Francisco Ortiz began his career with the New Haven Police Department as a patrolman in 1978, over twenty-five years ago. He was appointed Assistant Chief of Police in April of 2003, the first Latino to attain the second in command enforcement position. After the former chief unexpectedly retired at the end of April, Ortiz was then named Acting Chief of Police. Prior to this appointment, he had attained the rank of Captain and served as the Community Patrol Operations Resource Coordinator. He has worked his way up through every rank and has been assigned to every major unit within the department.

Chief Ortiz is a Senior Fellow and one of the founders of Yale Child Study Center's Child Development/Community Policing Program (CDCP). This fellowship is designed to provide police personnel with the special psychological expertise needed in dealing with children and families who are witness to, or victims of, violent crime. It is now being replicated throughout the United States as well as in several European countries.

visit the New Haven Police Department's website

Gabriel J. Jiran, Partner, Shipman & Goodwin LLP Counselors at Law

Gabriel Jiran practices labor and employment law on behalf of corporations and public employers. His practice therefore focuses on assisting employers in addressing the full spectrum of issues associated with the employment relationship. He negotiates collective bargaining agreements for employers of all sizes, and frequently represents employers before administrative agencies and courts in labor disputes. Gabriel also litigates employment disputes on behalf of employers, including discrimination claims based on age, disability, race, national origin, gender, sexual harassment, and workers' compensation retaliation.

visit Shipman & Goodwin's website

Henry J. Zaccardi, Associate, Shipman & Goodwin Counselors at Law

Henry Zaccardi represents public and private employers and non-profit organizations in all aspects of labor relations and employment law. This includes union representation elections, collective bargaining, contract administration, personnel policies and practices, wage and hour disputes, drug and alcohol testing, family and medical leave, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, occupational health and safety and related matters and regulatory compliance.

visit Shipman & Goodwin's website

Kirk Varner, VP & Director of News for WTNH and WCTX Television

Kirk’s background spans over thirty years of working first in Radio and then Television, starting in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. In the interim, Kirk has worked for CBS, ESPN, Time Warner, as well as leading TV stations in Charleston, Hartford, Boston, and Buffalo along the way, before joining WTNH & WCTX in December of 2001. In 2006, WTNH received the George Foster Peabody Award for its investigation into production problems with Blackhawk Helicopters.

Stuart Sidle, PhD. Industrial and Organizational Psychologist, Coordinator and Assistant Professor of I/O Psychology Graduate Programs at the University of New Haven

Stuart Sidle received his B.A. from The American University and his MA and Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from DePaul University. Currently, he is the director of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology programs at the University of New Haven where he teaches courses in Leadership, Motivation, Organizational Development and Human Resource Management. As a consultant, Dr. Sidle has assisted a wide range of organizations with many different challenges including overcoming resistance to change, improving personnel selection systems, creating performance evaluation systems, and developing leadership training workshops for managers and employees.

Lynn Monahan, PhD. Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven

Dr. Monahan is Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, Henry C. Lee College of Public Safety and Forensic Sciences, University of New Haven.  Dr. Monahan teaches in the areas of Forensic Psychology, Juvenile Justice and Domestic Violence. 

Dr. Monahan is originally from Vancouver, British Columbia and her undergraduate degree is from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.  She earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oregon.

Dr. Monahan is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Connecticut and for a number of years she conducted a private practice in Psychology with a variety of forensic applications. These included child custody and abuse evaluations, expert testimony, employment screening for law enforcement and armed nuclear security positions and critical incident counseling with police and emergency workers.