CONNECT
The Connecticut Mirror’s Community Editorial Board (CEB) is a project to amplify diverse voices and perspectives across the state.
Every year CT Mirror invites eight to 12 community members to join the Community Editorial Board. During this time members write opinion essays on their areas of expertise or interest and provide perspective to the CT Mirror news staff. The board members’ opinions are theirs alone and not those of The Connecticut Mirror or Connecticut News Project, Inc.
The Community Editorial Board was launched in 2022, with an initial class of 12 members to amplify diverse voices and perspectives. To meet the first two classes that served in 2022 and 2023, visit the Previous Cohorts page.
You can learn more about the members of the 2024 cohort below. All of the Community Editorial Board’s published works can be found here.
Harriet Jones is the editor of the Community Editorial Board.
Patrice Barrett
Patrice Barrett currently lives in Middletown. She has also lived in Windham, New Haven, Boston, northern Idaho and southern Georgia. All these locations have given her valuable knowledge of different community characteristics. Patrice has an MPH from Boston University and a B.S. from Trinity College in biology and human rights. She did work in Cape Town, South Africa while at Trinity, teaching human rights foundations to health care professionals.
Patrice has held multiple positions in the communities where she lives, both as a volunteer and professional. Currently, she works for the Barnstable County Department of Health on Cape Cod where she does illness investigations, citizen health education, community needs assessments, and public health programming. She has been a hospice volunteer for 19 years, sits on the Middletown hunger committee, and spent the past school year volunteering in 2nd grade in the Middletown school system.
An important goal in public health is striving to attain health equity for all, and Patrice firmly believes in that goal for citizens, with equal access to health care and resources for a healthy and productive life. She also values engaging stakeholders to play active roles in those equity goals and projects she works on to help improve the quality of citizens’ lives in the surrounding community.
Tom Bayley
Tom Bayley is the Associate Dean of Campus Operations at Connecticut State Community College Three Rivers. His passion for journalism, sparked during his youth in Ohio where his family owned the local newspaper, has fueled his lifelong interest in the vital role of journalism in a democracy.
A former nuclear submarine skipper and naval officer, Bayley transitioned to academia at the U.S. Naval War College, where he made significant contributions to leadership development. He led the creation of the College of Operational and Strategic Leadership, helped establish the College of Leadership and Ethics, and served as the college’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. He also spearheaded initiatives in leader development for the U.S. Navy, co-taught strategic leadership, and advised fleet commanders.
Bayley holds a Master’s degree in National Security & Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College and a Bachelor’s in Radiation Protection Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has also earned certificates on diversity, equity, and inclusion from Harvard and the University of Southern Florida.
Angelo Bochanis
Angelo Bochanis is a lifelong Connecticut resident, financial analyst, and a community advocate in Stamford, where he lives. His work as an advocate focuses on building more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive policies on housing, transportation, and the environment.
Angelo currently works at Renaissance Capital, a leading provider of pre-IPO research and IPO-focused ETFs, where he provides data-driven analysis to help individual investors, media outlets, and financial institutions be more informed about IPOs.
Outside of work, Angelo focuses on giving forward to his community through advocacy work. He serves as a member of People Friendly Stamford, a community group in Stamford focused on promoting walkability, bikeability, improved transit, and housing affordability. Angelo also serves on the Project Advisory Committee of the I-95 Stamford Planning and Environmental Linkages Study, an ongoing study by the Connecticut Department of Transportation focused on rebuilding infrastructure and improving safety and mobility along one of the country’s most crucial pieces of transportation infrastructure.
Born in Bridgeport, Angelo has spent his whole life in Fairfield County, bouncing around to Trumbull, Weston, and now Stamford. Through his expertise and passion, he hopes to help his community navigate a new generation of complex questions and challenges.
Kevin L. Booker, Jr.
Kevin L. Booker, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Booker Empowerment, LLC, established in 2007, specializing in leading training workshops around topics of leadership development, climate and culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion. He has been a dedicated educator for more than 20 years, teaching at high school, college, juvenile detention, prison, and adult education. Mr. Booker is a visiting professor at Mitchell College in New London. He is a committed volunteer, investing time mentoring and supporting youth at schools in his community.
Mr. Booker has three Bachelor’s Degrees from Eastern Connecticut State University in Business Administration, History of Social Science, and Political Science and a Master’s Degree from Central Connecticut State University in International Studies. He is a former City Councilor for New London, where he oversaw Public Safety, and is currently a New London Parking Authority Commissioner. He serves on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League in Connecticut, ISAAC Charter School in New London, Hartford Job Corps Academy Outreach, the New London Community Meal Center, and the School and State Finance Advisory Council. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the oldest Black fraternity in the world. He is an instructor with the Second Chance Reentry Initiative Program (SCRIP) in Hartford. Mr. Booker co-authored the book “Emerging Men: Transformational Stories of Hope, Inspiration and Purpose.” He is the founder of Men of Color Hike CT, an organization that builds brotherhood through nature.
He is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Education in Higher Education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, and his Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice at Fisher College in Boston, MA. Both degrees will be completed in May of 2025. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, reading, yoga, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and mentoring.
Chelsea Donaldson
Passionate about access to justice and trauma-informed practice, Chelsea Donaldson has chosen to dedicate her life to serving the community that requires legal aid the most: low-income individuals struggling with mental illness and trauma. Her primary practice at the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center is heavily focused on veterans struggling with severe mental health diagnoses accessing the health care and services that they need to heal. Her recent access to justice advocacy includes authoring testimony in support of the rights of incarcerated people and working to expand access to health care for veterans wrongfully discharged with “bad paper.”
Chelsea began her career at CVLC as a Connecticut Bar Foundation Singer Fellow representing survivors of military sexual trauma in VA benefits cases. Prior to her Singer Fellowship, Chelsea worked as a clerk for the Connecticut Judicial Branch. Her graduate career includes clinical experience as a social worker for incarcerated people reintegrating into society.
She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Western New England University School of Law and her M.S.W. from Springfield College. She is admitted to the Connecticut State Bar and Court of Appeals for Veterans’ Claims (CAVC). She is also a licensed Master Social Worker through the State of Connecticut.
Dione Dwyer
Dione Dwyer is a resident of PT Barnum apartments in Bridgeport, president of Resident Council, and the new System Change Fellow with the PT Partners grassroots organization. She is originally an island girl from Jamaica and currently a citizen of the United States. Dywer has held a Certified Nurse’s Assistant certificate for more than 10 years, and is currently pursuing an Occupational Therapy degree.
While at high school she volunteered over 500 hours at Bridgeport Hospital, and she has 1,400 dedicated hours of advocacy, professional development and relationship building with PT Partners organization. She has attended training for undoing racism, and was part of a forum in the beginning of 2020 to hold public housing accountable for their policies and procedures. She participates in a weekly peer-to-peer model training on development of leadership in low income housing, working alongside peers while training them on becoming empowered leaders. She counts as her most memorable accomplishment her work alongside Dr. Kimberly Brown and PT Partners on Black feminist organizing.
Her position as the System Change Fellow allows her a seat at the table as local policies and laws are being changed or made. She is committed to making sure the community she lives in becomes a part of the conversation and that their voices are heard.
Gloria Gouveia
Gloria Gouveia may be best known for her career as a land-use expert and founder of Connecticut-based Land Use Consultants, but reading and writing have always qualified as the greatest interests in her life.
After learning to read by around the age of four, she got her first library card at Stamford’s Ferguson Library as soon as she turned 5, and by the time she turned 7 she was reading a book a day.
In the course of her 50+ year professional career, Gloria has studied countless volumes of federal, state and local regulations, statutes and case law, and authored many thousands of pages of case histories, opinions and interpretations. She has thousands of technical reports to her credit for the purpose of municipal review on subjects including inland wetlands, coastal area management, historic preservation, housing, zoning, and land use planning.
Gloria is a daily reader of national news publications like The New York Times and the Washington Post, major Connecticut news outlets like The Connecticut Mirror as well as a variety of publications from Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford Counties. She subscribes to numerous community-oriented local news blogs and is recognized as a regular contributor to many.
Gloria is deeply honored by her acceptance as a member of CT Mirror’s Community Editorial Board and looks forward to this exciting new chapter in her life as a writer.
Rene Lambert
Rene Lambert was born and raised in Jamaica. She migrated to the United States when she was 17 years old with her family, and went on to graduate from Manchester High School in June 2019. Today, she is a student at CT State Community College Manchester.
Rene is currently working on her associate’s degree and plans on pursuing studies in psychology and journalism. Rene enjoys writing, reading, listening to music, socializing and getting into fun-filled shenanigans.
Rene is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around. She is a member of CT Kids as Self Advocates (CT KASA), and she continues to strive for excellence!
Doris Maldonado Mendez
Doris Maldonado Mendez was born in New York City and diagnosed with a congenital disease that rendered her immunocompromised at two days old. She is a 1st generation legacy of proud, hard-working migrant parents.
For over two decades she has been a foster and adoptive parent of children with special health care needs. She is also a national Latiné health and judicial language access catalyst, social and economic capital executive, guardian ad litem for children in placement, certified language educator and researcher, community health worker, and trusted messenger.
Doris has earned degrees from Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in International Relations-Latin America, Spanish Language, Literature & Linguistics and Political Science, with a Master’s in Education, Academic Action Research in Multisensory Foreign Language Acquisition. She is a founder of National Academic Sisters Organizing Latina Scholarship & AΣΩ Latina Sorority.
She had the honor to be appointed by the governor as the first Latina chair of the Council on Developmental Disabilities, a federally funded state agency, and she has served as president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, chair of Keep the Promise Coalition, UCP National Latinos with Disabilities conference moderator and was celebrated among the Top 50 Latinos In CT-Community Leaders throughout the pandemic. Of her many titles, the greatest of all is “Mami.” Her two amazing little girls, 6 and 2, continue to fuel her grit and blessings as did her twins!
Ace Ricker
Ace Ricker (he/him) has been an educator and advocate for over the past twenty years. Through his company A.C.E (Awareness through Communication & Education) LLC, he has worked with a wide variety of organizations, religious forums, K-12 schools, colleges, medical facilities and nonprofits and now has also just obtained his real estate license.
He has delivered a vast array of workshops, speeches, and consultations on diversity, inclusion, empowerment and other conversation topics. Ace uses his experience as an openly queer multiracial trans man to personalize his workshops, and uses his curiosity, empathy, and humor to create content tailored to each unique audience.
He is dedicated to continue working to eliminate ignorance and empower people throughout Connecticut by creating ‘Confident Conversations’ around topics including suicide prevention, LGBTQ+ awareness, safer sex and consent, sexism and gender, and religion and spirituality.
Saion Sinha
Saion Sinha is an expert in nanotechnology. He is a professor of physics, biomedical and electrical engineering at the University of New Haven. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
His research focuses on biomedical engineering applications. He is currently leading a multi-disciplinary research effort involving both graduate and undergraduate students that is focused on biomedical diagnostics and monitoring and therapeutic research
His research group is developing novel biosensors for detection and monitoring of infectious diseases. His group also performs research on the efficient use of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer therapeutics as well as on its toxicity and remedies.
He is also an entrepreneur, as the CEO and founder of 12-15 Molecular Diagnostics. The company is commercializing a point-of-care rapid screening platform for quickly distinguishing viral and bacterial infections in humans, animals and food.