2019 Speakers

Richard Alleyne is responsible for managing the Property & Casualty Law group, which supports auto and home products, AARP, sales and distribution, commercial insurance and professional liability. He is a member of The Hartford’s Underwriting Risk Committee focused on overseeing the company’s product innovation efforts to meet the evolving risk management needs of customers. Rich and his teams provide strategic and tactical legal advice on regulatory compliance, business contracts with partners and vendors, judicial developments, product development, and assistance on various corporate transactional matters. During his tenure at The Hartford, he also served as head of the Enterprise Business Services Law group, supporting strategic and commercial transactions across the enterprise, including mergers & acquisitions and enterprise sourcing initiatives. Rich joined The Hartford in 1999 and held positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of complex claims litigation, commercial insurance, reinsurance, and personal lines. Before rejoining The Hartford in 2010, he was general counsel for a division of a global insurance company, QBE Insurance Group, where he oversaw legal operations for its specialty and reinsurance companies in the Americas. In 2014, he was awarded a patent as the inventor of an insurance product designed to mitigate risks associated with catastrophic events. Rich also served as co-chair of The Hartford’s Black Insurance Professional Network (BIPN).

Rich is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. He also holds a Business Mastery Certificate through The Hartford’s program with the University of Connecticut Business School. Rich was born in the north end of Hartford and he attended Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Conn. where he currently lives with his wife and two daughters, Ananya and Elyana. His avocations are philanthropy, politics, chess, soccer, skiing, and squash.

Rich serves on the boards of Hartford Stage, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Student Achievement Through Opportunity (SATO) and the Jumoke Academy Charter School. He also chairs the Kingswood-Oxford Parent Annual Fund Committee. In 2011, he was named a “High Achiever” by the Connecticut Law Tribune.

Tatiana has had a 25 year career in insurance, spending the last 10 years in different roles of increasing responsibility at The Hartford. Tatiana joined The Hartford in 2008 as a Middle Market underwriting in our regional office in New Jersey. After 5 years, Tatiana relocated to Home Office assume the role of Middle Market Industry Manager overseeing our Real Estate and Healthcare books. Currently, Tatiana is a Director in the Property Product Team for Middle Market, focusing on strategy development and implementation. Tatiana is driven by continuous learning and motivated by the many opportunities available at The Hartford where she notes “Every day I learn something new and push my boundaries to continue growing.”

Tatiana joined The Hartford’s Hispanic Leadership Network (HLN) Employee Resource Group in 2015, and became one of HLN’s Tri-Chairs effective January 2018. Tatiana was excited to join the HLN leadership team and have the opportunity to give back to our community. Equally important, Tatiana is looking forward to helping support and developing our talent pool in the same way she has received support over the years. Tatiana shares that “I feel much of my success is due to those who at some point helped me grow by believing in me, pushing me to believe in myself, or were great sponsors.”

Tatiana was born in Brazil and is a proud mom of two children, ages 9 and 11. She and her family enjoy traveling, the beach, and spending quality time with family and friends. Tatiana is also a believer in giving back to the community supporting the Girl Scouts of CT, The Bushnell, Food Share, and other Hartford sponsored events and organizations, such as Day of Service and recurring blood drives.

Fanita Borges joined Webster Bank with 20+ career in commercial lending. She is a Vice President in Webster Bank’s Community Bank Operations group managing a Small Business Lending team processing loans up to $250,000 and providing decisions in 24 hours or less. Before she joined Webster, Fanita owned her own mortgage company with a strong focus on the Latino community. She helped many families achieve their goals of owning their own homes. Fanita is a member of the national organization, ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America), and served as a board member of the Connecticut chapter for 7 years. She is very committed to her family and proud of her Puerto Rican heritage. She lives in Unionville CT with her husband and yorkie, and has 2 adult children.

Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link, has a strong personal connection to the Neighbors Link mission of strengthening the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. As a first generation American born of immigrant parents from Bolivia, Carola understands the challenges that accompany the immigrant experience in America and is dedicated to inspiring healthy integration in the community. Carola is bilingual and bicultural and is driven by her passion for empowering immigrant families and advocating for personal growth through education and economic development.

During Carola’s tenure, Neighbors Link has become a leader in designing, implementing and directing community-based, bilingual educational and cultural awareness training programs.

Before becoming Executive Director of Neighbors Link in April of 2004, Carola spent 12 years of her career gaining experience in financial management with General Electric Corporation, Ford Motor Company and Time Warner. She holds an MBA from Duke University and currently serves on the boards of the National Council for Workforce Education, Nonprofit Westchester, and the New York Immigration Coalition. She previously served on the board of Northern Westchester Hospital.

Providing leadership and vision for Neighbors Link is something Carola sees as her life’s work and she often says it is a privilege to be in her position as executive director.

Matt Cammarota is a Senior Vice President and Director of Community Bank Operations at Webster Bank. In this role he is responsible for all facets of home equity, mortgage, and small business loan operations overseeing $1.5 billion in annual originations. Prior to joining Webster, Matt worked in a similar capacity at two community banks headquartered in Washington DC and has more than 15 years of experience in consumer lending. His area of expertise is in operations, with a focus on customer service and continuous improvement. Matt is also active in his community as a volunteer and board member of Columbus House, Inc., a homeless shelter located in New Haven CT. He resides in Wallingford with his wife and two children.

Todd Campbell has worked in the financial services industry for 20+ years and is currently leading MassMutual’s Information Risk Program Office. He is responsible for ensuring that the company stays well positioned to stop criminals from stealing customer data through a robust, forward thinking, Cyber Security program focused on emerging threats, technology and regulations.

While not protecting the company’s digital assets, Todd spends his time speaking to the non-profit and school communities about how they can help protect themselves from cyber criminals.

He is a certified systems security professional (CISSP) and is currently a member of the LOMA Chief Information Security Officer Committee. Todd earned a Bachelor of Arts from Westfield State University and lives in Westfield with his wife and two teenage kids who keep him humble every day.

Keia leads MassMutual’s Digital Experience organization. She is responsible for driving the company’s digital transformation efforts including the strategic alignment, design, build and delivery of all of customer-facing digital and mobile assets.

Before joining MassMutual, Keia served as Associate General Counsel and later Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education during President Barack Obama’s administration. As chief of staff, she was a member of the Senior Executive Service and responsible for providing strategic direction and managing the Department’s financial, information technology, human capital, and risk management operations.

Prior to joining the Department of Education, Keia was a litigation attorney at the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where she represented corporations and senior executives in complex commercial litigation before regulators and government agencies. She began her career as a financial analyst in Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Division working with media and communications companies. Keia received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and earned her JD/MBA from Stanford University.

Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts. Her research is on unconscious or implicit bias, how it impedes women and people of color in science and technology, and solutions to promote equity, inclusion, and success of diverse groups in STEM.

Dasgupta is passionate about translating science to inform real world problems—employment discrimination, disparities in STEM, and the underrepresentation of women and minorities in leadership. She discussed the relevance of her research to policy and action with federal and state government staff, tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, university and K-12 stakeholders. She gave an invited presentation at a White House roundtable organized by President Obama’s Chief Technology Officer on barriers facing underrepresented youth in technology and research-driven remedies.

Dasgupta’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. She received the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity, and the Distinguished Academic Outreach Award in Research from UMass Amherst. Level Playing Field Institute, a foundation in Silicon Valley, awarded her the Hidden Bias Research Prize. Dasgupta received her B.A. from Smith College and Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University.

Marisol Herrera was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in a multi-cultural, English-as-a-Second-Language environment. As part of her commitment to the Hispanic and minority business community, Marisol serves as Board Member to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bridgeport. Her background, like many modern Hispanic women, is eclectic. She has been co-owner of a small construction company called Rockman Construction, worked for Gateway and Housatonic Community Colleges, Environmental Review Officer for the City of Bridgeport, and TESOL Instructor at Sacred Heart University. She enjoys fitness, museums, action movies, dancing, and spending time with family. Marisol resides in Milford, Connecticut, with her three children.

Ja’Nene is the Head of Robotics for MassMutual US, where she is responsible for the development and execution of the RPA strategy with the goal of driving efficiency through process automation. She is also responsible for providing oversite and management of the RPA project portfolio; including daily oversight of project intake, assessment, resourcing, deployment, and tracking. Prior to this role, Ja’Nene served as Vice President of Worksite Strategy and Enrollment, where she was responsible for the development of enrollment services for MassMutual’s worksite products, including enrollment strategy, technology, product support and call center functionality.

Before joining MassMutual, Ja’Nene was President and Chief Operating Officer of benefitsCONNECT, a benefits software service provider, and held several executive positions at the firm in sales, operations and marketing.

In 2010, Kane received a Bronze Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year and helped lead benefitsCONNECT to become one of Inc. magazines 5000 fastest growing companies in America. Ja’Nene earned a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Long Beach.

Tara works at MassMutual as the Head of Technology for the Institutional Solutions business. She is responsible to deliver the technology vision, strategy and objectives to support the growing Institutional Solutions business. Tara is a highly successful change leader with over 20 years of experience, seasoned in transforming IT organizations and driving large-scale improvements She is an expert at cultivating deep client relationships leading to the achievement of high priority business objectives, developing and leading exceptional teams, resulting in consistent positive impact to deliver significant results to the bottom line.

Additionally as a champion for Diversity and Inclusion, Tara leads and chairs the MassMutual Technology Diversity and Inclusion Committee with the mission of enabling a dynamic, innovative diverse and inclusive Technology organization by attracting, educating, recruiting, developing, retaining and promoting diverse talent.

She is a certified information systems auditor (CISA), certified information systems security professional (CISSP) and is also certified in risk and information systems controls (CRISC). She obtained her BA from Mount Holyoke College and earned her MBA with a concentration in management information systems from Western New England University.

Azucena Maldonado is a trailblazer and she is on a mission to transform women’s lives through golf. She founded the Latina Golfers Association (LGA) in 2008 to introduce women of all ages to golf for their personal and professional development and to promote a healthy lifestyle. The LGA teaches women how to utilize golf as a business tool so they can advance in their careers/businesses and shatter the glass ceiling with a golf ball. Recognized as a leader in the industry, Azucena appeared on the cover of Southland Golf Magazine and was in Golf Digest, Golf Business, SCGA FORE magazine, and the national PGA of America magazine as well as Golf Legend Arnold Palmer’s Kingdom magazine. She was inducted into the Latino Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and currently serves on the advisory board of Women’s Golf Journal.

Angelica Ogando is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and high-level peak performance coach and corporate trainer for executive leaders. She is one of the most effective and requested Peak Performance Coaches for executive leadership. Angelica provides concrete insight on conflict resolution, corporate values alignment, mission integration, and effective communication strategies. She is a Certified Master Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach and trainer and a Certified Master Trainer in Hypnosis.

Ms. Ogando is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Enriched Mind LLC, a company that has delivered leadership training for companies in finance, technology, and the fashion industry. Angelica has effectively established coaching programs to help companies align employee development growth and goals with the company’s vision; thus, resulting in sales revenues to increase from six-figures to over a $1million dollars. She also provides coaching for people with Disabilities and in the re-entry program through People Helping People In Need Inc.

Jen Oquendo manages two teams as an Energy and Large Property Business Leader. Her career at The Hartford has afforded her the opportunity to work in an array of business segments: National Accounts, Construction, Captives, Energy and Large Property. She has developed business and technical expertise in operations and effective leadership. She is passionate about mentoring, coaching and development, building strong relationships and effective execution. She volunteer as a Reading Buddy and am a Life Coach for the Youth Challenge of CT residential program. She is married with two children and a dog. Her family is her greatest treasure!

Casey has spent over 9 years in the insurance industry, dedicating the last several years to different change management and leadership roles at The Hartford. Casey joined The Hartford in 2009 as a Catastrophe Claims Adjuster. After 3 years, Casey took on her first leadership role, managing a team of operations employees. She has spent the majority of her career in property claims, but recently transitioned to learn a new line of business in order to expand her skillset. Currently, Casey is a Team Leader in our Workers Compensation-ClaimsPlus Organization. Casey is driven by employee development, diversity, and pushing herself to learn new lines of business and organizations.

Casey joined The Hartford’s Hispanic Leadership Network (HLN) Employee Resource Group in 2012, and became one of HLN’s Tri-Chairs effective January 2018. Casey has been heavily involved and is passionate about HLN’s members and growth. Casey genuinely enjoys motivating people and watching their success, “My proudest accomplishments are seeing people I’ve managed or mentored achieve their goals; nothing inspires me like supporting the success of those around me.”

Casey was born in New York and resides in Chicago. She is a proud mom of a 6 year old son, Niko. She and Niko enjoy being outdoors, travel, and Niko’s favorite…Disney World!

Estela Morales Segarra is an avid golfer who loves to be of service to her community. While raising a family, she has taken time to master a sport that requires discipline, endurance, and passion. Beginning at the age of eight with golf lessons from her father she competed at national amateur leagues in Mexico and won several tournaments. Soon after arriving in the U.S. she began volunteering, working, and networking in 2008 for the golf organization “The First Tee of Connecticut.” She currently serves as a member of the Hartford Oversight Golf Commission. Estela is one of the founders of the new 2018 Connecticut Latinas Golf Team (CTLGT) which strives to empower women through the game of golf in a fun and supportive environment.

Bárbara Serrano is author of the popular financial book, Rica… Libertad Financiera para la Mujer (Spanish Edition) / RICH… Financial Literacy for Women. Bárbara wrote this book to help women understand that money is a powerful energy, that we need to utilize to maximize our talents to the fullest so that we may be of greater service to others and to work hard with passion in our chosen professions and plan for the future.

She is a Senior Executive at one of the largest companies in South Florida and New York. She currently appears as a financial advisor on shows like Un Nuevo Dia (NBC-Telemundo), Despierta America (Univision Network), and CNN en Español. Serrano graduated with honors from the University of Puerto Rico, earning her Bachelor’s in Business Administration. She has been recognized as one of the “Top 10 Young Business Women,” for creating the first TV program of economics in Puerto Rico. Bárbara Serrano is popular not just in the U.S.A. but all of Latin America and the Caribbean. Not bad for a woman whose odyssey to success began after her reign as Miss World of Puerto Rico in 2001.

As a leading multicultural marketing expert with a niche on building marketing strategies and community engagement programs, Yai spearheads opportunities for Fortune 100 corporations seeking to develop connections with targeted communities.

She is passionate about sharing her industry knowledge, as a public speaker, on various topics such as executive presence, personal branding, LinkedIn and Latina leaders in the workplace. Yai’s extensive corporate and agency experience in diversity, public relations and multi-cultural communications have allowed her to add tremendous value to the automotive, sports, non-profit, health and currently financial services sectors.

Yai holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a Marketing Certification from New York University. Her philanthropic initiatives include sitting on the board of The Latino Commission on AIDS’ Business Leadership Council where she consults on fundraising, social media and marketing.

Yai has also successfully leveraged her education and professional experience to establish herself as a self-proclaimed LinkedIn and networking ninja teaching others how to develop strong relationship management skills. This includes establishing The Latinista where she gathers and empowers Latina professionals in New York City, Miami and Chicago to connect and effectively build connections.

Amaryllis Minelly Padilla, age 17, is a young Latina from Corozal, Puerto Rico and is currently a high school senior attending Great Path Academy in Manchester, CT. She had the pleasure of attending the Latinas and Power Symposium in 2018 and decided to make this event her Capstone project, making a powerful ending to her high school career.

Amaryllis will team up with her friend Maria Belen Segovia and Lori Theriault, founder of WORK IT! at the 2019 Latinas and Power Symposium to introduce, La Mariposa, an empowering program for Latina students. After attending her first meeting during her freshman year, Amaryllis realized that this program was going to help her to transform into the beautiful butterfly she was born to be. This program encourages a positive lifestyle and personal excellence among young Latinas in a 12-week program. Amaryllis is looking forward to a career in Nursing in the future.

Maria Belen Segovia, age 17, is currently a senior attending Great Path Academy in Manchester CT. Maria has always been a person who dreamed of being a strong leader in the community. After attending her first meeting of the Latina youth empowerment group, Las Mariposas, she knew that she had found something that made high school even more exciting. Maria would learn about the importance of teamwork, resilience, empowerment, and communication, ultimately developing her leadership skills before graduation. Las Mariposas is an organization that really activated her natural leadership skills and she looks forward to sharing them with the community.

This year, Maria will be presenting at the Latinas and Power Symposium with the help of her Las Mariposas friend, Amaryllis Minelly Padilla and Lori Theriault, founder of WORK IT! to deliver a powerful portion of the Las Mariposas curriculum to aid young Latinas in understanding their personality strengths and establishing a clear idea of What Success Means to You!

Lori Theriault is CEO & Founder WORK IT!. Created in 2015, this program helps students understand their personality strengths, learning styles, leadership styles and is designed to bring about a beautifully suited career path and plan.

Before becoming an Entrepreneur, Lori put her Human Resources Management education along with her Operations Management experience to work in Manufacturing management for 30 years, introducing career growth and personal empowerment to hundreds of employees in Connecticut.

Today, the WORK IT! program is offered to students ages 10 and older all over the World and has unveiled many unique dream jobs with easy to follow personalized plans. She offers a unique, energetic, creative and positive approach with all of her students, young and old, to allow for an empowered work and personal life.