2024 CTData Conference Session Resources
As a follow-up to our 2024 CTData Conference we held this past October, we’ve compiled a catalog of conference content. If any data tools were shared during any of the breakout sessions, we were sure to include them as well. Our goal is to ensure that participants and those who couldn't attend can access these valuable materials and continue to benefit from the knowledge shared during the conference.
Opening Keynote: Transforming Child Welfare: Using Lived Experience Data for Systems Redesign
Sixto Cancel, Founder and CEO, Think of Us
Take a look at the Keynote Presentation Video
Lunch Plenary: To AI or Not to AI: Legal & Ethical Considerations For Generative AI Use
Jordan Jefferson, Director Lynne L. Pantalena Law Library and Associate Professor of Law, Quinnipiac University
Take a look at the Lunch Plenary Presentation Video
Demystifying ChatGPT: Hands-On AI Exploration
Presenters
Sanjana Kale, Graduate Student, Sacred Heart University
Jason Cheung, Director of Data and Analytics, CTData
Jill Walsh, Data Analyst, CTData
Links Shared During Presentation
Breakout Session Track 1:
Designing Data Projects for Impact
Presenters
Annika Anderson, Program Specialist, Childhood Prosperity Lab, Connecticut Children’s
Mica Knox, Senior Data Analyst, COMPASS Youth Collaborative
Sarah Eisele-Dyrli, Assistant Director, CTData
Geethika Fernando, Data & Community Engagement Manager, CTData
Links Shared During Presentation
Youth and Data for Change
Presenters
John D’Souza, Data Management Assistant, Urban League of Greater Hartford
Talyn Cook, Community Engagement Manager, Bridgeport Prospers Cradle to Career
Khamari Thornton, Young Legend Social Worker, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut
Kate Bittinger Eikel, Data Integration Strategist, CTData
Jackie Vancour, Data Engagement Specialist, CTData
Links Shared During Presentation
Information about the Youth Data Fellowship (applications open until January 10, 2025!)
Data to Inform Early Childhood Policies in Connecticut
Courtney Parkerson, Director, The Connecticut Project
Coral Wonderly, Data Scientist, CT Office of Early Childhood
Cynthia Willner, Senior Research Associate, CTData
Breakout Session Track 2: Data as a Strategic Asset
Building a Data Culture through Data Strategic Planning
Nicole O'Brien, Impact Manager, Women’s Business Development Council
Melissa Paul, Director of College Partnerships + Reaching Forward, Hartford Promise
Hannah Smith, Director of Shelter Services, Beth-El Center
Fionnuala Darby-Hudgens, Director of Data Strategic Planning, CTData
What Are the State’s Plans for Data? Shaping the State’s Data Priorities
Presenters
Scott Gaul, Chief Data Officer, State of Connecticut OPM
Augusta Irechukwu, Research Analyst, State of Connecticut OPM
Carl Zimmerman, GIS Coordinator, State of Connecticut OPM
Pauline Zaldonis, Open Data Coordinator, State of Connecticut OPM
Links Shared During Presentation
Survey of External Data Users to Inform the 2025-2026 CT State Data Plan
Integrating Data for Equity in Hartford
Steve Cox, Professor | Criminology & Criminal Justice, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU)
Noely Sanchez Valez, Administrative Manager and IT Liaison, Community Partners in Action
Kate Bittinger Eikel, Data Integration Strategist, CTData
Geethika Fernando, Data & Community Engagement Manager, CTData
Breakout Session Track 3: Working with Data
Connecticut's Shifting Population Data Landscape
Presenters
Karyn Backus, Epidemiologist 4, Health Statistics and Surveillance, State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health
Sumit Sajnani, Health Information Technology Officer, State of Connecticut Office of Health Strategy
Susan Smith, Director, Business Intelligence + Analytics, State of Connecticut Department of Social Services
Cynthia Willner, Senior Research Associate, CTData
Links Shared During Presentation
Data Tools for Everyone: Data Viz
Jason Cheung, Director of Data and Analytics, CTData
Jill Walsh, Data Analyst, CTData
Wenyu Xie, Multimedia Design and Operations Manager, CTData
Breakout Session Track 4: Data-Informed Decisions for Action
From Data to Action: Reshaping Health and Housing in Connecticut
Presenters
Alysha Gardner, Senior Policy Analyst, Partnership for Strong Communities
Kasey LaFlam, Director, Partnerships & Programs, LISC Connecticut
Taylor Tucker, Director of Social Enterprise, Health Equity Solutions
Haley Webley, Health Equity Solutions
Links Shared During Presentation
Affordable Housing Development Resources
Removing Barriers to Data Equity: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Urgency Culture
Presenters
Ayawa P. Fiagbedzi, Senior Associate of Strategic Learning & Impact, The Rockefeller Foundation
Links Shared After Presentation
Data Equity, Urgency Culture, and Art as Data: Post-Conference Reflections
Innovative Tools for Real-World Decision-Making
Presenters
Barbara Ghilardi, Statewide Data Coordinator, Connecticut State Library
Richard Crowther, Senior GIS Analyst, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments
Desira Blanchard, Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments
Links Shared During Presentation
For more information
Visit our Conference portal to read more about our conference and our conference sponsors that helped keep this event free to the public. You can stay up to date on the latest data and tools by subscribing to our newsletter and following CTData on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.