Judge Janet Bond Arterton

Judge Arterton joined The Committee in 2007 and currently serves as its Chair.

Judge Janet Bond Arterton has been a dedicated resident of New Haven since 1978 and has served on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut since 1995, sitting in New Haven. Before her appointment, she practiced law at the New Haven firm formerly known as Garrison & Arterton, P.C. from 1978 to 1995.

In 2010, she established the District Court's Support Court program in New Haven, providing structured support for federal criminal defendants battling drug or alcohol addiction. From 2002 to 2008, she served on the International Judicial Relations Committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference, contributing to programs aimed at enhancing rule of law competencies in developing countries.

Judge Arterton earned her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Northeastern University in 2005 and has received numerous awards for her contributions, including recognition from the American Board of Trial Lawyers Connecticut Chapter, the Connecticut Bar Association, Community Mediation, and the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund. The Arterton Intellectual Property Inn of Court was established in her honor in 2015, and she currently serves on the Federal Bar Association Board of Directors.

Anne Tyler Calabresi

Anne Tyler Calabresi is a lifelong New Haven resident and a dedicated advocate for community enrichment and social welfare. She has been instrumental in founding several important New Haven institutions, including the 9 Squares Neighborhood Youth League, LEAP (Leadership, Education, Athletics in Partnership), and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. Her initiatives have positively impacted thousands of lives, fostering creativity, leadership, and cultural appreciation.

In 2015, Anne partnered with Liberty Community Services to establish the Sunrise Cafe, which offers free, nutritious hot breakfasts five mornings a week to 150-200 guests, served entirely by volunteers. The cafe has become a reliable community hub, providing fellowship, healthcare access, and pathways to social services for its visitors.

Anne has received numerous awards for her community service from organizations including the Connecticut Bar Association, the Connecticut Council of Foundations, Yale University, and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Anne graduated from Radcliffe College in 1956 and holds honorary degrees from Albertus Magnus College, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University, Quinnipiac University, and the University of New Haven.

Robert B. Dannies, Jr.

Robert “Bob” Dannies joined The Committee in 2007.

Bob and his wife, Priscilla, have been New Haven residents since 1977.

Bob has served as Chair of the Trustees Committee of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and has been a board member of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, the Creative Arts Workshop, and the New Haven Land Trust. He is also a past president of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Bob earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1978. His career has been centered around investment management, serving as Chief Investment Officer at Colonial Bank and later People's Bank, Wealth Management and Trust, following the acquisition of Colonial Bank by Bank of Boston.

David Newton

David Newton is the President of Elm Advisors,LLC where he assists non profit institutions on real estate acquisition and operations. Prior to founding Elm Advisors, he served from 2002 to 2007 as the Associate Vice President and Director of University Properties for Yale University. From 1977 until 1998 he was co-founder and President of the Facilites Resource Management Co. (FRM). FRM worked with colleges, universities, schools and hospitals overseeing operations and maintenance, energy management and project management programs. FRM was acquired by the Aramark Corporation in 1998 and David served as Executive Vice President of Aramark’s Facilities Services Division from 1998 to 2002.

He currently serves on a variety of not for profit boards including the New Alliance Foundation, Saint Martin de Porres Academy, Heath Equity Solutions, and Elm Shakespeare Co. Past Board service includes the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, the Connecticut Health Foundation, Festival ofArts & Ideas and the Hopkins School. He is the recipient of a number of awards for his community service.

A life long downtown New Haven resident, he is a passionate supporter of the City and its commitment to social justice and inclusivity. He is a graduate of the Hopkins School, Williams College and the Columbia University School of Business.

Erik M. Clemons

Erik Clemons is the founding CEO and President of two New Haven based organizations, the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT), and its sister organization the Connecticut Community Outreach and Revitalization Program (ConnCORP).

ConnCAT, founded in 2011, is a non-profit organization which is dedicated to creating empowering art-based educational environments for underserved students and training programs for under and unemployed adults. ConnCORP, founded in 2018, was designed to explore and implement opportunities for economic development and investment in New Haven most impoverished communities.

Erik has an extensive background in organizational leadership, and leadership development. For more than two decades. His dedication to supporting Black, Brown and low-income communities throughout the state of Connecticut has led to sweeping changes in the lives of countless young people and early career individuals.

Erik is presently leading a $200MM development project (ConnCAT Place on Dixwell) in the Dixwell community; a historic, Black neighborhood in New Haven. Additionally, for the past four years Erik has been working with the Boston Federal Reserve Bank; co-creating the Wealth Accelerator—an economic justice initiative aimed to address the racial wealth gap in New Haven CT. Erik also serves as a lecturer on Social Entrepreneurship, and Fellow at Yale University’s School of Management.

After the death of his wife Sharon (2020), Erik erected the Sharon M. Clemons Butterflies Fund with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to provide grant scholarships for young women at the alma maters of their daughters: Smith College, Tuskegee University, Hampton University and Spelman College. In its first year, Erik raised $1.8 million for the Butterflies Fund.

Erik serves as trustee at New Haven Bank, a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce board member, and a trustee at Quinnipiac University.

Erik holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Master of Arts in Theology and Ethics from the Hartford Seminary, and is currently a Comprehensive Master of Arts in Religion student at Yale Divinity School.

He is also a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters; Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT.