Join Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc.® (CHNCT) for a free summit focused on addressing health equity and disparities in Connecticut. This summit is designed for leaders from community organizations, health and medical organizations, government agencies, and others who are committed to advancing health equity and improving the health of underserved and vulnerable populations.
Meet our morning speakers
Commissioner
Connecticut Department of Social Services
Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves is an experienced leader who takes action to make pivotal changes. For nearly a decade, Commissioner Barton Reeves served as president and CEO of Harc Inc., a large nonprofit organization in Hartford that provides services for people with intellectual and related disabilities and families.
Following her nonprofit work, the commissioner joined the State of Connecticut as the inaugural CEO of Connecticut’s Paid Family Medical Leave Program, overseeing the Authority to ensure effective implementation. With her at the helm, CT Paid Leave distributed critical benefits to working people across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to her time at Harc Inc. and CT Paid Leave, Barton Reeves is a Social Justice Scholar at the Yale Divinity School and has been recognized by the Hartford Business Journal’s 2021 Power 25 Healthcare, the CT NAACP, and the 100 Women of Color, for her groundbreaking leadership during the pandemic.
The commissioner was also involved with numerous community organizations, including serving as president of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, board chair at the Village for Families and Children, and a board member of the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance and Leadership Greater Hartford.
As commissioner of the Department of Social Services, Barton Reeves is proud to continue her career in serving the community’s most vulnerable populations by crafting and implementing accessible services and programs for over one million residents throughout the State.
Sr. Vice President for Population Health and Chief Medical Officer
Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc.®
Dr. Larry Magras is a dynamic leader with over 30 years of clinical experience and over 20 years of experience as a physician executive in a variety of settings, including large for-profit healthcare systems, academic medical centers, managed care, and hospitalist practices. He has served as the clinical lead on several national clinical transformation and quality initiatives for multihospital systems. Dr. Magras brings extensive experience in utilization review, case and disease management, care management redesign, quality, risk, medical staff issues, global cost management, and emerging payment models. He currently serves as the senior vice president for Population Health and chief medical officer at CHNCT, overseeing care to an underserved and disadvantaged Medicaid population.
Associate Dean for Health Equity Research
C.N.H. Long Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Management
Director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center
Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith is associate dean for Health Equity Research; C.N.H. Long Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Management; and director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale. Her research focuses on health and healthcare equity for marginalized populations with an emphasis on the social and structural drivers of health, the influence of healthcare systems on health disparities, and the advancement of community-academic partnered scholarship. Dr. Nunez-Smith served as senior advisor to the White House COVID-19 Response Team and chair of the Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, co-chair of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, and chair of the governor’s ReOpen CT Advisory Group Community Committee. An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, she attended Jefferson Medical College and completed her residency at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship at the Yale Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program.
Director of Integrated Care, Division of Health Services
Connecticut Department of Social Services
Fatmata Williams oversees the administration of Connecticut Medicaid health benefits for over one million members as a director of Medical Administration at the Connecticut Department of Social Services. She is a career clinician with experience in direct care patient advocacy and leadership work in developing state Medicaid policy, quality improvement, and framing and implementing new services. Fatmata is also a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner informed by lived experience as an African immigrant, now a naturalized U.S. citizen, working with individuals and communities that have experienced barriers to equitably accessing and utilizing healthcare. Fatmata is currently focusing on developing a value-based Medicaid maternity payment bundle and cross-agency and departmental collaborative work to support improving maternal health outcomes. She oversees multiple initiatives to improve access to quality behavioral health services for individuals across their lifespan. Fatmata is a doctoral candidate at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford and lives in Windsor with her family.
Executive Director
Connecticut General Assembly
Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health
Chief Strategic Officer
Career Resources Inc.
Chief Executive Officer
CT & RI Alliance of YMCAs
Director of Community Health Improvement
Middlesex Health
Meet our afternoon speakers
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
2022 Sylvia B. Kelly Medical Scholarship for Health Equity Award Recipient
Deborah Fadoju is a current resident physician (PGY-1) at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. She's a graduate of Howard University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Throughout her career, she's been recognized as an activist, community organizer, and an outspoken leader who champions anti-racism efforts in the medical community. At The Ohio State University College of Medicine, she served as president of the Student National Medical Association, founder of Black Women in Medicine, and founder of the OSUCOM Chapter of White Coats for Black Lives. As a community organizer, Deborah has galvanized medical students to testify before Congress that racism is a public health crisis. She’s lead marches in protest of police brutality and has given speeches calling on leaders at her institution to commit to radically reforming medical curriculum and culture. As a result of her advocacy efforts, and research rooted in addressing inequities in Black maternal health, she was named the inaugural recipient of the 2022 National Sylvia B. Kelly Medical Scholarship. As an OB/Gyn in training, she strives to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality.
Executive Director
Health Equity Solutions
Ayesha Clarke is a dedicated professional with a successful career in multiple fields, including social work, public health, and economics. She is committed to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in Hartford, Connecticut.
Ayesha is a strong advocate for community engagement and believes in building meaningful relationships with stakeholders to achieve tangible outcomes. As the executive director of Health Equity Solutions, a non-profit organization that promotes social justice by advancing health equity through anti-racist policies and practices throughout Connecticut, Ayesha works tirelessly to create positive change.
Ayesha’s passion for policy and advocacy work is centered around health, criminal justice, and education, and she has a keen understanding of the intersection of community and policy. She currently serves as co-chair of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health for the State of Connecticut and previously held the elected position of Hartford Board of Education chairperson.
Beyond her public office positions, Ayesha also actively contributes to the community in various ways. She is a member of The Citadel of Love and the Greater Hartford Branch NAACP, is an adjunct professor, and an advisor for the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. She also serves as chairperson on the Board of Trustees for The Children's Museum and as treasurer for the Board of Directors for Community Health Resources (CHR).
Ayesha is a proud member of the Hartford Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has been married to TJ Clarke II for 15 years, and they have two wonderful boys.
