Governance

Brian MacLean

Chair of the Board

Brian MacLean is president and chief operating officer of Travelers, where he is responsible for all insurance operations, including the Personal Insurance; Business Insurance; and Financial, Professional and International Insurance divisions, as well as Claims Services and the company's runoff businesses. Mr. MacLean has held a variety of senior financial leadership positions at Travelers, including executive vice president of Claim Services and senior vice president for Commercial Lines Select Accounts, one of the nation's leading providers of property casualty insurance to small businesses. Mr. MacLean serves on the President's Council at Fordham University, where he also is an adjunct professor. He previously served on the Hartford Hospital Board of Directors. He holds a bachelor's degree from Fordham University and a master's degree from the University of South Carolina.

Greg E. Deavens, CPA

Vice Chair of the Board

Greg Deavens is senior vice president and corporate controller for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). In this capacity, Greg leads MassMutual's financial reporting, accounting policy, financial systems, and investment accounting and reporting functions and the firm's relationship with external auditors. Prior to assuming his current role in March 2012, Greg was the Chief Financial Officer for the company's U.S. Insurance Group. He joined the company in September 2006. Prior to joining MassMutual, Greg held senior financial roles at NY Life, CIGNA, and GE Capital. Greg began his career in public accounting with Price Waterhouse where he specialized in financial services while working in the firm's New York, London and St. Louis offices. Greg is the President of the Board of The Amistad Center for Art & Culture in Hartford, CT, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Hartford Hospital, the Board of Trustees for the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the Board of Directors of the Executive Leadership Council and the Advisory Board for the Springfield High School for Science & Technology. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. Greg holds a B.S. in Accounting from Florida A&M University.

Ramani Ayer

Ramani Ayer is the retired chairman and CEO of The Hartford, one the nation's oldest and largest investment and insurance companies. He spent his career at The Hartford, serving in a number of leadership roles, including vice president of HartRe, The Hartford's reinsurance subsidiary; president and later, executive vice president of Hartford Specialty Company; and president and chief operating officer of The Hartford's property-casualty operations. Mr. Ayer is a member of the boards of XL Insurance Group in Bermuda, the David Lynch Foundation, the Maharishi University of Management and the Connecticut Council of Educational Reform. He is a former member of the boards of directors of Hartford Hospital, the American Insurance Association and the Insurance Information Institute and is a former member of the Business Roundtable. Mr. Ayer earned his master's and doctorate degrees in chemical engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia and a bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay.

David B. Hyman, DDS

David Hyman, DDS, a member of the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Board of Directors, has had a family and cosmetic dental practice in Meriden, Conn., for 35 years. He has served as director emeritus of MidState Medical Center as chairman of its board of directors, and, during his many years with MidState, served as chairman of the Planning and Governance committees and Community Advisory Council and was a member of several standing ad hoc committees, including the Medical Needs Assessment, Physician Credentialing and Building committees. He also was a member of the MidState/Radiology Imaging Partnership Advisory Board and vice chair of the Meriden Visiting Nurses Association Board of Directors. Dr. Hyman is past president of the Meriden, Wallingford and Cheshire Dental Association and served as chairman of its Peer Review Committee. He currently is a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee of the Connecticut State Dental Association and serves on the Committee for Governance for the American Hospital Association. Dr. Hyman earned his bachelor’s degree at Clark University and graduated from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery at the University of Maryland. Dr. Hyman has been a member of the HHC Board of Directors since 2011 and served as vice chair from 2011 to 2014. He is a member of the HHC Board’s Audit and Compliance, Nominating and Governance, Strategic Planning, and Community Benefit committees.

Joanne Berger-Sweeney

Joanne Berger-Sweeney Joanne Berger-Sweeney was elected the 22nd president of Trinity College on March 25, 2014, and will assume the office on July 1, 2014. Berger-Sweeney, an accomplished and passionate teacher and scientist, succeeds James F. Jones, Jr., who served with distinction as president from 2004-2014. Berger-Sweeney was selected by Trinity’s Board of Trustees to chart a course toward the College’s 200th anniversary in 2023, one that advances the future of the liberal arts education that has been a hallmark of Trinity’s distinguished history and raises the visibility of the College’s many deep-rooted strengths among all its constituencies. Berger-Sweeney has served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University since 2010, creating the vision and setting the strategic direction for the university’s largest school. She managed a broad set of responsibilities, including oversight of undergraduate admissions, athletics, undergraduate and graduate students, the graduate school, communications, and academic and administrative deans. While at Tufts, Berger-Sweeney made significant strides in enhancing the strength of the school’s faculty and in expanding interdisciplinary programs, including the creation of the Center for Race and Democracy at Tufts, which studies the impact of race on the lives of individuals around the world, and several undergraduate and graduate academic programs. In addition, Berger-Sweeney was deeply involved in the creation of the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts (BLAST) program, which aims to provide support for first-generation college students. Before Tufts, Berger-Sweeney was a member of the Wellesley College faculty, which she joined in 1991 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and rose through the ranks to become the Allene Lummis Russell Professor in Neuroscience. Her teaching and research career at Wellesley spanned 13 years prior to being named associate dean in 2004. As associate dean, she oversaw 20 academic departments and programs in addition to her teaching and research and led initiatives relating to faculty diversity, interdisciplinary programs, and non-tenure-track faculty. She also served as director of Wellesley’s Neuroscience Program. Berger-Sweeney received her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley College, her M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Health (INSERM) in Paris, France. Berger-Sweeney has authored more than 60 scientific publications and held grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and numerous private foundations. Berger-Sweeney is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award and a Lifetime Mentoring Award from the Society for Neuroscience (2006). She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and chairs the professional development committee of the Society for Neuroscience. She is on the Board of Directors for AFS Intercultural Programs/USA and is trustee and chair of the academic affairs committee for Framingham State University. Berger-Sweeney and her husband, Urs V. Berger, Ph.D., also a neuroscientist, are the parents of two children: Clara, age 17, and Tommy, age 13.

Elizabeth Conway

Elizabeth ("Betsy") Conway is vice chair of the Backus Board. She graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 and received a Juris Doctorate, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1991. Following her graduation from law school, Attorney Conway worked for Cohn & Birnbaum, P.C., in Hartford, in commercial litigation. In 1993, she joined the firm of Brown, Jacobson, P.C., in Norwich and became a director of the firm in 1997. There, she worked primarily in litigation, including the representation off the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Tribal, State and Federal courts. In 2000, she joined the Office of Legal Counsel for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and in 2011 she became the Associate General Counsel. Attorney Conway continues to represent the Tribe in various matters. She is admitted to practice before the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court, the Mohegan Gaming Disputes Court, the Connecticut State courts, the District Court for the District of Connecticut, the Court of Appeals for the First and Second Circuits and the United States Supreme Court. Betsy was instrumental in the formation of the Indian Law Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association. She served as the first Chair of this Committee and continues to actively participate in Committee activities. In addition to serving on the Board of Backus, Betsy is Past President of the New London County Bar Association, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, teaching Taxation of American Indians. Betsy and her husband, Robert, live with their family in Norwich.

William A. Conway, MD

Dr. William Conway is a pulmonary-critical care physician and has held many leadership positions with the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan. He currently is senior vice president and chief quality officer for the system and chief medical officer for Henry Ford Hospital. William received the 2006 Keystone Center Patient Safety and Quality Leadership Award from the Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA) and was recognized as a Health Care Hero by Crain’s Detroit Business for his leadership in surgical infection prevention. He has held leadership positions in group practice, including serving as president of the American Medical Group Association and is cofounder and initial chair of the Group Practice Improvement Network. He is a member of the work group for the Council of Accountable Physician Practices and serves as a board member of the MHA Patient Safety Organization. Dr. Conway is a graduate of the Creighton University Medical School in Omaha.

Laura Estes, a member of the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Board of Directors, formerly served as senior vice president of Aetna Life and Annuity Company – Pensions and held several investment management positions at Aetna, including lending, business development and portfolio management before her retirement. Ms. Estes serves on the board of the Kingswood-Oxford School. She formerly served as the chair of the Hartford Hospital Board of Directors and Board of Governors, the UConn Foundation, the UConn R&D Corporation, the Hartford Educational Foundation, Duncaster Inc. and the YMCA Capital Region Campaign. She also was director of Y-USA Investments and a trustee of Williams College and the Connecticut Science Center. Ms. Estes attended Williams College and earned her Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut. She has been a member of the HHC Board of Directors since 2011 and is chair of the HHC Board Investment Subcommittee and serves on the Executive Compensation and Finance committees.

David P. Hess

David Hess became president of Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), on Jan. 1, 2009. He is responsible for the company's global operations in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and industrial power systems. With an active, installed aero engine base of 68,000, an unmatched global service network and strong partnerships in manufacturing and servicing engines, the company had revenues of $14 billion in 2012. Under his leadership, Pratt & Whitney is manufacturing engines with exclusive PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ technology for Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, Irkut and Mitsubishi and is the sole provider of the F135 engine for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter. Hess joined Pratt & Whitney after four years as president of Hamilton Sundstrand, the United Technologies division where he began his professional career in 1979. He is immediate past chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association Board of Governors and serves on the board's executive committee. He serves on the board of Hartford HealthCare, parent company of Hartford Hospital and the Institute of Living. He is a vice chairman of the CEOs Against Cancer initiative of the American Cancer Society's New England Chapter. He also serves on the board of trustees of the National World War II Museum, and is vice chairman of the board of directors for The Discovery Center, a nonprofit group founded by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward that works with students from Connecticut's urban centers and suburban communities on diversity and team-building. Hess holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Hamilton College and a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was awarded an MIT Sloan Fellowship in 1989 and earned a master's degree in management in 1990.

Elliot T. Joseph

Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, has championed the transformation of health care delivery to create more efficient, high-quality, regional health networks focused on well-coordinated, convenient and comprehensive patient care. His vision for Hartford HealthCare is to integrate the care continuum to produce consistently excellent and affordable health care for all, especially the poorest and most vulnerable citizens. Read his full bio here.

Anthony A. Joyce, III

Tony Joyce is chairman of the Backus Board, of which he has been a member since 2008. Before becoming Vice Chairman in 2010, he served as Board Treasurer. He is a member of the following Board committees: Finance, Audit, Nominating, Executive, Governance, Human Resource and Compensation, Investment, Medical Staff Liaison, and Organizational Excellence. Mr. Joyce is Senior Vice President and Commercial Lending Manager for Chelsea Groton Bank in Groton, an independent, mutually owned community bank, committed to serving Eastern Connecticut and the surrounding communities. He began his banking career in 1983 with the Norwich Savings Society (now part of People's United Bank). He has also held senior leadership positions at Eastern Federal Savings Bank and Dime Bank of Norwich. Mr. Joyce is active in several civic and professional organizations. He is treasurer of the Norwich Community Development Corporation, the primary economic development resource for the city of Norwich. He has served as treasurer for the Three Rivers Community College Foundation Board, and as a Board member of the Norwich Independent Day Charter School. He is a member of the Finance Council for his parish. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Haven. Mr. Joyce and his wife, Lori, live in the Uncasville section of Montville. The couple has two daughters, Juli and Amanda.

James R. Kaskie

Before retiring after a 40-year career, James R. Kaskie was president and CEO of Kaleida Health, the largest health care provider in Western New York. In 2007, he was named president and CEO of the Great Lakes Health System of Western New York, the parent organization that brought together Kaleida Health and Erie County Medical Center. In his role at Kaleida Health, Mr. Kaskie led a family of health care organizations that included the system's five hospitals, four skilled-nursing facilities, 90 ambulatory care programs and sites, and the Visiting Nursing Association. Kaleida Health is Western New York's largest private employer, serving nearly one million people annually and generating net revenue in excess of $1.2 billion. Great Lakes Health (GLH) is the principal partner with the University at Buffalo, training future health care professionals, including nearly 600 physician residents and fellows across numerous health programs. Prior to joining Kaleida Health, Mr. Kaskie held several executive leadership positions with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), where he was responsible for overseeing a $1.8 billion operations division covering a five-state area. The division included acute-care and psychiatric hospitals, long-term care facilities and related services, home health care and community health agencies, and numerous joint-venture organizations. Prior to his work with CHI, Mr. Kaskie was a senior vice president with Catholic Health Corporation, a multistate health system headquartered in Omaha, Neb. Mr. Kaskie received a Master of Health Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from St. Louis University, a Master of Arts in theology from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, and a Master of business administration with a concentration in finance from Xavier University in Cincinnati. Throughout his career, Mr. Kaskie received numerous awards, including being named Executive of the Year by the University of Buffalo's School of Business and D’Youville College and regularly was recognized as one of Western New York's top 10 most influential leaders. He also was named Citizen of the Year by the International Institute for Advancement of the health care rights of immigrants living and working in Western New York. In addition, he served as chairperson of the Greater New York Hospital Association, the first chair elected from outside the New York City metro area.

Lawrence M. McGoldrick

Lawrence McGoldrick was a founder and former chairman, president and CEO of Castle Bank and Trust Co., a community commercial bank headquartered in Meriden, Conn. Castle Bank and Trust was sold to Nutmeg Financial Corp. in 2006. Previously, Mr. McGoldrick held senior management positions in the financial services industry with Bank of Boston, Merrill Lynch and Connecticut Savings Bank. He has served as a director and chairman of the board of MidState Medical Center. Mr. McGoldrick currently serves as a director of the Meriden Economic Development Corp. and Girls Inc. of Meriden. He also is a member of the Cuno Foundation Distribution Committee and is a Trustee of the Connecticut Hospital Association. Mr. McGoldrick was formerly a Director, Trustee and Chairman of the Meriden YMCA as well as several community boards. Professionally, he formerly served as a director of the Connecticut Community Bankers Association and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. As a member of the board of Hartford HealthCare, Mr. McGoldrick chairs the Strategic Planning and Community Benefit Committee, as well as the Pension Sub-Committee and is a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee.

John J. Patrick Jr.

John Patrick was named president and CEO of Farmington Bank in March 2008 and appointed chairman in August 2008. Under his leadership, the bank has expanded to include government and small business banking as well as cash-management services and has grown to include a branch east of the Connecticut River. Today, Farmington Bank is a full-service community bank with $1.7 billion in assets and 16 branch locations. Also under Mr. Patrick's leadership, First Connecticut Bancorp Inc., the holding company of Farmington Bank, completed its initial public stock offering (IPO) on June 28, 2011. Mr. Patrick also is chairman, president and CEO of First Connecticut Bancorp Inc. Prior to his work with Farmington Bank, Mr. Patrick held the position of president and CEO of TD Banknorth Inc. for 10 years. He previous positions also include serving as president of Glastonbury Bank & Trust Co., which later became Banknorth Connecticut, which grew from the 17th largest bank in the state to the sixth largest. Mr. Patrick currently serves as chairman of the Board of Vantis Life Insurance Company, director of The Hospital of Central Connecticut, trustee of Hebrew Health Care Inc. and director of Central Connecticut State University Foundation Inc. He also is a member of the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bankers Association. His honors include being selected in 2010 as one of Hartford's 50 Most Influential People by Hartford Magazine, receiving the 2009 Greater Hartford Human Relations Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, being named Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Connecticut Rivers Boy Scout Council and the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, and receiving the Civic Achievement Award from Yeshiva, New Haven. Mr. Patrick graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration, went on to the New England College of Banking at Williams College, and received a graduate degree in banking and financial services from Bentley College. He and his family reside in Glastonbury.

William H. Trachsel

William Trachsel is retired senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of United Technologies Corporation (UTC). He held several leadership positions with UTC, including vice president-counsel at Hamilton Standard, vice president-counsel for UTC’s automotive business, and vice president and deputy general counsel at UTC’s headquarters. Mr. Trachsel is a member of the board of directors of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and the University of Connecticut Foundation and is a former member of the Hartford Hospital Board of Directors. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida and a J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut Law School.