2022 Hometown Hero Honorees

Shelley Quiala  joined the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in August 2020 as Executive Director.  During her tenure, Arts & Ideas produced its first-ever hybrid Festival, began offering programming in Spanish, increased the racial diversity of its year-round staff from 10 percent to 50 percent, and doubled its financial and programmatic commitment to Neighborhood Festivals…

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is a year-round organization that culminates with an annual celebration of performing arts, lectures, and conversations each summer in New Haven, Connecticut.  Arts & Ideas convenes leading artists, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world for dynamic public programs to engage, entertain, and inspire a diversity of…

Founded in 1800, Washington Trust, the oldest community bank in the nation, is one of the Northeast’s premier financial services companies. It offers a full range of financial services, including commercial banking, mortgage banking, personal banking, and wealth management and trust services, with offices located in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 2015, Washington Trust’s…

Rick Callahan is an entrepreneur dedicated to growth and success. He started his first business at the age of 22 in a sublet office in a manufacturing facility in Meriden, Conn. He is the founder and Chief Executive Office of Krative, a branding, design, and marketing agency in the heart of downtown New Haven. As…

Mary Ellen Cody was appointed as the Chief Development Officer of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in April 2022. She previously served as Dean of Development and Community Partnerships at Gateway Community College and Chief Regional External Affairs Officer for the Shoreline West Region of the Connecticut State Community Colleges. Her responsibilities encompassed designing and implementing…