Who We Are
Our Team
Alyssa Norwood is Director of the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative. Alyssa is a social entrepreneur, policy expert and attorney. She helped found and manage Sustainable CT, a voluntary certification program to accelerate municipal sustainability actions. She also led Connecticut’s livable communities initiative at the former Legislative Commission on Aging. She previously conducted policy work at the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health. She began her career as an attorney at the law firm of Robinson and Cole.
Alyssa earned her Juris Doctor with honors and her Master of Public Health Degree in Health Law and Policy from the University of Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Biology from Harvard University.
Alyssa lives in West Hartford with her remarkable husband and three children. She practices yoga, embraces Jewish life, runs, hikes, bikes, lets paint and poetry flow, and celebrates creative and inclusive placemaking. She is also an end-of-life doula, a compassionate partner who supports individuals and loved one through the emotional, physical and spiritual dimensions of dying, embracing mortality to affirm life with greater clarity and joy.
Christina Gray is Community Partnerships Manager for the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative. Christina is a program manager and DEI expert with 15 years of experience building more diverse and equitable workplaces. Most recently, she worked with the National Conference for Community and Justice, raising awareness and cultivating inclusive environments by facilitating over 150 training sessions and collaborating with community and institutional leaders to launch over 60 equity intervention initiatives. She has also trained over 100 clients and emerging leaders to design and facilitate DEI programs.
Christina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Concentration in Diversity and Social Inequality from University of Massachusetts and is a candidate for a Master’s in Education in Social Justice Education, also from UMASS.
Karen Green is Operations and Network Coordinator for the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative. She has over 35 years of experience in event and program management, fund raising and development. Karen is dedicated to bringing disability and accessibility awareness to our programs and serves as the part-time Program Manager for the ADA Coalition of Connecticut, providing training and technical assistance to ADA Coordinators across the state.
Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Business and Industry from Saint Joseph College.
In addition to her passion for keeping people, projects, and programs organized and on-track, Karen has finished over 20 marathons around the country and, along with her husband, enjoys hiking, camping, and spending time with their two grown and flown children.
Lesley Holford is Lead Communications Consultant for the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative. She is an independent design and communications consultant with over 20 years of experience offering complete creative services to nonprofits and businesses of all sizes.
Lesley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Art History from Smith College and has completed continuing education in design at School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design.
When she’s not pushing pixels or writing press releases, Lesley can be found digging in her garden, trying out new recipes, and exploring fiber art in all forms.
Emily Hultquist is Planning and Policy Consultant for the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative. She has nearly 20 years of professional experience in land use, transportation planning, economic development and urban design in Connecticut. She began her career in the Connecticut office of the Regional Plan Association, before becoming Director of Policy and Planning/Community Development at the Capitol Region Council of Governments in Hartford, and then Deputy Director of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments.
Emily holds an A.B. in Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a past President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association.
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