With a career spanning the private and public sectors, Ga-Young Park is a program management professional dedicated to driving impactful change. Currently, she is leading Verizon's new Small Business Supplier Accelerator, a role that leverages her expertise in fostering strategic partnerships and driving business growth. Previously, she spearheaded the EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, a resource center that supported organizations with greenhouse gas measurement and management. Her work also included managing ENERGY STAR’s residential appliances portfolio, shaping industry standards and building ties with leading global manufacturers. Ga-Young also contributed to the executive leadership of an energy engineering firm, overseeing business strategy and operations within the commercial real estate sector. She is passionate about building robust stakeholder relationships and overcoming barriers for impactful growth.

Katie Davis is an Associate Director within Verizon's Responsible Business team, responsible for small business and workforce development. In her current role, Katie leads Small Business Digital Ready, the company's flagship initiative to support entrepreneurs for success in the digital economy, as well as Verizon Skill Forward, an initiative that provides free, career-enhancing online courses for in-demand skills. Previously, Katie created and launched the Verizon Forward for Good Accelerator, an initiative to support start-ups leveraging advanced technology to drive meaningful social impact. Katie is passionate about identifying and implementing opportunities that deliver social impact and business value, and creating inclusive innovation systems. Prior to Verizon, Katie worked in the global public health space. She has a bachelor's degree from Boston College and an MBA from Northwestern University.

Paul S. Lavoie was named the inaugural Vice President of Innovation and Applied Technology at the University of New Haven in July 2025. He is responsible for building a best-in-nation Center for Innovation and Applied Technology on campus. UNH purchased a 12-acre site with a 130,000 sq ft building that will be the home of the Center.

Prior to this role, Paul served as the Chief Manufacturing Officer for the State of Connecticut, appointed by Governor Ned Lamont in February 2022. Under his leadership, manufacturing grew by $3.0B, making CT one of the fastest growing economies in the USA.

In 2024, Paul was named one of the top 5 Chief Manufacturing Officers in the world by Manufacturing Digital magazine, joining leaders from Michelin, General Motors, Ferrari, and Johnson Controls.

Steve is a Director in PwC’s Customs & International Trade Practice ("CITP"), based in Detroit. He has significant experience in industry where he led Customs, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing teams for a variety of global organizations in the automotive and semiconductor industries for over 20 years. He uses his hands-on practical experience and Customs expertise to advise clients on strategic opportunities to improve compliance, mitigate risks, and minimize costs.

Steve has significant experience in leveraging lean principles and technological solutions to support trade-related operations and compliance programs. He leads numerous global managed services projects along with providing consulting support to clients across broad areas of global trade in multiple industries.

Steve has deep subject matter expertise in trade-related issues including free trade agreements, duty drawback, classification, trade automation, first sale for export, value chain transformation, compliance reviews, focused assessment support, prior disclosures, special trade programs, M&A due diligence, and indirect tax analysis of supply chains.

Prior to joining PwC, Steve most recently led the North America Customs and Import/Export Warehouse functions for a Global Automotive OEM. In addition to his industry experience, Steve has served as a professor teaching graduate-level courses on Customs within global supply chain programs.

Steve is a licensed US Customs Broker. He has an M.B.A. with a focus on Supply Chain Management as well as a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

Steven Semaya is the Program Director, CT Supplier Connection.