Connecticut Public Names New Officers to Board of Trustees 2026
HARTFORD[June12, 2026]-The Board of Trustees of Connecticut Public has elected six board officers, including a new Chair, Catalina Samper-Horak and Vice Chair, Antoine Lewis.
Samper-Horak has served on Connecticut Public’s Board of Trustees since 2022 and previously held the role of Vice Chair for the past two years, while also chairing the Governance and Nominating Committee and serving on the Compensation, Audit, and Executive Committees. Lewis, who joined the Board in 2023 and serves on both the Governance and Nominating Committee and the Audit Committee, will step into the role of Vice Chair.
Several officers will continue in their current roles including: Connie Weaver, who will continue as Secretary, Connecticut Public Chief Financial Officer Meg Sakellarides, who will continue as Treasurer, Radha Radhakrishnan, who will continue as Assistant Treasurer, and Connecticut Public Administrative Services Manager and Board Liaison Emily Caswell, who will continue as Assistant Secretary.
With these changes to the trustees, the Board will continue to have a total of27members.
“I’m honored to serve as Board Chair at a time when Connecticut Public has such an important opportunity to deepen its connection with communities across our state,” said Catalina Samper-Horak, newly appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees. “I look forward to helping advance the organization’s efforts to engage new audiences through trusted journalism, meaningful storytelling, and experiences that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of Connecticut.”
“I’m honored to step into the role of Vice Chair and support Connecticut Public’s mission of informing, educating, and connecting people across our state,” said Antoine Lewis, newly appointed Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Connecticut Public is a vital resource for Connecticut residents, and I look forward to working alongside Catalina, the Board, and the leadership team to strengthen the organization’s impact and help ensure it continues to serve communities across Connecticut for years to come.”
Catalina Samper-Horak is a highly experienced non-profit executive, community leader and social sector entrepreneur. A seasoned collaborator across sectors, she was the founder and first executive director of Building One Community (B1C) based in Stamford, Connecticut. B1C launched as Neighbors Link Stamford and was established to address the needs of low-income immigrants. After stepping down from B1C, she served as interim CEO of 4-CT, an organization created to address the needs of CT’s most vulnerable residents disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. She also serves on the board of the Norwalk Community College Foundation.
Born and raised in Colombia, Samper-Horak has lived and worked in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Switzerland and the USA, bringing a robust portfolio of experience working in the non-profit sector across countries. Samper-Horak holds an M.S. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; an M.A. in Non-Profit Management from The New School, New York, NY; and a BS in Biology from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia.
Antoine Lewis is an experienced and accomplished broadcaster with expertise in news, sports, and entertainment. Recently, Lewis built ESPN’s First Take into the #1 morning sports show for 11 consecutive years, consistently generating record-breaking ratings month-over-month. At ESPN he served as Vice President, Studio Production and Coordinating Producer. In addition, he had significant experience building an Asian presence for ESPN’s show brands. Prior to ESPN, Antoine had leadership and executive producer roles in news in Denver, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Chicago.
He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications. He has also served as a guest lecturer at Northwestern University.
Lewis holds a Master of Science in Journalism and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism & Economics from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
Connie Weaver is an experienced corporate and nonprofit board leader and former Fortune 100 Chief Marketing Officer whose career spans financial services, technology, telecommunications, media, and mission-driven organizations.
Most recently, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Equitable Holdings (NYSE: EQH), where she led the company's brand transformation and the integration of marketing, digital, and client experience functions. Prior to Equitable, she held senior executive leadership positions at TIAA, AT&T, The Hartford, BearingPoint, Microsoft, MCI, and McGraw-Hill.
Today, Connie focuses on board leadership, strategic advisory roles, and mentoring emerging organizations. She serves on the Board of Connecticut Public and is Chair-Elect of the National Council on Aging (NCOA). She also serves on the boards of Make-A-Wish America, the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), and Berto Acquisition Corp. I and II, and is a member of the Advisory Board of Olos Impact LLC.
Throughout her career, Connie has been recognized for helping organizations navigate transformation, strengthen stakeholder engagement, build trusted brands, and create long-term value. She is passionate about advancing healthy aging, financial well-being, education, and youth development. Her commitment to public media reflects her belief in the essential role trusted journalism, lifelong learning, and community storytelling play in fostering an informed, engaged, and connected society.
Meg Sakellarides, Chief Financial Officer of Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc, the parent company of Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and WNPR/Connecticut Public Radio has over thirty-two years of financial management and business experience, specifically with for-profit financial services organizations and non-profit broadcasting and educational institutions. A 1986 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Connecticut with a B.S. degree in Accounting, Ms. Sakellarides is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of Connecticut and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Ms. Sakellarides spent seven years as a manager with the Big 4 accounting and consulting firm of Deloitte, specializing in audit services for corporate, banking, and not-for-profit clients. Clients included Emhart Corporation, TD Bank, and the City of Hartford. After her tenure at Deloitte, Ms. Sakellarides spent five years at CIGNA Corporation, an international healthcare insurance company, where she was responsible for human resource development and training for the Financial Executive Development Program (FEDP) for accountants and actuaries. In addition, her financial responsibilities at CIGNA included leading and managing the customer service and financial operations of their Reinsurance Division. The FEDP at CIGNA is one of the country’s most prestigious financial and executive leadership programs and Ms. Sakellarides participated in that executive development program throughout her career at CIGNA.
Ms. Sakellarides has been with Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc. for twenty-three years as its Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for all financial, administrative, legal and compliance matters for the Company. Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc. is a $20 million operation with three television stations, five radio stations, and has a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary. While at Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc., Ms. Sakellarides was selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in PBS’ inaugural class for its Diversity Training Program, a year-long executive development program held at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Ms. Sakellarides is very active in the Hartford community and has been a Board member of several non-profit organizations, including the Connecticut Women’s Council, the Learning Corridor, Inc., and formerly the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Ms. Sakellarides is active in the local arts community, recreational sports, and religious ministry, and currently resides in East Haddam, Connecticut with her husband, Scott Mokoski. Ms. Sakellarides and Mr. Mokoski have two adult children.
Radha Radhakrishnan retired as a President and COO from one of Hartford Financial Services Group companies. For nearly three decades, he held various management positions in actuarial, corporate planning, commercial, specialty and reinsurance departments. Prior to joining The Hartford, he was an Assistant Professor with the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia.
Radhakrishnan came to USA in 1969 from India in pursuit of graduate studies. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras, India and his Master of Science degree, specializing in Operations Research and Management Science, from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Over the years, he has served on number of non-profit boards —Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding (CCIU), Covenant to Care for Children (CCC), Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH), Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society (CVHTS). He served as chairman for the United Way-The Hartford Group and also served as chairman of Connecticut Public advisory board. Radhakrishnan lives in Simsbury and enjoys classical music, travel, and Bridge tournaments.
Emily Caswell is the Administrative Services Manager and Board Liaison at Connecticut Public, a position she assumed in 2023. Emily has built a diverse background in media, marketing, and communications through positions with organizations throughout New England. Prior to her current position at Connecticut Public, she held several roles at the organization spanning communications, digital operations, and audience engagement. A Connecticut native, Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Writing from Central Connecticut State University and a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication from Marist College.
For more information on the entire Board of Trustees, visit ctpublic.org/about/board-of-trustees
About Connecticut Public
Connecticut Public is home to Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Together, Connecticut Public serves more than1.2 million people each week through Connecticut Public Radio and Connecticut Public Television, as well as through our many digital and online platforms, including ctpublic.org. Through our mission to inform, educate and inspire the people of Connecticut, we connect people of all ages to high-quality journalism, storytelling, education and experiences, and amplify the voices of our diverse communities. Connecticut Public’s main offices are located in Hartford, CT with studios at Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT as well as Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. Connecticut Public is also sole owner of the for-profit MediaVision Creative agency in Norwalk, CT. Connecticut Public is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with a $22 million annual budget, funded primarily through community support from individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors.