The search for innovative solutions to women’s economic insecurity in Connecticut

By Kevin Chang Barnum,

Wayne Edwards, Khalilah Brown-Dean, Meg Dalton, Catie Talarski

Published November 29, 2023 at 12:18 PM EST

Six women stand in front of a group of chairs and a projector screen. From left to right, Khalilah Brown-Dean wears a pink jacket and black pants, Karen DuBois-Walton wears a dark jacket and black pants, Emily Byrne wears a green jacket and black pants, Michelle Riordan-Nold wears a pink jacket and black pants, Jenny Steadman wears a dark jacket and dark pants and Karen Lott wears a dark jacket and black pants.

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Disrupted host Khalilah Brown-Dean hosted a panel discussion at Quinnipiac University on November 14, 2023, discussing the economic inequities women face. From left to right: Khalilah Brown-Dean, host of Disrupted; Karen DuBois-Walton, President of Elm City Communities; Emily Byrne, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children; Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of CTData Collaborative; Jenny Steadman, Executive Director of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation and Karen Lott, Executive Director of the Women’s League Child Development Center.

Tony Spinelli / Connecticut Public

Jenny Steadman sits on a chair next to Michelle Riordan-Nold. Michelle is holding a microphone and they are looking off to the side as they participate in a live panel discussion.

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In the first part of the event, Khalilah Brown-Dean spoke with Jenny Steadman, Executive Director of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation (left) and Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of CTData Collaborative (right). The discussion focused on a new report titled "Elusive Equity: Continuing Effects of the Pandemic on Women’s Economic Security.” The report was created by CTData Collaborative and funded by Aurora Women and Girls Foundation and The Community Fund for Women and Girls of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Tony Spinelli for Connecticut Public

Khalilah Brown-Dean wears a pink jacket and is the only one facing the camera as she speaks with a group of women panelists seated at the front of a classroom.

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In the second part of the event, Khalilah Brown-Dean spoke with Jenny Steadman, Executive Director of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation; Karen DuBois-Walton, President of Elm City Communities; Emily Byrne, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children and Karen Lott, Executive Director of the Women’s League Child Development Center about how to approach the economic inequities women in Connecticut face.

Tony Spinelli for Connecticut Public

On November 14th, Disrupted held a live event at Quinnipiac University to talk with leaders from across our state about the economic inequities that women face. The discussion focused on housing, childcare and economic mobility and coincided with the release of a report titled "Elusive Equity: Continuing Effects of the Pandemic on Women’s Economic Security.” First, Michelle Riordan-Nold of CTData Collaborative and Jenny Steadman of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation spoke about the findings of the report. Then, Jenny Steadman of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation, Karen DuBois-Walton of Elm City Communities, Emily Byrne of Connecticut Voices for Children and Karen Lott of the Women’s League Child Development Center talked about potential solutions to the issues women are facing.

The report was created by CTData Collaborative and funded by Aurora Women and Girls Foundation and The Community Fund for Women and Girls of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. To read the report, you can go to CTData Collaborative's website.

GUESTS:

Michelle Riordan-Nold: Executive Director of CTData Collaborative
Jenny Steadman: Executive Director of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation
Karen DuBois-Walton: President of Elm City Communities
Emily Byrne: Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children
Karen Lott: Executive Director of the Women’s League Child Development Center. She is also on the board of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation.

Special thanks to our interns Lateshia Peters and Joey Morgan.

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