HARTFORD, CT – Connecticut Historical Society continues its commitment to growing a diverse and prestigious Board of Trustees with the recent election of seven new members during the 2021 annual Members’ Meeting. Alan Aleia, Eliot M. Bassin, Dixon Mallory, James Pelletier, Jason Rojas, Manisha Sinha, and Corbin B. Walburger were each elected to a three-year term at the May 2021 Annual Meeting. 

Alan Aleia 

Alan Aleia of Glastonbury, Conn., is a Certified Public Accountant and the chief financial officer of the Southeastern Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc. Mr. Aleia holds a B.S. in Business Administration from American International College, Springfield, Mass. He has continued his education with programs at the University of Connecticut and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Eliot M. Bassin  

Eliot M. Bassin of West Hartford, Conn., is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He is a partner at Bregman & Company, P.C., with offices in Stamford and Farmington. Mr. Bassin earned a Bachelor of Accountancy, Cum Laude, from The George Washington University and an M.S. in Taxation from Baruch College of the City University of New York. 

Dixon Mallory 

Dixon Mallory, of Greenwich, Conn., is the director of business development for Clearview Investment Management. In his role, he oversees the management and growth of a portfolio consisting of hotels, office and residential real estate assets. Mr. Mallory earned his B.A. in Economics and Asian Studies from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and his M.S. in Real Estate Development and Finance from Columbia University.  

James Pelletier 

James Pelletier of Wethersfield, Conn., is the senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for Barnes Group, Inc. Mr. Pelletier earned a J.D. and LL.M. from Duke University School of Law and a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University. He is admitted to practice law in N.Y., Conn. (in-house counsel), and D.C. 

Jason Rojas  

Jason Rojas of East Hartford, Conn., serves Connecticut’s 9th Assembly District, which is composed of parts of East Hartford and Manchester. He currently serves as House Majority Leader. Outside of the legislature, Mr. Rojas serves as the president’s chief of staff and assistant vice president for external affairs, with primary responsibilities of administering the Office of the President at Trinity College. Mr. Rojas holds a history degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in public policy from Trinity College. 

Manisha Sinha  

Manisha Sinha of Sturbridge, Mass., is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Sinha has written for many of the nation’s top publications, lectures globally, and has been interviewed by the national and international press. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University, where her dissertation was nominated for the Bancroft prize. 

Corbin B. Walburger 

Corbin B. Walburger of Canton, Conn., is vice president, corporate business development at Stanley, Black & Decker, Inc. He has global leadership responsibility for mergers, acquisitions and divestitures at Stanley. Mr. Walburger holds a B.A. in Quantitative Economics and Decision Sciences from the University of California at San Diego and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  

Michael A. Cantor of West Hartford, Connecticut, was also elected to serve as the President of the Board of Trustees for a one-year term. Mr. Cantor has served in various positions on the Board of Trustees since May of 2017. Barbara Kiefer (who served the maximum term as President of the Board of Trustees for three years) was elected to serve as Immediate Past President for a term of one year. 

As the outgoing President of the Board of Trustees, Kiefer said, “We are so pleased to grow our Board of Trustees to include these distinguished leaders. They will bring diverse experience and expertise to the Connecticut Historical Society, and we are fortunate to have their dedication to our state’s 196-year-old, independent, not-for-profit, history museum and library.” 

Incoming President of the Board of Trustees Cantor added, “We welcome our newest class of seven Trustees, and look forward to continuing to build on the work already being done. These individuals represent a myriad of talents and expertise, and we are thankful for their interest in strengthening the institution through their service.”