HARTFORD, Conn. (July 21, 2026) – The Connecticut Health Foundation has named Alvin W. Thompson as chair of its board of directors. He has served on the board since 2020 and succeeds Chekesha Kidd. 
In addition to naming a new board chair, the foundation named Hector Glynn as vice chair, elected Moy Ogilvie to the board, and awarded $937,200 in grants during the second quarter of 2026.
Thompson is a United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut. He was appointed by President Clinton in 1994 and served as chief judge from 2009 to 2013. Thompson previously worked as an attorney at Robinson & Cole, where he served as an associate, partner, and managing partner. He has chaired and is active in the Section of Business Law of the American Bar Association. He has also served on the scholarship committee for the American Bar Association’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund. Thompson is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.
“Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.’ So, I find it very satisfying to support the efforts of the Connecticut Health Foundation as it seeks to make our state a place where everyone can achieve optimal health, regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status,” Thompson said.
Thompson previously served as the board’s vice chair. The new vice chair, Hector Glynn, is the president and CEO of The Village for Families and Children.
New board member
Moy Ogilvie is a partner at McCarter & English and currently serves on the State of Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission. She has worked for the law firm since 2003 and leads the Culture & Inclusion committee. She currently sits on the boards of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, and Hartford Youth Scholars. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Boston University School of Law.
“I am honored to join the board of the Connecticut Health Foundation and I fully support the organization’s mission of championing health equity and well-being for all throughout the state of Connecticut. I look forward to working with the talented and dedicated team at Connecticut Health Foundation,” Ogilvie said.
“We are thrilled to have Moy join the board of directors. We look forward to the experience and perspective she will bring to the foundation,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation.
“We are also excited for Alvin and Hector to step into their new roles and continue to make an impact on our organization. We are deeply grateful to Chekesha for her leadership and commitment to our mission and her lasting impact on the foundation.”
Grants awarded
Hearst Connecticut Media, Norwalk: $180,000 (three-year grant)
This three-year grant will support a full-time health access reporter for CT Insider. This reporter will focus on health equity topics such as barriers to affordable health care and factors affecting disparate health outcomes, with a goal of getting important information to underserved communities.
The Connecticut Health Foundation provides grants to media organizations because news reporting on health care provides insights, informs debates, and ensures that critical topics reach broad audiences. The funding is awarded with an understanding that the journalism will be independent, and the grant will play no role in editorial decisions about health coverage.
The Hospital of Central Connecticut, New Britain: $75,000
This funding will support a one-year pilot program to build an evaluation framework and electronic health record systems needed to launch an integrated community health worker (CHW) and social worker model. The project will test two strategies: establishing a CHW workforce pipeline from the health system itself and expanding CHW and social worker collaboration in outpatient settings.
STRATEGY AND DEFENSE FUND
The foundation awarded grants to organizations for work to address challenges related to the changing federal landscape. The organizations are:
- Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, Hartford: $20,000
- Connecticut Voices for Children, New Haven: $20,000
PRESIDENT’S DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
President’s discretionary grants are awarded to organizations and institutions that respond to the foundation’s overall mission or priority areas.
Cornell Scott Hill Health Center Foundation, New Haven: $25,000
This grant will support short- and long-term planning to make sure the center is poised to provide care regardless of patients’ ability to pay.
Advocacy to Legacy, Hartford: $25,000
This funding will support efforts to standardize school-based health education across Connecticut. Building on prior research, Advocacy to Legacy will develop recommendations for implementation to ensure students have equitable access to health education.
University of New Haven School of Health Sciences, West Haven: $25,000
With this grant, the University of New Haven School of Health Sciences will convene community focus groups to better understand the experiences of communities of color and the barriers they face in accessing health care. The findings will be used to make recommendations to improve access and reduce disparities.
TRUSTED MESSENGER GRANTS
Information is critical for people’s health, and often, the messenger is as important as the message itself. Messages are far more effective when they are delivered by trusted sources, and the foundation has awarded grants to trusted messenger organizations since 2020. This round of funding is also supported by the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation and was awarded to organizations sharing information about changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. The 42 grants, totaling $567,200 are:
- Achieving, Knowledge, Nurture, Empower, Within, Hartford
- Advocacy to Legacy, Windsor
- Alliance for Living, New London
- Building One Community, Stamford
- Charter Oak Health Center, Hartford
- Community Health and Wellness Center of Greater Torrington, Torrington
- Community Health Resources, Enfield
- Comunidades Sin Fronteras, Norwalk
- Connecticut Association for Community Action, Middletown
- Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, Bridgeport
- Connecticut Worker Center, Bridgeport
- End Hunger Connecticut, Hartford
- Family Centers, Greenwich
- Family and Children’s Agency, Norwalk
- First Choice Health Centers, East Hartford
- Generations Family Health Center, Willimantic
- Gilead Community Services, Middletown
- Haitian Community Center of Greater Norwich, Norwich
- Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective, Hartford
- Hartford Health Initiative, Hartford
- Hartford Parent University, Hartford
- Hartford Public Library, Hartford
- Hispanic Health Council, Hartford
- Hockanum Valley Community Council, Vernon
- HUSKY 4 Immigrants, Bridgeport
- HT CT Inc., Branford
- Open Door Shelter, Norwalk
- Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, New Haven
- InterCommunity Health Care, East Hartford
- Madre Latina Organization, Waterbury
- Ministerial Health Fellowship, Middletown
- Parents Available to Help, North Branford
- Project Access of New Haven, New Haven
- PT Partners, Bridgeport
- Saint Vincent de Paul Middletown, Middletown
- StayWell Health Care, Waterbury
- The Latino Way, East Hartford
- The Village for Families & Children, Hartford
- United Community and Family Services, Norwich
- Urban Alliance, Hartford
- Valley Council for Health and Human Services, Derby
- Young Women’s Christian Association New Britain, New Britain
Read more about the trusted messengers initiative here.
For more information, please contact Gaby Molina at gaby@cthealth.org or 860-724-1580 x 133.