One of Connecticut’s Leading Economists Announces Retirement

3/22/2010

Contact:
Kristi Sullivan, 860-571-6213

The Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC) announced today that Jeffrey Blodgett, Vice President of Research, will be retiring at the end of April and that Alissa DeJonge will be promoted to Director of Research to assume responsibility for overseeing CERC’s research services.

Blodgett leaves his position after a three-decade career in economic development, which includes 13 years at CERC and nearly 17 years with the Department of Economic Development (now called DECD). During these years, Blodgett worked most notably on the exploration and early formation of state’s industry cluster initiative and as a member of the BRAC team that provided research expertise to save the Groton sub-base. His extensive knowledge of Connecticut’s economy has been continually tapped to fill a number of vital roles within Connecticut and the national economic development community, and as a presenter at local, national and international conferences. Blodgett has been frequently quoted in local, regional and national media about key economic issues and has served as the state’s pundit on economic development issues for nearly 30 years.

“Jeff has served as a great assest to Connecticut’s economic landscape and to CERC,” said Robert Santy, President and CEO of CERC. “While his legacy will remain, I am confident that Alissa has the right mix of enthusiasm, knowledge and talents to take on the role of leading CERC’s research team.”

DeJonge, a Middletown resident, has been employed by CERC for 10 years and is a past president of the Hartford Area Business Economists (HABE) and a current board member of the board of trustees for Mercy High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a master’s degree from Yale University.

Blodgett resides in Meriden and earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University. He also has held a variety of research positions in both academia and government, including affiliations with Yale University and the Connecticut Department of Education. He is a member of the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS), past president of the Hartford Area Business Economists (HABE), past president of ACCRA (now called the Council for Community and Economic Research), and past board member of the New England Economic Project. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Economic Development Research and on the advisory board of the New England Public Policy Center at the Boston Federal Reserve Bank.

About CERC
Based in Rocky Hill, The Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation and public-private partnership that provides clients with objective research, marketing and economic development services consistent with our mission of making Connecticut a more competitive business environment.  For more information, visit www.cerc.com.

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