Patrick Kania ’21 was named an associate in Multiemployer Benefit Plans at Reid and Riege, P.C. In this new position, Kania provides counsel to jointly administered, employee benefit fund, advising clients on the practice impact that federal laws and regulations have on their day-to-day operations so they can meet their fiduciary duties.
Alumni Notes
David Speranzini ’97 Joins Wiggin and Dana
David Speranzini ’97, a longtime environmental law practitioner who was an engineer for United Technologies Corp. before entering the legal profession, has joined Wiggin and Dana.
Jason C. Weida ’05 Appointed as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Medicaid Policy and Quality at the Agency for Health Care Administration
Jason C. Weida ’05 has been appointed as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Medicaid Policy and Quality at the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Here, Weida will work with the DeSantis administration in Florida to secure better health care for all Floridians. Previously, Weida served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, Massachusetts.
Trent Hass Joins IAT Insurance Group as Chief Claims Officer
Trent Hass has joined IAT Insurance Group as Chief Claims Officer. Here, his experience in property, general liability, and auto liability will correspond to IAT’s specialty markets. Previously, Hass worked at The Hartford in a variety of claims-related positions, most recently serving as Vice President of General Liability and Auto Litigation Field Claim Operations at The Hartford.
Breana Vessichio ’16 Named Associate in Business Services at Reid and Riege, P.C.
Breana Vessichio ’16 was named an associate in Business Services at Reid and Riege, P.C. In this new position, Vessichio advises clients in the area of business services, commercial real estate, and nonprofit organizations. She works with client on all aspects of their business planning as well as working with companies on contractual matter and real estate transactions. Previously, Vessichio was an associate at Halloran Sage.
Brenda Bergeron Appointed as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
Brenda Bergeron was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection by Governor Lamont and Commissioner Rovella. Here, she will oversee the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Bergeron brings extensive experience to this new position, previously serving as the legal advisor for Division for Emergency Management and Homeland Security where she advised the governor’s unified command on legal issues during emergencies as the State Emergency Operations Center in Hartford. She also has served as the program coordinator for the division’s All-Hazards Planning Unit and is the chair of the Legal Counsel Committee of the National Emergency Management Association.
Robert Langer ’73 Receives ABA Antitrust Law Section’s Outstanding Performance Award
Robert Langer ’73 had received the ABA Antitrust Law Section’s Outstanding Performance Award for the work he has done for the past 27 years and well as administering the Janet D. Steiger Fellowship project. Langer is recognized as one of the country’s foremost authorities on antitrust, consumer protection, and trade regulation law. He serves as Senior Counsel at law firm Wiggin and Dana’s Litigation Department as well as Co-chair of the firm’s Antitrust and Consumer Protection Practice Group. Langer also has over two decades of experience as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of antitrust and consumer protection in Connecticut. Langer is an adjunct professor as the University of Connecticut School of Law, teaching courses on antitrust, unfair and deceptive trade practices and constitutional law.
Jessica Espinoza ’20 Joins FLB Law as an Associate
Jessica Espinoza ’20 joins FLB Law in Westport as an associate in the firm’s insurance and litigation and dispute resolution practice. In this new position, Espinoza will handle general liability cases by supporting lead counsel interviewing clients, drafting pleadings, motions, and discovery requests and responses. Previously, Espinoza represented two asylum seekers pro bono through the Immigration Detention Service Project in York County Prison.
Heather Mullins Crislip ’00 Featured in Richard Racial Equity Essays Series
Heather Mullins Crislip ’00 was featured as an essayist as part of the Richmond Racial Equity Essays series, a project designed to explore what racial equity looks like in Richmond, Virginia. In her essay, “Housing is the Root of Wealth Inequality: Building an Equitable Richmond”, Crislip explores the disparity in home ownership between white and Black households in Virginia, caused by the wealth gap, redline, predatory lending, etc. In this essay, Crislip pulls from her many years of experience in housing law and policy. Crislip previously served as President and CEO of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia Inc. (HOME), where she oversaw major systemic investigations and fair housing enforcement actions. Here, she also established housing counseling programs and deployed HOME’s capacity for research for advancement in housing policy.
Richard Stamm ’92 Appointed Vice President, General Counsel at Activ Surgical
Richard Stamm ’92 was appointed as Vice President, general counsel at Activ Surgical, Inc., a digital surgery pioneer. Stamm brings thirty years of corporate and securities law to his new role. Prior to this position, Stamm started at law firm Dechert LLP before moving in-house at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. Stamm then joined Agrify Corporation, where he advised the company on the legal complexities in preparing for its initial public offering, Most recently, he maintained his own legal and consulting firm, leveraging his practical business law and corporate governance expertise to advise to variety of businesses and their leaders.