2021 HUMAN RELATIONS HONOREES

This year's award winners join a long list of local and nationally recognized leaders and activists. Recipients of the NCCJ Human Relations Award are selected by our Nomination Committee and have distinguished themselves in ways that have exemplified the principles of NCCJ's mission. They have:

• Actualized in their daily lives ethical principles that peak to their respect for others, open-mindedness and tolerance, leadership by example, and diligence in their fight for human rights and dignity;
• Actively shown support for humanitarian concerns combating matters such as religious prejudice, ethnic discrimination and racial bigotry in the community and workplace;
• Contribute to cultural, civic and business organizations; and,
• Demonstrated concern for the fostering of social justice (equal human rights) and cooperation among all religions, races and ethnic backgrounds.

Congratulations to this year's Human Relations Award Honorees! 

If you know of someone you would like to nominate for the NCCJ Human Relations Award, contact Kristen Piescik, Development Manager at kpiescik@nccj.org. 

Shari Cantor

Mayor of West Hartford, Community Leader

Michael Cantor

Cantor Colburn, Community Leader

Shari Cantor is the Mayor of West Hartford-New England's largest town with a workforce of more than 1,300 employees, a budget of $310 million, and a diverse community of approximately 64,000 people. Shari is known as the leader who listens, and believes leadership should involve strong community engagement. She is recognized for her commitment to residents, vision for the future, and respect for all voices. The COVID pandemic has illustrated how important it is to have strong, honest, committed and caring leadership and as mayor, Shari understands the responsibility of leadership and supporting all residents. West Hartford is a AAA-bond rated community, with millions of dollars in current development in residential, commercial, and retail space. There has been tremendous interest in strategic development throughout West Hartford; as mayor, Shari has played an important role in engaging community members and supporting continued investment in the town. She served previously as Deputy Mayor and has been a member of the Town Council since 2004.  Shari graduated magna cum laude with a degree in accounting from the UConn School of Business and she is a registered CPA.  After UConn, Shari worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and Cigna. Shari appreciates the opportunity to serve as a Trustee in the state's flagship university and her alma mater. As chair of the Trustees' Student Life Committee, these last 18 months have been challenging and rewarding; this was a stressful year for so many groups, and young adults have been hit hard. College students experienced tremendous disruption in many aspects of their lives, and it has been very meaningful to work with campus leaders on mental health, social justice, and creating community.

Shari has devoted time to volunteer leadership as the Chair of the Connecticut Children's Medical Center Foundation Board, the Hartford Stage, West Hartford Rotary, the West Hartford Art League and the American School for the Deaf.  Shari was inducted into the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame in 2017; her husband, Michael, also received this recognition and they are among only a handful couples to have received this honor. In 2017, the Anti-Defamation League selected Shari and Michael for the Torch of Liberty award. Other honors include being named a Hartford Business Journal "Women in Business" in 2021, a Malta Wonder Woman in 2016, Best Community Leader in Hartford Magazine in 2012, West Hartford Rotarian of the Year for 2011-2012, and "Best Dressed" by Hartford Magazine in 2011. Shari is so grateful to be receiving this honor and in the company of her family, especially with her 93-year-old mother, Rose Granow, who always been an example of strength, hard work, and independence.

Michael Cantor worked hard to grow the small two-attorney patent law firm he joined after graduating from UConn Law into one of the largest, full-service intellectual property law firms in the country, with more than 100 attorneys in five offices across the U.S. and employing more than 250 people. For more than a decade, Cantor Colburn has been the fastest growing patent law firm in the country. The firm counts among its clients some of the most innovative companies in the world in a wide variety of industries, who are pioneering technologies that fuel the world economy. And all the while he was working hard and traveling around the world, he did so with respect for others, and found time to contribute his gifts to causes that were important to him, including education, innovation, health, culture and the arts.

Michael is passionate about growing innovation, technology, and the economy in Connecticut, and has an active role in the state's economic development as the Chairman of Connecticut Innovations, the state of Connecticut's venture capital firm. He serves on many other boards, including chairing the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut Historical Society, Board member of the State economic development organization CTNext and Board member of both the Great Hartford Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council. Michael has received many awards for legal practice and legal and civic leadership, and he and his wife, Shari, jointly received the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of Liberty Award in 2017. He is a graduate of UConn's School of Engineering, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame, and UConn Law, where he was an adjunct professor teaching Patent Law and Procedure for 25 years; he now serves as an active member on the advisory boards for both schools.

Michael is honored to receive this award with Shari and in the presence of their sons, Joshua, Joshua's wife Theresa, Sam, Ben and Jacob, who are living the values promoted and protected by the National Conference for Community and Justice. His children inspire him every day with their compassion for others, willingness to speak up when they see injustice, commitment to solve problems and help their community. Michael is so happy that his sisters are here - Cindy Maher and the Rabbi Debra Cantor, the spiritual leader of Congregation B'nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and a member of the first Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School class to include women. Michael, Cindy, and Debbie remember their parents Marion and Louis (of blessed memory) with love and thankfulness for the social justice values they imparted.

Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber

The Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber (CTGLC) provides valuable business development opportunities, financial access and educational resources to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and others (LGBTQ+) and allied business community in the greater Connecticut area. As the official affiliate chamber of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), CTGLC is the voice of hundreds of LGBT-owned businesses and actively promotes and creates supplier diversity and procurement opportunities for its growing base of corporate partners and business members.

Saul Finestone

Community Leader & Activist

Saul Finestone is a cornerstone of the Western Mass community having resided in the area for the past 65 years. His dedication to the continued education of himself and others is inspiring. Saul is a longtime member of the Hampden County Chapter of the Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty, a 50+ year member of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee, a 20+ year member of the Longmeadow Council on Aging's Board of Directors, a member of the Longmeadow Adult Community Center Fund, and member of the Social Action Committee at Sinai Temple, among others. Even after a having taught for 33 years for the South Windsor school district, he continues to be a regular facilitator of discussion groups, including having spearheaded a six-week dialogue group about racism and Judaism for teens. Saul is affiliated with the National Education Association at a local, state and national level. He is a long-time member of Sinai Temple and was the first member to receive the MICAH (Ministry In Community Action Honoree) Award in 2006 benefiting the Pioneer Valley Project. Most recently he has been engaged with mitigating racism within his community by involving himself within the Longmeadow Anti-Racism Coalition, attending almost all of their weekly Black Lives Matter standouts since their inception in April 2021. "I intend to be the most anti-racist that I can possibly be."

David W. Glidden

President & CEO, Liberty Bank

David Glidden is President & CEO of Liberty Bank, joining the organization in March 2019. He is a member of the Board of Directors and President & CEO of the Liberty Bank Charitable Foundation.

Before joining Liberty, David was Regional President with TD Bank for Northern New England and Upstate New York, managing all banking operations throughout the region. He was a longtime member of the TD Bank Charitable Foundation.

The Glidden family's primary devotion to philanthropy is through their work with the American Cancer Society. David is Chairman of their Southern and Western New England Area Board of Directors. He has raised millions of dollars over the past 25 years for cancer research and patient and family services.

David received their highest national volunteer recognition award for lifetime achievement -2017 St. George National Award - and Omar T. Pace M.D. Recognition Award in 2002.

His commitment to philanthropy earned David other accolades, including the 2020 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade's JFK National Award, 2010 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America and 2009 Distinguished Citizens Campaign Chair for the Western Mass Council.

Under David's leadership, Liberty was named a 'Top Workplace' by the Hartford Courant in 2019 and 2020, earning this award for nine consecutive years, and was designated a 2021 Best-In-State Bank in Connecticut by Forbes Magazine.

David, a graduate of Providence College, is originally from Holyoke and now resides in Glastonbury with his wife Michelle. They have two adult daughters, Rosemarie and Elizabeth.

Estela R. Lopez, Ph.D.

Community Leader

Estela R. López recently retired from the CT State Colleges and Universities System where she served as the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. She is the former Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs of the Connecticut State University System. She served in that capacity from 2002 to 2007.

From 1997 to 2002, Dr. López occupied the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern Illinois University. Prior to joining NEIU, López served as a senior associate at the American Association for Higher Education and as a senior fellow at the American Council on Education while on a year long sabbatical.

From 1990 to 1995, López was vice president for academic affairs and planning at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico.

López earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish literature at Queens College. She then attended Columbia University, where she earned both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Spanish literature.

She is the recipient of the Hispanic Caucus of AAHE Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education Award. She is also the recipient of the Illinois Latino Council in Higher Education Distinguished Service Award. In 2005 she was the recipient of the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund Award. The Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission selected her as the Latina Citizen of the Year for 2006. In 2008 she also received The Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association Achievement Award. She was selected as one of the 2017 Wonder Women by Malta House.

In 2015, she was reappointed as a board member of the Connecticut State Board of Education and is currently the vice chair of the board. In addition, she serves on the boards of Connecticut Health and Education Financial Authority, Malta House of Care, Open Communities Alliance and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Sudha Setty

Dean & Professor of Law, Western New England University School of Law

Sudha Setty became Dean of the School of Law in 2018, and has served on the faculty since 2006. Dean Setty has taught courses in Constitutional Law, Law & Terrorism, National Security & Government Accountability, Contracts, and Business Organizations. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town Faculty of Law in 2018, a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law in 2014, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2011. She was awarded Western New England Law School's Catherine J. Jones Professor of Year Award in 2009, 2016, and 2018, was recognized in 2015 as Trailblazer by the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut, and received the 2017 Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award from the Connecticut Bar Association. In July 2018, she was elected to membership in the American Law Institute.

Dean Setty's scholarly work focuses on comparative analysis of separation of powers, rule of law and national security. Her monograph, National Security Secrecy: Comparative Effects on Democracy and the Rule of Law, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. She has written dozens of law review articles and book chapters on national security and the rule of law, as well as editing the 2014 book, Constitutions, Security, and the Rule of Law. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of National Security Law and Policy and the executive committee of the American Society of Comparative Law.

Prior to joining the faculty of Western New England, Dean Setty was a litigator with the New York firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where she focused on antitrust and securities regulation matters. She served as defense counsel in civil, regulatory, and criminal matters involving national security issues, including terrorism financing investigations and lawsuits, and a pro bono matter challenging sentencing guidelines for those convicted of terrorist acts. Her pro bono practice also included litigating federal civil rights cases, working on state constitutional challenges to immigration-related ballot initiatives, and the mentoring of New York City high school students. Dean Setty graduated as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar from Columbia Law School and received her A.B. in History (concentration in comparative civil rights) with honors from Stanford University. Dean Setty is the first woman of South Asian descent to serve as dean of an ABA-accredited law school.

Shawn T. Wooden

Connecticut State Treasurer

Shawn T. Wooden was sworn-in as Connecticut's 83rd State Treasurer on January 9, 2019, following a successful 21-year career as an investment attorney and service as City Council President of Hartford, Connecticut.

Born and raised in Hartford, Treasurer Wooden participated in a desegregation busing program and attended public school in the suburb of Hartford. After graduating with honors, he earned a four-year academic scholarship to Trinity College. He later attended New York University School of Law before moving back to his hometown of Hartford to begin his career at Day Pitney, LLP (formerly Day, Berry & Howard LLP), where he would go on to become a Partner and lead its public pension plan investment practice.

He has been recognized as a Connecticut Super Lawyer for Securities and Corporate Finance, Business/Corporate. Pensions and Investments named him one of the "25 Investment Professionals to Watch" and Savoy Magazine identified him as one of the most influential Black lawyers in the country.

Treasurer Wooden is the sole trustee of the $37 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, administers a $26 billion debt management program, manages over $25 billion in annual cash transactions and has a seat on 25 quasi-governmental authorities, boards and commissions related to housing, finance, student loans, air and water ports, venture capital, the lottery, private sector retirement security and a hosts of other areas.

He is the only Black elected State Treasurer in the country and the only Black elected official serving statewide in New England. He was also recently elected by his peers to serve as the Senior Vice President of the National Association of State Treasurers.