Gov.-elect Ned Lamont announced the appointment of a general counsel and senior advisor on Monday.

By Ronni Newton

Gov.-elect Ned Lamont is filling out his team as he prepares to take office in January, and on Monday announced the appointment of two individuals to senior-level positions – general counsel and senior advisor for communications and strategy.

Colleen Flanagan Johnson, a West Hartford resident whose resume includes years of service in a communications role in the public sector, has been named senior advisor. According to a news release issued Monday by the governor-elect’s transition team, she will “oversee the governor’s communications operation, and provide strategic counsel to the governor and other senior officials on communications, policy, and political matters.”

Superior Court Judge Robert W. Clark, who currently presides in the Bridgeport Juvenile Court, has been named general counsel. Clark will oversee legal operations for the Office of the Governor, as well as provide expert and strategic advice to the Office of the Governor on all legal matters.

“As a proud Connecticut resident, I’m excited to return to state service and work with Gov.-elect Lamont and his administration on the critical issues facing our state,” Flanagan Johnson told We-Ha.com on Monday.

“I’m looking forward to working with the governor-elect on shaping an administration that is dynamic, entrepreneurial, and inclusive,” Flanagan Johnson said in a statement. “He has a clear plan for taking Connecticut’s economy to the next level, and I am ready to help convey that vision to the people of this state.”

For the past year, Flanagan Johnson has served as executive communications leader for Cigna’s chief marketing officer, with overall responsibility for the company’s internal and external communications, thought leadership, and business communications. Prior to Cigna, she spent more than four years with Magellan Health, serving as vice president of external communications.

Prior to joining the healthcare industry, Flanagan Johnson held several leadership positions in communications in the public sector, including as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s first communications director (2010-2011), and as communications director for former U.S. senators Chris Dodd (CT) and Kay Hagan (NC). She also served as director of public affairs and marketing for the Connecticut Board of Regents.

Flanagan Johnson, 36, began her career as a press secretary in the Connecticut General Assembly. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Connecticut.

Flanagan Johnson and her husband, Mike, live in West Hartford with their daughter.

Clark was named a Superior Court judge in May 2018 after serving for nearly 14 years in the Office of the Connecticut Attorney General, most recently as special counsel to Atty. Gen. George Jepsen.

Clark previously served as assistant attorney general in the Office’s Special Litigation Department and began his legal career in the private sector, practicing law at the firms of Day, Berry & Howard in Hartford and Kramer Levin in New York City.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been chosen by Gov.-elect Lamont to serve as his general counsel,” Judge Clark said in a statement. “I look forward to serving the new administration at this critical juncture for the state of Connecticut.”

Clark, 47, has a bachelor’s (1993, cum laude) and J.D. (1997, with high honors) from the University of Connecticut, and served as executive editor of the Connecticut Law Review. He and his family live in Durham.

“Robert and Colleen are experienced public servants who are deeply committed to helping Connecticut become more inclusive and prosperous for all,” said Lamont in a statement. “They are eager to get to work, and I welcome them wholeheartedly into my administration.”

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!