Former West Hartford Board of Education Chair Bruce Putterman will assume the leadership role on April 10.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford resident Bruce Putterman has been named CEO and publisher of the Connecticut Mirror, and will bring to the role a background in strategic planning for the non-profit and for-profit sectors as well as journalism experience and a deep understanding of state budget and educational issues.

“I’ve always had a passion for and always been a student of journalism,” Putterman said.

During his college years at Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history and an MBA in marketing, Putterman worked as a reporter for a local radio station. “I was the morning news drive anchor,” he said. He also worked on the assignment desk at Satellite News Channel, ABC’s short-lived 24-hour news channel.

As CEO and publisher, Putterman won’t actually be working as a journalist. “They were looking for someone who could help innovate a non-profit journalism concept.” He said his background made him the perfect fit for the position.

The Connecticut Mirror is part of the the Connecticut News Project (CNP), a non-profit, non-partisan organization formed in 2009 that operates in a “watchdog” role. It includes the online news site www.ctmirror.org, which focuses on “deep reporting on government policies and politics” and employs eight full-time as well as several freelance journalists, as well as TrendCT and CT Viewpoints.

CNP Board President Ulysses B. Hammond said in a statement, “To be accountable to our mission and audience, this means CNP needs to be agile and cutting edge. Our board was very impressed by Bruce’s leadership skills, record of innovation, business experience, collaborative style, and knowledge of Connecticut. His combination of skills is just what we need to advance our mission.”

For the past 16 years Putterman, a Connecticut native who has lived in West Hartford since 1991, has been running his own consulting business, which he is in the process of shutting down as he prepares for his new role. During the years he ran the practice, Putterman said he has “strengthened a lot of non-profits and for-profits, helping them grow and have more of an impact in their sectors.”

Putterman said he has been an active reader of CT Mirror since its founding, and has always had an interest in state issues. He was an elected member of the West Hartford Board of Education from 2003-2015, serving as its chair from 2011-2014. “From being on the Board of Education, I have an interest in and understanding of state budget and educational issues,” he said.

Putterman said his background also includes an understanding of issues that impact different parts of Connecticut. He grew up in Stamford and has lived in West Hartford for more than two decades, but one of his first accounts was the Connecticut Tourism Board so he has gained intimate knowledge of the entire  state.

The first order of business will be gaining greater insight into the needs of readers and how they align with the board, staff, and funders, Putterman said. He plans a “listening tour” to get the lay of the land before articulating any broad visions.

“The media business is moving very quickly,” Putterman said. He said his role will be figuring out those changing needs and changes in practices “while maintaining the journalistic ethic and integrity in reporting news that is the hallmark of the Connecticut Mirror.”

Building on the existing foundation, Putterman’s goal will be making information more accessible, and promoting greater engagement in the political process and policy-making in Connecticut.

He will begin the new position on April 10, succeeding Dave Daley, who according to a news release has accepted an opportunity as a senior fellow with FairVote, a Washington D.C.-based voting rights organization.

Putterman lives in West Hartford with his wife Teri Bayer. They have three children.

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