Curtiss Packaging CEO Named Vice Chair Of CBIA

Donald R. Droppo, Jr, president and CEO of Curtis Packaging Corp in Sandy Hook, was recently elected vice chairman of the state’s largest business organization. He joins Ramona Carlow, vice president of public policy and strategy for AT&T, who was elected chairman of the board of directors of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) December 9.

CBIA’s board also elected Thomas S. Santa, president and CEO of Santa Energy in Bridgeport, as a vice chairman along with Mr Droppo. 

“We are very pleased to have Ramona lead our board into the new year,” said John R. Rathgeber, CBIA president and CEO. “Connecticut’s political landscape has changed but our state’s challenges remain the same. Ramona, Tom, and Don understand the struggles facing our state and businesses. Their experience and knowledge will be critical in leading the board in encouraging policymakers to restore fiscal responsibility in state government and promote Connecticut as a place for businesses to invest, grow, and create jobs.”

Mr Droppo, an Avon resident, joined Curtis Packaging in 2003. Under his leadership, the company became the first printing and packaging company in North America to be Forest Stewardship Council certified, manufacture their packaging using 100 percent clean renewable energy, and become 100 percent carbon neutral.

Prior to joining Curtis, Mr Droppo was an assistant vice president at General Reinsurance, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. He received a BS in marketing and finance from the University of Vermont.

Mr Santa joined Santa Energy over twenty years ago and has been instrumental in transforming the company from a local family fuel concern to a major energy provider serving all New England.  Prior to joining the company he served in the U.S. Peace Corps.

He serves on the boards of the Independent Connecticut Petroleum Association, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Connecticut Petroleum Storage Tank Review Board, and he is past chairman of Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut.     

Mr Santa earned his BS in engineering from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Bridgeport. He is a Connecticut-licensed professional engineer who lives in Redding.

Elected to serve a one-year term succeeding Peter B. Kent, Ms Carlow, has more than 20 years of telecommunications expertise, beginning that aspect of her career at the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control. She joined AT&T as a policy consultant in 1996 and became part of the regulatory group the following year.

She was promoted to vice president of regulatory and external affairs in 2003 and was named state president in January 2007. Earlier this year, Ms Carlow, a Cheshire resident, took a new position with national responsibility for AT&T, focusing on issues of public policy and strategy.

She serves on the board of the Connecticut Science Center, and is actively involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Ms Carlow is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Trinity College, with a BS in political science, and an honors graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law. Her earlier legal experience includes serving as a law clerk at the Connecticut Supreme Court and as an associate at the Hartford law firm of Robinson & Cole.