About The Business Council of Fairfield County

Staff Members

Christopher P. Bruhl

Tanya Court

Joseph McGee

Christopher P. Bruhl
President & CEO

Chris Bruhl joined The Business Council of Fairfield County in May 1990. Mr. Bruhl serves on a variety of boards, including The Connecticut Television Network, The (CT) Governor’s Council on Competitiveness, Stamford Achieves, the Stamford Partnership, and the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Mr. Bruhl is a member of the Steering Committee of the Connecticut Regional Institute for the 21st Century, the Board of Advisors of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, and the national U.S. Chamber of Commerce Transportation Infrastructure and Logistics Council. He had served as chairman of the private Coastal Corridor Coalition and the public Southwestern Corridor Action Council, which addressed the issue of regional highway congestion. He is a former director of the Connecticut Business for Education Coalition, the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, the Norwalk Community College Foundation, and the Stamford Hospital Health Foundation and was a member of the Connecticut Commission on Educational Excellence.

Mr. Bruhl has been a frequent consultant, writer, and speaker on the subject of economic development and non-profit management, with particular interests in community planning, institution building, and the
relationship between educational quality and economic competitiveness. He is a contributing author to two books and was, for four years, the director of a national training program for non-profit board and staff, conducted in affiliation with faculty from Yale University. Mr. Bruhl holds a BA, in American
Civilization, from Brown University, an MA, in English, from Louisiana State University, and an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business.

Email: cbruhl@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 359-3220 x103
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Tanya Court
Director, Public Policy & Programs

Tanya Court joined the organization in June 2002. Prior to joining The Business Council, Tanya served as Executive Director of the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA) where she played an instrumental role in galvanizing regional municipal support in transportation planning and communicating the transportation infrastructure needs of Fairfield County to Hartford, and to the State Department of Transportation.

Most recently, Ms. Court had served as Regional Liaison with the Agency for Workforce Innovation for the State of Florida.

Email: tcourt@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 705-0668
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Responsibilities:
Public Policy
Regional Transportation
Legislative Advocacy
Security & Crisis Management
Leadership Fairfield County

Joseph McGee
Vice President, Public Policy & Programs

Joseph J. McGee is Vice President, Public Policy and Programs for The Business Council of Fairfield County. Joe has worked extensively with the business community, civic organizations and government officials in the areas of economic development, transportation, housing, energy conservation, environment and tax and fiscal policy.

His community leadership roles reflect his commitment to these priorities. He is a member of the boards of The Fairfield County Community Foundation, The Housing Development Fund, Inc., The WorkPlace, Inc., Fairfield University School of Continuing Education, the MetroNorth Commuter Council and the United Way of Connecticut.

Before joining The Business Council of Fairfield County, Joe was Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic Development, Chairman of the Connecticut Development Authority and Chairman of Connecticut Innovations, Inc. from 1990-1994, and Vice President at People’s Bank between 1979 and 1990. Prior to joining People’s Bank, he served as Staff Director for Congressman Stewart McKinney, from 1971 to 1978.

Responsibilities:
Public Policy
Regional Transportation
Legislative Advocacy
Tax and Fiscal Policy
Strategic Planning

Email: jmcgee@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 705-0682
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Lisa Mercurio
Director, Fairfield County Information Exchange

Lisa Mercurio joined the organization in 1995 as Program Manager. In 1998, she was promoted to Director, Professional Development Services. In April,1999 Lisa became the new Director of the Fairfield County Information Exchange. Prior to joining The Business Council, Lisa was employed at Nine West Group, Inc. in Stamford.

Responsibilities:
Fairfield County Information Exchange
Fairfield County Economic Profile
Information Exchange Programming
Press Contact
Website

Email: lmercurio@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 705-0683
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Randi Norum
Controller

Randi Norum joined The Business Council in July 1997. Prior to joining the organization, Randi served as an associate at an accounting firm, and worked independently as an internal controller for small businesses, and financial manager for high income families, medical practices and corporations.

Responsibilities:
Accounts Payable/Receivable
Financial Audit
Payroll/Employee Benefits

Email: rnorum@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 705-0658
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Betsy Schenkel
Events Manager

Betsy Schenkel joined the organization in May 2002. Prior to joining The Business Council, Betsy was Manager, Special Events and Volunteers for the Stamford Symphony Orchestra and Public Relations/Events Manager for Hedrick Communications. She also previously served as Manager, Customer Service for Crompton Corporation (formerly Witco Corporation).

Responsibilities:
Manage member programs and activities

Email: bschenkel@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 705-0657
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Robert Stokes
Manager, Workforce Programs

Bob Stokes joined the staff of The Business Council in 2008 after having served as a consultant for the Workforce Enhancement Initiative since 1997. Bob has managed a variety of workforce programs for The Business Council including Youth TechnoExpo, English as a Second Language, and initiatives focusing on training in the Insurance and Financial Services Sector. He is also responsible for assessing the needs of various segments of the regional workforce including young professionals and mature workers.

Responsibilities:
Workforce Development

Email: rstokes@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 487-6879
Fax: (203) 967-8294

Roderik Woody
Manager of Administrative & Information Services

Rod Woody joined The Business Council in 1988 as Assistant to the Director of Business Expo. In 1992, he was promoted to Manager of Administrative & Information Services.

Responsibilities:
Database Development & Maintenance
Purchasing
Fairfield County Business Database

Email: rwoody@businessfairfield.com
Phone: (203) 705-0656
Fax: (203) 967-8294

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The Business Council of Fairfield County
One Landmark Square, Suite 300
Stamford, CT 06901-2679
General Phone: (203) 359-3220
Fax: (203) 967-8294
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