CBIA Expands Business Advocacy Team

The state’s largest business organization has expanded its advocacy team, adding three new lobbyists to its government affairs staff.

CBIA today announced the addition of policy specialists John Blair, Wyatt Bosworth, and Ashley Zane.

“I am very excited to be working with John, Ashley, and Wyatt,” said Eric Gjede, CBIA’s vice president of government affairs.

“They may be new to CBIA, but they are all very familiar with the state Capitol and the legislative process. They bring a lot of new energy to the team.” 

Blair serves as associate counsel, covering workers’ compensation, banking, energy and judiciary issues. 

Prior to joining CBIA, he worked for more than 20 years in various roles at the state Capitol, serving as clerk of the Finance Committee, as chief of staff in the Office of Health Strategy, and operating his own lobbying and law firm.

“I have worked in collaboration with CBIA for many years at the state Capitol and I am really excited for the opportunity to finally join the CBIA family,” Blair said.

Issues

Zane joins as government affairs associate, covering issues around the state budget and spending, higher education, environment, and commerce.

She was previously a policy analyst with the House Republican Office covering the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding, Appropriations, and Commerce committees.

“This is an exciting new challenge for me and I am thrilled to be advocating on behalf of such amazing member companies across the state,” she said.

Zane earned her MPA at the University of Connecticut and also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut.

Bosworth joins CBIA as assistant counsel and will cover the General Assembly’s Public Health, Insurance, and Real Estate, Transportation, Government Administration and Elections, and Planning and Development committees.

He previously worked as a registered lobbyist with Brown Rudnick LLP, representing corporations and nonprofit organizations. He also served as staff assistant to House Majority Leader Matt Ritter and has years of municipal and statewide campaign consulting experience.

“It’s such a rewarding time to be working on behalf of Connecticut’s business community and promoting bipartisan solutions for helping our state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,“ Bosworth said.

Bosworth earned his juris doctorate with honors at the University of Connecticut School of Law and also holds a bachelor’s in political science from Central Connecticut State University where he graduated summa cum laude.

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CBIA is Connecticut’s largest business organization, with thousands of member companies, small and large, representing a diverse range of industries from every part of the state. For more information, please contact Joe Budd (860.244.1951).