Women's Business Council Adds Four Board Members
Connecticut women-owned businesses gain access to new legal, accounting, banking, and executive search expertise.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
The Women's Business Development Council, a Connecticut organization that supports women entrepreneurs, named four new members to its board of directors. The appointees are Hannah Blonshteyn of Elevate Aviation Group, Brian Carroll of PwC Stamford, Lesa Vanotti of Torrington Savings Bank, and Elizabeth Zessman of Heidrick & Struggles.
Why it matters
Adding board members with legal, audit, banking, and executive search backgrounds gives the council a broader set of professional networks for the women-owned businesses it serves across Connecticut. For operators, board composition at a business-support organization signals which professional services and financial relationships may become more accessible to women-led firms.
Four professionals joined the Women's Business Development Council board, with Brian Carroll bringing more than 25 years of audit and transaction advisory experience. The extraction does not report the board's total size or any prior comparator for its membership.
The players
Women's Business Development Council
A Connecticut nonprofit that supports women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses across the state through business development resources.
PwC Stamford
The Stamford office of PwC, a global professional services firm providing audit, tax, and advisory services to businesses.
Torrington Savings Bank
A community bank headquartered in Torrington, Connecticut, serving local individuals and businesses.
Heidrick & Struggles
A global executive search and leadership advisory firm that places senior executives and board members for organizations.
Elevate Aviation Group
An aviation services company whose vice president and general counsel, Hannah Blonshteyn, joined the council's board.
The details
The council named Hannah Blonshteyn, Brian Carroll, Lesa Vanotti, and Elizabeth Zessman to its board, and CEO Fran Pastore announced the appointments in a statement. The appointees span distinct professional areas: Blonshteyn is vice president and general counsel at Elevate Aviation Group, Carroll is office managing partner at PwC Stamford, Vanotti is president and CEO of Torrington Savings Bank, and Zessman is a partner at Heidrick & Struggles. Their combined backgrounds cover corporate law, accounting and advisory, community banking, and executive search.
Timeline
Board appointments announced on November 5, 2026.
Lesa Vanotti became CEO of Torrington Savings Bank in October 2020, after joining the bank as an accounting assistant in 1996.
Market Landscape
Business-support organizations like the Women's Business Development Council rely on board members who can open doors to clients, capital, and professional services. Board appointments from national firms such as PwC and Heidrick & Struggles alongside a regional bank reflect how such councils draw from both large-scale and community-level business networks in Connecticut.
Connecticut women-owned businesses may find new points of access to legal, accounting, banking, and executive search expertise through the council's expanded board. Operators should consider reaching out to the council to learn how its programs and board relationships can support their business development.
The takeaway
The council's new board gives women-owned businesses in Connecticut a wider mix of professional networks spanning legal, accounting, banking, and executive search. Operators should monitor what programs the council launches with these members and consider how the connections could support their own growth.
Further reading
For more on the professionals shaping Connecticut's business community, see People.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Westfair Communications.
