About Us

Katie D’Agnostino

Vice President of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce

Katie D’Agostino is currently serving as the Vice President for the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce. Katie has been a staff member of the Chamber since 2017.

Prior to joining the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, Katie spent seventeen years in the private sector as a project and marketing leader executing marketing programs aligned with strategic objectives. Eight of those years were spent in various levels of roles at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield working with the Public Sector market for most of her tenure. Katie moved from Insurance to Brokerage assisting Lockton Companies Northeast clients with marketing plans which would make open enrollment plan selections easier to understand for their employees. Following that, Katie became an Assistant Vice President Marketing Specialist at Webster Bank where her primary focus was the communication initiatives for several lines of business.

Katie serves on the Board of Directors for the Wolcott Chamber of Commerce, American Clock & Watch Museum, and Tunxis Community College Civic Engagement Institute Advisory Board, is CoChair of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce Duck Race, and an active committee member on Bristol Central High School Governance, Bristol Technical Advisory Council, and Bristol Eliminating Substance Use Together Coalition.

Katie lives in Bristol, Connecticut with her husband and son.

Sarah Larson 

Deputy Superintendent of Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth & Community Services

Sarah Larson is the Deputy Superintendent for Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services. Sarah received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Recreation Administration from Southern Connecticut State University. Born and raised in Bristol, she is passionate about implementing solution-based problem solving to improve the quality of life of Bristol residents.

CJay Gibbs

Bristol Eastern High School Student

Sara Hale

Teaching Dean of Physical Education and Health

Pastor Todd Williams (Co-Chair)

Bridge Community Church

Chad Layton

Elks Club

Chad grew up in Terryville and graduated from Terryville High School.

As a parent and grandparent, Chad wants to help our community, especially our youth, make good choices when it comes to the use of alcohol and misusing substances. Chad is the Civic Chair of the BEST Coalition, a member of the Mayor’s Opioid Task Force, Chairman of the Elks Drug Awareness Program and District Chairman for the Northwest Elks District.

Chad welcomes anyone who wants to help our Bristol community to come to a meeting and see how you can help.

Angelika Karwowski, MPH

Program Manager at Bristol-Burlington Health District

Angelika studied Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut and continued with school to pursue her Master’s in Public Health at Sacred Heart University. She is the program manager at the Bristol-Burlington Health District. She now focuses on community health, wellness and data and statistics with the goal of implementing programs that are needed in the community. She is also certified in QPR and is a Tobacco Treatment Specialist as well as a Freedom from Smoking Clinic Facilitator. Angelika joined BEST as a Sector Representative in 2020 and has focused her efforts on applying relevant Bristol substance use data and statistics towards the coalitions meetings.

Anicia Lockhart

Mother & CCAR Volunteer

Anicia is elated to have an opportunity to participate in the BEST Coalition. As a volunteer for Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) in Hartford, Anicia has had the opportunity to be immersed in the recovery community. As a mom of teenage children she is not only responsible to educate and guide them, but to bring awareness about prevention. Anicia has had many years of experience working in the school system and also as an advocate for her own family and others in the community. It has become a passion of hers to bring awareness, share information on successful programs and advocate for support services. Anicia looks forward to participating in the BEST program and being a voice for substance abuse prevention.

Samantha Rajotte (Co-Chair)

Scholarship & Program Officer at Main Street Community Foundation

Meet BEST Co-Chair, Samantha Rajotte. Samantha is the Scholarship & Program Officer at Main Street Community Foundation, which enhances the quality of life for both present and future generations in the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott. Samantha assists with Foundation grant-making, specifically the Foundation’s scholarship program, as well as communications efforts. She joined BEST as a Sector Representative in 2017 and was nominated to Co-Chair in 2019. Sam has contributed her time on the Coalition’s Media Sub Committee and Event Planning Sub Committee. This year, Sam formed the By Laws Committee, ensuring the Coalition has a set of guiding set of principals and values. Sam’s passion for youth substance use prevention is contagious.  Her role on the Coalition is vital as she leads the community in the uphill battle of prevention. She is a respected contributor to the City of Bristol Drug Free Communities Coalition, BEST.

Conor Burke 

Prevention Specialist at Connecticut Clearinghouse

Conor is currently the Prevention Specialist at Connecticut Clearinghouse a program under the Wheeler Clinic. He  is working with leaders in prevention and communities to address and promote ongoing health and wellbeing needs for across the state.

Prior to that Conor worked with Western CT Coalition the Regional Behavioral Health Action Organization of Region 5. With Western CT Coalition Conor assisted with 26 local prevention councils in 43 towns in northwestern Connecticut.

Conor earned his B.A in Illustration from Western Connecticut State University in 2021

Lt. Robert Osborne

Bristol Police Department

Robert C. Osborne is the Community Relations Commander for the Bristol Police Department.  In that capacity he sits on numerous nonprofit boards and coordinates the police department’s social media presence.  LT. Osborne supervises the police department School Resource Officers that are assigned to Bristol Public Schools.  LT. Osborne joined BEST in 2021.  He previously taught DARE in the Bristol Public Schools & St. Joseph Elementary School.  LT. Osborne was previously involved with the City of Bristol Youth Services conducting outdoor activities with young adolescents.  He strives to make youth substance prevention an easier conversation for youth to have with adults.  LT. Osborne is a valued supporter of the City of Bristol Drug Free Communities Coalition,  BEST.

Erica Benoit

Community Engagement Coordinator for Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth, and Community Services

Erica Benoit works within the Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services (BPRYCS) Department as the Community Engagement Coordinator. Erica serves as liaison between the department and local/regional media outlets as well as represents BPRYCS at local events, promotional opportunities, and community programs. Erica joined BEST as the Media Sector Representative in 2020 and brings six years of experience to the Coalition with a background in experiential marketing, sponsorships, events, and media relations working on wide ranging projects that include everything from community trail cleanups and fundraisers to brand partnerships for Fortune 500 companies. Erica is excited to leverage her role within the department, relationships, and experiences to help bring awareness to the BEST Coalition and substance misuse.