Nine Social Entrepreneurs Graduate from reSET’s Social Enterprise Accelerator

reSET Communications • December 13, 2013

Graduates are preparing to launch their businesses

HARTFORD, Conn. – Nine Connecticut-based social entrepreneurs who participated in the 2013 Social Enterprise Accelerator celebrated their graduation with a business pitch night on Monday, December 9, 2013 at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn.

The Social Enterprise Accelerator is a fourteen-week educational program offered by reSET, the Social Enterprise Trust. It is designed specifically for social enterprises, organizations that are structured to solve social and environmental problems through business. Social enterprises have also been described as harnessing market forces for the benefit of the public good more than private gain. During the fourteen-week program, participants learned from a series of business professionals, tested the assumptions in their business plans, developed a multiple bottom line business model, and built strategies to launch their businesses. This was the second cohort of reSET’s accelerator program.

reSET proudly introduced its graduates to Connecticut at the graduation ceremony. “I am very proud of the way that each of the participants presented themselves this evening. They have made noticeable progress over the last fourteen weeks, and I can’t wait to watch their businesses continue to grow over the next year” said Michelle Cote, Director of Programs.

The accelerator graduates and their businesses are:

Stephanie Jarm, RE: Create CT. RE: Create CT is the only community network that helps holistic and alternative health providers expand their business opportunities by connecting them to new customers through an online platform and special event series. stephaniejarm@gmail.com

Diane Stark, Inspire Health. Inspire Health empowers everyday people to transform their health and happiness by providing wellness programs built on proven science, infused with inspiration, and powered by digital technologies. dianstrk@aol.com

Sherill Baldwin, EcoWorks. EcoWorks. Inc. engages in creative garbage solutions, developing waste-based business, community and economic development enterprises that help clean up our corner of the planet. EcoWorks believes that garbage can be fun while moving towards zero waste. redworms@aol.com

Vishal Patel, A Happy Life. A Happy Life provides consumers with high quality, sustainably-sourced coffee and a unique experience that inspires happiness. By reinvesting a percentage of proceeds from sales into building innovative solutions in the origin communities, A Happy Life bridges the gap between poverty and prosperity for coffee farmers in Eastern Africa.
vishal@happylifecoffee.com

Janice Warren, YummyCT. YummyCT connects people in communities underserved by grocery stores and farmers’ markets to a mobile market that carries exclusively Connecticut-grown produce and specialty foods. Janice.warren@broadbrookart.com

Jeffrey Devereux, Hartford Public Club. Hartford Public Club is creating a way for everyone in Hartford to play on the same team. Through events and leagues, Hartford Public Club delivers social, physical activity outlets for adults in Hartford that help to invigorate and fund youth sports. Jeffrey.devereux@gmail.com

Derek Erman and David Rubin, ElectroSpin University. ElectroSpin University is the ultimate fitness and music education institution, providing music services, lighting design, and unique products for colleges, universities, and gym franchises to create fun and effective fitness classes delivered through a mobile application. derek@electrospinu.com & djrubin@gmail.com

The next Social Enterprise Accelerator Program will start in February 2014 and run until May 2014. Online applications will be accepted starting in January 2014. Those interested can learn more about the program at reSET’s website, www.socialenterprisetrust.org.

About reSET
reSET is a nonprofit organization working to build the social enterprise sector in Connecticut. reSET was founded as a result of a community dialogue convened by Farmington businesswoman Kate Emery, CEO of the Walker Group (which is also a social enterprise) after the Enron bankruptcy and the near-meltdown of the US economy. Her question to the hundreds gathered was “isn’t there a better way to do business?” The answer was social enterprise, and reSET was born.

reSET has helped incubate, launch or grow 16 social enterprises, associated with 20 jobs, in the last year. On July 1, 2013, reSET opened a community co-working space at 99 Pratt St., in Hartford. The space welcomes social entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, and visiting business people.

Contact Information:
Meryl Willett, Community Builder Phone: 860-560-9120 ext. 204
MWillett@www.socialenterprisetrust.org

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Leadership Transition Announcement: reSET Executive Director to Step Down in 2026

By awalsh • February 13, 2026

Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors

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reSET Food and Retail Programs Featured in Radio Interview

July 7, 2025

Listen in to the replay of John Voket of Connoisseur Media's interview of reSET Food Program Manager Katrice Claudio and Program Manager Ndubisi Okeke that aired on Sunday July 6, 2025. They talked about the reSET programs that are enrolling for the fall--the Food Accelerator for food businesses looking to scale, and the Retail Incubator for early stage product-based businesses looking to ramp up for holiday markets in Connecticut. Listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8745230-reset-fall-program-preview The interview aired on the award-winning "For the People" show on Sunday, July 6 on WEBE 108 FM, STAR 99.9, WPLR FM and THe VOICE of Connecticut and on the podcast.