On the reSET Blog: Facing a New Reality

sbodley • April 7, 2020

To the reSET Community,

It’s week 4 of quarantine and at reSET we continue business as usual, albeit virtual.

On March 16 reSET staff began WFH. We checked in with each other via Zoom and moved our programs online. The Impact Accelerator had a Zoom summit. The Food Incubator continues to meet Wednesday nights via Zoom. And the college programs we support at Conn College and Wesleyan Zoom weekly.

Our priority during this crisis is to support the small business community who have launched so many of their enterprises at reSET. We’ve seen the sacrifices, hard work, and grit that goes into creating a new venture and our hearts are with those business owners who are wondering how they will pay April’s rent or make payroll. Our hearts are also with those entrepreneurs who are wondering if they will ever launch that dream business.

We also see the companies that are rising to the occasion and meeting new demand. Prepper’s Meal Prep, founded by Chevon Schand, continues to deliver healthy meal options while Amazon and other national food delivery services experience delays. Seedership, founded by Jennifer and Ray Smithberger, has offered it’s platform for free during this crisis to help companies track and the ways they are giving back to the community and measure social impact.

In response to COVID-19, we are pulling together resources and sharing them on our website, social media, and in our weekly Zoom call open to the community held each Tuesday from 3-4 pm. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) joined us last week to discuss the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the massive CARES act recently signed into law. We’ve touched on issues such as mental health and envisioning the world which we want to create.

We have always known that the old ways of doing business were not going to cut it, and we stand by our commitment to provide support and guidance to visionary entrepreneurs. We recognize that our shared reality is changing each day, and we have always admired the ability of great entrepreneurs to adapt quickly amidst uncontrollable change. We hope you will take time to honor that which is no longer working, let it go, and be ready when it’s time to rebuild more sustainable structures. What do you dream of creating in our world post COVID-19? Please comment below.

Sincerely,

The reSET team

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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

Applications Open for Spring 2026 Impact Accelerator

By awalsh • February 10, 2026

Inviting Impact Entrepreneurs Into Transformative Growth

reSET Announces Pitch Competition Winners from Fall Food Accelerator and Floor–Plan Retail Incubator Programs

By awalsh • November 25, 2025

21 Businesses Participated, Gaining Valuable Impact-Driven Business Training

reSET to Host Two November Events Celbrating Connecticut's Next Generation of Food and Retail Entrepreneurs Making an Impact

By awalsh • October 27, 2025

Special Discount Available for Attendees Purchasing Tickets to Both Events

reSET Announces Second Food Accelerator Cohort

By awalsh • October 1, 2025

11 Impact-Driven Food Businesses Ready to Scale Operations and Community Impact

reSET Announces 5th Cohort of Floor - Plan Retail Incubator Featuring 10 Emerging Entrepreneurs

By awalsh • September 22, 2025

Program Partnership with Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Supports Early-Stage Retail Businesses with Social Impact Focus

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.