Gail Lavielle brings to public service many years of leadership in the business world, as well as practical education experience teaching at the university level.  She hopes to use her real-world skills and expertise to help make Connecticut’s government more efficient, create a more business-friendly environment that will foster job growth, and improve education.

Gail worked for more than 25 years in finance, marketing, and communication, holding executive leadership positions with Fortune 500 corporations, and held Series 7, 66, and 31 securities licenses. As chief executive of a subsidiary of the Interpublic Group, she turned a company around, managed it through a severe recession, and doubled revenues while running it for five years at a substantial profit. She also served as Senior Vice President of Suez Environment, the world’s largest water and wastewater services company, managing people in more than 30 countries and working closely with the financial community to build its understanding of complex government contracts.

Gail shares the lessons of her real-world business experience with students at UConn, where she teaches upper-level courses to undergraduates.  An advocate of the benefits of a well-rounded education, she holds an MA in French from Yale and a BA in English from Cornell, as well as an MBA in finance from UConn.  A former music critic, she wrote reviews for The Wall Street Journal and is the author of a book on opera.

Gail is active in public service on both the state and municipal levels.  As a member of the CT Public Transportation Commission, she defends the interests of Wilton, Norwalk, and all of Fairfield County on issues including the upgrading of the Danbury branch line, rail station parking and access, the renovation of the Wilton train station, and the development of pedestrian and bike paths.  As part of her work on transportation, she serves on the Governor’s task force on rail station parking and access and the Norwalk River Valley Trail steering committee.  She is also an active member of the state’s Advisory Council for Professional Standards for School Administrators.

In Wilton, she serves on the Board of Finance and the Energy Commission.  Gail and her husband of 25 years, Jean-Pierre, are active in many local service, civic, and cultural organizations.  She is a member of the Wilton Kiwanis and serves on the Board of the Norwalk Senior Center, as well as the Norwalk Hospital Community Advisory Board.  She and her husband are members of the Friends of the Wilton Library, the Wilton Historical Society, and Ambler Farm.  She has also served on the Board of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Fairfield County, and has been a delegate to the Yale Assembly.