Meet the Team
Our Leadership Reflects the Communities We Serve
dr. Ralph Ford
Board Chair
Dr. Ralph Ford holds a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Counseling and his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University Georgia.
He worked for 28 years for the Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center directing Community Outreach, Care Management and the Behavioral Health Unit. He is also a former adjunct professor at Housatonic Community College,the University of Georgia, and the University of Bridgeport.
Dr. Ford has served as board chair for the Greater Bridgeport Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC). As a public servant, he is a former city councilman and currently serves on the Civil Service Commission and East End NRZ board.
Kelvin Ayala
Vice Chair
Kelvin Ayala is a community engagement and economic development strategist.
Kelvin has over 20 years of expertise in Organizational Management, Urban Renewal, and Strategic Business Initiatives. He brings an unmatched depth of understanding to community led revitalization, public policy, and resiliency efforts. He has led conversations around clean technology deployment and fostering innovation around clean and sustainable energy initiatives
Kelvin holds an Electrical Engineering degree from University of Hartford and Master in Urban Planning from University of Southern California. He currently sits on the board of CT Main Street Center and was co-founder of the CoLLab Exchange, a hybrid retail accelerator and co-workspace located in downtown Bridgeport, CT.
Ramya Subramanian
President
Ramya Subramanian is the Founder of IT solutions & services company, Arka Informations. Arka enables businesses with IT operations & critical systems with managed solution for key industries such as; advanced healthcare, banking, fintech, digital security, retail, and insurance.
She is also Co-Founder of Docty, an AI-integrated global digital healthcare platform designed to eliminate care fragmentation in the health industry. Her venture aims to address societal health disparity by making quality healthcare solutions accessible to all.
Ramya is a Univeristy of Bridgeport Engineering school alum.
Teri LockHart
Treasurer
Teri is a real estate development professional with a vast knowledge of commercial and residential markets. As a top producer in the industry, she uses her vast knowledge to connect Greater Bridgeport investors with large scale opportunities and has taken an interest in solutions for housing access.
Prior to entering the real estate, Teri had a 20 year careeer in the HealthCare industry assisting special needs clients to meet their daily needs and life challenges.
Today, she is a social impact investor, managing small scale real eastate development projects.
Christy Duffy-Acevedo
Secretary
A principal with Pequot Group, a major contractor in the cleantech sector. Christy has a primary focus on partnerships with science partners, economic stakeholders and academia who work within U.S. government policy that promotes cleantech solutions for a green economy. Cleantech technology includes developing systems that follow U.S DoD security work standards which direct, develop, support and modernize revitalization efforts for underserved communities.
Duffy-Aceveda is currently a Ph.D student at University of Bridgeport and holds a Master’s in Technology Management from Georgetown University with a focus on cyber risks of critical systems infrastructure.
John Lee
NAACP Representative
John has been an insurance industry professional for over 40 years with expertise on all kinds of insurance lines and risk assessments. As a board member of the NAACP, he has contributed his time to researching and documenting socio-economic issues impacting local residents. He serves in the Greater Bridgeport NAACP board seat assigned to the organization by the Bridgeport Labs Inc By laws in alignment with the 1 million jobs initiative.
Known as a fiscal “watchdog” as a Bridgeport resident the better part of the last 30 years, he is the author of many writings about fiscal policy, use of funds, and allocation of monies aimed at community impact..
Jorge Cruz
Board Member
A community activist and policy advocate for adequate housing specifically seniors, homeless, and veterants. Jorge currently serves as city councilman of the 131st district which encompasses the South End, Downtown, and portions of the West End of Bridgeport. Jorge has been a sounding board on issues including homelessness, the opioid crisis, mental health awareness, and food/housing insecurity.
He is a case manager with the homeless outreach team for the state focus on various sections of the city of Bridgeport and surrounding towns in Fairfield County. Jorge is also a Recovery Coach Specialist and frequently volunteers with youth and re-entry population warning on the dangers of drug addiction.