This article appeared in the Hartford Business Journal on October 18, 2021.
Galo Rodriguez is one of the top social service nonprofit executives in the region, serving as CEO of The Village for Families & Children.
And he’s making a big bet on downtown Hartford. Earlier this year The Village purchased a downtown Hartford office building and plans to relocate some of its mental health programs there.
The Hartford-based nonprofit said the three-story, 32,000-square-foot building at 450 Church St., will one day house a children’s outpatient clinic and early intervention home visitation program. Before that, however, the partially vacant site will have to undergo renovations, likely lasting into early 2022.
The Village said up to 100 employees will work out of the new location. Last October the Village reported it had 517 employees and an annual budget of $44 million.
“Our expansion in Hartford demonstrates our commitment to the community and also the growing need for the mental health services and other supports we provide,” Rodriguez said about the expansion. “I’m also pleased we will be able to renovate a highly-visible property that’s mostly empty and in need of repairs. Fixing it up and adding dozens of employees to downtown is a real positive.”
Rodriguez was formerly a physician in Colombia, where he delivered more than 200 babies over a decade spent in family medicine.
He earned a master’s in public health from UConn in addition to his medical training at the University of Cartagena in Colombia.
He formerly was chief operating officer at Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Hartford.