CAZEO Featured Speakers:  April 7, 2010

Joan Nichols
Government Relations Specialist
CT Farm Bureau Association
775 Bloomfield Avenue
Windsor, CT 06095

Education: B.S. Forestry and Natural Resources Management
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
B.S. Syracuse University

Career: Government Relations Specialist
CT Farm Bureau Assoc.
-Specializing in all aspects of land use as relates to agriculture including but not limited to: planning and zoning regulations; inland wetlands regulations,; Plans of Conservation and Development, Right to Farm law and local Right to Farm ordinances; and agricultural commissions

-Specializing in all tax programs related to agriculture including but not limited to: PA 490; state agricultural tax exemption programs; optional tax reduction programs adopted through municipal ordinance; fuel taxes and road taxes.

-Additional: DMV and DOT laws as relates to operation of motor vehicles for agricultural usage; farm plates; farm labor laws.

Advocacy: Advocate for individual agricultural producers on various issues that affect their farming operation; advocate on local and state level for sustainability of Connecticut agriculture.

Phil Prelli
Commissioner F. Philip Prelli was appointed Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Connecticut May 20, 2005. Prior to that he served as a State Representative from the 63rd District, representing Canaan, Colebrook, Falls Village, Hartland, Norfolk and Winchester from 1991 until 2003.
While a Representative he served as an Assistant House Minority Leader serving as Chairman of the House Republican Bill Screening Committee and a member of the General Assembly's Banks, Environment, Commerce, Finance Revenue and Bonding, Government Administration and Election (where he served as Ranking Member) and Legislative Management committees.
Commissioner Prelli served on the Winchester Board of Education from 1983-87 and was a member of the Superintendent Ad-Hoc Search Committee from 1983-84. He also served on the Gilbert School Long-Range Planning Committee from 1989-92.
Commissioner Prelli has served on the Winchester Republican Town Committee from 1983 - 2004 and was chairman of the committee from 1989-92.
He is an Honorary Member and Past Captain, First lieutenant, second lieutenant and secretary of the Winsted Volunteer Fire Department, Co. No. 3.
From 1970 to 1976, Phil was a member of the 729th Railroad Transportation Battalion Army Reserve where he reached the rank of specialist 5.
Prior to being appointed Commissioner, Phil was an insurance agent and a partner in Tangarone and Prelli insurance in Winsted and prior to forming that company was the owner of the Prelli Insurance Agency.
Phil has been a member of the Grange for more than 40 years on the local, county, state and national levels. He is the Master/ President of the Connecticut State Grange and Treasured of the National Grange. He is a member of St. Andrew's Lodge of the Masonic Order.
Born Nov. 16, 1948, in Winsted, Commissioner Prelli received his Associate of Science Degree from Northwestern Connecticut Community College and his Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in mathematics and minor in economics from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.
Commissioner Prelli and his wife, Maureen, have twin daughters, Jennifer Hester and Marie Keefe and 5 Grandchildren Gavin, Anna and Reed Hester and Molly and Addison Keefe.