United Way of Connecticut Welcomes Fairfield Resident to Board of Directors

Rocky Hill, CT – United Way of Connecticut is thrilled to welcome John Emra to its board of directors.
As the president of the Atlantic Region for AT&T, Emra leads the company’s strategy, policy and corporate affairs activities, as well as guides governmental and community policy decisions. He works closely with community leaders, legislators, other policy makers, and local and regional business leaders and customers to help meet AT&T’s objective of connecting people with technology everywhere they live and work.
“John is a terrific addition to our Board. His expertise in telecom and experience working with government and legislatures will help us advance our mission to help the people of Connecticut thrive through trusted partnerships and innovative solutions,” shares Lisa Tepper Bates, President and CEO of United Way of Connecticut.
Emra began his career at AT&T in September of 2001 and worked as the company’s regional vice president for external and legislative affairs in Connecticut until being named the Connecticut president in 2013. He served as president of AT&T New England from April 2020 to November 2023, when he took on the role of president of the Atlantic Region.
Before joining AT&T, Emra was a consultant to the company, working on the formulation of national broadband policy by the US Congress and Federal Communications Commission, as well as serving as the company’s national media spokesperson. His professional experience includes more than twenty years in the field of strategic communications, including electoral politics, government service and legislative advocacy.
Emra volunteers his time to serve on the Boards of: CAPA Connecticut, CBIA, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Southern Connecticut State University Foundation and the YMCA of Greater New York.
“United Way of Connecticut provides such an important host of services to the people of Connecticut, in particular operating the state’s 211 line, which is a vital link and information source to so many. I hope to be able, in some small way, to aid them in their mission,” shares Emra.
In addition to his work at AT&T, Emra is an adjunct professor of communication at Fairfield University. He holds a master’s degree from Purdue University and a bachelor’s from Southern Connecticut State University and lives in Fairfield with his wife and two children.
Emra joins other current members of United Way of Connecticut’s Board of Directors, who represent an important cross-section of leadership across industries and service areas: Yvette Highsmith-Francis, Board Chair and VP East Region, Community Health Center, Inc.; Steven Hernandez, Board Vice Chair and Executive Director, ConnCAN; Jonathan H. Beamon, Sr. Asst. Corp. Counsel, Office of Corp. Counsel, City of Hartford; Dita Bhargava, mental health advocate; Greg Butler, EVP and General Counsel, Eversource Energy; Matt Cammarota, SVP and Head of Retail Lending at Liberty Bank; Alberto Cota, COO, Summit Trail Advisors; William Darby, Chief, Manchester Police Department; Maria Harlow, Board Secretary and Executive Director, United Way of Meriden & Wallingford; Kristen Jacoby, President & CPO, United Way of Greater Waterbury; Jason Jakubowski, President & CEO, Foodshare; and Tracy Michaud, Immediate Past Board Chair and Dir., HR Business Partner, Sun Life Financial.
ABOUT UNITED WAY OF CONNECTICUT
The mission of United Way of Connecticut is to help the people of Connecticut thrive through
trusted partnerships and innovative solutions. United Way of Connecticut has been recognized with two awards from the Hartford Business Journal: 2023 Best Workplace in Connecticut and Lisa Tepper Bates as one of the Top 25 Women in Business 2024. Learn more at ctunitedway.org. Visit our media center for media requests and inquiries.