Gateway Community College Foundation Announces 28th Annual Hall of Fame Honorees

Gateway Community College Foundation Announces 28th Annual Hall of Fame Honorees

New Haven, CT (July 15, 2025) They serve, support and advocate on behalf of CT State Community College Gateway students. They are leaders who will be celebrated.

Gateway Community College Foundation Board Chair Reverend Hiram Brett today announced the Gateway Foundation will celebrate four champions for their contributions to the campus community at the Foundation’s 28th Annual Hall of Fame Celebration and Awards, October 23, 2025, at Gateway’s downtown campus.

The distinguished leaders are:

• Harold Brooks, Pastor of Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church and a principle at Beulah Heights Land Development Corporation will receive the Alumni Award.

• Alice Forrester, Ph.D., CEO of Clifford Beers Clinic is the Community Honoree.

• The Corporate Awardee is Jeff LeClair, Education Manager of Subaru University.

• The Gateway Lion Award is the Foundation’s most distinguished honor and recognizes individuals who have contributed extraordinary advocacy on behalf of students and will be awarded to John DeStefano, the 49th and longest serving mayor of New Haven.

Hall of Fame is the Foundation’s most ambitious annual event, and the largest private source of scholarship funds for Gateway students. More than 200 of New Haven’s corporate, nonprofit, academic, government and community leaders are expected to help celebrate the honorees. There will be delicious food; short, impactful programming; and great networking.

In 2025, the Foundation received 2,000 scholarship applications from more than 360 students. In total, it awarded $176,000 and 42 laptop computers - $115,000 from Hall of Fame proceeds alone. Our student’s need is expected to only grow as tuition, fees, and the cost of everything escalates.

“The students we help are remarkable people,” said Rev. Hiram Brett. These students represent future contributors to the future economic and creative vitality of our community. It is gravely disappointing how many students we are forced to turn away because of limited funds. We call on our community to recognize our esteemed honorees and to contribute critical scholarship aid through supporting our 28th Annual Hall of Fame Celebration and Awards.”

For sponsorship opportunities or to learn more about how you can congratulate Hall of Fame Honorees, please contact Heidi Green, Associate Dean for Institutional Advancement at CT State Gateway who is the campus liaison to the Gateway Foundation at heidi.green@ctstate.edu.

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About the GCC Foundation

For nearly 30 years, the volunteer-led Gateway Community College Foundation has raised and managed private funds on behalf of CT State Gateway, the state’s flagship community college campus. It provides scholarships, professional development grants, equipment, and program support, and ensures success for all Gateway students, faculty and staff. In 2024 alone, the Foundation awarded more than $176,000 in scholarship aid.