Ever Heard of Oz?

I received a phone call this morning from this fellow.

I've no idea if he's going to enter the race for governor or any other race for that matter; but I was impressed with his overall grasp of things.

Spiffy background too;
take a look:

R. NELSON GRIEBEL

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Oz Griebel has served since April of 2001 as President and Chief Executive Officer of the MetroHartford Alliance, which is the City’s Chamber of Commerce and the Region’s economic development leader. Immediately preceding his appointment, he consulted to the administration of Governor John Rowland and the Connecticut Legislature on the creation of a statewide transportation strategy. From February of 1999 through June of 2000, Griebel served as a Director and President and Chief Operating Officer of MacDermid, Inc., an international specialty chemicals company headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to 1999, Griebel worked for over 22 years with the then BankBoston Corporation in various finance, legal, marketing, and operations positions, concluding his service as President of the Bank’s businesses in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts from 1993 through 1999. Griebel also served as a Director of Tallan, a Glastonbury based e-commerce company that was acquired by CMGI in 2000.

Griebel’s public sector involvement includes having served as Chairman of the Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board which developed a multi-modal, comprehensive, 10 year strategy for funding and implementing a modern transportation system for the State. He also served as an initial member of the Board of Directors of Bradley International Airport. Over the years, Griebel has been involved in a variety of organizations, many of which deal with the economic vitality of Connecticut and are listed on the attached page.

Griebel received an A.B. from Dartmouth College (1971) and a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law (1977). Prior to joining BankBoston in 1976, he had coaching and teaching assignments at the high school and collegiate levels. His wife, Kirsten, is involved in a variety of area activities, including serving as a founder and Chair of the independent political party, Simsbury Citizens First, and as a member of the Board of the Connecticut Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

It gets better - he's been paying his civic dues for years:

CORPORATE BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

MacDermid, Inc. – Specialty chemicals company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Tallan, Inc. - an Internet and e-commerce professional services company acquired by CMGI in 2000 for $1.2 billion
World Business Capital

OTHER BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

Current Affiliations

American Chamber of Commerce Executives
Connecticut Institute for the 21st Century (Chairman 1995-2001)
Connecticut Science Center
eHealth Connecticut
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston – Advisory Council
Hartford Hospital – Corporator
MetroHartford Alliance (CEO)
· Hartford Chamber of Commerce (CEO)
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center - Corporator
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts (Chairman 2004-2009)

Past Affiliations

Ad Hoc Council on Regional Asset Districts (Past Chairman)
American Red Cross (Greater Hartford Chapter)
Bradley International Airport Board of Directors
Connecticut Business and Industry Association (Past Chairman)
Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board (Chairman)
The Hartford Club
Junior Achievement of Central Connecticut (Chairman)
The Mark Twain House
New Haven Leadership Council
Northwest Catholic High School (Chairman)
Riverfront Recapture (Chairman)
Transportation Summit 2000 (Co-Chairman)
United Way of the Central Naugatuck Valley (Annual Fund Chairman)
University of Hartford
Wadsworth Atheneum (Corporator)
The Waterbury Foundation
World Affairs Council
Yale-New Haven Hospital

HONORS AND AWARDS

Honorary Chairman of the Canon Greater Hartford Open, 1995
Hartford Courant Business Leader of the Year, 1995
Capitol Region Council of Governments Regional Leadership Award, 1996
Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s Regional Leadership Award, 1998
Distinguished Citizen Award of the Connecticut Rivers Council Boy Scouts of America, 1999
Hartford Business Journal Business Leader of the Year, 2001
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Gala Honoree Award, 2001


Whether this fellow enters politics at all is yet to be seen; but I'm sure most would agree he sounds like an interesting candidate for anything.