Lynn Stoddard, director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) at Eastern Connecticut State University, was selected as a 2019 Honoree by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame on Nov. 4.

The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame is an educational outreach organization whose mission is to publicly honor the achievements of Connecticut women, preserve their stories, educate the public and inspire the continued achievements of women and girls.

This year, the focus of the inductees' work was on the environment and sustainability, the theme being “A force for Nature.” Stoddard, who is the founder and executive director of Sustainable Connecticut, was selected as one of 10 honorees in 2019. “I am honored to be recognized with such an accomplished cohort of amazing women environmental leaders,” she said.

Created by towns for towns, Sustainable CT is administered by Eastern's ISE. This statewide initiative inspires and supports communities to become more vibrant, connected, healthy and resilient. Believing that successful and enduring endeavors evolve from within, Stoddard and her team engaged representatives of every town across Connecticut to help develop the program’s framework.

Within its first 20 months, the program successfully registered more than half of the state’s municipalities, allowing communities to progress on actions that make them great places to live, work, play and visit. Twenty-two towns and cities earned certification in year one, demonstrating significant achievements across nine impact areas such as inclusive and equitable services, decision making, clean transportation and diverse affordable housing.

Sustainable CT program was also recently awarded the “Trail Blazer Award” by the Connecticut Green Building Council for its efforts to transform and promote strategies that encourage intelligent management of Connecticut's resources.

In addition to Stoddard’s leadership of Sustainable CT, she is also on the board of directors of the Connecticut Green Building Council, was an inaugural fellow of the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program, and served on the Governor’s Council on Climate Change.