Meriden – The Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) will honor nine exceptional award winners at Celebrate with the Stars, an annual awards event recognizing Connecticut’s top judges, lawyers, organizations, and professionals who make a difference through their work by demonstrating dedication, service, commitment, and mentorship. The event will take place on Thursday, March 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.
“At this year’s Celebrate with the Stars, we will recognize a group of awardees who have elevated our profession and strengthened our community through their achievements,” stated CBA President Emily A. Gianquinto. “Each awardee exemplifies the highest ideals of the legal profession. We are proud to celebrate their success and the meaningful impact they have made in Connecticut.”
Those being honored include:
The Honorable Victor A. Bolden (U.S District Court for the District of Connecticut), who will receive the Henry J. Naruk Judiciary Award for his substantial contributions as a member of the federal judiciary to the administration of justice in Connecticut. Judge Bolden serves as a United States district judge for the District of Connecticut. He also currently serves as a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School and previously served as Jurist-in-Residence at the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Bruce Louden (Louden McGrath Bryan & Bissonnette LLC), who will receive the Edward F. Hennessey Professionalism Award for his dedication to the highest ideals and standards of the legal profession. Attorney Louden is a partner at Louden McGrath Bryan & Bissonnette LLC, where he focuses his practice on matrimonial law and mediation. Over the course of a distinguished six-decade legal career, he has helped shape family law practice in Connecticut and beyond, earning statewide and national recognition for his impact on the profession.
Carl M. Porto (Parrett Porto), who will receive the John Eldred Shields Distinguished Professional Service Award for his outstanding service through or on behalf of the CBA for the benefit of the legal community and the community at large. Attorney Porto is the former managing principal of Parrett Porto, a firm with offices in Hamden, Bridgeport, and Guilford. He served as chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee for more than two decades. Working with Connecticut’s Chief Disciplinary Counsel, Attorney Porto led the successful effort to elevate the unauthorized practice of law in Connecticut from a minor misdemeanor to a felony.
Newman's Own Foundation (Represented by President and CEO Alex Amouyel), which will receive the Distinguished Public Service Award for its significant contributions to society and distinguished achievements as a philanthropic organization. Newman’s Own Foundation is a private grant-making foundation based in Westport with a unique model that uses 100 % of the profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own products to support charitable causes, particularly those that support the lives of children facing adversity.
Muneer I. Ahmad (Yale University School of Law), who will receive the Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award for his contributions to legal education in Connecticut as the Sol Goldman Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He co-teaches in the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC). Through WIRAC, Professor Ahmad and his students represent individuals, groups, and organizations in litigation and non-litigation matters involving immigration, immigrant rights, labor, and the intersections among them.
Deborah R. Witkin (Ret.) (Connecticut Legal Services), who will receive the Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award for her deep and abiding interest in and dedication to the delivery of legal services to the disadvantaged in Connecticut. Attorney Witkin is the former Executive Director of Connecticut Legal Services. She retired in January 2026 after 39 years of distinguished service dedicated to expanding access to justice for low-income individuals and families.
Ginny Kim (State of Connecticut, Office of the State Treasurer), who will receive the Citizen of the Law Award for her significant contribution to a charitable or public service cause that does not involve professional legal skills. Attorney Kim serves as deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer in the Office of the Connecticut State Treasurer. She is co-chair of the Center for Children’s Advocacy and serves on the boards of the Lawyer’s Collaborative for Diversity, The Connecticut Forum, the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
John M. Russo, Jr. (State of Connecticut, Office of the Attorney General), who will receive the Young Lawyers Section Vanguard Award for his outstanding and significant contributions to the CBA Young Lawyers Section (YLS). Attorney Russo is an assistant attorney general in the Infrastructure and Economic Development Section of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. He has been a highly engaged member of the YLS for several years, serving in numerous leadership roles within the section’s executive committee.
Gregory P. Muccilli (Shipman & Goodwin LLP), who will receive The Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award for his demonstrated dedication to the provision of legal services without expectation of payment to those in need. Attorney Muccilli is a partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP, a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, a member of the CBA Special Committee on Standards of Title, and currently serves as treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee of the CBA Real Property Section.