Stamford Partnership hires Innovation Week founder as new leader – StamfordAdvocate

Jonathan Winkel, founder of Stamford Innovation Week, has been named executive director of the nonprofit Stamford Partnership.

Jonathan Winkel, founder of Stamford Innovation Week, has been named executive director of the nonprofit Stamford Partnership.

Jonathan Winkel, founder of Stamford Innovation Week, has been named executive director of the nonprofit Stamford Partnership.

Jonathan Winkel, founder of Stamford Innovation Week, has been named executive director of the nonprofit Stamford Partnership.

STAMFORD — Stamford Innovation Week founder Jonathan Winkel was named Tuesday the executive director of the Stamford Partnership, a longstanding nonprofit that focuses on improving the city’s business environment and quality of life.

Winkel succeeds Jackie Lightfield, who had served approximately six years as the Partnership’s head. Alongside his leadership of Innovation Week, he previously worked as managing partner of Stamford-based digital marketing agency SquareWheel Group. He also serves as chairman of Stamford’s Economic and Urban Redevelopment Development commissions and is a member of The Stamford Public Education Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“I am incredibly excited about joining this storied organization and continuing its important work” Winkel said in a statement. “The Stamford Partnership is a key contributor to the city’s role as a leader in smart and sustainable growth in this region. We have a queue of cutting-edge projects that will be announced shortly.”

With Stamford Innovation Week, Winkel has focused on raising awareness of Stamford as an emerging hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in technology-focused sectors.

The second annual Innovation Week held last month attracted nearly 4,900 people for its eight-day series, up 63 percent from the turnout for the inaugural Innovation Week held in 2018.

Its lineup included conferences at the University of Connecticut’s downtown campus, a blockchain-focused gathering and about two-dozen other events.

“On behalf of the entire board of directors, we are extremely pleased to welcome Jon as our new executive director,” Dan Stolzenbach, the Stamford Partnership’s chairman and general manager of the Stamford Town Center mall, said in a statement. “He brings with him strong organizational capabilities, excellent community relations skills, and a brilliant track record of building sponsorship and support. We’re excited to see how Jon will enhance the legacy of the Stamford Partnership, while leading extremely important initiatives that will add value to the community.”