Northwestern President Dr. Michael Rooke Named to NW CT Chamber Hall of Fame

Winsted, CT – CT State Northwestern is proud to announce President Michael A. Rooke has been named as one of this year’s Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame recipients. Dr. Rooke has been president of Northwestern since 2015. Mauro Malo, president and CEO of Northwest Community Bank, was also named as a 2024 recipient of the honor.

In a recent press statement, Chamber President, JoAnn Ryan noted that both Rooke and Malo have …achieved extraordinary success and are prominent in their chosen fields…as well as serving on the chamber’s board and supporting the chamber’s initiatives. “We are proud to honor them as they continue their dedication to helping others throughout our region and well beyond,” Ryan stated.

President Michael A. Rooke “I am tremendously humbled and grateful to the Chamber Board and to JoAnn in particular, for this recognition,” said Rooke. “We are so fortunate to have such a collaborative and community-focused business and education community here. The campus is truly honored to receive so much support from everyone in this area.”

Rooke has worked within the CT Community College system for the past eighteen years in a variety of roles, including Dean of Academic Affairs at Tunxis Community College, and Division Director, Business and Technology at Manchester Community College. In 2020, Rooke was asked to serve as interim Provost and Vice President of CT State Community College, and in 2022 as interim president of CT State Community College until the new CT State president was hired – serving in both roles while maintaining his presidency at Northwestern. Prior to his Connecticut community college career, Rooke was a professor of chemistry at the University of Hartford and director and assistant director within the Information Technology department at C.W. Post of Long Island University, New York.

Rooke serves on the NW CT Chamber of Commerce board of directors, as well as The United Way of Northwest CT and the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board. He is also an active member of the Winsted/Torrington Rotary. He holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Kansas State University, a M.S. degree in educational technology from Long Island University and a B.Sc. (Hons) in applied chemistry from Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Both Rooke and Malo will be honored at the Chamber’s annual meeting and Hall of Fame luncheon in April.