The Connection
Steve Abshire has a strong background in finance and management. Steve served as the Chief Financial Officer at The Connection, Inc. from August 2019 until the present. In this role, they oversaw finance, MIS, IT, and property management. Prior to that, they held the same position at Community Housing Advocates from July 2018 to August 2019, where they managed the financial operations of a parent corporation serving over 6,000 individuals and families. Steve also worked as the Director of Finance at both Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation from February 2006 to July 2018, and at Berkshire County Sheriff's Office from October 1999 to September 2005. In these roles, they were responsible for financial management and contributed to the organizations' missions of providing housing assistance and reducing homelessness.
Steve Abshire earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Southern California from 1986 to 1990. Steve then pursued a Master's degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, specializing in Government Finance and Public Policy between 1995 and 1997. Later on, they completed their education with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Accounting from the University of Hartford from 2007 to 2009.
The Connection
For 50 years, The Connection has been one of Connecticut's leading private, non-profit human service and community development agencies offering unique solutions to the problems of homelessness, mental illness, substance use and community justice rehabilitation. The Connection's mission: Building safe, healthy, caring communities and inspiring people to reach their full potential as productive and valued citizens. To accomplish this ambitious mission, our agency focuses our efforts in three key service areas: Family Support Services, Behavioral Health and Community Justice programs. The Connection's staff annually assists more than 13,000 people throughout the state of Connecticut who have experienced trauma in their lives and are struggling with substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness and community justice issues. The Connection maintains corporate offices in Middletown, and delivers services at 65 residential and outpatient sites to residents in an extensive number of communities in Connecticut, including New Haven, Hartford, Middletown, Groton, Norwich, New London, Bridgeport, Danbury, Torrington, Waterbury and many others.