Norwalk Commission on Gender Equity

REGULAR MEETING – NORWALK COMMISSION ON GENDER EQUITY AGENDA JULY 13, 2026, 7:00 PM ROOM 223 & ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone and/or Zoom, or a recording in the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at norwalkct.gov/meetings. Members of the public may call in to participate. Callers will not be able to see the meeting participants. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, dial *9 on the phone and you will be called on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" may also use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will be called by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be included into the record, they must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. Please email Brandalyn Williams at bwilliams@norwalkct.gov with the subject line “Public Comment” to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Regular Meeting: 6.8.26 IV. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION V. OLD BUSINESS A. Commission Ordinance & Bylaws B. Social Media Project Plan C. Highlighting of gender diverse commission and board members Page 1 of 4  D. Calendar of events VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Ordinance related activities B. 2026-2027 Commissioner Openings C. 2026-2027 Executive Board VII. DISCUSSION A. Community Events & Commissioner Concerns VIII. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 4  CITY OF NORWALK COMMISSION ON GENDER EQUITY REGULAR MEETING MINUTES VIA ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING ATTENDANCE Kristina Testa-Buzzee (Chair), Sharon Baanante, Chantal Coffy, Joy Dejaegar, Andre Denunzio (new member welcomed), Emma Dignoti, Simone Morris, Ivonne Zucco CALL TO ORDER Chair Testa-Buzee called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. II. ROLL CALL Roll call was conducted. Members present as noted above. New member Andre Denunzio was welcomed to the Commission. III. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES The minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 11, 2026, were presented. No corrections were noted. **MS. DEJAEGAR MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 11, 2026, AS PRESENTED. **MOTION PASSED WITH ONE ABSTENSTION (MS. BALANTE). IV. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No public comments were offered. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Social Media Project Plan The Commission discussed the social media project plan. Further discussion and development will continue at a future meeting. B. Commission Ordinance and Bylaws The Commission reviewed its ordinance and bylaws. A recommendation was made to dissolve the bylaws, as the ordinance provides sufficient guidance. Additional research will be conducted. C. Highlighting of Women Commissioners The Commission discussed ways to highlight women commissioners. A suggestion was made to broaden the language for greater inclusivity. No changes were made at this time. D. Norwalk Events Aligned with Commission on Gender Equity The Commission discussed alignment with City events and calendars (including norwalkct.gov and visitnorwalk.org). Events such as Pride in the Park were noted as relevant. E. Commission Vacancies No seats are available. Page 3 of 4 VI. NEW BUSINESS The Commission discussed potential partnerships, including with the Bikewalk Commission for future events (noting a missed opportunity with the Girl Trek event focused on Black maternal health). Ideas were shared for creating an annual calendar of events for Commission participation and for updating the Commission application form to include preferred pronouns. VII. DISCUSSION The Commission discussed planning for an in-person annual meeting in September to elect officers and set priorities. Broader community engagement and coordination with other City commissions were also discussed. VIII. ADJOURNMENT **MS. BAANANTE MOTIONED TO ADJOURN. **SECONDED BY MS. DIGNOTI. **THE MOTIOIN PASED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:50 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Courtney Baldwin Recording Secretary Page 4 of 4