Community leader and public administration expert Veronica T DeLandro has been appointed as New Britain’s Interim Town and City Clerk. DeLandro thanked Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D), “for this appointment and for the opportunity to serve the residents of New Britain.”
DeLandro’s appointment follows the retirement of Mark Bernacki, who stepped down on November 12, 2025, after more than three decades of service to the city.
DeLandro holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the University of Connecticut. Her career ranges from a successful tenure at ESPN to serving as the District Director for Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. Within New Britain’s own government, she made history as the first woman and first African American to serve as the Common Council’s Clerk of Committees. She also served on the Youth & Family Services Commission and the school system’s Graduation Odyssey Task Force.
A longtime community leader, DeLandro has been Connecticut State Coordinator of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., has served on the Executive Board of the NAACP New Britain Branch and has served on the Board of the YWCA New Britain, co-chairing the YWCA’s Policy Committee. She has been a founding member of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Black Giving Circle, and her biography has noted her roles as, “Recording Secretary for the North Atlantic Region of the National Hampton Alumni Association, Inc. and Technology Chair for the Greater Hartford Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.” DeLandro was recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut” and one of Connecticut Magazine’s “40 Under 40.” She has also provided consulting, training and coaching to nonprofit organizations at VTD Consulting Group, which she founded.
Editor’s note: The cover photo is from 2021.
