Women Rising Gala & Awards Celebration

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2025

Hyatt Regency Greenwich
11:00am

Save the date for WBDC’s 2025 Women-Rising Gala and Awards Celebration!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2025

  • Hyatt Regency Greenwich
    11:00am

Details on our 2025 gala will be posted soon. Please contact Laurie Cohen at lcohen@ctwbdc.org for information on tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

We look forward to seeing you in October!

Women-Owned Business Day Program

Welcome

Fran Pastore
CEO, WBDC

Gilda Bonanno
Emcee, Principal, Gilda Bonanno LLC

Invited State Leaders

  • The Honorable Ned Lamont,
    Governor
  • The Honorable Susan Bysiewicz,
    Lieutenant Governor
  • Co-Chair: The Honorable Patricia Billie Miller,
    State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore
  • Co-Chair: The Honorable Heather Somers,
    State Senator, Deputy Republican Leader
  • The Honorable Martin Looney,
    State Senator, Senate President Pro Tempore
  • The Honorable Bob Duff,
    State Senator, Senate Majority Leader
  • The Honorable Stephen Harding,
    State Senator, Senate Republican Leader
  • The Honorable Matt Ritter,
    State Representative, Speaker of the House
  • The Honorable Jason Rojas,
    State Representative, House Majority Leader
  • The Honorable Vincent Candelora,
    State Representative, House Republican Leader

 

Remarks from our Sponsor

  • Kristin Jordal, Regional Vice President and Connecticut Market President Middle Market & Select Segments, The Cigna Group, Cigna Healthcare

Meet Some WBDC Clients

  • 2023 Women Rising Honoree Videos

A Little Money Makes a Big Difference: A WBDC Study on the Impact of Small Capital Infusions on Connecticut Women-Owned Businesses

  • Brenda Thickett,
    Chief Operating Officer, WBDC

WBDC Client Testimonials

  • Shivonne Mathison,
    Owner, Cura Home Care Services
  • Alina Gutierrez,
    Owner, Three Little Bears Child Care, LLC

2024 Legislative Session: What’s at Stake for Your Business and How to Voice Your Opinion

Panelists:

  • The Honorable Holly Cheeseman, State Representative
  • The Honorable Kate Farrar, Deputy Majority Leader, State Representative
  • The Honorable Nicole Klarides-Ditria, State Representative
  • The Honorable Robyn Porter, Chief Majority Whip, State Representative

Moderator

  • Fran Pastore,
    Chief Executive Officer, WBDC

Closing Remarks

  • Fran Pastore,
    Chief Executive Officer, WBDC

Speakers

GILDA BONANNO
Owner, Gilda Bonanno LLC

Gilda Bonanno is a professional speaker, consultant, facilitator and coach who serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with leading organizations on four continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome, including Henkel, Travelers, Praxair, JP Morgan Chase and Yale University.

Fran Pastore at event
FRAN PASTORE
CEO, WBDC

Fran Pastore founded the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) in 1997 and continues to serve as the organization’s CEO. WBDC is Connecticut’s leading organization championing female entrepreneurship. Ms. Pastore is a devoted catalyst of women’s economic equality across the country and around the globe.

SUSAN BYSIEWICZ
Lt. Governor of Connecticut

Sworn in on January 9, 2019, Susan Bysiewicz is serving her first term as Connecticut’s 109th Lieutenant Governor.
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz formerly served as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State from 1999 to 2011.
As a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, Lt. Governor Bysiewicz represented the towns of Middletown, Middlefield, and Durham from 1993 to 1999.

Co-Chairs

PATRICIA BILLIE MILLER State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore
THE HONORABLE HEATHER SOMERS State Senator, Deputy Senate Republican Leader

Host Committee

100,000+

  • City of New London
  • City of Torrington
  • City of Waterbury
  • CT Comptroller’s Office
  • CT Department of Economic and Community Development
  • CT Office of Early Childhood
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • M&T Bank Charitable Foundation
  • Philip Morris International
  • U.S. Small Business Administration
  • Webster Bank Charitable Foundation
  • Wells Fargo Foundation

50,000+

  • Andre Prost, Inc.
  • The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Inc.
  • TD Charitable Foundation
  • Travelers
  • Tudor Investment Corporation

25,000+

  • Anne S. Richardson Fund
  • Avangrid Foundation
  • Chelsea Groton Foundation
  • The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
  • The Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation, Inc.
  • Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
  • Hartford HealthCare
  • Pam Kushmerick & Jim Smith
  • Mastercard
  • PwC

10,000+

  • Alex Brown Raymond James
  • Sandra Arkell
  • Nisha and Harry Arora
  • Bank of America
  • CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP)
  • Connecticut Community Bank
  • Connecticut Community Foundation
  • DR Bank
  • Essex Savings Bank
  • Gen Re
  • Galia Gichon
  • Henkel Corporation
  • Elizabeth and Steven Hirsch
  • Ion Bank Foundation
  • Linde
  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Wondr Nation
  • M&T Bank
  • Betsy O’Reilly
  • Patriot Bank
  • Point72, L.P.
  • RobyDodd Family Charitable Foundation, Inc.
  • Shipman & Goodwin LLP
  • Charlotte & John Suhler
  • Sue & Glyn Thickett
  • Union Savings Bank
  • Wiggin and Dana LLP

5,000+

  • Allstate Foundation
  • Alvarez & Marsal
  • Berkshire Bank Foundation, Inc.
  • Blue Triton Brands, Inc.
  • Bourgeon Capital Management, LLC
  • Moira Collins Family Fund
  • The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, Inc.
  • Eastern Connecticut Savings Bank
  • Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
  • Hexcel Corporation
  • Libertas Funding, LLC
  • Newtown Savings Bank Foundation, Inc.
  • The Stamford Hospital
  • Brenda Thickett & Andreas Papadatos
  • David Wezdenko, Blue Leaf Ventures

1,000+

  • Amazon
  • Bankwell
  • Bernstein Private Wealth Managment 
  • Michael and Eryn Bingle
  • BNY Mellon
  • Boyd & Associates LLC
  • Grace & Kenneth Café
  • Amanda Castellano
  • Charter Communications
  • Cigna
  • CT Best Care LLC
  • CT Business & Industry Association (CBIA)
  • Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
  • Connecticut Hospital Association
  • Isabelle Côté & Jacques Briand
  • The Dann Charitable Fund
  • The Dean and Laura Davis Family Foundation
  • Janet DeFrino, Five Mile Advisors
  • Deloitte Services LP
  • Stella & Robert DeLucia
  • Downes Construction Company
  • DPF Regeneration.com LLC
  • The Ethel Walker School
  • Fairfield County Bank
  • Fairfield County Medical Association
  • Garry & Sue Feldman
  • Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust
  • Finn Dixon & Herling LLP
  • First County Bank Foundation, Inc.
  • Robin Frederick 
  • Ganim Benefits
  • Girl Scouts of Connecticut
  • Greater New York Hospital Association
  • Guilford Savings Bank
  • Sonia Hounsell, FunkkOFF!
  • Anika Howard
  • The Human Resource Consulting Group, LLC
  • Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg & Knuff, LLC
  • iCapital
  • International Seaways, Inc.
  • The Jaideep and Rachael Khanna Foundation
  • Judith Heft & Associates
  • Sharon Kane
  • Virginia Keeshan
  • Pat Posada Klapper
  • Leslie and Jon Koch
  • Anahaita Kotval
  • Gina LaVersa
  • Lori Lindfors and Bart A. Sayet
  • Live Oak Bank
  • Dannel and Cathy Malloy
  • Carol Mathis
  • McCarter & English, LPP
  • Elana Milianta 
  • Miranda Creative, Inc.
  • Michael Moore and Mary Craig
  • Monica Moore
  • Steven Mueller Architects, LLC
  • Flavia Naslausky & Egdardo Soares
  • Mairead O’Sullivan
  • Fran Pastore
  • Pitney Bowes
  • Pullman & Comley, LLC
  • Quinnipiac University
  • R.C. Bigelow, Inc.
  • Sacred Heart University
  • Salisbury Bank
  • Savings Bank of Danbury
  • The Siegfried Group, LLP
  • Stamford Downtown
  • TD Bank
  • Trinity College
  • University of Connecticut School of Business
  • The Van der Weijden Family Fund
  • Stephen Weissman
  • Willis Towers Watson
  • Elisa G. Wilson
  • Rebecca Wilson, 20/20 Foresight Executive Search
  • The WorkPlace, Inc.
  • Yale University

Host Committee Video Greetings

Contact Us

Do you have questions? Want more information? Here’s who to contact:

ARE YOU A LEGISLATOR?

Contact Alicia Kalish at:

  • akalish@ctwbdc.org
  • (917) 650-0656
ARE YOU AN ATTENDEE?

Contact Megan Wormser at:

  • mwormser@ctwbdc.org