Annual Gala & Awards Celebration 2026
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 AM - 2:15 PM
Hyatt Regency Greenwich
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 AM - 2:15 PM
Hyatt Regency Greenwich
Check back soon for additional information on the 2026 Annual Gala & Awards Celebration.
For sponsorship information, please contact Laurie Cohen at lcohen@ctwbdc.org
AGENDA
- 11 AM
- Networking Reception & Raffle
- 11:45 AM - 2:15 PM
- Luncheon & Awards Celebration
Additional details will be posted soon!
Carla Harris
Keynote Speaker
Author and Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley
IMPACT AWARD RECIPIENTS
Susan Muigai
Chief People Officer
Mastercard
Katherine Saunders, MD, FTOS, DABOM
Co-Founder
FlyteHealth
Obesity Physician
Weill Cornell Medicine
PATRICIA BILLIE MILLER AWARD
FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE
David Wezdenko
Founder and CEO
Blue Leaf Ventures
HONORARY CHAIRS
The Honorable Susan Bysiewicz
Honorary Chair
Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
Annie Lamont
Honorary Chair
Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Oak HC/FT, First Lady of Connecticut
Gina Criscuolo
Honorary Vice Chair
Chief Financial Officer, Downes Construction
Leander Dolphin
Honorary Vice Chair
Managing Partner, Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Jeffrey Flaks
Honorary Vice Chair
President and Chief Executive Officer, Hartford HealthCare
Stacey Kennedy
Honorary Vice Chair
CEO, PMI U.S.
Donna Murphy
Honorary Vice Chair
Global Chief Executive Officer, Havas Creative & Havas Health Networks
WOMEN RISING AWARDEES
The Women Rising Award is presented annually to Women’s Business Development Council clients who show a strong commitment to WBDC and demonstrate success in their business and tenacity in pursuing their goals.
Avery Beamon
CrAves by Aves
Manchester
Sarah Gromko
GromKo. Voice PLLC
New Haven
Danielle Lutsky
Plantidote Foods
Norwalk
Gloria Montoya
My Little World
Meriden
Oddette Staple-Brown
Oh D'Luxe Candle Company
Bridgeport
TITLE SPONSOR
IMPACT SPONSORS
INVESTOR SPONSORS
CAPITAL SPONSORS
EMPOWER SPONSORS
ASPIRE SPONSORS
Amgen
Ascend Bank
Bankwell
Charter Communications
CLA
Kelly Coffey
Connecticut Community Bank
Dean and Laura Davis Family Foundation
Downes Construction Company
Ernst & Young LLP
Eversource Energy
Finn Dixon & Herling LLP
First County Bank
Five Mile Advisors
Hexcel
Elizabeth T. Hirsch
iCapital
Littler Mendelson, PC
M&T Bank Center for Women & Business at Quinnipiac University
Andrew J. and Joyce D. Mandell Family Foundation
McCarter & English, LLP
Miranda Creative, Inc.
New Haven Bank
Peter DiNardo Enterprises
Pfizer
Pullman and Comley
PwC
Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Stamford Health
Steven Mueller Architects, LLC
Union Savings Bank
Nichelle Waddell, Watch Me Grow Daycare & Preschool LLC
HOST COMMITTEE
Vanessa Abrahams-John, Adidas*
Accordant – Sage Software
AdvanceCT
Aon
The Honorable Richard Blumenthal
The Honorable Beth Bye
The Honorable Vincent Candelora
Charter Communications
Connecticut Business & Industry Association
The Honorable Joe Courtney
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
Laura Drynan, Bourgeon Capital Management*
The Honorable Bob Duff
Foxcroft Strategy Group
The Honorable Stephen Harding
The Honorable Jahana Hayes
The Honorable Jim Himes
International Seaways, Inc.
Sharon Kane
Keitha Kinne, AMG Funds*
Anahaita Kotval
The Honorable Ned Lamont
The Honorable John Larson
The Honorable Martin Looney
The Honorable Ceci Maher
The Honorable Patricia Billie Miller
The Honorable Chris Murphy
New Haven Bank
Newtown Savings Bank
The Honorable Daniel O’Keefe
Pfizer
R.C. Bigelow, Inc.
The Honorable Matt Ritter
The Honorable Jason Rojas
Patricia Russo, The Campaign School at Yale
Marian Salzman, PMI
The Honorable Sean Scanlon
Kathleen Silard, MS, BSN, RN, FACHE, Stamford Health*
The Honorable Caroline Simmons
Tara N. Spain, Travelers Foundation*
Stamford Downtown
Steven Mueller Architects, LLC
Charlotte & John Suhler
Glendowlyn Thames, Amazon*
The Honorable Jennifer Tooker
Nichelle Waddell, Watch Me Grow Daycare & Preschool LLC
The Wall Group
Michael Weinstock, M&T Bank*
Elizabeth Zessman, Heidrick & Struggles
*Past Impact Award Recipient
HOST COMMITTEE VIDEOS
Buy Tickets
WBDC
Supporter
Minimum donation: 4 tickets/$20.
Additional tickets: $5/ea.
Purchase raffle tickets to score amazing items and services donated by WBDC clients and CT-based businesses and institutions! Check back often – new items added every week until the Gala. Raffle closes at 9:00 PM on October 29. Ticket sales are final and non-transferable to other raffle bundles.
To donate an item or service to the raffle, contact Laurie Cohen at lauriec@longpointgroup.com.
Buy a Slideshow Tribute/Ad
Sponsorship Levels
ALL SPONSORSHIPS EMPOWER & ABOVE INCLUDE:
- Company logo in all event collateral
- Inclusion in social media
- Mention in two (2) WBDC press releases distributed to over 100 Connecticut and Westchester, NY media outlets
- Two (2) VIP tables of twelve (12) seats each
- Recognition in Welcome Remarks
- Hearst Media Ad Packages
- Speaking Opportunity at Event
- One (1) VIP table of twelve (12) seats
- Recognition in Welcome Remarks
- Hearst Media Ad Packages
- One (1) VIP table of twelve (10) seats
- Recognition in Welcome Remarks
- Hearst Media Ad Packages
- One (1) preferred table of ten (10) seats
- Recognition in Welcome Remarks
- Hearst Media Ad Packages
- One (1) table of ten (10) seats
- Logo in full page Stamford Advocate Ad
- <span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">One (1) half-table of five (5) seats
- Logo in full page Stamford Advocate Ad
- Company Branding Across Event Collateral
- Two (2) premium tickets
- Recognition in the invitation and program booklet
Contact Us
Do you have questions? Want more information?
Contact Alicia Kalish
- akalish@ctwbdc.org
- (917) 650-0656