STAMFORD, Conn. — Six of Connecticut’s women business owners will be honored by the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) on October 27 as part of the 2023 Women Rising Annual Gala and Awards Celebration. The event, being held at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich, will feature keynote speaker Katrina Adams, and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz will serve as the event’s honorary chair.

The Women Rising Award is presented annually to WBDC clients who show a strong commitment to WBDC and demonstrate success in their business and tenacity in pursuing their goals.

The 2023 Women Rising Award recipients are:

• Liz Ceppos (Photo)
  Owner, Cross Culture Kombucha (Danbury)

• Melissa-Sue John (Photo)
  Owner, Lauren Simone Publishing (East Hartford)

• Emmanuella Lauture (Photo)
  Owner, Ma Maison Childcare, LLC (Stamford)

• Neisa Medina-Nunez (Photo)
  Owner, The Learning Barn Childcare Center & Preschool (Naugatuck)

• Shellena Pitterson (Photo)
  Owner, Orchid Maids (Norwich)

• Kristin Vece (Photo)
  Owner, Elevate Healing Arts (Cromwell)

Read more about the 2023 Women Rising Award recipients here

“We are so proud of these amazing women entrepreneurs. It truly is exciting to witness their journeys as they grow and develop their businesses,” said WBDC Founder and CEO Fran Pastore. “These women have taken full advantage of the resources WBDC offers and have developed the tools to lead successful business enterprises in their communities. These women can be an inspiration to other small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs and are absolutely deserving of this recognition.”

In addition to the Women Rising Award, the 2023 Women Rising Annual Gala and Awards Celebration will honor a pair of business leaders with the WBDC Impact Award — which recognizes individuals who have personally exemplified WBDC’s mission and goals by promoting economic equality and prosperity for women. WBDC will also present a WBDC volunteer with the Patricia Billie Miller Award for Outstanding Community Service.

The Gala Title Sponsor is PMI. Other sponsors for the event include: Impact level – Hartford HealthCare, Mastercard, Travelers; Investor level – GenRe; Shipman; Webster Bank; Capital level – Alex Brown, a Division Raymond James; drbank; Gibson Dunn; Hearst Connecticut Media Group; Henkel; JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Linde; M&T Bank; Moffly Media; Point 72; Tidal River; Union Savings Bank; Wiggin and Dana; Wondr Nation; Empower level – Alvarez & Marsal; Bourgeon Capital Management; Gilda Bonanno LLC; Hexcel; Libertas; PWC; Stamford Health.

For tickets to the 2022 WBDC Women Rising Gala and Awards Celebration, to become a sponsor, or to make a donation, visit ctwbdc.org/gala.

About the Women’s Business Development Council 

The Women’s Business Development Council’s (WBDC) mission is to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and financial education services that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut. WBDC educates, motivates and empowers women to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. Since 1997, WBDC has educated and trained nearly 18,000 clients in all of Connecticut’s 169 towns—helping women to launch, sustain and scale almost 13,500 businesses, create and maintain more than 29,600 jobs in Connecticut, and access more than $52.5 million in capital. Visit ctwbdc.org for more information.