Category: Speaker Announcements (Page 6 of 14)

Speaker programs at Wednesday DMA Meetings

Sep 30, 2025
Ned Lamont & Sean Scanlon, Governor and Comptroller
“2025–A Busy Year for Connecticut”

Sean Scanlon began his term as Comptroller in 2023, succeeding Natalie Braswell.

The son of a police officer and small business owner, Sean attended Guilford public schools and worked his way through high school and Boston College. After graduating, Sean returned to Connecticut with the goal of helping others. He began working as an aide for U.S. Senator Chris Murphy where he helped the Senator fight for gun safety and better health care, as well as addressing constituent concerns. In Guilford, he worked with neighbors to organize successful grassroots campaigns to build a new high school and institute a full-day kindergarten.

In 2014, Sean was elected State Representative for Connecticut’s 98th District. In the House, Sean became a champion for health care reform, a passion rooted in his own life experiences coming from a family that was often uninsured or underinsured.

As chairman of the legislature’s Insurance Committee, Sean wrote and passed legislation protecting people with pre-existing conditions from insurance discrimination, established the lowest monthly co-pay cap for insulin in the nation at $25, prevented insurance companies from covering mental health differently than physical health, required health insurance plans to cover ten “Essential Health Benefits,” and created Connecticut’s first prescription drug price transparency law.

During his fourth and final term, Sean served as Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee where he led the fight to create tax relief for working families like the one he grew up in and worked with Governor Lamont to pass the largest tax cut in state history.

Outside of the legislature, Sean previously served as Executive Director of Tweed-New Haven Airport, where he secured a $100 million public-private investment deal, brought in a new air carrier, and created over 100 new community jobs.

Sean lives in Guilford with his wife Meghan, who is the President & CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, their two young sons Jack and Declan.

 

Ned Lamont was sworn into office as the 89th governor of Connecticut on January 9, 2019. He began his second term on January 4, 2023.

Lamont got involved in public service shortly after college, founding a weekly newspaper in a town hit by the loss of its largest employer. Covering town meetings and the Board of Selectmen, he helped to bring voice and transparency to a community working to recover from job losses and reinvent itself. Later, as a member of both the Greenwich Board of Selectmen and the Board of Estimate and Taxation, Lamont worked in a bipartisan effort to safeguard a multimillion-dollar budget and deliver results for constituents. For four years, Lamont also served as Chairman of the State Investment Advisory Council, overseeing a multibillion-dollar state pension fund.

Lamont started his own company, taking on the large and established giants of the telecom industry. Under his vision and stewardship, the company grew to serve over 400 of America’s largest college campuses and 1 million college students across the nation.

As a volunteer teacher, Lamont sought to give back to his community by volunteering at Harding High School in Bridgeport. In an effort to spark entrepreneurship, Lamont taught students about the inner-workings of small businesses, bringing in local businesspeople to share their own experiences, and helping to place students in local internships. Lamont is on the faculty of Central Connecticut State University as an adjunct professor of political science and philosophy, where he also helped to found a popular business start-up competition. In early 2009, he helped lead an initiative to bring together Connecticut leaders from across the business, nonprofit, and labor sectors to unite in a strategy to create new jobs in the state.

As a candidate for United States Senate in 2006, he stood up for his convictions and challenged the political establishment. Taking on long-time incumbent Joe Lieberman for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate, Lamont campaigned on the platform that wars in the Middle East were draining resources and attention that could be better focused on pressing domestic issues like the economy, education, and healthcare. As a private citizen, he fought for the issues in which he believes, serving on the boards of Mercy Corps and the Conservation Services Group, non-profits which seek to make a difference in the humanitarian and renewable energy fields, respectively.

Lamont was born on January 3, 1954, in Washington, D.C. to Camille Helene and Edward Miner Lamont. The eldest of three children, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, and served as president of the student newspaper, The Exonian. After graduating Phillips Exeter in 1972, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Harvard College in 1976 and a Master of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management in 1980.

Lamont married his wife Annie on September 10, 1983. They have three children: Emily, Lindsay, and Teddy.

Video of presentation

Sep 16, 2025
Terry & Judy Schmitt
“Biking is a Great Way to see a New Country”

Note— You are encouraged to invite your partner to this meeting.  Even better – ride your bike!

You, too, can bike all over the world!

Join Judy and Terry Schmitt as they seek to convince you that, no matter how old you are, you can enjoy an amazing vacation in wonderful places all over the world.

Judy and Terry have gone on three recent bike trips: in New Zealand, in Maine, and in the Netherlands.  These trips were all arranged through one company, Vermont Bicycle Tours (or, VBT, for short), but there are several companies out there that do the same thing:  create a wonderful vacation that combines some physical activity (biking) with a great deal of comfort, exploration, and wonderful food.

Even if you haven’t bicycled in decades, you can still consider a trip like this.  You do not have to be a “hard core” bicyclist to go.

Terry and Judy will show you some pictures from their recent trips, but mostly will try to convince you that, if you like the outdoors and you love to travel, this kind of trip might just be for you!

Video of presentation

Sep 9, 2025
Rick Ledwith, Vernon Riddick: W Htfd Town Manager & Police Chief
“Working with and Helping Neighboring Communities”

West Hartford Town Manager: Rick Ledwith

Rick Ledwith is the Town Manager of West Hartford, Connecticut, a full service municipality with a population of 64,083. West Hartford is an award-winning community known for its diversity, excellent schools and municipal services, and great quality of life. West Hartford has operated under the Council-Manager form of government since 1919, the first municipality in Connecticut and one of the first in the country to adopt this form of government.Rick has worked for the Town of West Hartford since 2001 in several capacities. Prior to being appointed Town Manager, he served as the Executive Director of Human Resources, where he has worked extensively with every municipal department as well as the West Hartford Public Schools.

Rick and his wife Tara have lived in West Hartford for 27 years and are proud to have raised three children in town.

West Hartford Police Chief:  Vernon Riddick

Vernon L. Riddick Jr. is the Police Chief of West Hartford since 2018 and has been in public safety for 29 years.  Prior to joining the West Hartford Police Department he served 24 years in the City of Waterbury, CT Police Department where he spent his last five years as Chief.  He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Tufts University and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Post University.

Currently, Vernon is Vice-President of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association and is a member of the Police Officer Standards and Training Council that oversees training and certification for police officers in the State of Connecticut. Chief Riddick is the President of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and an Adjunct Instructor at the University of New Haven.

Video of presentation

Ruth Mitman, Gerontologist, Apr 22, 2025

Founder, and president of The Mitman Group, is a 50-plus market advisor with over 30 years of experience studying the mature market. A Ph.D. graduate in Gerontology, Transportation and Education from Michigan State University, Ruth has a diverse professional background in striving to improve the quality of life for the older population.

Dr. Mitman was a Corporate Gerontologist at The Hartford Financial Services Group, has served on the faculty of the College of Lifelong Learning at Michigan State University and was a consultant for AARP.

Ruth lives in West Hartford with her husband, The Rev. John Mitman.  They have two children and four grandchildren.

Video of presentation

Michelle Murphy, Aurora Women and Girls Foundation, April 15, 20254

MISSION: The Aurora Women and Girls Foundation galvanizes resources to increase economic security, educational attainment, and leadership for women and girls in the Greater Hartford region. 

VISION: We envision strong, equitable communities in which all women and girls realize their potential and are full, valued, and sought-after participants — economically, politically, and socially.

Our mission, vision, values, and strategies support all women and girls inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Video of presentation

Tony Karlowicz (Co-Founder) Back East Brewing Co. – Bloomfield, Ct. Brewing, Beer Styles, Apr 8, 2025

Since 2012, Back East Brewing Company has been committed to producing authentic and unique beers that push the boundaries of regular brewing styles and categories. We’re proud to serve our customers with only the best, continually crafting each taste until it’s exactly right. Everyday, we’re driven by our core values: delivering quality flavors, honoring our customers and celebrating the culture of beer. Experience it for yourself by joining us!

 

 

 

2025-04-08_Old Guard presentation2

Video of presentation

 

Arthur House, “New Cold Wars, New Vulnerabilities”, Mar 25, 2025

Arthur House is an adjunct professor in the Political Science  Department of the University of Connecticut.  

His background includes senior executive responsibilities in  business, the U.S. Government and state government. Most recently,  House served as Chief Cybersecurity Risk Officer for the State of  Connecticut from October 2016 to October 2019 after four years as  Chairman of Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.  House was Director of Communications and Congressional Relations  for the Director of National Intelligence and Chief of the  Communications Group for the National Geospatial-Intelligence  Agency, a combat support agency of the U.S. Department of Defense.  He holds a top-secret security clearance. As a White House Fellow he  served as Special Projects Officer on the staff of the National Security  Council.  

He worked in Asia and Africa as an economist and loan officer for the  World Bank, served on the Bank’s Policy, Planning and Program  Review staff and qualified to represent the Bank as fluent in French.  In the private sector, House was Senior Vice President of Public  Affairs at Webster Bank and held senior executive positions at Cigna,  Aetna, and Tenneco. He was a member of Tenneco’s European  Advisory Council. He is currently Lead Director of American  Superconductor Corporation.  

His career has also included three positions in the United States  Senate: Chief of Staff to former Connecticut Senator Abraham  Ribicoff, Chief of Staff to former Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd,  and Legislative Assistant to Senator Chris Dodd. While working in the  Senate his projects included the Camp David peace negotiations, the 

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II), Panama Canal Treaty  ratification and the Tokyo Round trade negotiations. He was a  Congressional Adviser to the United States Mission to the United  Nations.  

House is a graduate of Tufts College and has a Ph.D degree from the  Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has  published a book on the United Nations Civilian Operations in the  Congo and several articles on international relations subjects. He was  Assistant Dean and on the faculty of the Fletcher School and taught  graduate courses at the University of Connecticut, Georgetown  University and the National University of the Congo.  

House has extensive live and print media experience, including work  as a public member of the Hartford Courant editorial board.  House is married to Rita Jepsen. They live in Simsbury, Connecticut.  

Video of presentation

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