Month: August 2019 (Page 1 of 2)

Mr. Mandel, recent Teach for America Board Chair, will discuss the unique approach Teach for America is taking to address the challenges of educating children from urban and rural low income communities.

Teach for America
Teach For America is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to “enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation’s most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence.”

The organization aims to accomplish this by recruiting and selecting college graduates from top universities around the United States to serve as teachers. The selected members, known as “corps members,” commit to teaching for at least two years in a public or public charter K–12 school in one of the 52 low-income communities that the organization serves.

TFA was founded by Wendy Kopp based on her 1989 Princeton University undergraduate thesis. Since the first corps was established in 1990, more than 42,000 corps members have completed their commitment to Teach For America.[4] In September 2015, the organization reached a milestone of 50,000 corps members and alumni, who have collectively taught more than 5 million students across the nation.

The Challenge

In America today, the circumstances children are born into predict the opportunities they will have in life. Our education system was not designed to enable all children to realize their potential or achieve their dreams.

• 16M children in the U.S. live below the poverty line
• 2X more children of color are born into poverty than are white children
• 14% of children growing up in poverty will graduate from college within eight years of graduating high school

Steve Mandel is an investor and philanthropist.  He founded the hedge fund Lone Pine Capital in 1997 after working as the managing director at Tiger Management.  In 1978, he graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in government.  He also has an M.B.A. from Harvard University.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of Teach for America.

Arranged by Gary Banks

Video: https://youtu.be/IH6a0kt07Lg

When 8-year-old Lou Del Bianco finds out that his Grandpa Luigi was the Chief Carver on Mount Rushmore, his young life is instantly changed. Follow Lou’s journey as he and his Uncle Caesar make the painful discovery that Luigi is not even mentioned in the most definitive book on Rushmore. Cheer them on as you read the historic documents they unearth from the Library of Congress that not only tell Luigi’s story but also prove his great importance. Finally, ride the roller-coaster of the 25 year journey to get Luigi the recognition he deserves. Out of Rushmore’s Shadow is the dramatic and touching story of Luigi’s legacy and the immigrant’s struggle.

Lou Del Bianco has been an actor, singer and storyteller for 30 years. As the only boy in a family of 6 girls, Lou found his voice talking alone in to a tape recorder creating different characters as well as sharing his life experiences. All of those years of recording really paid off. Lou’s children’s CD’s have garnered five Parents Choice Awards and praise from BILLBOARD, T.V. GUIDE and PARENTS Magazine. His abilities as an actor lead him to create an Abraham Lincoln program that has been endorsed by the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Out of Rushmore’s Shadow was written at the bequest of National Park historians and is Lou’s first non-fiction book. He has also co-authored a young readers historical novel and a screenplay about the carving of Mount Rushmore. He and his wife, Camille Linen, live in Port Chester, N.Y.

Arranged by: Gary Banks

https://youtu.be/4e3bdnzcmqg

The women’s movement is a long and still incomplete struggle for women’s rights.  #ME TOO is the latest chapter and has been headlined by rich and powerful men who have abused women including Weinstein, Ailes, Cosby and dozens more.  We might be tempted to think that the sexual abusers, and their victims, are confined to the world these men live in.  It isn’t.  It is a problem everywhere.  It is appalling that our daughters and granddaughters might have to deal with discrimination and sexual harassment.

Our wives and daughters will find the presentation and discussion especially interesting.  Please encourage them to join us. 

Full Bio’s

Weston native Susan F. Filan, Esq., and former MSNBC Senior Legal Analyst and NBC News legal analyst, and former Connecticut state prosecutor, is Of Counsel to Cohen and Wolf in Westport, Connecticut.

An accomplished trial lawyer, Attorney Filan provides clients with criminal defense and matrimonial representation. In addition to her litigation background, Filan has added mediation to her diverse repertoire of services.

Filan comes at her profession from a paradoxically spiritual, yet pragmatic and iron fisted view point, putting into her daily practice what she takes from her own heart and experience. Versatile and more humane than her remarkable credentials suggest, Filan has much to offer clients who face real challenges in their lives.

Filan began her career in 1991 as a tough, fair minded advocate as a Special Public Defender at a New Haven legal aid clinic, representing indigent defendants charged with crimes. She then entered private practice, first in New Haven and then in Bridgeport, with a concentration in criminal defense and matrimonial law at both the trial and appellate levels, in both state and Federal courts. In 1998, she was appointed Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in the Gang and Continuing Crime Unit. Thereafter, she became an Assistant State’s Attorney in Bridgeport.

Dynamic change is something Filan knows about. In May 2005, she was hired by NBC News and MSNBC to provide exclusive legal analysis of the Michael Jackson trial from Santa Maria, CA. Filan became NBC News’ go-to legal analyst, often appearing on The Today Show. In 2006, she was promoted to MSNBC Senior Legal Analyst.

With a talent for explaining complex legal issues in a compelling yet accessible way, Filan has shared her insights on a number of high profile cases, including those of O.J. Simpson, David Letterman, Tiger Woods, and Jon Benet Ramsey. Filan has dissected the legal troubles of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Bernie Madoff, bringing a wealth of practical courtroom experience to TV viewers with her entertaining, incisive, and no-nonsense approach.

Filan has appeared on every major network to include NBC, ABC, CBS, BBC, CNN, Fox News, “Larry King Live”, and is quoted in print media around the world.

Filan is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court; United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; United States District Court for the District of Connecticut; and the State of Connecticut. Filan is a member of the Connecticut, Greater Bridgeport Bar and Fairfield County Bar Associations, and of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. She is a member of the Family and Criminal Law Sections of the Greater Bridgeport and Fairfield County Bar Associations. Filan serves as a special master, appointed by the Superior Court, to mediate divorce and custody disputes in the Regional Family Trial Docket in Middletown.

Attorney Filan grew up in a family of lawyers. It is in her blood. Her father is retired state Appellate Court Judge Frederick A. Freedman; her uncle is retired U.S. District Court Judge Alan H. Nevas; and her late great uncle, Leo Nevas, something of a local legend who, at the age of 97, was still practicing law.

COURTNEY A. GEORGE is a principal and chair of Cohen and Wolf, P.C.’s Employment & Labor Group. She is also a member of the firm’s Physicians Practice, Litigation, Municipal and Appellate Groups. Resident in the firm’s Bridgeport office, Ms. George practices in the areas of employment and labor law and commercial litigation. She represents private and public employers in employment litigation, contract negotiations and counseling.

Ms. George has defended employment and workers compensation discrimination claims in state and federal court and in agency proceedings and has litigated restrictive covenant, breach of contract and business tort claims. She has represented clients in employment-related agency investigations and regularly counsels clients on personnel matters, including employee handbooks, pre-employment, disciplinary and termination protocols; employee classification; trade secret and non-competition restrictions; and compliance with employment-related laws, including wage and hour, USERRA, labor laws and anti-discrimination laws. Ms. George also has represented employers and employees in severance negotiations. She lectures on employment law topics and conducts workplace anti-discrimination/anti-harassment training.

Ms. George also practices in the areas of commercial and probate litigation and has represented clients in probate and state courts in will contests and in fiduciary removal proceedings.

She is admitted to practice in Connecticut and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. In October 2011, Ms. George was sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court bar.

Ms. George is a member of the American Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section), Connecticut Bar Association (Litigation Section, Labor & Employment Section, Business Torts Committee and Women in the Law Subcommittee) and Greater Bridgeport Bar Association.

Active in the community, Ms. George is a board member of the Women’s Business Development Council and the Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut.  She formerly served as Chair of the Greater Valley Chamber Women in Networking (2013).  She is recognized by Connecticut Super Lawyers (2013-2018) in the category of Employment Litigation: Defense, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America©  (2016-2019) for her work in the area of Labor & Employment.  In 2019, Ms. George was named a “Labor & Employment Star-Northeast” by Benchmark Litigation.

Ms. George received her B.A., with distinction, in 1990, from McGill University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2001.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_VvJ3o6ROg

In 2013 Ed spoke to the DMA on the Battle of Ridgefield. We are are pleased to have him back to talk about another local battle in the Revolutionary War.

This exciting new lecture reveals the action, intrigue and terror of the people living around Long Island Sound during America’s War for Independence. With the Connecticut and Long Island coasts less than
10 miles apart in many sections of the Sound, raiders crossed every fair night either to smuggle and/or steal goods; and kidnap or kill enemies. Spies, on both sides, rounded out this dangerous cast of characters.

The economic blockade between British occupied Long Island and Patriot led Connecticut was the foundation of this violent conflict. But bitterness and desire for vengeance was fueled by the fighters’ familiarity with one another. Families and communities were ripped apart as Patriots in Connecticut expelled Loyalists and Loyalists on Long Island banished Patriots. Many Connecticut Loyalists ended up on Long Island and many Long Island Patriots became refuges in Connecticut. Rabble-rousers on both coasts knew exactly where their enemies lived and it is not surprising that they started to violently attack each other.

The attack vessel of choice was The Whaleboat. These boats were powered by up to 10 men and measured about 25 feet in length. Some had a sail and/or a swivel gun on the bow; they were very maneuverable and could operate quietly. These shallow boats were easily hidden in the many inlets and islands of the Sound.

Some raids were led by “individuals” or loosely organized small groups, but sophisticated planning was employed for bigger raids involving hundreds of men. The lecture will detail some of these raids and discuss the fate of Patriot prisoners held by the British.

Ed Hynes, CFA was born and raised in Wilton, CT. He attended Wilton High School where he played both football and lacrosse.  In 1977 Ed graduated from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. with a B.A. in Political Science. He subsequently spent most of his career in financial services. As an equity analyst, institutional salesperson and trader he worked with some of the premier investment banking firms in many of the world’s leading financial centers including New York, Tokyo, London, Chicago and San Francisco. In 2001 Ed became a Chartered FinancialAnalyst (CFA) charter holder and is currently a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in Westport, CT.

Ed first became interested in the Revolutionary War as a child when he learned his neighbor’s house was partially burned by the British during the Danbury Raid in 1777. He and his wife are fascinated by history and have visited many important battlefields both here and abroad. Ed currently lives in Norwalk.

Arranged by Gary Banks

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyHEQQK6Bhc

Justice McDonald will speak to us on the Connecticut Constitution  and why it matters.  Specifically:

1. The CT Constitution.  What is unique about it?  Why does it matter to our politics, businesses and residents?
2. What is the legal process and what type of cases end up before the CT Supreme Court?
3. What are the landmark cases in CT Supreme Court history.

Justice Andrew J. McDonald is a Connecticut native. Born in Stamford on March 11, 1966, he attended Stamford public schools before entering college. After graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988, he earned a Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1991, where he served as the Managing Editor of the Connecticut Journal of International Law. Justice McDonald also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Western New England University School of Law.

In January of 2013, Governor Dannel P. Malloy nominated Justice McDonald to be an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, and he was confirmed by the Connecticut General Assembly later that month. He was sworn into office on January 24, 2013 by Governor Malloy. In addition to his service as an associate justice, Justice McDonald also serves as the Chairman of the Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission, Chairman of the Rules Committee of the Superior Court, and as a member of the Connecticut State Library Board.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice McDonald served as the General Counsel to the Office of the Governor for the State of Connecticut from 2011 to 2013. In this role, he served as chief legal advisor to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and senior staff of the Executive Branch of government. His responsibilities included providing legal counsel and analysis on all aspects of Executive Branch functions and operations, including its interactions with the federal government and the Judicial and Legislative branches of state government.

From 1991 to 2011, Justice McDonald was engaged in the private practice of law, first as an associate and then as a partner, with the firm of Pullman & Comley, LLC. He was a commercial litigator and handled all stages of litigation in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels.

From January of 1999 to July of 2002, Justice McDonald additionally served as the Director of Legal Affairs and Corporation Counsel for the City of Stamford. In this capacity, he served in the Mayor’s Cabinet and oversaw the administration, supervision and performance of all legal, human resource and labor relations functions of the city, and its boards, commissions and agencies.

Justice McDonald was a State Senator from 2003 to 2011. He served as the Senate Chairman of the Judiciary Committee for all eight years he was in the General Assembly. During periods of his legislative career he also served as the Senate Vice Chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee and as a member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, the Transportation Committee, the Education Committee and the Regulations Review Committee. From 2005 to 2011, he served as Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.

Earlier in his career, Justice McDonald served on the Stamford Board of Finance from 1995 to 1999, including serving as the board’s Chairman from 1997 to 1999, and as Co-Chair of the Audit Committee from 1995 to 1997. He began his public service career in 1993 as a member of the Stamford Board of Representatives, where he served until 1995.

Justice McDonald and his husband, Charles, live in Stamford.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waBivyaNxck

Robert Steven Williams (left) and Richard “Deej” Webb flank the Fritzgeralds’ granddaughter Bobbie Lanahan.

The belief has been that F. Scott Fitzgerald was thinking of Great Neck, on Long Island, for West Egg. The “white palaces of fashionable East Egg” — and green light at the end of the dock that Jay Gatsby could see before he disappeared in “the unquiet darkness” at the end of Chapter One — were across Manhasset Bay, probably in the area of Sands Point, an enclave north of Port Washington that was once mostly large, lush estates.

But maybe not.   Mr. Williams, a music producer-turned-filmmaker, and Richard Webb Jr., who taught high school history for 25 years, have a different and somewhat contrarian view of the Fitzgerald landscape.  They make the case that the literary location of the The Great Gatsby may, in fact be inspired by Westport as much as Long Island.   It makes for a fascinating discussion about a great American novel.

Robert Steven Williams, Filmmaker, Musician, Novelist & Entrepreneur, Robert’s company, Against the Grain Productions helps not-for-profits tell their story. One of his favorite clients is the Paul Newman founded charity Safe Water Network. Robert’s debut novel, My Year as a Clown, received the silver medal for popular fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. He was also a finalist in the Great American Fiction contest sponsored by The Saturday Evening Post. He is the director of the documentary Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story.

Richard ‘Deej’ Webb

Deej is a local educator and historian by trade. He is the author of book Boats Against the Current, the companion to the documentary. Deej is the former head of the New Canaan High School History Department for almost twenty years, and is also an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. Considered a local authority of Westport history, he is also on the board of the Westport Historical Society and Fairfield Museum. He’s been giving talks throughout the county on the Fitzgerald’s time in Westport for many years.

Ed and Alan Gray are the sons of L. Patrick Gray III- acting director of the FBI during Watergate. Ed Gray is a naturalist writer and the founder of Gray’s Sporting Journal.   He is co-author of In Nixon’s Web. He lives in Lyme, New Hampshire. 

Alan Gray is the Director of the Darien Library.

Their talk will be based the book of the same title.  See the Amazon write up below.

The last untold story of Watergate—by the FBI director who maintained his silence for more than thirty years

L.Patrick Gray III was the man caught in the middle of the Watergate scandal. He was a lifelong Republican, but Richard Nixon considered him a threat. Closing in on the conspiracy, Gray became the target of one of Watergate’s most shocking acts—Nixon’s “smoking gun” attempt to have the CIA stop the FBI investigation. And when the U.S. Senate focused its attention on Gray in April 1973, the White House threw him to the wolves; John Ehrlichman famously advised that he be left to “twist slowly, slowly in the wind.”

This book is Gray’s firsthand account of what really happened during his crucial year as acting director of the FBI, based on a never-before-published first-person account and previously secret documents. He reveals the witches’ brew of intrigue and perfidy that permeated Washington, and he tells the unknown story of his complex relationship with his top deputy, Mark Felt, raising disturbing questions about the methods and motives of the man purported to be Deep Throat.

Gray’s book was completed and expanded by his son, the journalist Ed Gray, who has supplemented the text with revelatory excerpts from documents, tape transcripts, and third-party accounts. Every other major figure has told his story, and now Patrick Gray’s unique inside account will change the way we think about the crisis that destroyed the Nixon presidency.

Arranged by Gary Banks

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DzkEelx9tQ