Dr. Joshua Lader, a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at Stamford Health Medical Group (Stamford Hospital), will speak to us about “Advances in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation.” This is a condition of irregular heartbeat that especially affects the age group of our membership, with approximately 70% of individuals presenting with AFib falling between 65 and 85 years of age. Dr. Lader graduated from New York University and has a medical degree from the NYU School of Medicine. Through a fellowship at NYU School of Medicine, Dr. Lader conducted research aimed at explaining some of the basic molecular underpinnings of AFib. He believes that when targeted lifestyle modifications fall short, this marks the beginning of an age where heart rhythm disturbances are treated, and even prevented, by targeted treatments at the molecular level. Dr. Lader is a member of a collaborative team at Stamford Health that addresses rhythm disturbances from a multidisciplinary point of view.

Arranged by Charles Salmans

Video Presentation 

Marti Denny Peterson graduated from Darien High School in 1963 and from Drew University in 1967. Married in 1969, she accompanied her husband, a CIA officer, to Laos. After he tragically was killed in a helicopter crash, Marti joined the CIA and became a case officer beginning her own 30-year CIA career. After learning Russian, she was one of the first women to be assigned to Moscow, a very difficult operational environment. “The Widow Spy” is her first-hand account of that experience, where she walked the dark streets of Moscow alone, placing dead-drops and avoiding the relentless eye of the KGB. Her book chronicles the clandestine activities that eventually led to her arrest and detention in Lubyanka Prison. She retired from the CIA in 2003 and now lives in Wilmington, N.C.

Video Presentation 

Arranged by Charles Salmans

Darien has much to be proud of in terms of fiscal management. The Darien Board of Finance is responsible for approving most budgets and expenditures and designing the tax and financing plans that fund the town. Jim Palen, Chairman of the Darien Board of Finance, will take us inside this process of financial management and discipline in a local Town Economics 101 presentation. Jim has been a member of the Board since 2015 and became chairman in 2021. Prior to that he served eight years on the RTM, including as Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee which is responsible for analyzing and reporting on financial and budgeting matters. He also is Chairman of Darien’s Audit Committee and has served on various building committees. Additionally, he has been a member of the negotiating team for numerous town and school union contracts. Jim’s career includes more than 25 years in investment banking, primarily focusing on the transportation sector. He is currently a Managing Director at Jefferies LLC, specializing in airlines and other private sector transportation clients. Previously he had a similar specialty at Credit Suisse and Bear Stearns, including specializing in municipal finance for transportation infrastructure. Jim and his wife Hallie, who have three children, have lived in Darien for 18 years during which Jim has been very involved in his children’s sports activities, has taught boating safety with the Darien Sail & Power Squadron, and has served on and been Chair and Vice Chair of the Darien Republican Town Committee.

Video Presentation

Arranged by John Wolcott

 Hamish Lutris is Associate Professor of History and Political Science at Capital Community College, Hartford, where he receives top ratings from students as an engaging lecturer. He credits his ability to teach with a job when he was in college as an interpretive ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park, where his job was to talk about the battle and cemetery where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address. “With over 1.5 million visitors a year, not only was my job to provide accurate information, but to also entertain.” He has worked in some of America’s premier natural and historical sites, leading hiking and historical programs. He has also lectured extensively in the United States, Europe, and Canada, presenting programs on wide-ranging historical topics, including Native American history, the Civil War, Scientific History, Social and cultural history, World War I, World War II, and the American West

Arranged by Charles Salmans

Video Presentation 

The group also promotes a healthy lifestyle by offering free health screenings at events, and providing participants with the education and resources to improve their sports performance and enhance their overall health and fitness.

Video Presentation 

Monica McNally was elected Darien’s First Selectman in the November 2021 election. Previously, for eight years, she was an elected member of the RTM, and for the last three years chaired the RTM Public Works Committee, which led to a ban on single-use plastic bags. Monica and her husband Mark Filanowski have been residents of Darien for 27 years and have two children, Helen (25) and Stephen (23). The First Selectman graduated from the University of Wisconsin and spent nine years in the financial services sector as a financial consultant for Smith Barney. She has been a volunteer in a number of local civic organizations including OPUS, served as President of the YWCA Women’s Club, President of the Tokeneke Association Women’s Club, and Fundraising Chair for Green’s Farm Academy.

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Marissa Gillett is Chairman of Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). She also serves as one of Connecticut’s representatives on the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In this role, she advises the Governor and the state legislature on technical, legal and policy matters related to offshore wind procurement, statewide energy efficiency programs, advanced metering infrastructure, grid reliability issues and electric vehicles. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Gillett was Vice President of External Relations for the Energy Storage Association, the national trade association representing the energy storage industry. From 2011 to 2018 she worked at the Maryland Public Service Commission. She received a B.S. degree in Bioengineering from Clemson University and a J.D. degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Arranged by Geoff Rezek

Video Presentation 

Mark LeClair, professor of economics at Fairfield University where he has taught for 33 years, will discuss the outlook for Connecticut’s economy, assessing our state’s strengths and weaknesses. His areas of specialization include international finance and trade, industrial organizations, and regional economic development. In addition to nearly two dozen scholarly articles, Dr. LeClair has published four books, including Regional Integration and Global Free Trade (1997), International Commodity Markets and the Role of Cartels (2000), Cartelization, Antitrust and Globalization in the U.S. and Europe, and Philanthropy in Transition (2014). His current research centers on the regulatory environment in the not-for-profit sector. Dr. LeClair has taught courses for both the Lifelong Learning program in Fairfield and the Learning in Retirement program in Stamford for over a decade.

Arranged by Charles Salmans

Presentation Video