Cindi Bigelow, SVP of Fairfield-based Bigelow Tea Co, describing family’s entrepreneurial success story in tea business.
Contact: M. Skala
Category: All Posts (Page 17 of 19)
An uncategorized listing of all posts.
Art Gottlieb, historian; speaking on Civil War
Ken Roman is a former Chairman/CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, the highly regarded advertising and communications firm founded by David Ogilvy. He joined the agency in 1963 as an assistant account executive, and served as its Chairman from 1985 to 1989. In his 26 years with the company, he helped build the business of major clients (including American Express, Unilever, Kimberly-Clark and General Foods), expanded Ogilvy & Mather’s global network into China, Korea and Russia, and grew its creative reputation. Before O&M he worked in several corporate communications positions. Kevin Roman will speak on the history of advertising and how it has impacted our lives.
Contact: W. Ball
Philip Berns is an Immigration lawyer in Stamford will debunks immigration “lies, myths and urban legends.” He will speak on the lastest immigration laws and how they will affect us.
Contact: W. Ball
The group will be rehearsing for a joint venture with the Blue Notes.
Contact Joe Holmes if you are interested in joining this stout-hearted group.
Dr. Sherman Bull, noted local surgeon, is an avid mountain climber and has conquered mountains all over the world. He will talk to us about his climbs in the Himalayas with disabled soldiers and their life changing experiences.
Contact: W. Ball
Burdin Hickock
Burdin Hickok will talk about his experiences as Economic Development Section Head, Senior Banking and Finance Advisor, U.S. Department of State, US Embassy; Kirkuk PRT, IRAQ.
From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Hickok was a senior member of the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which designed and implemented over $100 million in development assistance for infrastructure projects. His accomplishments earned the State Department’s Superior Honor Award, for “sustained, outstanding performance.”
The PRTs in Iraq are civilian-led organizations that partner with the U.S. military and Government of Iraq in the provinces to help create political progress and economic development as a way of providing long-term stability for Iraq.
Kirkuk has been a particularly important province due to its status as a disputed province between Kurds and Arabs. Outside of the Oil & Gas industry, agriculture and agribusiness comprise over 80% of the economic activity in Kirkuk province.
Prior to his State Department assignment, Mr. Hickock had a long career in global capital markets as an investment strategist and fixed-income trader on Wall Street. He will describe some of his team’s successes in a presentation entitled, “Planting Seeds of Hope: Stories of U.S. Success in Iraq.
Contact: M. Skala
Captain Drew Bissett, a Navy SEAL in the Vietnam War, is currently engaged in the training and development of SEALs using a “mentoring” program to facilitate the preparation of candidates to succeed in the challenging Seals’s training program. Before the mentoring program, which Drew was key in the initiation and development, the success rate was in the 20-30% range and the use of mentoring raised it to the 60-70% range.
Contact: W. Ball
Christopher “Kip” Bergstrom, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Economic and Community Development, will talk about Connecticut’s new tourism initiative. Kip is the Executive Director of the Commission on Culture and Tourism. Upon the consolidation of this function into the Department of Economic and Community Development, Kip assumed additional responsibilities as part of DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith’s team. Bergstrom was the Executive Director of the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission, a position he has held since 2008.
Contact: M. Skala
Mike Baker
Mike Baker will be focusing on the issue of international risks facing the US , with a focus on economic espionage and cyber-security.
During a career spanning over fifteen years as a covert field operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Mike specialized in counterterrorism, counternarcotics and counterinsurgency operations. He engaged in, organized and supervised operations around the globe, working in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the former Soviet Union and elsewhere. He was recognized professionally for outstanding performance and for operational achievements in hostile environments.
In December 2000, after leaving government service,Mike co-founded Diligence with the goal of building the premier intelligence and risk management firm. As a principal partner over the years he has worked to grow the company as it expanded around the globe, opening offices in London, New York, Washington, Moscow, Sao Paulo, Brussels and Geneva. He also worked to establish the company’s security operations in Iraq in 2003, as Diligence built a team of over 300 expat and local personnel involved in security and information collection.
Based in New York City, Mike now oversees the company’s operations and growth throughout the Americas. Diligence is a leading provider of due diligence, litigation support, investigative services and competitive/strategic intelligence to multinationals, financial institutions, law firms, governments and high net wealth individuals around the globe.
Mike is a regular contributor in the national and international media on intelligence, security and counterterrorism issues. He appears regularly on Fox News, as well as other major media outlets.
Contact: Bob Smith
Jack Cavanaugh,veteran sportswriter takes a look at the historic ’42 baseball season, how it was shaped and affected by the war and what, ultimately, it meant to America. Cavanaugh is the author of Giants Among Men and Tunney, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in biography.
Contact: W. Ball.
Bob Smith and Cecil Wade of the Internet Support Committee will use the first Member Meeting to demo the new SMA website and present how the new site can provide more timely and relevant information to the SMA membership. The talk will include information and discussion of how the SMA website will integrate with the DCA and Darien Library websites.
Contact: Bob Smith.