Category: Speaker Announcements (Page 11 of 45)

Humorist Jerry Zezima, who is a Stamford native, writes a humor column for Tribune News Service and is the author of six books, including his latest entitled One for the Ageless: How to Stay Young and Immature Even if You Are Really Old. The work is a fun and irreverant collection of reflections on aging.

In his meditation on the funny sides of the golden years, Jerry will take us on one retirement adventure after another, introducing us to his long-suffering wife, his kids and grandkids, and all the antics he gets involved in from story to story.

Kirkus, in its laudatory review, observes that Jerry is a natural storyteller, never more delightful than when readers suspect he might be, shall we say, exaggerating, adding that his comic timing is impeccable, and neatly balanced with his self-deprecating humor. Even though serious subjects come up (failing health, Covid-19), the author very winningly never takes himself too seriously.

Jerry has a strong social media presence, has made many radio and television appearances, has done several YouTube videos, is a popular public speaker, and is writing a sitcom. He also has a blog: jerryzezima.blogspot.com.

Jerry lives on Long Island with his wife, Sue. They have two daughters, five grandchildren and many creditors.

Video Presentation 

Hamilton “Tony” James will join us in conversation with DMA member John Craft to discuss the Federal Reserve’s policies on interest rates and inflation, the current banking crisis, the outlook for private equity and venture capital investing, the real estate markets, prospects for future investments in China, and the effects of COVID, the war in Ukraine and the emerging Cold War with China on the U.S. economy, international trade, supply chains, and global investments.

Tony is an internationally recognized investor and leader in global finance, having served for many years as president and chief operating officer of The Blackstone Group, the world’s largest alternative asset manager with approximately $1 trillion in assets under management. In that role, he oversaw businesses and operations in all major countries throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Tony currently is chairman of Jefferson River Capital, a private investment group. He also serves as the chairman of the board of Costco Wholesale Corp., the world’s second largest retailer, co-chair of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, vice chairman of The Wildlife Conservation Society, chairman of the finance committee of Mount Sinai Hospital System, and chairman and co-founder of The Partnership for Education Advancement, which provides critical infrastructure support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, serving over 40% of all HBCU students. He was also appointed by President Joe Biden to be a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.

Tony has also served and continues to serve on numerous other charitable, corporate, and public sector boards. He co-authored Rescuing Retirement: A Plan to Guarantee Retirement Security for All Americans, a book proposing a solution to America’s looming retirement crisis, and has published articles in The Wall Street Journal and other major publications. Tony graduated from Harvard College Magna Cum Laude as a John Harvard Scholar and from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar.

John Craft graduated from Princeton University and the Wharton School (MBA). He spent 20 years in the institutional fixed income business with Bankers Trust and Merrill Lynch, and subsequently co-founded a technology start-up that developed internet-based applications for the bond market.

Imagine life for a moment without reliable sources of electricity for our every need, no further away than the nearest wall socket. Local historian and frequent DMA speaker Art Gottlieb will enlighten us on the history of what is called “The Power Grid,” a network of power generation and distribution systems made possible by the genius of Nicola Tesla and his practical applications of Alternating Current (AC), enabling electricity to be consumed hundreds of miles away from its point of generation. This talk will also feature a discussion of alternative green energy sources contributing to “The Grid.”

Art was formerly a professional curator of naval history and the technical director of exhibits at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. In these roles, Art worked regularly with veterans of all services toward the creation of exhibits accurately illustrating the history of 20^th century warfare. From 1989 through 1997, Art coordinated with all branches of the armed services and the National Guard toward the preservation of historic ships, aircraft, and armor from around the world, and has facilitated the recovery of scores of artifacts from warships slated for demolition. More recently, he has refocused his efforts to address the growing needs of aging veterans and their families.

In addition to these endeavors, Art has developed a large repertoire of speaking topics that embrace architectural, technical, and cultural history, including numerous topics involving science and technology. His talk on the electrical grid could not come at a better time as our national struggles to meet the ever-increasing demand for power and energy in the context of climate change.

Video Presentation 

There were technical problems at the beginning. We join Mr. Gottlieb’s presentation shortly after it began.

Kathryn du Pree, a life-long expert in addressing the special needs of people on the autism spectrum, will engage in a wide-ranging conversation with Tom Igoe to explore the nature of autism and recent studies that show it becoming increasingly prevalent in the population. They will discuss, among other topics: the educational, behavioral, and job training and transition services available across Connecticut for those on the autism spectrum; the critical role of schools, academies and nonprofit organizations and the dedicated people that serve this population and their families; the difficult staffing challenges that arose during the Covid pandemic and persist today; and the various lifestyle options available for people on the spectrum, including independent living, group homes and employment opportunities, all with a view to enabling these unique individuals to live rewarding and purposeful lives.

Autism, which, according to the CDC, may affect as many as 1 in 36 children born today (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html), is a subject about which there remains a high level of mystery and misunderstanding, not only as to the nature of the condition itself but also as to the most desirable means of therapy and treatment for those affected by autism. While there are a variety of programs that have been developed to address autism, treatment remains largely an unregulated enterprise.

Many of those who have been in the field for decades are engaged in helping families to reframe their experience of the condition – starting with the way we understand autism. For example, many families perceive the different behaviors of their child as “autistic” and think of their goals as being to eliminate these behaviors and “fix the child.” This approach reflects a flawed understanding. Autism isn’t an illness. It is a different way of being human. Children with autism aren’t “sick.” They are progressing through developmental stages, as we all do. To help them, we don’t need to change or fix them. We need to work to understand them and then change what we do: we need to change ourselves, our behavior, and the types of support we provide.

Kathryn is an administrator in the field of developmental disabilities, one that has engaged her personally and professionally for almost 50 years. She had a long public service career working in New York and Massachusetts before coming to Connecticut, where she retired from government roles after 12 years as the Deputy Commissioner of the state’s Department of Developmental Services. Her work in these three states focused on closing institutional settings and developing strong community service systems to address the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

She has also consulted with national policy organizations and served as a court monitor in Texas starting in 2014, presiding over a settlement agreement between the state and the U.S. Department of Justice. The focus of the agreement was to develop community services for adults with developmental disabilities who were living in nursing facilities. This is a role she recently returned to, serving as the court monitor for two consent decrees in Illinois involving individuals with various disabilities who have been institutionalized in rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes.

Most recently, Kathryn served as the President & Executive Director of Benhaven in Connecticut from 2016-2023. Benhaven has served individuals of all ages who are on the autism spectrum for over 55 years. (Tom Igoe also serves Benhaven as its Vice Chair and Treasurer.) The nonprofit organization operates two schools, nine small residences, and provides a range of family supports. Under her leadership, the organization developed in-home applied behavioral analysis services for children and transition services offering employment and college course mentoring for young adults.

Video Presentation

DMA member Bert von Stuelpnagel will speak about the Marshall Plan and its effect on West Germany. This important initiative of the Truman administration, led by Secretary of State George C. Marshall, made America a “European Power,” and its impact can still be felt today, especially in Germany. In 1953, Marshall was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of the economic rehabilitation of Europe after the war.

Of the 17 countries that benefited from the European Recovery Program, none was more fortunate to receive financial aid than the former enemy of the Allies. For Germany, the ERP stands for reentry into the Family of Nations, the beginning of the Social Market Economy, membership in the European organizations which soon followed, and the lasting economic progress of the Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle). The currency reform and the Berlin Airlift of 1948, the outbreak of the Cold War and the descent of the Iron Curtain make this perhaps the most pivotal moment of the 20^th Century. Throw into the mix the foundation of NATO in 1949 and Germany’s admittance to NATO in 1955, only 10 years after Hitler, and you can draw lessons from that time that may help you to understand current events. Accordingly, Bert thinks that now, at its 75^th anniversary, the Marshall Plan is well worth an examination by the DMA.

Bert von Stuelpnagel was born in Freiburg, Germany, on March 6, 1950 and graduated from Bad Toelz High School in 1969. After military service and training in banking he worked in the financial industry during his entire career, including 35 years at the New York Branch of BayernLB, a German public sector bank. He retired in 2015 from his last position at that bank as Executive Vice President U.S. Capital Markets. He holds a Master in Political Sciences from State University of Bavaria, and an M.B.A. in Finance from Pace University.

Video presentation: The Marshall Plan

Marshall Mayer, in conversation with Ken Bernard, will discuss the heroic humanitarian relief efforts young volunteers are bringing to war-torn Ukraine and his unforgettable first-hand experiences. A Westport native, Marshall is a New York City-based finance professional who has been active in Ukraine since the firshttps://dariendma.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_5413.movt weeks of the war to coordinate refugee assistance, supply, and transport on both sides of the border. He and his brother Brian launched the non-profit Ukraine Aid International, and together they have facilitated the shipment and delivery of more than a million pounds of food, medicine, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid into Ukraine, mostly to the war-torn regions of Kharkiv, Kherson and Donetsk.

UAI has installed infrastructure support that is providing 120,000 Ukrainians daily with access to clean water, heat, and electricity. Working in the nonprofit sector on and off for a decade, Marshall has a passion for helping those in need. In 2013, he founded a nonprofit in the Philippines that responded to Typhoon Haiyan and helped to rebuild island communities that had been devastated by the storm.

Ken Bernhard is a senior partner at the Connecticut law firm of Cohen and Wolf. He graduated from Yale (1966) and NYU Law School (1970) and then served in the U.S. Army as a member of the Judge Advocates Corps, first as trial counsel and then as an associate professor of law at the Military Academy at Westport, where he taught criminal and constitutional law. Ken served eight years as a State Representative representing his hometown of Westport in the Connecticut Legislature. Ken is also a Senior Attorney with the Center for International Legal Studies located in Salzburg, Austria and under its auspices taught in multiple law schools from Latvia to Mongolia, including Ukraine, which is what motivated him to get involved in what is happening there and teaming up with Marshall and Brian.

Below are photos of the water purification system Ukraine International has installed as well as a video explaining this in which you can hear sirens in the background signaling incoming air attacks.                  IMG_5413

Video Presentation

In this upbeat and entertaining presentation, DMA members will be treated to a discussion of how baseball has changed since our youth – whenever that youth may have been. Kelley Franco Throop will discuss how the game has evolved, and cover topics such as playoff expansion, the designated hitter, and the impact of analytics on how teams are built and the game is played. Both casual and serious baseball fans will enjoy this engaging presentation.

Kelley is a former guest lecturer at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and a former baseball contributor on CNN’s Financial Network. She is also a practicing attorney in New Canaan at her firm, Franco and Associates. Kelley tweets about baseball at @threeinningfan, and her baseball videos and other information about her can be found on her website, www.threeinningfan.com.

Video Presentation 

Maureen Neuberger, Director of the Catholic Charities Senior Nutrition Program serving towns throughout lower Fairfield County, including Darien, will discuss the launch of a new initiative called the Senior Dine Program – a restaurant-based meal program where seniors, 60 years and older, can come together in a traditional restaurant setting for a nutritious meal at a subsidized price. There are no income requirements. Partnering with local restaurants, Senior Dine has a flexible schedule and choice of meal. Catholic Charities works to develop menus that are balanced and nutritious. This program, together with the organization’s Senior Cafés located at area senior centers, promotes socialization and independence.

Maureen joined the Senior Nutrition Program eight years ago as the Program Director. Prior to joining Senior Nutrition, she was working at a Private Duty agency, working with elderly individuals and their families to arrange care in peoples’ homes.

Maureen graduated from Iona College with a BA in Psychology and a Minor in Communications.  She is originally from Stamford, CT and currently resides there. Maureen is an avid cook, enjoys walking the dog and playing golf.

Video Presentation

Author and architect Phillip James Dodd takes a close look at some of the finest examples of architecture in New York City – exploring four of the buildings featured in his book An American Renaissance: Beaux-Arts Architecture in New York City. While showing public exteriors, the lecture will also focus on the lavish interiors that are associated with the opulence of the Gilded Age—often providing a glimpse inside buildings not otherwise viewable to the public. Dodd recounts the fascinating stories of some of New York’s most famous and significant architectural landmarks, as well as those that commissioned and built them.

Copies of the book will be able for purchase at the event courtesy of Diane’s Books of Greenwich.

Phillip James Dodd is a native of Manchester, England. He attended the prestigious Prince of Wales’ Institute of Architecture in London, before moving to America in 1996, where he gained a Masters in Architecture from the University of Notre Dame. After training with some of the most recognized residential architectural firms in the United States, Phillip started his own design firm Phillip James Dodd: Bespoke Residential Design in nearby Greenwich. His designs can be found in Manhattan, Greenwich, Palm Beach, and as far away as Bangalore, India. He is a a Fellow Emeritus at the Institute of Classical Architecture (ICAA), a elected Fellow of the INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners (an international body for practitioners in traditional architecture under the auspices of HRH Prince of Wales), and a commissioner on The Town of Greenwich Historic District Commission. Phillip is the recipient of the 2022 Elizabeth L. & John H. Schuyler Architectural Award, and has been named one of the Top 50 Coastal Architects in the Country.

Video Presentation 

Dr. Alan Addley, Superintendent of Schools in Darien, will provide a report on the state of the public school system in our Town and the most significant issues currently being addressed by the Darien Board of Education and its staff. Alan was appointed School Superintendent in July 2019. Immediately prior to that time, he served for 11 years as superintendent of schools in Granby, Connecticut.

Alan is a Governing Board member for the national superintendents’ association (AASA) and a past president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) and the Hartford Area Superintendents’ Association. Alan was the recipient of the 2017 UCONN NEAG School of Education Outstanding School Superintendent Award and was the 2019 CAPSS Connecticut Superintendent of the Year.

A native of Northern Ireland, Dr. Addley started his career as a mathematics teacher and professional soccer player. Alan has 37 years of administrative and teaching experience in private and public schools in the United States and Ireland. He earned his bachelor of science degree in education and mathematics from the University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland; a master of science degree in instructional management and curriculum from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, and his doctoral degree from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

Video Presentation 

Mark Nunan, who has spoken to the DMA previously on Robert Moses, Fiorello La Guardia and Martin Van Buren, will discuss Daniel Patrick Moynihan as a practical theorist about the challenges of governing in the second half of the 20^th Century,  and as a practicing governmental professional from the mid 1950’s up until the completion of his fourth term in the U.S. Senate in January 2001.

It is one thing for academics, prophets, and philosophers to clamor for ideal government or decry evil ones (Kings; Plato; Marx), and quite another for idealistic, pragmatic, ideological, adversarial, unrealistic, unruly, opportunistic, or corrupt politicians to legislate. Bismarck rightly compared this to sausage making, advising us not to look at the process if we want to enjoy the result.  Daniel Moynihan, in the Lion’s Den, might demur – after all, he wrote about it.

“Pat” Moynihan was a rarity: true scholar, passionate  politician, gifted writer. His trenchant wit and knack for capturing complex ideas in memorable aphorisms set him apart. This talent, combined with close study of actual data (which his Ph.D. in sociology  taught him to prize) helped him to pinpoint many anomalies of domestic and global politics, and compellingly convey the complex issues and dangers these raised.

His analyses and the solutions he proposed appeared to some “ahead of their time” and to others just too much. As a result, he was often “cancelled” by adversaries because of what he concluded the data revealed. But he persevered.

His life story is Dickensian at its nadir, which came early and fierce. And Dickensian in what followed, as he was blessed to find the resilience to recover from devastation, clamor for righteousness and succeed.

Mark will explore Moynihan’s impact by analyzing the principal themes of his thoughts on government and society, his practical bureaucratic and legislative battles and achievements, and key moments of his life and career. These range from teenage naval officer, to young aid to New York Governor Averell Harriman, to counselor to U.S. Presidents, to Harvard professor, to leading U.S. diplomat, to one of the most respected members of the U.S. Senate.

Not bad for a shoe-shine boy.

Mark Nunan holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and is a member of the DMA since 2018.

Video Presentation 

Terrie Wood will provide general reflections on her years of service in the Connecticut legislature, the early voting and other election proposals currently pending before the legislature, and her 2023 – 2024 engagement as a fellow of the Yankee Institute, an organization whose mission is to empower the people of Connecticut to forge a brighter future for themselves and their families by equipping them with the information they need to be knowledgeable, involved citizens, and by advancing policies that promote smart, limited government; fairness for taxpayers; and opportunity for all.

Terrie was a seven-term Connecticut state representative (2009-2023) representing Norwalk and Darien and was a 2022 Republican candidate for Secretary of the State: a common-sense leader with decades-long experience crafting good policy and sound governance for the public and private sectors.

An excellent listener, Terrie believes in the power of deep curiosity, that listening to the voices of the people is critical and there is far more that unites us than divides us. Trusting in a bottom-up government, she is known for bringing good people together to solve complex issues.

Ohio born but a Connecticut lifer, she is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of one. Terrie was an art history major and is passionate about photography, the ocean and breaking bread with simple, good food.

Video Presentation