2008 WOW! Forum Speakers Announced

The 2008 WOW! Women of the World Forum returns to Torrington this fall with a slate of prominent speakers from Connecticut a theme, “Celebrating Connecticut Women” This popular, full-day professional development opportunity for women, sponsored in part by The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, will be held on Friday, September 26, 2008, at The Warner Theatre and its new Carole & Ray Neag Performing Arts Center.

The event includes a continental breakfast, lunch at Bogey’s Restaurant at the Yankee Peddler Inn, breakout seminars, closing reception and an expanded WOW! Bookstore & Boutique. Ticket prices are $99 through July 15, 2008, and $125 thereafter. More details are available online at www.wowforum.org.  Please call the Chamber of Commerce at 860-482-6586 for more information.

Well-known radio and television personality, Diane Smith, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker. Smith is a popular co-host of the top rated Morning Show on WTIC-AM News Talk 1080 with Ray Dunaway. An Emmy award winning TV journalist, Diane Smith produces programs for Connecticut Public TV, based on her popular series “Positively Connecticut”. The program highlights the inspiring, warm, funny, and sometimes downright strange stories that give Connecticut its character. Her book by the same name has been a best seller for The Globe Pequot Press. For more than sixteen years Diane was a news anchor and reporter at WTNH TV in New Haven, where her reporting earned her an Emmy award. Diane is active in promoting Connecticut business and tourism. She was awarded the Connecticut Tourism Industry's Media Award for "showing Connecticut to the rest of the world in a positive light".

The forum will also feature a rousing morning address by Dr. Joyce Saltman, Ed.D., a Professor of Special Education, a therapist with a private practice and a dynamic speaker. She chose to receive her doctoral degree in Higher and Adult Education from Columbia University because she loved the color of their doctoral gown. Her innovative teaching style has led to the development of a graduate course on “The Enhancement of Learning Through Humor.” In her previous life, Joyce appeared as a stand-up comic for dozens of organizations and clubs including Dangerfield’s and Good Times in New York City.

Janet Peckinpaugh will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the day. As a 30-year veteran of television and radio news, Janet Peckinpaugh has been a well-known journalist in Connecticut for many years. Janet was most recently news anchor for WVIT television and has also reported and anchored for the ABC and CBS affiliates in Connecticut. Now retired from television news, she operates Peckinpaugh Digital Media, a full service multimedia company. Janet is currently producing a pilot television program called 180 Degrees with Janet Peckinpaugh.

Another highlight of the fourth annual WOW! Forum will be a leadership panel featuring Hon. Anne C. Dranginis (ret.), Principal, Rome McGuigan P.C., Ellen Griesedieck, artist and president, American Mural Project, Patricia Mayfield, Commissioner of Labor, State of Connecticut and Sara Laschever, author of ‘Women Don’t Ask’ and ‘Ask For It’. This group will discuss their path to the top of their professions.

The WOW! Forum is a program of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, the premier business resource in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut.