CPBN Media Lab: Interview Series

Denise Merrill graduated from the University of Connecticut before serving Mansfield, Storrs and Chaplin as a representative since 1992. She is currently the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. Merrill is actively involved in issues of higher and lower education, including chairing a legislative task force on education technology and spearheading the School Readiness and the Early Reading Success legislation in 1997 and 1998. For her work on these issues she was recognized by the Connecticut Library Association, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, and the Connecticut Education Association. In 1995, she passed the "UConn 2000", a $1 billion program to refurbish and rebuild the campus of the University of Connecticut. In 2005 she was named by the National Conference of State Legislatures as Co-Chair of their Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education, a national panel of legislators formed to make recommendations regarding affordability and access to higher education. Representative Merrill was appointed to the National Conference of State Legislatures Executive Committee in 2006, and also serves as a Co-chair of the Appropriations Committee.

• Denise Merrill
• Majority House Leader
• politician

Tommy Simpson’s artwork transcends craftsmanship, fine art, and whimsy. He is an “imaginist” who has worked in nearly every medium, including; woodworking, painting, printmaking, clay, woodcarving, bookmaking, jewelry, and even prose. In each work of art the artist “puzzles together” the his personal and cultural references into a signature blend of joyfulness and subtle commentary. “The ultimate goal, “Tommy says, “is to bring the artwork to life, so that the viewer can identify the human spirit behind the work, and experience its poetry.” Courtesy of www.TommySimpson.net

• artist
• furniture
• poetry
• sculpture
• Teacher
• Tommy Simpson

Dick Allen retired from his position as Charles A. Dana Endowed Chair Professor at the University of Bridgeport in 1999, after an accomplished and lauded career. He became Poet Laureate for the state of Connecticut on July 1, 2010, beginning a five-year term in that role. Allen is a winner of numerous poetry awards, including the Robert Frost Prize for Poetry, the Hart Crane Poetry Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Connecticut Book Award in Poetry. He was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His poetry has been published in multiple volumes of Best American Poetry and has appeared in Poetry, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The Hudson Review, The Sewanee Review, and The American Poetry Review, among many other well-known poetry publications. Formerly of upstate New York near the Adirondacks and a graduate of Syracuse University and Brown University, Allen is one of the founders of the 1980s movement, Expansive Poetry, an umbrella school of poetry including New Formalism. He espouses Buddhism, which he admits permeates his poetry, some of which explores various contemporary social themes from future shock to existentialism and human consciousness. “I figure in my previous life I was probably a Chinese monk,” he mused during his interview at CPBN. Dick Allen has been called the “best reader of poetry in America,” and gives readings fairly regularly in Connecticut. He resides by the shore of Thrushwood Lake in Trumbull with his wife Lori. Sources: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/dick-allen http://www.sarabandebooks.org/?page_id=161 http://poetrynet.org/month/archive/allen/intro.html

• (I)NTERVIEW
• buddhism
• connecticut state poet laureate
• Dick Allen
• laureate
• poem
• poems
• poet
• poetry

Rob Simmons is the great grandson of Irish immigrants who fled their homeland in search of a better life in the United States. Within a generation, America’s promise and free enterprise system gave Rob’s grandfather the opportunity to send his only son – Rob’s father – to college and retire as a successful owner/operator of five small family businesses. On his mother’s side, Rob’s grandfather was a newspaper editor who in 1934 won a Pulitzer Prize for “meritorious public service” for his campaign against “unscrupulous politicians” who were exploiting the Depression economy and utilizing violence to seize political power in Oregon. The family passed the Pulitzer medal to Rob in recognition of his own dedication to public service. Rob’s public service career began when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965 as a Private, and spent 19 months in Vietnam where he earned two Bronze Star Medals. Rob continued his military service in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Intelligence Officer, retiring as a Colonel in 2003 with over 37 years of active and reserve service. He is past commander of the 434th Military Intelligence (MI) Detachment New Haven, CT, which won the Reserve Officers Association’s Outstanding Small Unit Award in 1996. In 1998, Rob was recognized by for his contributions to the Military Intelligence Corps with the Knowlton Award for "Integrity, Moral Character, Professional Competence and Selflessness.” Following his active duty service in the Army, Rob joined the Central Intelligence Agency, working as an Operations Officer for a decade, including five years on assignment overseas in East Asia where he participated in difficult and dangerous missions to protect America’s national security. Upon his return from East Asia, Rob left the CIA to join the staff of Senator John H. Chafee (R-Rhode Island) where he was Legislative Assistant for Military, Foreign and Veterans Affairs. In 1981, he was assigned as a staff member to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and soon thereafter was appointed by Chairman Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) to serve as Staff Director of the full committee. Rob worked with the committee and the Reagan Administration on some of the most important national security challenges of the Cold War. CIA Director Casey presented him with the Agency Seal Medallion – its highest civilian award – in 1985. That year, Rob returned to his hometown of Stonington, Connecticut where he chaired the Police Commission, and taught courses on government at both Yale College and the University of Connecticut. In 1991, Rob was elected by the people of Stonington and North Stonington, and the villages of Mystic, Old Mystic and Pawcatuck to represent them in the Connecticut General Assembly. In his first term, Rob opposed the imposition of a state income tax, fought for fiscal responsibility and took a lead role on transportation issues. Rob developed a reputation as a strong advocate for his constituents. As a result, he won reelection four times. Troubled that entrenched 10-term 2nd District incumbent Congressman Sam Gejdenson had lost touch with his constituents, Rob challenged him in 2000 in a campaign many said a Republican could not win. In that race, Rob came back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Gejdenson in a district where Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 34,000 voters. He was the first Republican in 50 years to win three terms in the district. While in Congress, Rob fought to make sure his fellow veterans received the benefits they were promised. He helped pass the historic “concurrent receipt” legislation that allows military retirees to collect their military retirement and the disability benefits to which they are entitled, and secured critical funding for new construction at the Veterans Home in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Rob’s landmark accomplishment was working with Team Connecticut to save the Groton Submarine Base when it was targeted for complete closure by the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Rob led the fight to keep the base operating, saving 31,000 Connecticut jobs and a critical national security asset in the “Submarine Capital of the World.” After three terms in Congress, Rob was appointed by Governor M. Jodi Rell as Connecticut’s first Business Advocate. During his two year term, Rob visited over 400 local small businesses to listen to employers and workers, and help them address the challenges facing small businesses in Connecticut. Rob Simmons is a 1965 graduate of Haverford College, PA, where he won six varsity letters and was captain of the cross-country and track teams. He earned a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in 1979, where he was a Littauer Fellow. Rob and his wife, Heidi, have been married for 35 years. She is a public school teacher at the Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London, CT, specializing in early childhood education and literacy. Rob and Heidi are blessed with a daughter, Jane, who is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and lives in New York City; and a son, Robert, who is a graduate of Providence College and lives in Boston. Rob and Heidi live with their three dogs -- Bailey, Lucy and Grigio -- in Stonington, CT. Bio courtesy of http://beta.joinrobsimmons.com/meet-rob

• candidate for Senator
• CPBN Media Lab

Susan Talbott agreed to be interviewed for our MLAB101 series on August 22nd, 2011. She came to the interview with an extensive resume, and a detailed biography. Susan Talbott is the director and CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Before coming to the Wadsworth, she was the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum from 2005-2008, and the Des Moines Art Center from 1998-2005. She has also worked for several prominent art organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts. There she served as the director of its Visual Arts program from 1989-1992. As a director, Susan Talbott has achieved national recognition through her implementation of community engagement programs. Susan Talbott formed partnerships with over one hundred community organizations. Her stated goal has been to reach out and create a cultural experience for inner city children, and other groups with a historically lower rate of attendance. During her tenure as director of the Des Moines Art center, Susan Talbott doubled the attendance rate in her first two years. She also expanded the museum, acquiring over seven hundred works of modern and contemporary art, and creating a downtown branch. She also acquired two million dollars in grants from the Wallace Reader’s Digest fund, and led an eighteen million dollar endowment campaign for the Arts Center. Susan Talbott lived in Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, Washington DC, and New York before moving to Connecticut. She is a Harvard University Fellow, and an alumna of the Art Museum Director’s Program. She has received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an Alumna Achievement Award from Pratt Institute. She is married to Basil Talbott, an award winning journalist for the Chicago Sun Times. (Wadsworth Atheneum photograph courtesy of Daderot, Wikimedia Commons)

• Art Museum Director
• artist
• Curator
• Wadsworth Atheneum

Dr. Henry Lee is currently the Chief Emeritus for Scientific Services for the State of Connecticut and is an occasional lecturer of forensic science at the University of New Haven, where he has helped to set up the Henry C. Lee Forensic Institute. He is also a visiting professor at the East China University of Poitical Science and Law. Previously, he has served as Connecticut's Commissioner of Public Safety, the Director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, and as the state’s chief criminologist from 1979 to 2000. He has worked on famous cases such as the JonBenét Ramsey murder, the O.J. Simpson and Laci Peterson cases, the post-9/11 forensic investigation, the Washington, DC sniper shootings, and the reinvestigation of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Dr. Lee currently resides in Connecticut with his wife Margaret, to whom he was married in 1962. Courtesy of Wikipedia

• Dr. Henry Lee

Award-winning reporter Laurie Perez is a native of South Windsor. Prior to Fox CT, Laurie covered national stories for CBS and worked as a reporter at WSPA-TV, the CBS station in Greenville, South Carolina. Her first job was reporting at the CBS affiliate KEPR-TV in Kennewick, Washington. Laurie has a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago. She earned her undergraduate degree at Tufts University and is a graduate of the Loomis Chaffee School. Laurie is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She has been nominated the past three years in a row for the Emmy for Best Overall Reporter in New England. Laurie is the host of Fox CT’s weekly political affairs show "The Real Story." Bio courtsey of: Fox CT.com

• Fox 61
• journalist
• reporter
• The Real Story

Wally Lamb is the author of four New York Times bestselling novels—Wishin’ and Hopin’, The Hour I First Believed, I Know This Much is True, and She’s Come Undone. He is currently at work on his fifth, We Are Water. Lamb also edited Couldn’t Keep It to Myself and I’ll Fly Away, two volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women’s prison in Connecticut, where he has been a volunteer facilitator for the past twelve years.

• Author
• Teacher
• Wally Lamb

Over the last thirty years, Nancy Tafuri, author and illustrator of children’s books, has authored more than 45 books. After taking a children’s book illustration class in college, she knew this was her passion. Once her daughter was born, Nancy’s work became more personal and her love for creating children’s books grew. Her beautiful illustrations, which are often based on her pets and family, have captured the imaginations of young children for generations. One of her most popular books, Have You Seen My Duckling? was awarded the Caldecott Honor in 1985. Along with numerous other achievements, Nancy has helped change the perceptions around children’s picture books. When she first began her career, Nancy was told her illustrations were too graphic and big for young children. Never giving up on her dreams, her talent was finally recognized at Greenwillow Books, Harper Collins Publishers. Nancy Tafuri grew up in New York and currently lives in Connecticut where she enjoys working in her studio and spending time with her family. Source: http://www.nancytafuri.com

• art
• Author
• children
• children's books
• illustrator
• Nancy Tafuri

Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz is looking to become Connecticut’s next United States Senator. From her humble beginnings on a farm in Middletown, Bysiewicz dedicated herself throughout her years of study and has earned several impressive law degrees. After completing her undergraduate education at Yale University, Bysiewicz continued on to Duke University’s School of Law. With degrees from both schools, Bysiewicz was a practicing lawyer in both New York City and Hartford until she ran for election in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1993. Following six years of service, Bysiewicz won both the Democratic nomination and the election for Connecticut Secretary of State. During her time in office, Bysiewicz implemented new voting technology throughout the state, including an electronic filing system in order to reduce voter fraud as well as a vote-by-phone system designed for disabled residents. After attempting a run for the Connecticut’s Attorney General seat in 2010, Susan Bysiewicz is ready for another shot at political office. Over the course of her interview, Bysiewicz spoke fondly about her time growing up on her family’s farm in Middletown. She laughed about the process the family went through during the harvest of their potatoes. In addition to her parents, she said one of her biggest inspirations was Ella Grasso. After sharing a story about the first time she met the former governor, Bysiewicz talked about the biography that she wrote. She said that although she always wanted to be involved in government, she had no idea specifically what she wanted to do. When asked about a secret talent, Bysiewicz spoke about her fondness for cooking, and highlighted her ratatouille. Although she lets her husband cook, she prefers to be the one behind the stove. She also enjoys spending time with her three children, two sons and a daughter.

• Connecticut
• Democratic candidate
• Secretary of State
• U.S. Senate race 2012

Republican Mike Fedele has lived in Stamford since coming to Connecticut from Minturno, Italy with his parents and siblings when he was three years old. He grew up in Stamford, attended local public schools and attended Fairfield University. In 1983, Businessman Mike Fedele founded the Stamford-based Pinnacle Group, which has grown into a national information technology firm that has created hundreds of jobs in more than 30 states. Mike also began his public service in 1983, when he was elected to the first of two terms on Stamford’s Board of Representatives. Starting in 1992, Fedele served for ten years as State Representative from the 147th district. As a Republican legislator, Mike was instrumental in several important job creation bills including legislation to expand the role of Connecticut’s community-technical colleges in job training and the phase-out of the succession tax. As a leader on the Insurance Committee, Mike played key roles in passing laws that banned drive-through deliveries and required insurance coverage for mastectomies and prostate cancer. On January 3, 2007, Republican Mike Fedele was sworn-in as the 107th Lieutenant Governor of the State of Connecticut. Since becoming Lieutenant Governor, Mike Fedele has taken a lead role in state economic development issues and has met with hundreds of businesses, employers and workers across Connecticut. He has used his decades of experience as a businessman while meeting with firms in other states and countries to encourage them to create jobs in our state -- and his efforts have already brought new companies and new jobs to Connecticut. Mike Fedele has lived in Stamford for 50 years with his wife Carol of 32 years. They have three children: Michael, Briana and Alesandra. Courtesy of http://fedele2010.com

• Candidate for Governor
• politician
• republican

R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel has been the President and CEO of MetroHartford Allliance, the region's chamber of commerce and economic development leader, since April 2001 and joined the election race for Connecticut Governor in 2010. Griebel significantly contributed to improving the State's transportation system by consulting to then Governor, John Rowland, and the Connecticut Legislature on the establishment of Connecticut's transportation strategy board and served as the Board's Chairman. From 1999-2000, Griebel served as Director, President and Chief Operating Officer at MacDermid, Inc., an international specialty chemicals company in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1976, Griebel began his career with the then BankBoston Corporation where he worked in finance, legal, marketing and operations positions of over 22 years, concluding his service as President of the Bank's businesses in Connecticut and Western Massachusettes in 1999. Griebel received his B.A from Darmouth College in 1971 and his J.D from Suffolk University School of Law in 1977. Among Griebel's many acknowledgements of his services in the public and business sectors, are included the Hartford Courant Business Leader of the Year Award in 19995, the Capitol Regional Council of Governments Regional Leadership Award in 1996, the Distinguished Citizen Award of the Connecticut Council Boy Scouts of America in 1999 and the Hartford Business Journal Business Leader of the Year in 2001. Griebel and his wife, Kirsten; who is the founder and Chair of Simsbury Citizens First and as a board member of Connecticut Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; reside in Simsbury, Connecticut. -Courtesy of Chris Griebel

• election for governor
• metrohartford alliance
• Oz Griebel
• transportation strategy board

Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and former presidential candidate, was born and raised in Winsted, Connecticut. He graduated from Princeton University in 1955 and from Harvard Law School in 1958. Mr. Nader has been a grassroots advocate and writer for over four decades. He first came into the public's eye in 1965 with his book, Unsafe at Any Speed, which exposed the life-threatening, designed-in flaws of General Motors' Chevrolet Corvair. Thanks to his efforts, automobiles are required to have standard safety features such as seat belts and airbags. Mr. Nader has also been on the forefront of promoting consumer protection, clean air, and food and drug safety. He has also established numerous non-profit organizations such as Public Citizen and Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Mr. Nader continues to work towards grassroots-based reform. In his latest book, Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us, Mr. Nader writes a humorous, fictional account of a turn of events in 2006 when Warren Buffet decides to lead a team of the wealthiest Americans to remedy the nation's ills with realistic solutions. Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us is available in stores and online. More information is available at http://onlythesuperrich.org/.

Courtesy of Ralph Nader: A Biography by Patricia Cronin Marcello, An Unreasonable Man (2006)

• consumer
• environment
• Only the Super Rich Can Save Us
• politician
• Ralph Nader

Christopher Shays is a former U.S. Congressman from Connecticut’s 4th district. He is looking to return to Congress, this time as a U.S. Senator. Shays was a member of the Peace Corps from 1968 to 1970. It was during his time with the corps in Fiji that he met his future wife, Betsi. In 1974, Shays was elected to Connecticut’s House of Representatives. He spent thirteen years in this office. He won a special election in 1987 for a the vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Shays was a senior member of multiple committees in Congress. These include the Budget, Financial Services, Homeland Security, and House Oversight and Government Reform committees. In addition, he was the chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations. Shays was raised in Darien, before living in Stamford for over thirty years. He now lives in Bridgeport. During his interview with the CPBN Media Lab, Shays said his secret talent is getting people to work as a team. He also spoke fondly of his time in Fiji with the Peace Corps, and recited a few lines of Fijian that he remembered. Shays believes that laughter is the key to staying young, and he spoke about a recent car show he attended that brought back memories of his younger days. One of the stories he shared about his youth concerned his problem with reading after his parents told him to go to bed. He could not use a flashlight, because the batteries wore out too quickly. Shays tried running an extension cord under his bed, and using a nightlight, unfortunately, it was very warm under his blanket. “I never solved the air conditioning problem,” he joked. When asked about something people may not know about him, Congressman Shays described his short stay in prison, for contempt of court. He spoke about his personal crusade to right what he saw as an injustice, and he talked about his interactions with the guards, other inmates, and the media.

• Congressman
• Connecticut
• Republican candidate
• U.S. Senate race 2012

Ned Lamont is a businessman with a proven commitment to public service. He is running for governor of Connecticut at this critical time because he believes that while our state needs better management, we also need bold leadership with a comprehensive plan to create jobs and make government work for our families -- and the courage to make that vision a reality. It's no surprise that Ned has chosen to take on this challenge at this moment. It's what he has done his entire life. In 2006, Ned took on the political establishment by defeating Joe Lieberman for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate. Ned campaigned on the message that our nation's fiscally reckless foreign policy was distracting us from pressing issues that demanded our attention at home -- including the economy, education, health care, and energy independence. In their endorsement of Ned for the general election, the New York Times wrote that Ned's "willingness to take on Mr. Lieberman when no one else dared to do it showed real courage and conviction." In the years following his historic race for Senate, Ned has served as a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics, and as co-chairman of the Obama campaign in Connecticut. Ned has also stayed involved in many of the issues he campaigned on in 2006 by serving on the boards of Mercy Corps, which provides job training skills for disadvantaged youth in the Middle East; Conservation Services Group, the fastest growing energy efficiency company in the country; and Teach for America CT, which recruits and trains college graduates to teach in under-served school systems. In a 2007 editorial, the Stamford Advocate praised Ned for "continuing to stand up publicly for the causes he supported during his election campaign." Bio courtesy of NedLamont.com

• Candidate for Governor
• CPBN Media Lab
• democrat
• politician

Edward Cumming is in his ninth season as Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, hailed for its remarkable artistic growth during his tenure. In September 2010, he became Interim Director of Orchestral Activities at The Hartt School. Before coming to Hartford, Cumming was Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he stepped in for an ailing Mariss Jansons to conduct a program including Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and Debussy’s Jeux, of which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, “some conductors could not do as well even with months to prepare.” During his time in Pittsburgh, he was Music Director of the nationally-acclaimed Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, which was one of five orchestras invited to the biennial National Youth Orchestra Festival in 1998 and 2002. World premieres in Hartford include Valerie Coleman’s The Painted Lady, Richard Cumming’s Aspects of Hippolytus, Michael Gatonska’s Wandering the Moon Nursery, Stephen Michael Gryc’s Passagi, and in May 2010, a new orchestration by Mr. Cumming of Charles Ives’s Violin Sonatas, Sonata Set for violin and orchestra. In 2003 and 2006, the League of American Orchestras awarded Mr. Cumming and the Hartford Symphony the ASCAP award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. As Resident Conductor of the Florida Orchestra from 1989 to 1993, Cumming conducted a recording of the “Star Spangled Banner” with Whitney Houston and the Florida Orchestra for Super Bowl XXV. After filling in as guest conductor in 1996, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts the following summer. In Europe, Mr. Cumming has led La Orquesta Ciudad de Granada (Spain), the South Bohemian State Orchestra in the Czech Republic, the BBC Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and most recently, the Sinfonica di Roma. In the United States, he has conducted the Philharmonic orchestras of Los Angeles, Rochester and Buffalo, as well the San Diego, Oregon, San Antonio, Santa Barbara and Detroit symphony orchestras. In Asia, he has conducted the Singapore Symphony, and most recently made his Israeli debut with the Be’er Sheva Sinfonietta. In June 2010, he made his South American debut with the Filarmónica de Bogotá, conducting Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande on short notice. Mr. Cumming studied with Otto-Werner Mueller at Yale University, where he received a Doctorate in Music in 1992. As an undergraduate at the University of California at Berkeley, he was awarded the prestigious Eisner Prize for Creative Achievement in the Arts. In May 2010, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College. Bio courtsey of: EdwardCumming.com

• conductor
• Hartford Symphony Orchestra
• Hartt School
• musician

Colin McEnroe has been a columnist and reporter for the Hartford Courant for over 30 years and currently maintains a weekly column in the Courant’s Northeast Magazine. McEnroe’s columns have appeared in newspapers nationwide as well as abroad. A significant contributor to Men’s Health, Best Life, McSweeney’s, Cosomopolitan, Maribella, Mademoiselle, Family Fun, and Verge (to name a few), McEnroe is also a contributing editor to the New York Times op-ed page.

Having hosted a weekday drive-time talk show on WTIC-AM, McEnroe is recognized as a radio personality and is currently hosting the new “Colin McEnroe Show” on WNPR, a media service of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network. The program is broadcast live Monday through Friday at 1:00 p.m. from WNPR's Hartford studio, and is also available live and on-demand at WNPR.org. In 2003, McEnroe’s play, “A Woman of a Certain Age,” was produced in collaboration with former Courant colleagues, Steve Metcalf and Lary Bloom, at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut. As the author of three books, McEnroe received the Connecticut Book Award in 2004 for the biography on his father, published by Warner Books, titled, My Father’s Footprints. When McEnroe moderated the Connecticut Forum featuring Anthony Bourdain, Alice Walters and Duff Goldman in 2009, it marked the sixth time he has performed that task in the seventeen year history of the Connecticut Forum, the most of any moderator.

Colin McEnroe was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and graduated from Kingswood-Oxford and then Yale University. He began his writing career with newspapers and magazines in the 1980’s and is currently teaching a course on old and new media at Trinity College.

Courtesy of Connecticut Forum

• Colin McEnroe
• Hartford Courant Columnist
• Northeast Magazine
• Trinity College Professor

Jefferson Wiggins is an author, educator, lecturer, mentor and community leader. Born in rural Alabama to sharecropper parents, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a teenager and received a field commission during World War II. He was one of the few black officers of that era. Despite a high enlistment rate in the U.S. Army, African Americans were not treated equally. Racial tensions existed. At parades, church services, in transportation and canteens the races were kept separate. Most black units were given non-combat support tasks to help the white combat troops. Jeff is the only surviving member of his all black unit, which had the task of digging 28,000 graves for fallen soldiers in the fields of Margraten, a small town in the Netherlands. Jeff describes this experience as the most difficult thing he has ever done in his life. Jeff has since left the army to become an accomplished teacher and author. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Briarwood College in Southington, Connecticut. In 2001, he was named Connecticut Multicultural Educator of the Year. He is founder of the Wiggins Institute for Social Integrity and co-author , with Laura Stegmaier-Pettinato, of Hearts of Believers, the screenplay adaptation of his memoir; Another Generation Almost Forgotten. (Bio information obtained from http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/author.aspx?authorid=9543)

• army
• soldier
• two
• veteran
• war
• world
• WWII

Joe Amarante is a writer for the New Haven Register. Known for his humorous columns, Amarante covers entertainment and media-related topics. He also blogs about all things media at J4: Java Joe's Journal Jive . Check out the blog for his latest insights on everything from network television programming to local news. Amarante describes himself as a writer, editor, family guy, softball and baseball fan with an interest in conservation, peace, health, travel, justice, and a good sandwich. Courtesy of http://www.blogger.com/profile/00869625038366415860

• Joe Amarante
• journalist
• New Haven Register

Mark Colville is a founding member of the Amistad Catholic Worker House in New Haven, CT. Based on a philosophy of “personalism” (“If you want to help the person in the street, go the person in the street,” Mark explains), the house is open to members of the community seeking sustenance and companionship. Mark and his wife, four children, and a nephew share their home with five to 20 people at any given time. The Amistad Catholic Worker House in located on Rosette Street, within“The Hill” neighborhood in the southwest corner of New Haven and populated by mostly working class and minority residents. Activities at the Amistad Catholic Worker include daily breakfast and lunch, medical screenings, furniture and clothing “give and takes,” anti-war vigils, and a mass held in Mark’s living room followed by a shared meal. The house, one of 200+ affiliated with the movement, is open to any and all individuals who need a place to stay for any length of time and has been in operation since 1994. Neither a soup kitchen nor a church, the Amistad Catholic Worker House prides itself on being an “extended family” that blurs the distinction between the people who are serving and those being served. The Catholic Worker Movement was initiated by social justice activists Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, amid the Great Depression. Mark clarified that while many workers are not Catholics themselves, the movement adheres to several Catholic values, which include non-violence, voluntary poverty, daily reflection, and hospitality for those in need. Mark studied peace and religion in college and attended seminary for three years. He is fluent in Spanish and has traveled to many countries in Latin and South America with his wife to continue their missionary work, particularly in Guatemala and Brazil. Throughout the years, Mark has taken a stance on issues of both local and global significance, protesting torture, arms manufacture, corporate tax cheats, and in 2009, attempted to bring medical supplies with five other peace activists to Gaza.

Lindsay Whalen starred for the Golden Gophers from 2000-04, culminating her Minnesota career at the Final Four in 2004. She was a three-time All-American, an Academic All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2002. She is Minnesota’s all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points to her credit. Whalen’s number 13 is retired and honored with a banner hanging from the rafters in Williams Arena. Whalen entered her first season on Pam Borton’s Minnesota women’s basketball staff as an administrative assistant. She returned to her alma mater after leading the Connecticut Sun to the 2006 Eastern Conference regular-season title and the second round of the WNBA playoffs. Whalen will assist with the team’s community service projects, marketing, alumni relations and other administrative aspects of the program. Whalen earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2005. On Monday, January 11, Lindsay Whalen was traded by the CT Sun to the Minnesota Lynx. See how the story was received in Minnesota, as reported by Tim Leighton in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and in Connecticut by John Perez from the Norwich Bulletin. St. Paul Pioneer Press It took six years, but the Minnesota Lynx finally got their Golden Girl. Former University of Minnesota women's basketball star Lindsay Whalen is coming home to play for the Lynx after being traded by the Connecticut Sun in a deal that was completed late Monday. Minnesota sent point guard Renee Montgomery and the No. 1 overall pick in April's college draft to the Sun for Whalen and Connecticut's first-round pick, No. 2 overall. Read the full story: http://www.bigtennetwork.com/sports/wbasketball/story.asp?list_id=20&story_id=3382041 Norwich Bulletin Mohegan, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun’s trade of Lindsay Whalen Tuesday came with mixed emotions within the organization. Whalen, who spent the first six years of her WNBA career with Connecticut, was dealt to Minnesota on Tuesday, along with the second overall pick in April’s college draft, in exchange for former University of Connecticut star Renee Montgomery and the draft’s top pick, expected to be UConn senior Tina Charles. Read the full story: http://www.norwichbulletin.com/sports/x1689202978/Sun-Trading-Whalen-not-easy

• basketball
• Connecticut Sun
• Lindsay Whalen

Stephen Fournier, who closed his law practice last year when the real estate market collapsed, is an outspoken writer and critic. His essays, circulated to email subscribers, appear online at www.currentinvective.com, and he has appeared from time to time on Hartford Public Access Television, discussing current events on a program entitled “Green Vision.” He is a self-taught computer programmer and has had a presence on the Internet since 1995 at www.stepfour.com. In 1995, Fournier was elected to the Hartford Board of Education. He served a portion of a four-year term, resigning in protest over corruption on the part of some of his fellow board members. Soon after his resignation, that board was dissolved by the Connecticut General Assembly because of gross mismanagement. Admitted to the practice of law in 1978, Fournier has had diverse experience as an attorney. His first assignment was as Staff Attorney and Lecturer in Law in the University of Connecticut School of Law Criminal Clinic, where he supervised student attorneys in the representation of indigent defendants. He had been a student in the clinic and was invited by Professor Michael Sheldon to continue for a year as a member of the faculty. Throughout his years as an attorney, and from the time of his discharge in 1970 from the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a foreign language specialist, Fournier has been active in the antiwar movement and in the movement for social justice. This involvement drew him eventually to the candidacy of Ralph Nader in 1996 and to the Green Party, just then organizing in Connecticut. He served two terms as state Green Party co-chair and was the party's 2008 nominee for U. S. House of Representatives in the First District. Fournier sums up his candidacy as follows: "Racketeers and their henchman govern us now, openly and without apology. The two major political parties are complicit, facilitating the rackets by trashing the Bill of Rights, undermining the rule of law, and effectively repealing all checks on government power, including the power to wage war and the power to poison the earth. Most recently, our leaders opened a passage to hell on our property under the Gulf of Mexico, and the accumulated filth of 100 million years flowed into our waters in volumes too vast to comprehend. "Our leaders have long since quit regulating the big, anti-national corporations that control public policy, resulting in the widespread abuse of workers, poor quality goods, mass export of jobs, declines in public health and personal quality of life, environmental pollution, the concentration of wealth in a few hands, and a failing economy. These problems can't be addressed until the people undertake the restoration of constitutional government. This candidacy--the candidate is a troublemaker and whistleblower--is an expression of urgency." From criminal law he moved in 1979 to a position as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford, under Attorney Hubert Santos, Corporation Counsel. Most of his duties involved the representation of the Tax Collector in lien foreclosures, but he was assigned to a number of other civil matters and handled miscellaneous real estate transactions for the City, as well. Fournier's assignment with the City lasted until early 1981, when he opened his sole practice, also taking on a regular free-lance legal editing assignment with Business and Legal Reports, Inc. (BLR), then of Madison, Connecticut. BLR publishes compliance aids for business managers, and Fournier was responsible for creating and maintaining a line of products offering compliance assistance to environmental and work safety managers. He also served as BLR's general counsel, drafting documents and handling real estate matters. Aside from his legal editing duties, Fournier's sole practice was general at first, including criminal defense, domestic relations, real estate, probate, bankruptcy, collections, and personal injury. In 1985, Fournier left BLR to devote full time to his law practice. Over the next several years, his focus narrowed somewhat, so that, by 1988, the practice focused principally on residential real estate. In 1988, the local real estate market collapsed, and Fournier's practice slowed to a crawl. In 1990, he returned to BLR full-time and disengaged from his private law practice, continuing to function as BLR's general counsel. This time, the assignment was to a line of compliance products for personnel managers, and Fournier developed and improved that line as a legal editor and, later, as team leader and managing editor. He also took up computer programming during this period and helped develop a line of electronic compliance products for BLR, some of which are still in use. Fournier left BLR after the company moved from Madison to Old Saybrook in 1998, but he continued free-lancing as a writer and editor, generating copy for several legal and business publishers. He underwent open-heart surgery in late 2001, and, in 2002, as part of his recovery from the surgery, he and his wife opened a restaurant in downtown Hartford. The restaurant wasn't successful, but Fournier’s recovery from the surgery was, and Fournier closed the restaurant and resumed his real estate practice in 2004, devoting most of his efforts to refinancing transactions for various lenders. Last year, having had enough of crooked bankers, Fournier closed his practice, and he now spends the school year preparing and serving lunch in the Portland Public Schools. Fournier is a lifelong Hartford resident. He is a graduate of Hartford Public High School, as are all three of his children. He is married to the former Ruth Tomasko, of Manchester. The couple met at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. They dote on their five grandchildren, and Fournier often remarks that his political involvement is motivated by his concern for their future. Bio courtsey of: http://www.stepfour.com/fournier2010/index2010.htm

• candidate for attorney general
• Green Party
• politician
• stephen fournier

George C. Jepsen has been a practicing lawyer for more than 26 years and currently serves as of counsel to the Hartford law firm of Cowdery, Ecker and Murphy, LLC, where he has been employed since April, 2003 in the practice areas of corporate transactions and civil and appellate litigation. Previously, Jepsen served as of counsel to the trust and estates team at Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford for five years and was of counsel to the Stamford firm of Abate & Fox where he practiced general law, which included: estate planning, probate, real estate and business transactions, employment matters and minor criminal defense for five years. Jepsen began his legal career in 1982 as general counsel to Carpenters Local 2010 in Norwalk where he represented 4,000 working men and women on legal matters, which included: contract negotiations, wages and benefits, workers’ and unemployment compensation and other employment issues for nearly 10 years. Jepsen grew up in Greenwich, attended public schools and graduated from Greenwich High School in 1972. Jepsen attended Dartmout University where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in 1976 with a B.A. degree in Government with high distinction. During that time, he also studied Chinese and completed foreign study in France and Taiwan. In 1982, Jepsen earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School and simultaneously earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was a teaching fellow for Richard Neustadt for “The American Presidency” and for former Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox in “U.S. Constitutional Law.” Jepsen was first elected state representative in 1987,representing Stamford’s 148th State House District. In 1990, he was elected state senator in the 27th State Senatorial District, representing Stamford and Darien through 2003. While in the state Senate, Jepsen was chairman of the Judiciary Committee (1993--‐1995) and ranking member of the Finance Committee (1995--‐1997). He was elected Senate Majority Leader from 1997--‐2003. Jepsen was a candidate for Governor, who became the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2002. He also served as Democratic State Party chairman from 2003--‐2005. Bio courtsey of: http://www.georgejepsen2010.com/user-uploads/GeorgeC.JepsenBio.pdf

• candidate for attorney general
• democrat
• george jepsen
• politician

Stew Leonard Jr. has been the President and CEO of Stew Leonard's since 1991. Stew Leonard's is one of the most famous food stores in the world. The company includes three food stores and four wine stores and makes more than $300 million dollars a year. For the last five years, Stew Leonard's has been recognized a "100 Best Companies to Work For." Mr. Leonard graduated from Ithaca College in 1976 and received his MBA from UCLA in 1982. He is also a member of the Master Sommelier Society for wine. He and his wife, Kim, have four daughters and reside in Westport, Connecticut. He has authored two books on water safety, Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim and Swimming Lessons with Stewie the Duck, and two cookbooks, You Can Do It with Bryan Miller and Stew Leonard’s Winning Recipes Cookbook. Mr. Leonard is also on the Norwalk YMCA board of directors. Courtesy of www.yonkersbusinessweek.com

• Stew Leonard's

John Dankosky has been working in radio - mostly public radio - for 20 years. Since coming to Connecticut in 1994, he has helped to build WNPR's award-winning newsroom, cultivating one of the most talented news staffs in public radio. He has reported for National Public Radio on presidential elections, crime, education, drug abuse, immigration and more. He has edited award-winning documentaries on Connecticut history, 9/11, and the mental health of children, and has been involved in editorial planning for Public Radio News Directors, Inc., The Public Radio Exchange, and NPR's Local News Initiative. He has won awards for reporting, hosting Where We Live, and "overall station excellence" from the AP. Since 2004, Mr. Dankosky has served as an adjunct journalism professor at Quinnipiac University. He has also worked as an editor at NPR in Washington, and at stations in Boston and Pittsburgh. He's a native of the "Steel City," and tells anyone he meets about the Steelers, the Pirates, and Primanti Brothers sandwiches. He is an amateur drummer, who regularly plays music with other WNPR musicians, and dreams of being Charlie Watts or Elvin Jones, or even...well, decent. He lives in Winsted with his wife Jennifer, and cats, Daisy and Dirk. Courtesy of cpbn.org

• John Dankosky
• Where We Live
• WNPR

David Glass went to Paris to further his studies in art history but took a slight detour after a mind-blowing meal at Archestrate. Never had he tasted, or even heard of, mussel souffle, sea bass with beurre rouge (red butter sauce), filet of beef with a foie gras sauce, frise salad with truffle oil and aged sherry vinegar, and chocolate chestnut torte. Quickly changing professions, David worked at Archestrate (now called Lucas Carton) in Paris, Troisgros in Roanne, and Girardet in Crissier, Switzerland, all Michelin 3-star restaurants, the finest restaurants in the world. To round out his training, he then proceeded to work at restaurants in Istanbul, Tehran, Delhi, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Tokyo. He also hiked in the Himalayas where he learned to cook rice, potatoes and yak. His company is committed to making the most delicious desserts in the world. Drawing upon ideas and ingredients from all over the world, they create stunning, unique flavors for your ultimate dining pleasure. Courtesy of davidglass.com

• cake
• chef
• David Glass
• Desserts

Chris Murphy is seeking to take his young political career to the next level. While fulfilling his eight years of service in Connecticut’s House of Representatives and Connecticut’s Senate, Murphy brought attention to environmental protection and juvenile justice reform. He was later elected as Connecticut’s Congressional Representative from the state’s 5th congressional district in 2006. Murphy has made a name for himself by initiating the formation of the Office of Congressional Ethics as well as helping to draft the House of Representatives’ health care reform legislation. One of his most notable political positions has been his place on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, upon which Murphy criticized for-profit government contractors operating in Iraq. An unwavering Democrat, Murphy has also served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, during which Murphy has helped shape relations with countries throughout the Middle East and South Asia. Following these political accomplishments, Murphy looks to elevate his career to the United States Senate this November. Murphy currently resides in Cheshire, Connecticut, along with his wife and two sons. Throughout his interview with the CBPN Media Lab, Murphy described how his childhood ambitions involved a passion for sports, with baseball being a particular favorite. Murphy went on to describe how his political ambitions stem from his desire to lift his family, along with the families of everyone he represents, out of the shackles of poverty. With a wry grin and a chuckle, Murphy revealed some little-known information about his time as the quarterback for Oxford College’s American football team. Murphy also details his experiences as a devoted father, and how interacting with his young children continues to amaze and motivate him on a daily basis. Chris Murphy’s stalwart drive and thorough dedication is evident in his rapid, focused political rise, a rise that Murphy hopes to continue this November.

• Congressman
• Connecticut
• Democratic candidate
• U.S. Senate race 2012

Author, Martial Artist and entrepreneur Nancy Robinson brought a wealth of stories to the media lab. Her motto? “Nobody tells me I can’t do anything.” She shared her personal journey, varied interests and the places her passion has led, from writing, teaching and performing, including demonstrating her art in China for Shaolin monks and her induction in the World Professional Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Ms. Robinson is a fourth degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and is owner and Chief Instructor at Martial Arts Connecticut.

• Author
• Martial Arts Instructor
• Small Business Owner
• Teacher
• Writer

Right on the Economy. Right for Connecticut. Right Now. Peter Schiff is a successful businessman, bestselling author, and economic expert widely credited with foretelling the U.S. economic crisis years before it occurred.

Peter is not a politician and has never held elected office, instead dedicating his entire adult life to economics and finance.  A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Peter studied finance and accounting before joining a prominent brokerage firm. In 1996, he acquired Euro Pacific Capital, a small brokerage with no clients or revenues, building it into an industry leader in international investment strategies with thousands of clients and six offices nationwide.

In 2006, Peter sounded the alarm that the U.S. economy was facing significant challenges as the credit and housing bubbles neared deflation. Established insiders met his numerous appearances on national television predicting the recession with skepticism, but Peter continued to warn of the coming economic collapse.

Peter maintains that government intervention through regulation, stimulus programs, and corporate bailouts can only worsen our economic crisis. 

Peter is a Connecticut native, and the third generation to call the Nutmeg State home.  His paternal grandfather settled in Connecticut at the turn of the century, working as a skilled laborer on a number of local landmarks including the Yale Bowl.  Connecticut continues to play a central role in Peter’s life.  He chose Westport as the headquarters for his business and lives in Weston, where he is raising his seven-year-old son.

Peter embraces strong fiscally conservative principles and believes that our economic recovery should be left to the free market through businesses and individuals – not the federal government. He believes that, out of 100 members of the U.S. Senate, at least one should have real world experience in finance and economics. Courtesy of Jennifer Millikin

• candidate for Senator
• Peter Schiff
• republican

Steve Roslonek is an American children's music performer whose band SteveSongs has garnered several awards from parenting organizations, such as the Parents' Choice Award and the iParenting Media Awards. His music is featured on CPTV in the Miss Lori and Hooper segments of PBS Kids Preschool Destination, where he appears as "Mr. Steve" and performs original songs between other programs. Prior to his career as a recording artist, Roslonek graduated from Wesleyan University and performed with a professional a cappella group on Martha's Vineyard. After graduating, he worked as a business and technology consultant with Anderson Consulting. He began performing in 1997 and moved to a full-time recording career in 1999. He tours extensively around the country, performing between 200 to 400 concerts in a year. Roslonek resides with his wife and child in Connecticut. -Courtesy of Wikipedia

• musician
• Steve Roslonek
• Steve's Songs

One of the state's most-respected broadcast journalists since the 1960s, Al Terzi anchors the weekday editions of WFSB Eyewitness News at noon and 5:00 P.M. Mr. Terzi started at WFSB in January 1994. He previously worked for WFSB from 1968 to 1978, and then spent two years in Florida working as a news anchor and news director at a station in West Palm Beach. In 1980, Mr. Terzi returned to Connecticut to work at WTNH-TV in New Haven, where he worked for 14 years until returning to WFSB. Mr. Terzi has shared two Emmy awards since rejoining WFSB. He recieved one Emmy award for "Best Newscast" and a second was for a series of specials on the UConn Huskies basketball team. Mr. Terzi's education includes undergraduate work at both Yale and Central Connecticut State universities. He also holds a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. A military veteran, Mr. Terzi served more than seven years of active duty with U.S. Air Force intelligence operations in Taiwan and South Korea. He is also a long-standing member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Courtesy of www.wfsb.com

• Al Terzi
• News Anchor

Courtney joined Kiss 95.7 twelve years ago. Before joining Kiss 95.7, she worked at a classic rock station in her hometown of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She loves animals and spends her afternoons with her horse. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in communications. She is recently engaged and looking forward to planning her wedding.

• courtney
• Kiss 95.7
• radio