Popular Radio/TV Personality Connie Podesta Keynote Speaker at 2011 BWF in Hartford, CT Oct. 18

Oct. 5, 2011 - PRLog -- Connie Podesta, popular radio/TV personality and author of “10 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd”, will be a keynote speaker at the 29th annual 2011 Business Women’s Forum (BWF®) October 18 in Hartford, Connecticut. Renowned as Connecticut’s largest and longest-running full-day annual conference for women, the Business Women’s Forum (www.2011bwf.com) is anticipated to attract over 700 business women from throughout New England. The full day of professional development workshops, networking and motivational speakers will also feature Emmy-Award winning actress and a Special Olympics advocate, Susan Saint James, who will introduce Special Olympics International Hall of Famer, Loretta Claiborne.

Celebrating 29 years of success in 2011, The Business Women's Forum (BWF), is a program of the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Waterbury, CT, and led by 35 female executives dedicated to the professional and personal growth of working women. “Power, Passion, Purpose” is the theme of the 2011 Business Women's Forum that will be held at the Connecticut Convention Center from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The BWF® is sponsored annually by the U.S. Small Business Administration and supported by numerous Connecticut-based companies. During the past 28 years, the BWF has generated in excess of $140,000 in scholarship funds for female Post University students to pursue a business education. The 2011 BWF will feature workshops on the topics of leadership, public speaking, financial fraud, interviewing skills, career reinvention, social media and women’s health. For 29 years, the mission of the non-profit BWF is their ongoing commitment to equality of opportunity and advancement for women in business.

“The 2011 BWF features three highly dynamic and accomplished speakers, plus professional business trainers, breakfast, lunch, and an exciting networking event at the end of the day with raffles and prizes,” stated Barbara White, Chairperson of the 2011 BWF, a marketing professional with Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, CT. “Each year this is a much-anticipated event that attendees tell us benefits them greatly in their professional and personal lives.

For 28 years, the BWF has provided an unprecedented number of attendees with access to phenomenal speakers, networking opportunities and diverse training during the course of one day.  The event to date has featured such prominent, high-profile keynote speakers as Paula Abdul, Robin Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Suze Orman, Jane Seymour, Jack Ford, and Ann Curry.”

Comedienne, TV/radio personality and board certified therapist Connie Podesta is a top-rated professional keynote speaker across the United States. She is an executive career/life coach and is considered to be one of the industry’s leading experts in sales strategies, leadership development, relationships, and change. Author of “10 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd: How to Out-Think and Out-Perform the Competition”, Connie Podesta is known to deliver high-energy presentations that creatively combine humor with compelling insights. Podesta brings to her audiences her first-hand experiences as director of human relations, director of staff development, and director of employee assistance in various organizations.

As president of Connie Podesta, LLC, Podesta’s company helps corporations and businesses process and move through change; create successful, productive workforces; provide outstanding customer service; model genuine leadership and increase revenue. Her client roster includes small businesses and associations as well as multiple Fortune 500 companies including American Airlines, American Express, JCPenney, Harley-Davidson, Omni Hotels, Southwest Airlines, WalMart, General Mills, Cocoa Cola, Citigroup, Century 21, AT&T, and many more.
“We chose Connie as one of 2011 BWF’s motivational and inspirational keynote speakers,” stated White, “because she is known widely to inspire people in ways that help them to increase their sales performance, attract more customers, and build healthy, long-lasting relationships. The goal of the BWF is to help attendees in every way we can in one day to achieve more in their lives. We are very confident Connie will deliver a powerhouse of inspiration.”

Susan Saint James, Emmy Award-winning television actress is best known for her roles as a divorced mom on “Kate & Allie”, the crime-fighting spouse on “McMillan & Wife” with Rock Hudson, and as a young career woman in “The Name of the Game”. Ms. Saint James is a dedicated friend of the Special Olympics, and she will introduce Special Olympics Champion Loretta Claiborne who was born partially blind, intellectually challenged, and was unable to walk or talk until the age of 4. Eventually Ms. Claiborne began to run, and went on to cross the finish line of 25 marathons, placing twice among the Top 100 women in the Boston Marathon. She carried the torch in the International Special Olympics, has won dozens of medals, and currently holds the women’s record in her age group for running 5,000 meters in 17 minutes. Claiborne was honored in 1996 with ESPN’s ESPY Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, and her notable life of achievement has been recounted in Walt Disney Productions’ “The Loretta Claiborne Story”, and in the biography “In Her Stride”.  

Presenting partners of the 2011 BWF are Comcast Business Class and the Hartford Business Journal. Post University and Webster Bank are star sponsors.

Tickets are $175/person, which includes continental-style buffet breakfast, lunch, eight workshops, motivational speakers, and a closing wine and cheese reception with raffles and prizes. Tickets can be obtained by visiting www.2011bwf.com, and participants can join in discussions on www.facebook.com/2011bwf, and www.twitter.com/2011bwf.

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The Business Women's Forum (BWF) is a program of the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Waterbury, CT, and led by 35 female executives dedicated to the professional and personal growth of working women.

For the past 28 years, the BWF® has been sponsored annually by the U.S. Small Business Administration and supported by numerous Connecticut-based companies. Over the years, the BWF has generated over $140,000 in scholarship funds for female Post University students to pursue a business education. The continual mission of the non-profit BWF is their ongoing commitment to equality of opportunity and advancement for women in business.

For 28 years, the BWF has provided an unprecedented number of attendees with access to phenomenal speakers, networking opportunities and diverse training. The one-day event to date has featured high-profile keynote speakers including Paula Abdul, Robin Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Suze Orman, Jane Seymour, and Ann Curry.