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More than 400 attendees at the Greenwich YWCA”™s 38th annual Brava Awards made for the event”™s biggest showing to date, capstoned by a rolling roar of approval that filled the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich as event co-chairwoman Jennifer Port called the 10 Brava winners to the dais to accept their awards.
A host of VIPs and involved citizens joined government officials, including Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei who welcomed the crowd, and YWCA officials for the two-hour lunch event.
Asked if the 10 winners possessed traits in common, YWCA President/CEO Adrianne Singer said, “You”™d think they would, but today”™s awards are all over the map. Every one tells a different story.”
The winners were Fox newswoman Gretchen Carlson; Terry Lamantia, partner with KPMG LLP; Mimi Duff, portfolio manager with Tudor Investing Corp.; Karen Kelly, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, First County Bank; Abby Kohnstamm, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Pitney Bowes Inc.; Ellen Komar, vice president for patient care and chief nursing officer, Stamford Hospital; Victoria Newman, founder/executive director, Greenwich Education Group; Carolyn Reers, wealth adviser and managing director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank; Cindy Rinfret, owner, Rinfret Ltd. Interior Design & Decoration and Rinfret Home & Garden; and Dr. Toni Lyn Salvatore, Greenwich Hospital.
“Since 1977 the Brava Awards have honored women who reach the top in their careers,” Singer said. “We”™ve seen many individuals and many endeavors: health, finance, television, corporate America. But they are all mentors in some way in their communities.”
“They”™re all very talented women,” said YWCA Communications Director Barry Nova, 82, who came out of retirement as an advertising and marketing executive six years ago to work for the Y.
“But more than that, they”™re mentors to other women. That they all give back is key; it says a lot about who they are and how much they care.”
The Greenwich YWCA runs 125 programs, including athletics, for which it is well known, plus partial college-scholarship and Kaleidoscope after-school programs. This year, the Y expects to award about 200 scholarships; Kaleidoscope runs school days, 2:30 to 6 p.m.
And, Nova said, “We”™re the only licensed provider of health services to domestic violence victims in Greenwich and all our services are free. A lot of money we raise goes to victims of domestic violence.”
