Empowerment: Women in Business Lunch Coming Up

This information was provided by the Madison Chamber of Commerce:

The Madison, Guilford and Branford Chambers of Commerce will hold a Women in Business Luncheon on Wednesday, January 16 at noon at the Madison Beach Hotel, 94 West Wharf Road, Madison.

The featured speaker will be Fran Pastore, the Founder, President & CEO of the Connecticut Women’s Business Development Council (CT-WBDC), which has for 15 years been dedicated to helping women achieve their dreams of economic empowerment for themselves and their families. With her 2011 Congressional appointment to the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) her advocacy is now national.

In October 2011, Fran was invited by Minority Leader Pelosi to testify before the US Congressional Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on the impact of President Obama’s Jobs Plan on small businesses. She testified again in June to address the US Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on the subject of eliminating inefficiencies, duplications, fraud and abuse in US Small Business Administration’s programs. Fran is also a board member of the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC), a political advocacy group to the U.S. Congress. 

In addition Fran is a member of (BPeace), whose mission is to foster stability in formerly war-torn countries through business development. In May 2010, when she visited Rwanda to help women genocide survivors launch and operate a micro business, her impact became global.

The Madison Chamber's Annual Sponsors of the Women in Business Series are Guilford Savings Bank and Madison Investment Center.  Their sponsor for this luncheon is The White Dress by the Shore.  The Guilford Chamber's Annual Sponsors are James Kohn's Customer Relationship Solutions and Page Taft Real Estate.

Attendance is limited, and advance registration is required.  Please register on line by going to madisonct.com or send an email to chamber@madisonct.com. The cost is $20 per Chamber member; $22 if paying online.  Non member price is an additional $10.  For more information, please call Eileen Banisch at the Madison Chamber of Commerce at 203-245-7394.