MEET MOVERS & SHAKERS @ MORRIS ARTS’ “GREAT CONVERSATIONS

8TH GREAT CONVERSATIONS

WHEN: April 21, 2016; 6:00pm reception leading to the 7:15pm dinner
WHERE: Madison Hotel, 1 Convent Rd., Morristown
TICKETS: Seats are $225 each

L-R: Stephen Zebiak, PhD, Climate & El Niño Expert, Senior Research Scientist at IRI, Earth Institute, Columbia University; Dale Russakoff, NY Times Bestselling Author of The Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools? and former Washington Post Reporter; Bob Gruen, Internationally renowned Photographer of Rock & Roll Legends (John Lennon’s personal photographer); Joetta Clark Diggs, Four Time Olympic Track Champion; David Keefe, Combat Paper NJ Founder, Artist and Marine Veteran; Chris Cannon, Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen Owner, visionary restaurateur and Michelin Star Chef.

This event offers guests the opportunity to meet and talk face-to-face with such luminaries as a NY Times bestselling author and former Washington Post reporter; the judge who presided over NJ’s controversial cyberbullying case, State vs. Dharun Ravi; John Lennon’s personal photographer; an award-winning fiber and quilt artist; the NJ State Climatologist; the acclaimed NJTV News Anchor and former CNN and NBC Broadcast Journalist; an international El Niño and Climate Expert; a four time Olympic track champion or another similarly fascinating, accomplished individual.

L-R: David Robinson, PhD, NJ State Climatologist and Professor of Geography, Rutgers University; Brigadier General Patrick W. Burden, Picatinny Arsenal-Senior Commander & Deputy Program Executive Office Ammunition; Mary Alice Williams, acclaimed NJTV News Anchor and former CNN and NBC Broadcast Journalist; Lidia Fonseca, Quest Diagnostics SVP and Chief Information Officer; Gordon Chang, World Affairs Expert and Author, The Coming Collapse of China and Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World; Bisa Butler, award-winning fiber and quilt artist.

Learn about their work, their thoughts on the world, their insights into their fields, and the experiences that shaped their lives. How did they get to where they are now? What lessons can they impart? This is an evening to exchange ideas and savor the pleasures of live encounters.  You may be surprised by what you discover.

L-R: Susan Shapiro Barash, Gender Studies & Women’s Issues Authority and author of 14 books including Little White Lies, Deep Dark Secrets: The Truth About Why Women Lie; Honorable Glenn Berman, former Superior Court Judge who presided over NJ’s 2012 landmark cyberbullying case: State v. Dharun Ravi; Richard E. Constable III, Wyndham Worldwide – SVP, Gov. Relations & Commercial Contracts and former Asst. US Attorney; Douglas Kennedy, Peapack-Gladstone Bank – President & CEO, named Corporate Livewire’s  “2015 CEO of the Year;” James Mottola, former US Secret Service Agent and Sobel & Co.- Director, Forensic Investigations/Litigation Support; Dave Kaplan, Yogi Berra Museum’s Founding Director and co-author of 4 books with Yogi Berra including NY Times Bestseller, When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!

Our host conversationalists this year include the following distinguished individuals:

ARTS

• Susan Shapiro Barash
  Gender Studies & Women’s Issues Authority; Author of 14 books including Little White Lies, Deep Dark Secrets: The Truth About Why Women Lie
  Bisa Butler
  Fiber and Quilt Artist
• Chris Cannon
  Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen – Owner, Visionary Restaurateur; Michelin Star Chef
• Gordon G. Chang
  World Affairs Expert; Author, The Coming Collapse of China and Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World
• Larry Fast
  Electronic Music Composer, pioneering Audio Producer of platinum albums (including with Peter Gabriel); collaborating with Scott Morris on Great Swamp documentary
• Bob Gruen
  Internationally renowned Photographer of Rock & Roll Legends (John Lennon’s personal Photographer)
• David Keefe
  Combat Paper NJ Founder; Artist; Marine Veteran
• Broadway Bill Lee
  Famed Radio Personality for WCBS-FM
• Scott Morris
  Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker; collaborating with Larry Fast on a documentary about Saving the Great Swamp
• Dale Russakoff
  NY Times Bestselling Author of The Prize: Who’s In Charge of America’s Schools? ; former Washington Post Reporter
• Mary Alice Williams
  Acclaimed NJTV News Anchor; Former CNN and NBC Broadcast Journalist

SPORTS

• Joetta Clark Diggs
  Four-Time Olympic Track Champion
• Terry Dillard
  Chief Pilot – MetLife Blimp “Snoopy One”
• Dave Kaplan
  Yogi Berra Museum - Founding Director; Co-authored 4 books with Yogi Berra including NY Times Bestseller When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!
• Phillip Richter
  Champion Equestrian, US Equestrian Federation, Hamptons Classic & Lake Placid Horse Show Board of Directors; Co-founder, Hollow Brook Wealth Management

HEALTHCARE

• Lidia Fonseca
  Quest Diagnostics - SVP & Chief Information Officer
• Mirian Graddick-Weir
  Merck & Co. – EVP, Human Resources; among Black Enterprise’s 50 Most Powerful Women
• Mary Lou Panzano
  Bayer Corporation – VP & Head of US Internal Communications
• Ihor S. Sawczuk, MD
  Hackensack University Medical Center – President
• Suneet Varma
  Pfizer Consumer Healthcare - President

SCIENCE

• Debbie Hart
  BioNJ – Founding President & CEO; among Scientific American Worldview’s 100 Most Influential People in Biotechnology
• David A. Robinson, PhD
  NJ State Climatologist; Professor of Geography, Rutgers University
• Stephen Zebiak, PhD
  El Niño & Climate Expert; Senior Research Scientist at the International Research Institute, Earth Institute, Columbia University

PUBLIC SERVICE

• Honorable Glenn Berman
  Former Superior Court Judge - Presided over NJ’s 2012 landmark cyberbullying case: State v. Dharun Ravi
• Brigadier General Patrick W. Burden
  Picatinny Arsenal - Senior Commander & Deputy Program Executive Officer Ammunition with Lieutenant  Colonel Ingrid A. Parker Picatinny Arsenal – Garrison Commander
• James G. Mottola
  Former US Secret Service Agent; Sobel & Co. - Director, Forensic Investigations/Litigation Support

INDUSTRY

• Marc Adee
  Crum & Forster – Chairman & CEO
• Richard E. Constable III
  Wyndham Worldwide - SVP, Gov. Relations & Commercial Contracts; former Deputy Comm. NJ Dept. of Labor & Workforce Dev.; Asst. US Attorney
• Gerard Insall
  Avis Budget Group, Inc. - EVP & Chief Information Officer
• Douglas L. Kennedy
  Peapack-Gladstone Bank - President & CEO; named Corporate Livewire’s 2015 CEO of the Year
• Valerie Oswalt
  Mondelēz International - President, US Sales

This very popular event fills up quickly so be sure to buy your tickets early, available online at www.morrisarts.org. Proceeds from Great Conversations help to support the many programs and services provided by Morris Arts.  Often accomplished “behind the scenes,” Morris Arts’ work serves hundreds of thousands of people each year – with arts in education programs, arts programming in the community, grants, scholarships, advocacy, innovative community-building events and support for artists and arts organizations. These efforts are critical to enriching and improving the quality of life in the broader community.   Come and savor the art of live conversation, meet some extraordinary individuals and help a truly worthy organization give back to its community.

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our corporate sponsors: Mariner Wealth Advisers – Madison; Bayer; Crum & Forster; Hackensack University Medical Center; MetLife, Inc.; NJTV; NJ Advance Media providing services for NJ.com & The Star Ledger; PwC; Wyndham Worldwide; Mondelēz International; Quest Diagnostics; The Avis Budge Charitable Foundation; JWeber Creative, LLC; MCM Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley; Normandy Real Estate Partners; Peapack-Gladstone Bank; Pfizer Consumer Healthcare; Atlantic Health System; Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc.; Makovsky Integrated Communications; NK Architects; Sherman Wells Sylvester & Stamelman LLP; Kings Food Markets; Riker Danzig.

Morris Arts, located in Morristown, NJ, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1973 dedicated to building community through the arts. Using the arts to inspire, connect and engage, Morris Arts serves as a resource for Morris County with a special focus on arts programming in the schools and in the community, arts advocacy, and support of the Morris Area community of artists and arts organizations.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has awarded the Morris Arts a “Citation of Excellence” and designated it as a “Major Service Organization” in recognition of its “solid history of service excellence, substantial activity and broad public service.”