Karissa Niehoff Honored for Commitment to Gender Equity

Left to right: Felice Gray-Kemp, Honoree; Karissa Niehoff, Honoree; Sue Murphy, Honoree; Karen DeMeola, Honoree; and, Alice Pritchard, Executive Director

Left to right: Bonnie Edmondson, CWEALF Board Member; Alice Pritchard, Executive Director; Karissa Niehoff, CAS Executive Director and Honoree; and, Suzi D’Annolfo, University of Hartford’s Department of Education

CAS Executive Director Dr. Karissa Niehoff is one of this year’s recipients of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund’s (CWEALF) prestigious Maria Miller Stewart Award. Dr. Niehoff was honored for her dedication to gender equity and as a role model for women in education and sports. The award was presented on October 6, 2015, at CWEALF’s annual awards dinner, “One Woman Makes A Difference.” held at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. The event included a reception and silent auction.

In her acceptance remarks, Dr. Niehoff stated, “Leadership can be at once rewarding and extremely challenging; sometimes a lonely place. One of the first pieces of advice I offer is to develop self-confidence. One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go.”

CWEALF is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women, girls and their families to achieve equal opportunities in their personal and professional lives. The other 2015 Maria Miller Stewart Award recipients are: Felice Gray-Kemp, deputy general counsel for Amphenol Corporation; Sue Murphy, vice president and executive director of Liberty Bank Foundation; and, Karen DeMeola, assistant dean of students at the University of Connecticut School of Law.