The Stamford Partnership

?? Some professional news: It has been my enormous privilege to lead The Stamford Partnership over the past couple of years. This 45-year-old nonprofit does so much good in our community to catalyze big civic projects and improve lives. Working alongside Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons and our talented board of trustees and staff has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Together we’ve helped to prepare the tech workforce of the future, awarded no-strings grants to entrepreneurs of color, hosted fireside chats in AI and quantum technologies with speakers of national stature, relaunched the venerable Leadership Fairfield County program, and so many other meaningful initiatives. Next week I will be beginning a new role at the The Paley Center for Media in New York. My background is in journalism—I worked for more than a decade as a domestic and foreign correspondent—and this is a critical inflection point for media in this country. The Paley Center, founded by former CBS president William S. Paley, is convening the most impactful leaders in media, technology, finance, and sports to help reimagine the industry’s future.

With the 2024 election less than two weeks away, how can we boost our "influence immunity" against disinformation campaigns? Last week Dr. Dana LaFon, founder of the National Security Agency's Office of Operational Psychology, joined the Stamford Partnership for a fireside chat at University of Connecticut-Stamford to discuss the tactics disinformation campaigns employ and how we can inoculate ourselves against them. The program was introduced by Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House intelligence committee. For further background, see Dr. LaFon's article “Building Influence Immunity Can Strengthen the Integrity of U.S. Elections": https://lnkd.in/e-N-gxre #civicengagement #disinformation #election2024 #elections #vote #vote2024

Thank you to everyone who came out last night for the 3rd Annual Stamford Partnership UnGala — it was truly a memorable night! Stay tuned for more photo galleries in the coming days. Big gratitude to our sponsors: Stamford Health Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP Philip Morris International Band Central Rubenstein Partners George Comfort & Sons, Inc. McKinsey & Company Optimum Business Robinson+Cole Rowena Track and Elie Track University of Connecticut School of Business Digital Frontiers Initiative Merrill Scala Computing Norwalk Community College Foundation, Inc Kaster Moving Co Inc Eastern Land Management, Inc. Photo: Kimberly C. #ungala #philanthropy #gala #outerspace

Rep. Jim Himes told our sold-out audience last week that the program on disinformation represented "the convergence of two huge streams in my life that don't usually converge": the worlds of intelligence and Southwest Connecticut. "In DC I spend a ton of time doing stuff I can't talk very much about," said Himes, who is ranking member of the House intelligence committee. "I'm usually in the deep underground underneath the Capitol in the SCIF--which, as most of you know, stands for Secure Compartmented Information Facility ... getting briefed on the many, many threats that face this country and providing oversight of our remarkable intelligence community." #intelligence #Congress #connecticut #cybersecurity #disinformation

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Stamford Partnership for allowing me to share my insights on disinformation and influence psychology. It's inspiring to be part of such a forward-thinking organization that is dedicated to training future leaders and educating the public. Truly a privilege!

TOMORROW, 10/23! There are just a few tickets left for the Stamford Partnership's 3rd annual UnGala! This year's party is an outer-space theme and promises stellar food, drinks, live music by Band Central, dancing, fun activities, raffles, auctions, and more--all for a great cause! Date: Wednesday, October 23rd Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Location: The Farmhouse at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center Grab your tickets by clicking here today: https://lnkd.in/eCHKfgwR Big thank you to our 2024 sponsors: Stamford Health Carmody Torrance Sandak and Hennessey Optimum Business Philip Morris International George Comfort and Sons Robinson+Cole McKinsey & Company Band Central Rubenstein Partners Merrill Lynch Rowena Track and Elie Track Scala Computing University of Connecticut CITI Digital Frontiers Initiative Norwalk Community College Foundation, Inc Kaster Moving Co Inc Eastern Land Management, Inc. And more!

GALLERY: What is “pre-bunking,” and how can the U.S. counter disinformation campaigns and cyber threats before they take hold? Timely discussion last week with Dr. Dana LaFon, founder of the National Security Agency’s Office of Operational Psychology, and Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House intelligence committee, on disinformation, influence principles, and cybersecurity at a fireside chat sponsored by the Stamford Partnership. Stay tuned for more dynamic fireside chats coming up this fall! #leadership #tech #innovation #cybersecurity #disinformation Photos: Kimberly C.

The Stamford Partnership - thank you for the event last night to reconnect with my fellow Fairfield county leadership cohorts from so many years ago! Loved the engaging conversation on data, cyber and real life criminal profiling with Jim Himes Dana LaFon

Outstanding discussion last night with Rep. Jim Himes of the House intelligence committee and Dr. Dana LaFon, founder of the National Security Agency’s Office of Operational Psychology and National Intelligence Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, on the timely and important topic of disinformation and influence principles. Thank you to the standing-room-only crowd who came out to the University of Connecticut-Stamford to celebrate The Stamford Partnership’s Leadership Fairfield County program and mission of cultivating a robust and inclusive tech ecosystem in Connecticut! #leadership #publicservice #tech #technology #innovation Jodi Gutierrez Scott Conley Shannon Malkin Daniels

This event with Dr. Dana LaFon and Rep. Jim Himes about disinformation and cybersecurity is now sold out! Dr. LaFon founded the National Security Agency’s Office of Operational Psychology and served as National Intelligence Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. (She will be speaking in her capacity as a private citizen and the opinions she expresses will be her own.) Rep. Himes, who will provide the program’s introduction, is ranking member of the House intelligence committee. Stay tuned for more upcoming fireside chats from the Stamford Partnership! #intel #intelligence #cybersecurity #disinformation #tech #innovation