At
the Petit Family Foundation’s Evening Honoring Women in Science, Jeffrey R.
Immelt, chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric, stands with
Dr. William A. Petit Jr, chairman and president of the Petit foundation, and John Rathgeber, president of
Connecticut Business & Industry Association.
The
fundraiser was headed by honorary chairman and speaker Jeffrey R. Immelt, the
chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric. Immelt was a classmate
of William A. Petit Jr. at
Guest
speakers were Jennifer Whiffen and Anabella Villalobos who have achieved high
levels of success in the field of science. Whiffen is a senior biomedical/design
engineer with Covidien surgical devices manufacturer in New Have. Villalobos is
a vice president of neuroscience and antibody drug conjugate medical chemistry
at Pfizer.
Immelt
has been chairman and CEO at GE since 2001, rising through several global
leadership positions since joining the company in 1982.
At
the gala, it was announced the Petit Family Foundation was providing a $50,000
grant to establish Michaela’s Garden on the roof of the science
center.
The
project is named for Michaela Rose Petit who died in 2007 at the age of 11.
Michaela, her sister, Hayley, and her mother, Jennifer, all lost their lives in
a violent home invasion.
Michaela
loved the flowers and foliage plants that she and her father planted and
maintained over the years at their
Four
O’Clock seeds are available at the AMP office at
During
the event, guests also experienced the hands-on exhibits, dined and participated
in the silent auction.
The
final figure of monies raised by the Women in Science gala has not been
announced.
Posted: Thursday,
December 15, 2011 11:21 am | Updated:
11:28 am, Thu Dec 15, 2011.