An Evening Honoring Women in Science

Thursday November 17, 2011 6:30PM – 9:30PM

The evening will be comprised of interactive exhibits on multiple levels, encouraging our guests to experience and explore.

The Connecticut Science Center encourages you to challenge your senses of sight, sound and touch while an array of delicious cuisine and beverages satisfy your senses of smell and taste.

5:30PM – Registration opens for Pre-Event ticket holders
6:00PM – Pre-Event Presentation in Theater with Jeff Immelt (Pre-Event ticket holders Only)
6:30PM – Registration Opens – Experience and Explore
6:30PM – 8:00PM – Silent Auction
8:00PM – Welcome by Petit Family Foundation and Jeff Immelt
8:15PM – Honoree Recognition and Awards
9:30PM – Conclusion

Attire: Business, tie optional

Speaker and Award Recipient Information

Honorary Chair and Speaker

Jeff Immelt
Chairman & CEO – GE

Jeffrey R. Immelt is the ninth chairman of GE, a post he has held since September 7, 2001.

Mr. Immelt has held several global leadership positions since coming to GE in 1982, including roles in GE’s Plastics, Appliance, and Healthcare businesses. In 1989 he became an officer of GE and joined the GE Capital Board in 1997. A couple years later, in 2000, Mr. Immelt was appointed president and chief executive officer.

Mr. Immelt has been named one of the “World’s Best CEOs” three times by Barron’s, and since he began serving as chief executive officer, GE has been named “America’s Most Admired Company” in a poll conducted by Fortune magazine and one of “The World’s Most Respected Companies” in polls by Barron’s and the Financial Times.

Mr. Immelt is the chair of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. He is also a member of The Business Council.

Mr. Immelt earned a B.A. degree in applied mathematics from Dartmouth College in 1978 and an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1982. He and his wife have one daughter.

Women in Science Honorees

Jennifer Whiffen
Senior Biomedical/Design Engineer – Covidien Surgical Devices

Jennifer Whiffen is a Senior Biomedical/Design Engineer for Covidien, a surgical device manufacturer in North Haven. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to joining Covidien, Jennifer designed minimally invasive spinal implants and instrumentation for a start-up company that she joined at inception.

At Covidien, Jennifer’s position requires her to interface with surgeons and understand the challenges they face during surgical procedures. Through conversation and observation she is able to determine their unmet needs or product requirements. Through collaboration with other engineers, marketing, and field representatives at Covidien, she works to develop innovative new products that meet these customers’ needs. Jennifer also develops methods to test and evaluate these products, to ensure safety and efficacy and to provide evidence that these devices improve surgical efficiency and superior patient outcomes.

Jennifer is an inventor on three patents, has twelve patents pending, and six scientific publications.  She was a 2011 Women of Innovation finalist for the Connecticut Technology Council. Jennifer is a leader within Covidien’s Women’s Leadership Initiative group, which creates development and networking opportunities for its members.  She has been a Director of Individual Development for the Foxboro Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) and has chaired a number of community based projects in Foxborough, MA.

Jennifer and her husband, Tom, recently created a fundraiser called Rollercoaster Fanatics for The Hole in Wall Gang Charity in which they rode over 100 different rollercoasters, at 9 different amusement parks, in 9 days and raised more than one thousand dollars. 
When not working, Jennifer enjoys many activities such as volleyball, kayaking, hiking, and snowboarding.  She is an avid reader and values spending time with her family, friends and her dog, Bailey.



Anabella Villalobos
VP, Neuroscience and Antibody Drug Conjugate Medicinal Chemistry – Pfizer

Anabella Villalobos still holds on to the notebook from her high school organic chemistry class-it’s not buried deep in the back of some closet-it’s in her office at Pfizer’s lab in Groton, CT. The binder, with notes written in Spanish, is a little reminder of her journey from student in Panama to Vice President of Antibacterials and Neuro-science Chemistry. In her current role, she is responsible for Pfizer’s strategy for antibacterial and neuroscience medicinal chemistry-creating greater efficiencies and effectiveness in the drug discovery process and creating a framework for generating quality drug candidates for clinical trials.

What began in a high school chemistry class continued in college, where Anabella earned a bachelors of science degree from the University of Panama. She then moved to the U.S. and completed both the PhD program in me-dicinal chemistry at the University of Kansas and post-doctorate work in synthetic organic chemistry at Yale University. Anabella cites one of her greatest strengths as her ability to bring people from different disciplines together, to develop their skills, and nurture their tal-ents to drive scientific excellence. For this, she was rec-ognized as Pfizer’s honoree for the 2006 National His-panic Corporate Achiever Award.

In addition to acting as a mentor to young scientists at Pfizer, Anabella works to encourage both women and people of Hispanic descent to pursue higher education and a career in the sciences. She sponsored the annual Career Women in Chemistry event, which connects stu-dents, ranging from high school to postdoctoral fellows, with women chemists at Pfizer to serve as role models.