Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

Name: Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
Address: 320 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT, 06515, US
Telephone: +12033929007

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Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

Educational outreach organization serving all of Connecticut with free, innovative women's history programs! Visit our Virtual Hall at www.cwhf.org!

06/23/2026

2011 Inductee Isabelle M. Kelley was a Connecticut trailblazer whose name many people don’t know, but her impact is felt in households across the country every single day. As a public servant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kelley helped design and lead what would become the modern food stamp program, now known as SNAP, creating a lifeline for families facing hardship.

Her legacy is not only humanitarian, but also economically powerful. Research from USDA and independent experts shows that every $1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.50–$1.80 in economic activity, supporting jobs in grocery stores, transportation, farming, and local businesses. One USDA analysis estimates that $1 billion in SNAP benefits can increase U.S. GDP by about $1.5–$1.54 billion and support more than 13,000 jobs.

Through her quiet but transformative public service, Isabelle M. Kelley helped build a program that both reduces hunger and strengthens local economies. On United Nations Public Service Day, we honor Kelley and all the women whose behind‑the‑scenes leadership nourishes communities and stimulates economic growth.
CWHF.ORG

06/19/2026

On June 19, 1865, news of emancipation finally reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, 900 days after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Juneteenth invites us to reflect on the distance between a promise and its fulfillment, and on the generations of Black Americans who have worked, created, and organized to shorten that distance. At the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, we are mindful of the many Black women whose courage, intellect, and artistry have shaped our state and our country, usually without the recognition they deserved.

As you move through the day, we invite you to learn, listen, and actively make space for these histories in your classrooms, communities, and conversations. Join in Juneteenth celebrations across Connecticut and help honor this legacy through your engagement and advocacy.
cwhf.org

06/17/2026

Nell Newman, an environmentalist and founder of Newman’s Own Organics, turned a love of good food into a movement for sustainable agriculture and philanthropy. Her commitment to organic farming has helped expand pesticide‑free acreage, protect ecosystems, and support communities around the globe, showing how something as simple as what we eat can drive lasting change. Today, we invite you to make one small, thoughtful choice, whether that’s adding more vegetables to your plate, seeking out organic options, or supporting local farmers who care for the land and our collective future.

cwhf.org nellnewmanfoundation.org

06/15/2026

Gladys Tantaquidgeon was a Mohegan medicine woman, anthropologist, and fierce protector of her Nation’s culture. She spent her life gathering stories, language, and healing traditions from Mohegan elders, carefully writing them down so they wouldn’t be lost. She helped create and steward the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum, one of the oldest Native owned and operated museums in the United States, as a place where Mohegan people could see their own history told in their own voices.
Across more than 100 years, she advised tribal leaders, supported Mohegan youth, and quietly pushed back against efforts to erase Indigenous presence in Connecticut.
On her birthday, we honor her as the keeper of memory and builder of the future, someone who proved that preserving culture is not just about looking back but about ensuring the next generations know exactly who they are.

Read more about this Icon at cwhf.org & visit the Tantaquidgeon Museum, mohegan.nsn.us/explore/museum

06/14/2026

2021 Inductee Theresa Younger has built her career around creating a more just and equitable Connecticut. From her lifelong passion as a Girl Scout, first as a girl and later as an adult leader, to her work at the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and in other advocacy and philanthropic roles, she has consistently used her voice and expertise to expand opportunity for women, girls, and gender expansive people.
In addition to her service in Connecticut, she has spent the past several years leading the Ms. Foundation for Women, helping to move resources to grassroots leaders and keep racial and gender justice at the center of national conversations. As her tenure at the foundation concludes and she turns toward her next challenge, we celebrate all she has accomplished and look forward to seeing where her leadership goes next.
Please join us in wishing inductee Theresa Younger a very happy birthday and in honoring the impact she continues to have on Connecticut and beyond.
cwhf.org

06/12/2026

We celebrate Inductee Anni Albers, the German‑born American textile artist took weaving from “women’s work” to MOMA.

Born in Berlin in 1899, Albers studied at the Bauhaus before fleeing N**i Germany and making Connecticut her home, where she taught and created groundbreaking textile art. Major exhibitions showcase how she moved from woven wall hangings to bold works on paper, always pushing materials in new directions.

Learn more about Anni and other remarkable Connecticut Women at cwhf.org

06/10/2026

Bigelow Tea was founded by Ruth Campbell Bigelow and entrusted to the next generations of the Bigelow family, including third‑generation president and CEO Cindi Bigelow, who continues to lead this Connecticut‑based, woman‑owned company with care and vision. As a supporter of CWHF during the recent Great Give, Bigelow offers a powerful example of women’s leadership in business and commitment to community.

cwhf.org

05/26/2026

cwhf.org

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to the wonderful mothers featured on our Mother’s Wall of Fame. These honorees were chosen by their children or those they inspired, we’re honored to celebrate them with Mother’s Day e-cards and a place on our Mother's Day Wall of Fame. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this tribute so special.
cwhf.org

Address

320 Fitch Street
New Haven, CT
06515

Telephone

+12033929007

Website

http://www.cwhf.org/

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