In Memoriam

IWFCT Remembers Ann Ives

September 14, 2024

The women of the International Women’s Forum of Connecticut (IWFCT) are deeply saddened by the passing of one of our past founders Ann Ives.

Laberta Ann Ives was an amazing leader and an exceptional contributor to IWFCT. She served as an IWFCT officer as well as on multiple IWFCT committees. She was always active and engaged both at local IWFCT events as well as at national and international IWF conferences. She has and always remained a supporter of young women, fellow members and the organization.

Ann was a pioneer serving as a corporate officer and in senior management positions before starting her own successful company. She began her career working for the Insurance Company of North America after which she worked at American Marketing Research Co.; travelled to Singapore and Hong Kong and became the first female vice president of the company. Her business experience acumen and that of her business partner, Sandy Nathan, led them to create their company The Educator's Network.

After retirement, Ann was a money management volunteer for South Central Connecticut Agency of Aging.

More about Ann can be found at the following link.

IWFCT Remembers Roberta Prescott

December 14, 2022

The women of the International Women’s Forum of Connecticut (IWFCT) are deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Past President and Board Member Roberta Prescott.

Roberta was the ultimate example of an IWFCT member and sister. Her dedication to IWFCT was more than exemplary. She made it her commitment to reach out to everyone and get to know them and help wherever she could. She remembered every detail and was never short in reaching out and following up to check on you.

Roberta was a successful entrepreneur which was evident in her daily commitment to better anyone she met and any organization she joined. She was loved and respected by everyone. We will miss her sweet smile, her kind words and her sisterhood.

We are blessed to have spent the time we did with Roberta. She will always be in our hearts. Rest in Peace Roberta.

More about Roberta's Obituary can be found at the following link.

The Memoriam is also posted at the IWF HQ Website.

Read More: Our IWF Connecticut members had much to say about Roberta.

“I first met and worked closely with Roberta in my capacity as a Board member of the International Women’s Forum of Connecticut(IWFCT) and later succeeding her as the Board Chair. She was an amazing leader who took me under her wing as a guardian, protector and a brand ambassador. She was always there for me at every step of the way with compassion, love and support.

More importantly, Roberta was the ultimate connector and communicator who influenced countless lives from business executives to colleagues, friends and family. She was the rock who shared her faithful support and kindness with all and her commitment to support non-profit organizations and IWFCT.

We will miss her friendly smile, her presence, her kindness. She was our sister and we will keep her memory alive. We love you, Roberta.” Marie Meliksetian, President, International Women’s Forum of Connecticut

“When speaking with Roberta’s sister Linda at Roberta’s memorial luncheon, I commented how Roberta had always been so kind to me and had “taken me under her wing.” I never really understood why she had taken such a “special interest” in me. Linda smiled from ear to ear and kindly explained that Roberta was like that with everybody. She had a unique gift of making the person in front of her at any given moment feel like the most important person in her universe. I simply loved that about her!

Roberta was truly a Renaissance woman. She loved the arts, especially the theatre and remained true to this lifelong passion. She enjoyed good food, fine wine, and international travel.

A woman ahead of her time, she managed her own successful consulting and coaching company and was highly regarded in the greater Hartford business community.

Her greatest source of pride was always her family and she never tired of sharing stories and anecdotes about her children and grandchildren. Her devotion to Bob and her extended network of family and friends offers an inspiring legacy for all of us to emulate.” Molly Gavin Rees, Past President, Connecticut Community Care, Inc.

“Roberta welcomed me as a new member to IWF with open arms and a few years later I had the honor of transitioning her to Board Chair, succeeding me. She was one of the most gracious and caring leaders I ever met. Her love of IWFCT and its importance to senior women leaders was unquestionable. She honored women at all stages of their career and was especially engaged with young women starting their career path through her business and her personal passion.

I was able to get to know Roberta on a personal level through a trip we made many years ago through IWF in Berlin and I will never forget the warmth of the day we walked together and talked nonstop about our family and our passions. I was able to see into Roberta’s pure heart and how she managed personal tragedy when her daughter decided to live out her life without further medical interventions and how as a mother, she honored her daughters wishes even though her heart was breaking for her child. She taught me through this the importance of inner strength, thoughtfulness, and her ability to allow her daughter dignity until the end. These are lessons I have always remembered and have tried to build into my own ethos.

Roberta will be remembered by me as being caring, loving, and articulate in defining her passions and for her love of family. Roberta will be greatly missed by me, and I am sure by those she meaningfully touched throughout her life. Valarie Gelb, CEO at Gelb Global Business Growth Advisors

“Roberta Prescott was more than remarkable. Yes, Roberta was awarded a most "remarkable" woman by the Hartford Courant for her successful Prescott Group communications business and her many community interests. Roberta was more than the many awards she received. She was a friend with a friendship that kept on giving. Roberta was the smile in the room or lately on Zoom that wanted to do more for every person she met. She became the role model for so many who knew her and will be greatly missed.” Peggy Boissoneau, Finance/IT Executive at Raytheon Technologies

"Roberta was a very successful businesswoman and clearly made a big difference in her field. But what I will remember most about her was her graciousness and warmth. She always made one feel that she was genuinely delighted to see and spend time with you. She will be very much missed.” Carolyn Miles, Senior Advisor and Executive Fellow at University Virginia Darden

“Roberta was such a warm, generous, supportive person. I met Roberta when she first joined IWFCT years ago. Her enthusiasm, kindness, mentorship, and generosity of spirit were ever-present. No event was too far or too inconvenient for Roberta, she valued her IWFCT colleagues, and we valued her! She is greatly missed.” Kate Larson, IWFCT Committee Member

“There was no one more positive than Roberta! She was always upbeat, kind and so very warm. Being in her presence was like a big hug. How fortunate were we to know and love her!” Debra Hertz, Managing Director, The Strategy Group, LLC.

IWFCT Remembers Anne Elvgren

April 2, 2021

The women of the IWF Connecticut Forum are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our beloved member Anne Elvgren.

Anne was a faithful IWFCT Forum member, a sister and a friend. Her support and kindness unrivaled by many. We will miss her lighthearted laughter, her energetic personality and her willingness to go the extra mile to help anyone.

We are blessed to have spent the time we did with Anne and although she is no longer with us, she will always and ever be near and in our hearts. Rest in Peace Anne.

More about Anne's life and her obituary can be found at the following link

The Memoriam is also be posted at the Global IWF website.

Read More: Our IWF Connecticut members had much to say about Anne

“Anne was a trailblazer and a role model to all of us. Her mission in life was to help others. Her laugh and smile was contagious. She radiated positiveness and thrived as an entrepreneur. If you wanted to meet anyone in Connecticut, you’d reach out to Anne. She was respected by all. Her loss will leave a huge hole in our hearts but her memories will live with us forever. I know Anne is looking down at us and saying don’t grieve, don’t cry, we will meet again someday. Rest in peace Anne. We love you”. Marie Meliksetian, President, International Women’s Forum of Connecticut

"It’s hard to imagine the world without Anne - without her enthusiasm, her zest for life, her incredibly generous spirit. Anne was a champion for countless people and causes in and around Connecticut and beyond. I think as a community we have only just begun to realize the huge hole that is left with her untimely passing. She will most assuredly be sorely missed.

Anne and I had exchanged several emails over the weekend before she passed away. We were looking forward to putting a lunch on the calendar after more than a year of connecting only by phone. In her last email to me, sent on Saturday evening at around 8 pm, she shared the following:

"I am reading 30 essays written by applicants for the $5,000 Eileen Kraus scholarship this evening. This is a program of the CT Women's Hall of Fame. Applicants pick one of the 125 former inductees into the hall as the focus of their essay. I am impressed by their sincerity."

It would be just like Anne, I thought, to be dedicating her Saturday evening to one of the countless worthwhile causes to which she devoted her time and energies. Giving of her talents, her spirit, and more than anything her heart was ’signature Anne’. To those of us fortunate to know her, she touched our lives with inspiration, joy and love.

May Anne's memory be a blessing”. Laura Dambier, VP and Membership Chair, International Women’s Forum of Connecticut

“Rarely was there an event in Hartford where you did not see Anne Elvgren. When she saw you, she warmly greeted you and wanted to know what and how you were doing. It was never about her. I am so much better for having known her and so grateful for our friendship. When we can gather again, I will be looking for her smiling face in the crowd” Susan Dunn, Program Co-Chair, International Women’s Forum of Connecticut

“Anne was a positive woman leader in our Community. She knew so many people in Connecticut and wanted everyone in her wide circle to become connected. I was very grateful that she included me in the many events that she supported and the lunches that she arranged. I will miss her warm and supportive friendship”. Meredith Reuben, CEO, EBP Supply Solutions

“I am forever indebted to Anne for introducing me to IWFCT and persistently and pleasantly encouraging me to join. Her generosity and care opened my world to this amazing community of supportive, welcoming women. I know I’ll appreciate and feel her warmth in each event and meeting I have. She impacted my life in so many ways, and many still yet to be explored through this wonderful alliance of friends and colleagues we share. May she rest in peace knowing what a difference she’s made”. Jennifer Tombaugh, President Tauck

“Anne was a warm and wonderful person with whom I enjoyed many outdoor concerts and other events. We had so many mutual friends and always enjoyed each other’s company”. Nancy Bernstein, President and CEO Women’s’ Health CT Inc.

“Anne brought together a unique combination of big city sophistication with a real down to earth Minnesota-girl warmth. She just about rescued me when I came to Hartford in 2012 to run the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Anne knew everyone and was the master connector of us all in the region. She introduced me to so many other amazing women and gave me free and expert advice on whom I needed to know and whom to honor at our fundraisers and how to plan events. She always checked in on me and was truly a friend on so many levels. I marveled at her knowledge of art and antiques- a passion of hers. She never wavered from her genuine concern and loyalty for all of her women friends and her annual holiday event will be missed. I loved to hear her well thought out views on the political scene and she was an encyclopedia of modern day political history. Anne- I will miss your sweet Minnesota accent and your check ins, your clothing tips and all the wonderfulness you brought to my life when I had the privilege and pleasure to call you a friend. Rest in peace, dear Anne”. Mary Barneby, Regional CEO, Red Cross, Greater New York Area

“Too young, too early and a great loss” Michele Etzel, CEO National Enterprise Solutions, LLC

IWFCT Remembers Anne Hyde, IWFCT Founder

May 11, 2018

Over a half century of active, professional life, Anne founded organizations in general management, executive search, organization/management, consulting and marketing experience. A disciple of Peter Drucker, she served on the Advisory Board Selection Committee for the Fellows Program of The Drucker Foundation, and was active in many professional and business organizations. She was a founding member and former board member of the Women's Forum of New York, the Connecticut Women's Forum (past president) and the International Women's Forum.

Anne was born and educated in Great Britain and earned a degree from the University of London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama in drama, theater and Shakespearean plays. She found her life's work in the field of human resources, where her passion and expertise shone and traveled across the Atlantic in the 1960's.

Over the decades, Anne founded numerous enterprises, among them GenCom and The Hyde Group: Management Women, Inc, an executive search firm specializing in women and minorities; The Management Woman Institute and Parker Hyde Enterprises. She provided executive search and consulting services to leading corporations, government agencies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.

Anne served on a White House task force evaluating human resource issues, and conducted seminars and workshops at Columbia, Cornell, NYU and Pace University.

She was a tireless and fierce advocate for women and will be remembered with affection and gratitude by the legions to whom she was a pillar of strength, generosity, advice and encouragement. Requiescat in pace.

Read More on the following link on the Global IWF website