WOMEN’S DAY FEATURES ANNOUNCED FOR 2011
MIKA BRZEZINSKI AND JOE SCARBOROUGH HEADLINE WOMEN’S DAY
Hartford, Conn., May 16, 2011 – The Travelers Championship will host its third annual Women’s Day presented by Travelers on Thursday, June 23, at TPC River Highlands. Mika Brzezinski will be the keynote speaker during the event and will be joined by her MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-host, Joe Scarborough, to discuss her new book, “Knowing Your Value,” and the unique professional and personal challenges women face in the key moments of their lives. In addition, Women’s Day will feature a cooking demonstration with sustainable food pioneer, chef and author Michel Nischan, founder of Wholesome Wave. Golf Digest will present a style seminar, and there will be morning and afternoon golf clinics.
“The Travelers Championship is committed to hosting special events throughout the week that the whole family can enjoy, and Women’s Day is a great way to encourage women who may never have thought of attending a golf tournament to join us for a day geared especially for them,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “We are thrilled to welcome Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough to Women’s Day to headline an impactful day of programming that will inspire and entertain women from all over the region.”
Mika Brzezinski is the co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” In January of 2010 she published her memoir “All Things At Once,” which became a New York Times Best Seller. Prior to joining MSNBC in January 2007, Brzezinski was an anchor of the “CBS Evening News Weekend Edition” and a CBS News correspondent who frequently contributed to “CBS Sunday Morning” and “60 Minutes.” She began her journalism career working in Hartford as an editor for WTIC Fox 61 and as a weekday morning anchor for WFSB. A native of New York City, Brzezinski is the daughter of Foreign Policy Expert and Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) is the host of “Morning Joe,” a show Time magazine calls “revolutionary” and the New York Times ranked as the top news show of 2008. Prior to his career in television, Scarborough was the publisher and editor of the award-winning newspaper The Florida Sun. A member of Congress from 1994-2001, he served on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee.
Women’s Day will begin with a networking breakfast at 7:00 a.m., followed by Chef Nischan’s interactive presentation on cooking with local, sustainably grown food. Locally known as Paul Newman’s partner in founding Dressing Room, his critically acclaimed restaurant in Westport, Chef Nischan is an award-winning cookbook author and TV personality who has been featured on the “NBC Nightly News,” “The Early Show” on CBS, and the “Today Show.” He is also the founder, CEO and president of Wholesome Wave, a Connecticut-based, national nonprofit organization dedicated to nourishing neighborhoods across America by increasing access to and affordability of healthy, fresh locally grown food.
After the cooking demonstration, guests will have an opportunity to “Ask the Experts” during a special Golf Digest seminar on the essentials of golf style, etiquette and equipment, for spectators and players alike, with Marty Hackel, Fashion Director for Golf Digest Properties, Golf Digest Senior Editor Stina Sternberg and Golf Digest Woman Fashion Contributor Argy Koutsothanasis.
Following a networking break and golf clinic on the TPC River Highlands practice facility hosted by PGA Professional Suzy Whaley, Mika Brzezinski will take the stage.
In addition to the programming in the Pro-Am Tent, fans will also be encouraged to visit the Subway Fan Zone on Thursday as it will feature activities and expo opportunities designed specifically for women throughout the day. Additional sponsors for Women’s Day in 2011 include Liberty Bank as a Supporting Sponsor, plus BJ’s Wholesale Club and Hartford HealthCare as Event Partners. Proceeds from Women’s Day will benefit the charities of the Travelers Championship, including The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which serves children suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses.
“Women’s Day was created to broaden the audience of the Travelers Championship by giving women the opportunity to network and connect with one another while supporting the local community,” said Doreen Spadorcia, Travelers Executive Vice President and CEO, Claim Services and Personal Insurance. “Travelers is proud to sponsor Women’s Day, which has grown into a featured event of tournament.”
For additional information on Women’s Day please visit TravelersChampionship.com. The Travelers Championship, which is part of the FedExCup, will be held June 20 – 26, 2011, at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Some of the PGA TOUR’s most notable players have committed to compete in the event, including Bubba Watson, Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington, Anthony Kim and more.
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About the Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship will be held June 20 – 26, 2011, at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. As the only PGA TOUR event in the Northeast in early summer, the Travelers Championship is one of the region’s premier sporting events. The tournament proudly supports the PGA TOUR Tradition of Giving Back by donating 100 percent of net proceeds to charities including The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, serving children facing serious illness; the Greater Hartford Jaycees, a leadership development and community service organization; and more than 130 other nonprofit organizations throughout New England. The event is sponsored by Travelers, a leading provider of property casualty insurance for home, auto and business. Travelers has been doing business in the community for nearly a century and a half, and today has more than 6,000 employees in the Greater Hartford area. The Official Property Casualty Insurer of the PGA TOUR, Travelers has been a sponsor of this event each year since its inception in 1952, becoming title sponsor in 2007. Complete details are available on www.TravelersChampionship.com.
