CT Public’s Vanessa de la Torre will be Keynote Speaker at 2025 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame

The National Immigrant Heritage Center’s Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame (IHHF) has announced that Vanessa de la Torre, Chief Content Officer at Connecticut Public, will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 induction gala, to be held on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT.

Vanessa de la Torre oversees all content at CT Public, with a mission to inform, educate and inspire diverse audiences across the state, including on radio, television and the organization’s 60-plus digital platforms. Since 2020, she has also led the New England News Collaborative, a regional hub of top public media stations producing news and in-depth storytelling throughout New England.

Previously, de la Torre was a reporter for Connecticut Public and the public radio collaborative Sharing America, covering issues of race, identity and culture. Before joining the public media world, de la Torre wrote for newspapers including the Hartford Courant, where her investigative storytelling on Hartford education won regional and national awards. She also was part of the Courant team that was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.

De la Torre grew up in El Centro, Calif., an immigrant community near the U.S.-Mexico border, and is a graduate of Princeton University. She received her master's degree from Stanford University’s Graduate Program in Journalism. Recently, de la Torre served on the board of the award-winning New England chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

The National Immigrant Heritage Center (NIHC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and promoting immigrant heritage and cultural diversity as defining features of the American nation. The Center also works to promote inter-ethnic and intercultural understanding and to highlight the vital contributions of immigrants to the U.S. economy, culture, and civic life.

Since its founding in 2013, the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame has honored more than 40 exceptional individuals whose immigrant backgrounds have shaped education, health, civic engagement, and culture in Connecticut and beyond, reflecting the remarkable contributions of immigrants to the American story.

This year’s distinguished and accomplished honorees are:

• Dr. Ali Antar, Emeritus Professor and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Central Connecticut State University. Born in Egypt, he came to the United States after earning his Bachelor Degree in Science. He subsequently obtained a Doctorate Degree in Atomic and Nuclear Physics from the University of Connecticut and has been an educator for six decades. Dr. Antar is founder and co-president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford, co-founder of the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut, and past president of the Islamic Council of New England. A leader in the interfaith community, Dr. Antar is a special advisor to the president of Hartford International University, and a founding member of We Refuse to Be Enemies in coalition with Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

• Atty. Dana Bucin is an award-winning immigration attorney and partner at Harris Beach Murtha. She leads one of the most respected immigration practices in Connecticut, representing immigrants and refugees, including 70 Afghan nationals applying for Humanitarian Parole, and assisting more than 2,000 Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s full-scale invasion. She is founder of the “Connecticut for Ukraine” program matching refugees with sponsors and assisted the CT National Guard in security collaboration with the Romanian Army. She is Honorary Consul of Romania to Connecticut and was named Attorney of the Year by the CT Law Tribune.

• Dr. Demetrios Giannaros, a Greek American, served for 16 years in the Connecticut Legislature, was Deputy Majority Leader and the first foreign-born individual to serve as Deputy Speaker. He immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager with his family, and went on to earn a PhD in economics, an MA in political economy, and an MA in economic development. While at the Capitol, he was Chairman of the Education and Energy & Technology Committees, Vice Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee and a member of the International Trade Commission. After the collapse of the communist system, Dr. Giannaros was Director of the U.S. Consortium for Management Education in Central and Eastern Europe and assisted in the transition to a market economy by training professors, officials and business leaders, and assisted in establishing western-style business schools in Eastern Europe. He is former President of the World Hellenic Interparliamentary Association, served on numerous nonprofit Boards, and is former President and co-founder of the National Immigrant Heritage Center.

• Homa Naficy, born in France to Iranian parents, earned a bachelor's degree from the American University of Paris. After emigrating to the United States, she earned a Master of Library Science from Rutgers University. In 2000 she became a naturalized American citizen and joined the Hartford Public Library, where she conceived and developed The American Place, which became a highly regarded cornerstone of support for immigrant and refugee communities. The American Place is celebrated for its work helping immigrants learn English, study for the citizenship exam, and succeed in their new homeland. Ms. Naficy was appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board and served until 2023. Her many distinctions include Champion of Change from President Obama’s administration, Hartford Changemaker from Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, and the prestigious Carnegie Corporation Great Immigrants, Great Americans award.

“The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame celebrates our diverse and multicultural nation and the significant contributions of our honorees and immigrant communities,” said NIHC President Asha Lassen. “We look forward to continuing this inspiring tradition at our annual gala on September 25, as we recognize four impressive individuals and their enduring contributions to our state and nation.”

Sponsors for the 2025 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame Gala include Access Health CT, Yale University, Hartford Healthcare, and Eversource.

The Media Sponsor is WTNH News 8. The station will be highlighting the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame event throughout September, leading up to the 2025 induction ceremony.

For the first time, The Museum of Connecticut History at the Connecticut State Library will have a presence at the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame event, with the museum’s travelling Outreach Van on hand at the AquaTurf entrance 5:30-6:30 on September 25, providing attendees an opportunity to visit materials from the library museum archives particularly related to immigrants and Connecticut history.

The National Immigrant Heritage Center aims to celebrate, preserve, publicize, and promote immigrant heritage and cultural diversity as defining characteristics of the American nation, and the contributions of immigrants and immigration to the American economy, culture, and civil society. The NIHC advocates for Immigrants and Refugees, facilitates collaboration among related organizations on mission-based services and programs and promotes inter-ethnic and cultural understanding.

Tickets for the 2025 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame gala are now available. A wide variety of sponsorships are also available to support the event and the National Immigrant Heritage Center. For up-to-date ticket, sponsorship and inductee information, visit immigrantheritage.org.