NBC CT News Anchor Amber Diaz Named to Emcee Immigrant Heritage Event

NBC Connecticut news anchor/reporter Amber Diaz will serve as emcee for the 2022 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Gala, taking place on July 14, 2022. Tickets are now on sale (go to www.immigrantheritage.org) for the event, to be held at Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry Street, Plantsville, CT, opening with a reception at 5:30, followed by the induction ceremony, keynote address, dinner and an artistic program featuring performances reflecting the cultural backgrounds and heritage of the inductees.

Diaz joined the NBC & Telemundo Connecticut team as the 5:30 pm anchor/reporter in April 2022. She is a Connecticut native originally from Waterbury, graduated from UCONN'S School of Journalism and received a master's degree at Syracuse S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

This year’s IHHF Induction Ceremony & Gala will be inducting Judith Altmann, educator, human rights activist and Holocaust survivor; Marilda Gándara, corporate attorney, business and philanthropic leader; Aida Mansoor, scholar, Islamic Chaplain and activist for interreligious understanding and Dr. Radenka Maric, interim President of the University of Connecticut, who was born in Yugoslavia. Altmann is a native of Czechoslovakia, Gándara was born in Cuba, and Mansoor in London (her parents in Sri Lanka).

The 2022 ceremony will celebrate the inspiring accomplishments of these four Connecticut women as they enter the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame. The number of individuals and families honored by the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame since its inception in 2013 will total 35, with the four new inductees.

Lead Sponsors

NBC CT/ Telemundo is media partner for the 2022 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame. The stations will be highlighting the inductees during the coming weeks, in advance of the 2022 Induction Ceremony & Gala, and will be promoting the local event as part of the Community Connections initiative.

2022 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame sponsors include: The Tariq & Asma Farid Foundation and Laz Parking (Diamond Sponsors), Zachs Family Foundation and PKF O’Connor Davies Accountants and Advisors (Gold Sponsors), and DEJE Group LLC, Express Strategies and Hospital for Special Care (Bronze Sponsors). Media sponsors include Hartford Business Journal and New Haven BIZ, and The Hartford Courant. Artistic Program Sponsor is the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. Additional sponsorship opportunities to support the 2022 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame event are available. To learn more, visit https://www.immigrantheritage.org/ihhf-sponsorship.

Keynote Speaker

Angelina Gadeliya, Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at the University of Connecticut, will be the keynote speaker for the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 14. Gadeliya, who spent her youth in Ukraine, also serves as the President of the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Connecticut. Gadeliya’s work with Ensemble Connect and the NYC-based Decoda ensemble has frequently brought her to the stages of Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School, as well as to Germany, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, and the Trinity Wall Street series. In recent months, the Chopin Society has been actively involved in efforts to support the people of Ukraine.

Ticket Information

To purchase tickets for the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Gala, visit www.immigrantheritage.org/tickets. For more information on the 2022 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame email info@immigrantheritage.org or call 860-614-3488.

“The event promises to be a memorable and motivational evening for all who attend,” said Demetrios Giannaros, president of the National Immigrant Heritage Center. The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame is operated by the National Immigrant Heritage Center (NIHC), an independent 501(c)3 organization established as a multi-ethnic Center, inclusive in its mission, structure and governance. The NIHC is dedicated to celebrate, preserve, publicize and promote immigrant heritage and cultural diversity.

IHHF emcee Amber Diaz began her career in journalism at News 12 in the Bronx and Brooklyn, followed by a move to FOX 12 in Portland, Oregon, where she covered the 2016 Presidential Election. Her next reporting job was for CBS4 Miami. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting happened two weeks after her arrival, which changed Amber's life forever. She talked with victims' parents, attended memorials, and got to know families affected by the massacre. After covering hard news in Miami for two years, she decided it was time to go home, where she reported for WTNH for two years before joining the team at NBC & Telemundo Connecticut earlier this year. She can be seen weekdays at 5:30 pm alongside anchor Kevin Nathan on NBC Connecticut.