National Immigrant Heritage Center Announces Keynote Speaker for 2026 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The National Immigrant Heritage Center is proud to announce David Obedzinski as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 8.

Obedzinski is a distinguished nonprofit leader and former President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. Over a four-decade career, he transformed Connecticut’s philanthropic landscape by expanding endowments, leading record-breaking capital campaigns, and building programs that support more than 200,000 residents across the region.

The 2026 IHHF Induction Gala ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 8 at 5:00 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Connecticut. In addition to remarks by the keynote speaker, the program will include a formal dinner, brief video presentations highlighting each of the inductees, and cultural presentations reflecting each inductee’s heritage.

Recently retired as President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, Obedzinski’s leadership earned the Foundation a Platinum GuideStar rating and he built the most diverse board in its history - reflecting Obedzinski’s commitment to inclusion, representation, and shared responsibility in community leadership. Obedzinski’s lifelong dedication to community service reflects the values celebrated by the National Immigrant Heritage Center: expanding educational and economic opportunity, strengthening the institutions that support immigrant families, and advancing nonprofits that serve Connecticut’s diverse communities.

The 2026 program and keynote address will complement the inductions of four honored individuals into the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame.

Seila Mosquera-Bruno was appointed Commissioner of Housing for the State of Connecticut by Governor Ned Lamont in 2019 and 2023. She is a native of Ecuador; holds a master’s degree in urban studies from Southern Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s in business administration from Charter Oak College. She was a fellow of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Tai Soo Kim, architect and partner of TSKP (Tai Soo Kim Partners) Studio Architecture firm. Born in Harbin, Manchuria to Korean parents, Tai Soo Kim graduated from Seoul National University in 1960 and then moved to the U.S. in 1961 to study at the Yale School of Architecture. Among awards and recognition, Kim was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows and received the Korean Broadcasting Systems’ Overseas Compatriots Prize in 1994.

Ruth Weiner, longtime educator and former principal who has dedicated much of her life to teaching others about the lessons of the Holocaust. Born in Vienna, Austria, she escaped Nazi persecution as an only child and later reunited with her parents. Today, at age 95, she continues to share her powerful story with Connecticut through Voices of Hope and the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

Nermin “Miki” Duric, a dedicated entrepreneur and community leader who successfully manages insurance and real estate firms. Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Miki came to Connecticut as a refugee, where he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Connecticut State University and an MBA from the University of Hartford. He is serving his second term on the Wethersfield Town Council.

The National Immigrant Heritage Center has announced the establishment of an Immigrant Heritage Scholarship Program, investing in the next generation of immigrant leaders, beginning this year. The new scholarship program will officially be launched during this year’s induction and gala.

The Immigrant Heritage Scholarship Program is established to support students of immigrant background who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership potential, and a commitment to strengthening their communities, reflecting NIHC’s mission to honor immigrant heritage and invest in future leaders. Donations to support the initiative are now being accepted via www.immigrantheritage.org/scholarship-program.

Sponsors of the 2026 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony include: Access Health CT (Diamond), Yale School of Nursing (Gold), Ion Bank Foundation (Gold), M&T Bank (Gold), PKF O'Connor Davies (Gold), Eversource (Gold), and Harold Webster Smith Foundation (Gold).

The 2026 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will also feature cultural performers who will entertain guests in the cultural traditions present in Connecticut; their performances offer a beautiful way to celebrate the 2026 inductees while honoring their heritage traditions.

Emcee for the evening’s program will be Jennifer Cuevas, an award-winning, bilingual, multimedia journalist for NBC Connecticut.A graduate of CT State Norwalk and Quinnipiac University, she previously worked for a local station in El Paso, Texas, where she covered U.S.-Mexico border issues for more than three years.

Tickets for the 2026 Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame are now available; sponsorships are also available to support the event and the National Immigration Heritage Center, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. For up-to-date event, ticket, sponsorship, and inductee information, visit www.immigrantheritage.org.