The Salisbury Forum, Inc. , Where Ideas Come Together, is a regional forum for the exchange of ideas and information regarding topics which affect our lives in the community, region, nation and the world. We sponsor four or five public meetings a year, drawing upon nationally-recognized speakers.
Admission to Salisbury Forum events is free, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and donors.
Donations to The Salisbury Forum are most welcome! Your generosity will help us continue to invite exciting speakers from across the country, while permitting the Forum to make all events open to the public at no charge.
We are grateful fo the continuing support of three organizational sponsors, The Friends of the Scoville Memorial Library, Salisbury School and The Hotchkiss School, and the many community members who have donated regularly to the Forum. We hope you will consider making a donation if you have not already done so this season.
For questions, suggestions, or comments, please email the Forum.
Board of Directors of The Salisbury Forum
Walter DeMelle, President – A resident of Lakeville since 1970, Walter retired in 2011 after 41 years on the faculty of The Hotchkiss School where he served as Director of the Library.
Claudia Cayne, Vice President – A founding member of the Salisbury Forum, Claudia is Director of the Scoville Memorial Library.
Jeanette Weber, Secretary - Jeanette is a former Senior National Educational Consultant and Editor involved in product development, sales, marketing, and educational presentations nationally and internationally for Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Publishing.
Marla Miller, Treasurer, – Marla retired in 2011 from a 40+ year career in international banking and finance. She is now active in a number of area organizations and lives in Lakeville.
Gretchen Babarovic – Gretchen served for many years as Chief of Staff for the late Peter Jennings, ABC news anchor. She is Project Coordinator for The Civic Life Project, a not for profit organization, whose goal is to use documentary filmmaking to further civic engagement by conducting workshops with selected high schools and colleges.
Laurie Dunham – Laurie is the Development Director at the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut. For many years she worked in the admissions office at Indian Mountain School.
Bill Littauer – Bill was a radio and television reporter, anchor and executive news producer in Washington and New York. He is now retired in Lakeville.
Verena Drake – Verena is an instructor in history and art history at The Hotchkiss School. From 1990 to 2002 she was an associate professor of History and Quest for Human Understanding at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
Leon Graham – Leon has a Masters Degree in Spanish-American Civilization from Southern Methodist University. He has had a long career in sales and marketing at American Express, CBS Columbia House, Scali, McCabe, Sloves and Bertelsmann/BMG USA . He is on the Advisory Board of the Gay Mens Health Crisis, NYC, the Steering Committee of the Village Democratic Club, NYC, and a member of the Vestry, Church of the Ascension, NYC
Ian Strever – Ian is Assistant Principal of Housatonic Valley Regional High School. He was formerly head of the English Department at Danbury Public Schools.
Alex Taylor – Alex is a senior editor-at-large for Fortune magazine and a contributor to CNN/Money.com. He has been writing about international business since 1978, with a focus on the global auto industry, and has reported from Asia, South America, and Western Europe, in addition to Detroit. In 2010, his memoir, “Sixty to Zero,” was published by Yale University Press. He is a former adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, a member of the International Motor Press Association, and a juror for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards.