Who We Are
Our Executive Team, Board of Directors and Advisory Board provide a breadth and depth of collective experience in a multitude of fields that all help us to accomplish our goals.
Our Board of Directors
President
Melvin Browning
Associate General Counsel at the NYC Department of Social Services Melvin serves as associate counsel for the The New York Liquidation Bureau (NYLB) since 2008. He carries out the statutory duties of the Superintendent of Financial Services of the State of New York as receiver of insolvent insurance companies. He analyzes and advises on legal and procedural issues for the Bureau and its estates. He reviews, negotiates and drafts contracts on behalf of the Bureau and its estates. He drafts reports on the status of the liquidation proceedings of individual estates for the courts overseeing the liquidation proceedings.
Vice President
David Scatterday Treviño
Founder and Managing Partner at Scatterday & Associates, a strategic advisory firm helping companies scale the growth curve in New York. Before launching Scatterday & Associates, he founded mpactly, a predictive analytics platform for direct service non-profit organizations. Prior to that, David was Director, Portfolio Marketing at AppNexus, a high-technology unicorn recently acquired by AT&T. Prior to working in high technology, David worked on a range of progressive issue and advocacy campaigns at Blue State Digital. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and Masters of Public Policy from Harvard University School of Government.
2nd Vice President
Thomas Smith
Registered Nurse for 36 years and has worked for the Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn for the past 33 years. A few of the organizations and projects he has worked for and on are: Stonewall Democratic Club (SDC): board member and former President. As President of SDC, had the NYC Dignity in All Schools Act (DASA) bill introduced and passed and had Domestic Partners inserted into the NYC Human Rights Law as a protected class. A former spokesperson for the Coalition for Lesbian & Gay Rights (CLGR) the organization that passed the NYC Human Rights Bill in 1986; CLGR gave the first two thousand dollars to organize the 1987 March on Washington. CLGR held the first hearings on homeless PWA’s in NYC; CLGR persuaded the City & State to hold the first hearings on homeless PWA’s. CLGR held hearings called “Why Shouldn’t We Boycott Channel 13,” which helped get “In the Life” on the air. Co-founder of Family Diversity Coalition which wrote & introduced the first City & State Domestic Partnership bills in 1987 & 1988 – one of the first in the nation. The coalition was a major force in persuading Mayor Dinkins to write the first executive order establishing Domestic Partnerships. Founding member of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1985 Former board member of the Metropolitan Community Church of Brooklyn 1984-1986 Co-founder Outlooks 1986, an LGBT radio program on WBAI, which was on the air for 8 yrs. (Renamed OUT-FM.) Co-founder of AllOutArts1992, an LGBT arts not-for-profit; AllOutArts runs the annual Fresh Fruit Festival. Help organize the not-for-profit for OutMusic. Help organize the not-for-profit Figment and arts, not for profit runs a yearly festival on Governor’s Island. Co-founder of the Stonewall Business Association 1991 Co-founder of The Wall Street Project and in 1993 did the first survey on the Fortune 500 on LGBT employee rights in US history. Alan Hevesi, at the urging of The Wall Street Project, introduced the first shareholder resolution in the history of the United States requiring that the Cracker Barrel Old Time Restaurant Corp. have a written policy protecting its Lesbian & Gay employees against discrimination. Co-founded Equality Project, a not-for-profit, and co-authored the Equality Principles on Corporate Responsibility (Ten principles on corporate conduct and behavior); the Equality Principles which became the basis of the HRC Corporate Index. Worked with former NYC Comptroller, Bill Thompson, and pension fund, NYCERS, to adopt the Equality Principles; to date, over 400 Fortune 500 companies have adopted the principles through the use of the multi-billion dollar pension funds and shareholder resolutions. Co-authored the NYC Bias-Related Violence Law 1993 Co-authored the NYC Anti-Smoking Law which made it illegal to smoke in restaurants, café’s, hospitals, and other public spaces in 1994 Co-authored the NYC Human Rights Posting Bill 2003 As a Stonewall board member asked for the New Current Senior LGBT funding law just passed 2011 the first to be introduced in NY State As a Stonewall Board member asked that the NYS Panic Defense bill be introduced in NYS Former Board and Founding board member of Manhattan Mustangs, a not-for-profit raising money through dances. Former Board member of Truitte Educational Center, a school for gifted children in East New York, Brooklyn. 1982 Advisory board member of Family Matters, a new group forming to help provide peer counseling over the phone to families of LGBT people 2008 Founding President of the Brooklyn Community Pride Center 2008-2011 Founding Member Stonewall Community Development Corp 2013
Co-treasurer
Jessica Greer Morris
Jessica Greer Morris recently stepped down as the Interim Executive Director/CEO of the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and has been supporting 501c3s before, during and after she co-founded and built the global nonprofit Girl Be Heard in 2009 where she devised award-winning shows about sex trafficking, forced child marriage and other human rights issues. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, she helped launch the Man Up Campaign with 100 young activists from 25 countries working to stop violence against women in their communities. Her experience as an advocate in the nonprofit and government sectors over the last thirty years informs her current work as a consultant to nonprofit executive leadership teams in need of developing, integrating, and operationalizing best practices. Jessica was an early harbinger of criminal justice reform and in 1991 and helped defendants receive drug treatment as an alternative to jail. As a senior executive at the NYC Health Department, she was a World Trade Center first responder and expanded harm reduction work to address health disparities across the five boroughs. Throughout her career, Jessica has worked with community organizers and activists of all ages to ending systemic fatalities and inequities disproportionately impacting people of color, locally and abroad.
Casey Horn
Co-treasurer
Casey is an accomplished Senior Manager in the Products and Technology segment at PwC, with extensive experience in technology, finance, and accounting. Casey leads teams to deliver exceptional client service by creating cutting-edge technology solutions that put the end user first throughout the solution development journey. He is known for his strategic mindset, innovative thinking, and ability to navigate complex issues. Casey previously served on the board of Ramblers Soccer New York as Treasurer for five years. He holds a BS in Business Administration and a Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and is a CPA in the state of New York. In his personal time, Casey enjoys playing soccer, spending time at the beach, and being an uncle to two amazing nephews.
Secretary
Mark Thompson
Executive Vice President Capalino + Company Mark helped bring the internationally-renowned Museum of Chinese in America to completion, secured public funding for public school education and capital projects at the Guggenheim Museum, and has advised both private businesses and not-for-profits for more than thirty years. His commitment and effectiveness as a community leader on the East Side of Manhattan and as a long-time Stuyvesant Town resident have further shaped his talents and abilities in being a well-rounded, honest advisor. As Chair of Community Board 6, Mark has secured numerous public benefits for East Side communities, including the development of a waterfront esplanade along the East River, working closely with City and State agencies to curb the negative impact of massive pub crawls, creating new schools, and resolving many small and large quality of life issues. Mark is a member of the Stuyvesant Cove Park Association, the Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association, several political clubs, the American Planning Association, and the Stuyvesant Town Tenants Association, and recently won awards for his outstanding public service from both Project Reach and Team Continuum.
Christiana Athanasiou
Managing Director, Americas Go-to-Market, Measurement, Privacy and Platforms - Google Go-to-market Strategy l Operations l Pricing l Growth Strategy l Inventory Management, Operating Model Optimization l Large Scale Tech Transformation l Cost Optimization Christiana is currently a Managing Director at Google focused on Product Go to Market Strategy & Operations. Previously they worked at WeWork in revenue optimization and in consulting (BCG) across various industries and functions, including growth strategy, operating model optimization, large scale tech transformation, and cost optimization. Their education was in theoretical physics, trying to understand how fundamental particles behave (they have BA/MSci and PhD from Cambridge University and MIT, respectively). For the past several years they have been leading the LGBTQ+ ERG community for their organization at Google, focused on advocacy, community building and recruiting/growth. They currently live with their partner in Brooklyn and in their free time they enjoy playing music, rock climbing and learning new things.
![Geoffrey Au Headshot_white background[72].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/fd6c03_cf29107260a243b7b0ee65f2d244bc49~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_81,y_0,w_823,h_823/fill/w_206,h_206,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Geoffrey%20Au%20Headshot_white%20background%5B72%5D.png)
Geoffrey Au
Manager of Global Customer Engagement Platforms, Henry Schein Geoffrey is an accomplished leader with strong roots in marketing, communications, ecommerce, loyalty program management, and overall customer experience. In his current role at Henry Schein, a Fortune 500 company and the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental and medical practitioners, he is responsible for managing online customer engagement and communication capabilities integrated with the eCommerce platform to enhance customer support and increase customer satisfaction through the use of third-party tools including digital experience intelligence (DXI). His prior roles with Henry Schein include managing the US Medical ecommerce web sites, and managing the US Medical loyalty program. Geoffrey is a champion for diversity and inclusion, launching and governing Henry Schein’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group (ERG), Pride and Allies as a founding Co-Lead. He has held various leadership positions within Pride and Allies, as the Marketing and Communications Chair, and the Corporate Social Responsibility Chair. His work with Pride and Allies has been met with tremendous success and public accolades for the company’s commitment to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. He has been honored and presented with the Diversity in Business Award by LI Business News. He has also appeared in representation of LGTBQ+ workplace advocacy at a special United Nations delegation. Geoffrey also sits on the Advisory Council for Long Island-based LGBT Network’s Workplace Initiative, where they work to advance LGBT diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces to create safer and more supportive work environments for LGBT people.
Chris Bell
Dance Artist and Founder/Executive Director of Chrisbelldances LLC Chris Bell, originally from the Eastside of San Antonio, Texas. MFA (Case Western Reserve) & BS (Lamar University) in Dance and because he likes camping and the beach a BS in Geology. He currently makes work with Raja Feather Kelly as a member of 'the feath3r theory', Eryc Taylor Dance and is a frequent collaborator with (and former choreographic assistant to) Mark Dendy. His most recent project was a one man play, Theater in Quarantine's 'Mute Swan' Written by Pulitzer-prize finalist Madeleine George choreography by KatieRose McLaughlin. He teaches for ETD Outreach, Marquis Studios, TADA! Youth Theaters, and Marble Collegiate Church, where he’s also the resident choreographer. His company, chrisbelldances, was the first dance company in residence at the Cherry Grove Community House and Theater, America’s oldest continuously operating LGBTQIA+ theater. chrisbelldances has presented work in 6 states and 4 out of 5 boroughs in NYC (including evening length works at Dixon Place and Gibney Dance Center). @chrisbelldances Chrisbelldances.com
Arsella Burton
Vice President of Network Development, Centerlight Healthcare Inc Arsella Burton is an expert healthcare leader with expertise in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to grow revenue, enhance profitability and sharpen operational efficiency. She has expertise in organizational planning, multimillion-dollar capital projects, team development, and increasing visibility for new innovation. Arsella has a proven ability to build robust provider networks of facilities and providers, covering a wide range of services. She has demonstrated strength in leading negotiations and driving contract performance. Arsella has a track record of leveraging competitive insights to optimize contracting strategy, reimbursements, claims processing and member and provider service internal and external call tracking mechanisms.
Erica Forman (In memoriam)
Partner, Brian Cave Leighton Paisner LLP Erica specializes in residential development, with a focus on cooperatives and condominiums, and construction of affordable housing developed as rental apartments, limited equity coops, and/or condominiums. Her practice also includes the development of commercial condominium projects. Representative clients include not-for-profit and for-profit developers and owners, general contractors, and lenders. Ms. Forman has particular expertise in governmental financing and assistance programs such as tax-exempt bond financing and other finance programs available through NY City and NY State housing, finance, and/or economic development agencies, Federal low-income housing tax credits, and programs available through the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development or insured by the Federal Housing Agency. Prior to 1981, Ms. Forman was an assistant attorney general in the Real Estate Financing Bureau of the New York State Department of Law. Professional Affiliations: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York – Committee on Cooperatives and Condominiums, 1990-1993 and 1997-2000 New York State Bar Association – Section on Real Property, Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives, 1986; Section on Real Property, Committee on Low Income and Affordable Housing, 1997- American Bar Association – Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, 1996 Civic Involvement and Honors Bella Abzug Leadership Institute Women in Housing & Finance, Inc. Citizens Housing and Planning Council
Lewis Goldstein
Retired. Ranking Member of NYS Democratic Club, Vice-Chair and LGBTQ Liaison of Bronx Democratic Committee Lewis Goldstein is an educator with 40+ years of experience, committed to outreach and inclusion of people with disabilities in businesses, government and non-Profits. A proud product of public education, Lewis received both his BA and MS from the City College of New York. He then spent his career serving children. He was with the NYC Board of Education from 1967 – 2002 in various positions, most often serving children with special needs. He is active in community and local government, including: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (member since 1998); NYS Board for Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology (member 2002-2012); Community Board #10, Bronx, NY (1994–2017); Advisory Board, NYC Department for the Aging (member 2016-present); North Bronx Health Network Community Advisory Board (member 1980 –present); Stonewall Community Development Corporation (board member 2015-present). Lewis has received many awards from civic groups and elected leaders, including: B’nai B’rith; Pelham Parkway Little League, NYS Assemblyman Eliot L. Engel; Allerton Avenue Homeowners and Tenants Assoc.; Co-Op City Democratic Club; Andrew Stein, President of The Council, City of New York; UJA-Federation of New York; The Bronx Democratic County Committee;; Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer; NYC Health and Hospitals Corp; Comptroller of the City of New York, Alan Hevesi; NYS Senator Ruth-Hassell Thompson; NYC Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone; Council of Supervisors and Administrators School District 11;; The New York State Board for Speech-Language Therapy; North Star Certificate of Appreciation; and the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club Lifetime Achievement Award.
Edward Haggerty
District Manager, Rentokil Steritech North America Edward Haggerty joined FirstGroup America in February 2011 as the Director of Acquisitions. In this role, Haggerty manages all phases of the acquisition process, from prospect selection and nurturing relations with target company ownership, to overseeing the successful close of the transaction and organizing the early stages of implementation for First Student, North America’s leading school bus transportation services organization. Prior to joining FirstGroup, Haggerty served at ARAMARK, the global leader in professional business services. Haggerty's eighteen-year career was characterized by high performance and record growth. As the Regional Vice President of Operations in the multi-unit Northeast market, Ed developed the New York City market, overseeing increased sales of approximately $23 million dollars. Then, as Senior Director of Acquisitions, Ed managed all phases of acquisition as well as organizing the initial phases of integration for 50+ acquisitions with a combined worth of approximately $200 million dollars. At ARAMARK, Haggerty developed the Lead Program, which recruited high-potential college students from institutions around the country as well as the Acquisition Implementation Plan, which is employed to this date. Accolades include: three (3) separate People Development Awards in which Haggerty was recognized from among 18,000 fellow employees for his commitment to professional growth and personal achievement as well as several operational awards for excellence.
Max Johngren
Mission-driven Project Leader & Researcher Creative Strategy l Theatrical Production l Computer Science l Paralegal Max is a multi-hyphenate creative strategist with a background in theatrical producing. I am also a director, researcher, computer scientist, and organizer. Currently I am a Marketing Associate at AlixPartners.
Michael J. King
Program Director - Healthwell Foundation Employee and Patient Experience Advocate l Growth Management l System Adaptation l Employee Training and Motivation l Data Analysis l Quality Assurance With over a decade of experience in non-profit and customer-centric operations, Michael King has been at the helm of transformative initiatives. Michael’s career is anchored in a deep-seated passion to educate, equip, and empower organizational leaders, ensuring they deliver outstanding experiences for both beneficiaries and employees. A graduate of TurnOut's Queer Board Catalyst Program, Michael has further invested in the continued development of his leadership skills, enhancing his capacity to contribute to non-profit initiatives on both local and national levels. These efforts, combined with hosting influential figures and serving as a panelist at industry conferences, underscore their role as a thought leader in digital transformation and customer experience strategies. Michael currently serves as Program Director for the HealthWell Foundation in Frederick, Maryland.
Celia Kutcher
Design Consultant – Nutrition, Play & Alternative Healing Celia Kutcher (She/Her) believes the best way to educate people is through fun and entertaining methods. She has used play to accomplish this and has taught art and movement for over 20 years She is a designer, artist, producer, coordinator, teacher and hula hooper. Celia has been a co-producer on most of Stonewall CDC's online dance parties. Celia has been a proud and diligent ally of the LGBTQ+ community since she was a teen. In the 80's she competed in the equestrian world and watched HIV wreak havoc. After losing many friends to the disease she began volunteering for various LGBTQ+ organizations. In the wild early 90's, Celia and her crew built the Children's Play Room at Gay Men's Health Crisis' headquarters, a space for children to play while their HIV+ guardians were being taken care of. She was trusted with turning drawings of trees by Maurice Sendak into 3 dimensional sets. She has also created and built a stage set for the celebration dance party for the NYC AIDS Walk, held at the Palladium in 1994.
Harsha Mallajosyula
Co Founder, Black Wealth Data Center funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies Data Driven Decision Making | Strategy & Operations | Human Centered Program Design | Social Impact Data Scientist interested in the intersection of technology and social good. Have extensive programming experience in Python, SQL and Matlab, conducting econometric modeling, ab testing, performing statistical analysis, working with survey data and creating compelling visuals with Tableau.
Mike McCarthy
Mike McCarthy has served as a Director with Alembic Community Development since 2014 and was a Senior Project Manager from 2010 to 2014. Alembic develops affordable and supportive housing and community facilities in partnership with service and community development organizations. As Director, Mike manages the company’s affordable housing projects in New York State from pre-development through construction and operations. Previously, he worked in the international development sector at the Academy for Educational Development in Washington, D.C. and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan. Mike graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in International Relations and Spanish. He received a Master’s of City and Regional Planning and a MBA from Rutgers University.
Idris Mignott
Idris Mignott is a corporate philanthropy executive who lives and works in New York City. He has been involved with movements supporting civil rights issues of the LGBTQ and People of Color communities throughout his life. He ran a communications agency which pioneered campaigns in the field of social impact. Idris played a critical role in the commercial redevelopment of Downtown Brooklyn through strategic public/private sector partnerships. He has also spearheaded notable economic development and tourism initiatives for the City of New York. Prior to Stonewall CDC, Idris served on the boards, fundraising, and other committees of institutions including The Door, the Studio Museum in Harlem and Friends of the Highline.
Jackie Shapiro
Board Chair and UN ECOSOC Main Representative - PACT Human Rights Advocate, ECPAT – USA (human trafficking), Soroptimist International, Oxfam, United Nations NGO Working Group to End Homelessness, US El Salvador Sister Cities Jackie Shapiro has been working as a volunteer in the NGO community of the United Nations since 1996. She has chaired the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, the NGO Committee for UNIFEM, the UNA-USA Board and was a member of the Executive Committee of the NGO-DPI Executive Committee for eight years, including serving as Vice Chair. Jackie is the main ECOSOC representative for PACT, Protect All Children from Trafficking. She is a member of the Executive Committees of CSTIP, the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons and of the Working Group to End Homelessness. She is also a UN representative of Soroptimist International, a worldwide organization dedicated to empowering women and girls through education and training. Jackie was the founding Chair of the Board of Girl Be Heard, an organization that mentors young women from the five boroughs with an interest in theatre arts to become fierce advocates for youth voices to promote gender and racial equality worldwide. Jackie was Chair of the Board of ECPAT-USA (now PACT), the leading organization in the United States working to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Jerry Weinstein
Ambassador, Civic Hall Freelancer, Gotham Ghost Writers Jerry Weinstein is a passionate driver of social entrepreneurship and cultural change. As a ghostwriter and speechwriter, he works closely with key influencers, C-suite executives, and policymakers. He frequently interacts with disparate communities and builds consensus, identifying memorable threads in the course of arriving at solutions. Jerry is often retained on the eve of paradigm shifts, for game-changing moments. He specializes in "Future Of" speeches. He interrogates the state of a field and then offers a vision for what might be next in education, social justice, media, energy, technology, or healthcare. As a strategist, he works with civic tech startups and their founders to create narratives; to launch groundbreaking products; and to incubate new ideas for campaigns. Select Client List: The New York Times. The M.I.T. Press. Sunny Bates Associates. IBM. National Constitution Center. Conde Nast. The Museum of Sex. Barnes & Noble. eBay. GLAAD. ESPN. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. SAP. IndiePix Films. National Urban League.
Anissa Truitt
IT Director, Democratic National Committee Systems Engineering l Risk Management l Business Analysis l System Analysis l System Integration l Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) l Quality Assurance Solution-driven, customer-focused & goal-oriented Program Manager and Contract Officers Technical Representative (COTR) successful in managing complex programs, enterprise, and IC initiatives, and operational projects within the cyber defense and cyber domains. Proven diagnostic abilities with strong attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively in a fast–paced, deadline-driven environment. Combines strong business acumen with the ability to set strategic direction and obtain superior results when leading technology teams through the complex processes of technology development, deployment and integration. Areas of expertise include: Strategic Leadership / Program Management / Systems Engineering / Risk Management / Procurement and Acquisition / Process Improvement / Business Analysis / System Analysis / Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) / System Integration / Quality Assurance / Product Marketing / Web Design / Technical Support Project Management Tools: Microsoft Project; Confluence; JIRA; Basecamp; Microsoft Office; Visio; SharePoint Cyber Security: Computer Network Exploitation (CNE), Computer Network Operation (CNO); Insider Threat; Information Security Policy & Planning; Vulnerability Management and Vulnerability Assessment; Risk Management and Risk Assessment; Risk Management Framework; NIST IT Administration/Business Applications: Active Directory; Linux/Unix; Windows Server; Salesforce; SpendMap; Microsoft Dynamics GP; Microsoft Dynamics SL
Our Advisory Board
Jose Albino
GRIOT Circle was founded in 1996 by LGBTQ individuals of color in order to respond to the social and psychological fragmentation caused by ageism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and poverty in the lives of LGBTQ elders of color. GRIOT Circle’s mission is to respond to and eliminate all forms of oppression, including ageism, racism, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, poverty, xenophobia, and their intersections. We achieve this by providing health, wellness, advocacy, and leadership activities to remove isolation and fear, build community, as well as honor racial and ethnic traditions. GRIOT (Gay Reunion in Our Time) - meaning storyteller and keeper of oral history in West African culture – is officially recognized as a nonprofit 501(c) (3) and remains the only staffed organization in the country exclusively dedicated to serving the needs of LGBTQ elders of color.
Daniel Backman
Part of the founding team launching the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program. NYC Kids RISE is a nonprofit organization working to expand economic opportunity and equity by providing families, schools, and communities with a way to work together to save for their children’s education. Building on the dreams and expectations that families have for their children’s futures, NYC Kids RISE aims to make attending and graduating from college more achievable for all NYC public school students—regardless of where they come from or how much their families have in the bank. NYC Kids RISE manages the Save for College Program in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the City of New York.
Marie Cottrell
Marie is an innovative, award-winning Event Marketing Manager with years of global implementation experience in event production and management, event branding, lead management, virtual events, technology design builds as well as, clients’ ownership of global events and tradeshow centralized infrastructure and processes. She currently works as Director, Marketing and Operations at Argentino Fiore Law & Advocacy, LLC.
Jon Del Giorno
A founding member of Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin LLC, he is resident in the firm's New York City office and manages the firm's New York City consulting and government relations practice. On behalf of the firm's public and private sector clients, Mr. Del Giorno oversees campaign finance and election compliance services; monitors procurement advisories and bid opportunities; and advises on government contracting, administrative and regulatory matters, legislation, and initiatives at all three levels of government. He engages in direct government and legislative advocacy on behalf of corporate, not-for-profit, small business clients, and labor organizations. He has more than 21 years of experience in government relations. Prior to joining Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin LLC, he was a senior government relations specialist with several predecessor firms. He previously served as an executive assistant and community liaison to a number of New York City Council members; legislative administrator for New York City Council Services; assistant to the deputy borough president of Richmond County, where he served as a designated voting member of the former New York City Board of Estimate; and director of public affairs/communications and administrative manager for the New York City Board of Elections for 15 years. He has been a featured speaker and participant at public events, newscasts and forums on government policy, public affairs, and technology in government and City/State politics. Activities and Affiliations: He has served as a member of the board of numerous charitable organizations including Seaman's Society for Children and Families; Daytop Village Foundation, Inc.; Daytop International, Inc.; Omicron Delta Kappa Society-Wagner College Chapter; New York League of Conservation Voters-New York City Chapter; The Dakota Group; Pax Christi Hospice-St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center; Richmond Home Need Services, Inc.; Port Richmond Alumni Association; New York State Institute on Disability, Inc.; and The United Nations Association-USA Chapter. Mr. Del Giorno has served as the chairperson of many fundraising events to benefit community organizations including Community Health Action Network; The Council of Arts & Humanities; The Greenbelt Conservancy; The Friends of Alice Austin House Museum; the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation and the establishment of the Hon. Vito J. Titone Scholarship Fund-St. John's University School of Law. He has also chaired numerous political parry and campaign fundraising events throughout New York State.
Matthias Hollwich
Founder and Principal HWKN and Architizer Matthias has established himself at the forefront of a new generation of groundbreaking international architects. Matthias believes the key to successful architecture lies in finding new and exciting ways to create dialogue and relationships between people and buildings. He was recently honored in Fast Company’s ranking of the world’s top 10 most innovative architects and in Business Insider’s list of top business visionaries. Matthias has spoken regularly at events such as TED and PICNIC and has taught architecture as a visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His work is regularly published in leading media outlets such as the New York Times, Wallpaper, and the Wall Street Journal, and his second book on ‘New Aging’ was published by Penguin Books in 2016.
Wilfredo Florentino
As a lifelong resident Brooklyn, graduate of the University at Albany and a United States Army veteran, Wilfredo has been involved in advocacy, volunteerism, government and progressive politics his entire life. He currently serves as the Senior Grants Manager for the NAACP, and has worked in that career field for over 15 years. Wilfredo has served on his local Brooklyn Community Board since 2010, he’s a founding Board Member of the New Kings Democrats, a Board Member of the New Lots Nehemiah Homeowners Association, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn and Co-Founder of Rooted Theater Company. Wilfredo lives in East New York, Brooklyn with his husband and two daughters.
Sam Hersh
Policy Advisor for Coastal Resiliency at the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Resiliency. In this role, he covers policy concerning long-term operations and maintenance of flood protection infrastructure and works with Federal, State, and City partners to drive a multi-billion dollar portfolio of coastal resilience infrastructure projects. Previously Sam was an Urban Fellow with the City of New York. He has also worked in finance, economic consulting, and transportation advocacy. Sam is a graduate of Haverford College with a degree in Growth and Structure of Cities.
Marianne Nicolosi
Marianne's career boasts more than 35 years of progressively more responsible experience in delivering community-based services for the elderly. She has experience in management and administration of Home Care, Home Delivered Meals, Case Management, Social Adult Day Services, Senior Centers, Care Giver, and Dementia Specialty Services. She is a thought leader and innovator in the aging field and has been a fearless advocate for expanding community-based elderly services in New York State. Ms. Nicolosi has served for more than two decades in a leadership capacity for the New York State Adult Day Services Association - serving as Conference Chair, Public Policy Chair, and President. Ms. Nicolosi created a curriculum for a Certificate Program for Administrating Adult Day Centers as an Adjunct Professor at the Brookdale Center for Aging. In recent years she has served in the role of consultant for several start-up centers for Adult Day Services. Ms. Nicolosi received her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work in 1989 and has an additional Graduate degree in Corporate and Political Communication from Fairfield University in 1979. She received her BA from Hunter College in 1976 and graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Tiffany is the EMD artistic director and subscribes to the servant leadership model and uses disruption through inclusion as a way to influence her company’s culture. In the spring of 2018, she was awarded a citation from the City of New York for her cultural contributions. In the summer of 2018, Tiffany was asked to join the Bessies Selection Committee. Tiffany is in her fourteenth year with the NYC-based internationally acclaimed dance company Elisa Monte Dance (EMD) and is in her third season as Artistic Director. Tiffany joined EMD in 2004 where she was a principal dancer until 2010. She was named Dance Magazine’s On the Rise person for their 2007 August issue based on her 2006 performance at the Joyce Theater. As a choreographer, Tiffany has had the pleasure of creating numerous pieces for the company most notably meeting and having her work performed for the Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg. Recently Tiffany's works have been seen on the Joyce stage as well as the Apollo, Joe's Pub, Aaron Davis Hall, and New York Live Arts in New York City. Tiffany’s work extends well beyond the stage creating work for the film, fashion, theater, the music industry, and museums. As well as being EMD's Artistic Director Tiffany is also the Co-Founder of Inception to Exhibition and the Dance Curator for the Bryant Park Dance Summer Series. In 2018 Tiffany added another directorship to her title becoming the Director for the Lake Placid School of Dance in Lake Placid, New York. Tiffany’s professional affiliations include being the Vice President of the Stonewall Community Development Corporation, an Advisory Board member of Dance/NYC, and a proud member of Women of Color of the Arts. Tiffany has recently completed the National Art Strategies: Chief Executive Program as well as the APAP Leadership Fellows Program.
Joseph Schneier
Founding CEO, Trusty.care A native of Israel, Joseph Schneier has been developing cutting-edge educational technology products since 1999. With his Cognotion colleagues, he built the two leading digital language products delivered via the Internet in the US foreign language K-12 market. He has also developed learning applications for governmental and corporate environments that were validated by third-party efficacy trials as highly impactful. Prior to Cognotion, Mx. Schneier built an internationally recognized consultancy, Third Space Creative, which has served large corporations, governments, the world’s largest publishers, and leading universities. He has also served as a consultant for distinguished nonprofits in the field of human trafficking, including USAID. Mx. Schneier serves as a mentor and visiting speaker at New York University, Village Capital, and Cornell University. In addition, Mx. Schneier oversees current pedagogical and technology-related Research & Development with the National Institute of Health, New York University, CUNY, the Department of State, and several Fortune 500 companies. Under Mx. Schneier, Cognotion has won the 1776 Education Challenge Cup, is a Techstars alum, won the Association of American Publishers REVERE award, and is in the Red Herring Top 100 companies. Mx. Schneier is a mentor at New York University Leslie eLab, Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University Medical School, and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jangir Sultan
With over 19 years of advocacy experience working for the elderly, the founder and CEO of Patient Advocates of NY Jangir Sultan was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in England. As a child, when Jangir sought more information about his heritage, his father sent him to live with his grandparents in the Himalayas at the age of 10. Once there, he took pride in learning about his cultural heritage but also took a role in helping to care for his grandparents. With this experience, his passion was ignited and he returned to the United States determined to pursue a career related to eldercare. Although he has worked in various healthcare settings and in various roles, one common theme that has remained consistent is his focus on the quality of care and patient advocacy. He believes that patients deserve the highest quality care and has created a company with just that mission: Together we can achieve quality health care for you and your loved ones.