FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 7, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
Power Women of Long Island honored
BY TIMOTHY BOLGER
Long Island Press
Special to The Queens Courier
Nearly 650 people gathered to celebrate
as women business and community
leaders were honored at the Long
Island Power Women in Business Awards
and Networking Event on Nov. 30 at
Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck.
Honorees each took turns sharing the
inspiration for their transformative work
before mingling with friends, families
and colleagues at the posh catering hall.
Each then strutted her stuff down a catwalk
to receive their award statue from
Long Island Press co-publisher Victoria
Schneps-Yunis.
“Being part of a group of women like
this, with so much passion about what
they do in life, both personally and professionally,
was such an honor for me,”
said Suzanne Brienza, Director of Meter
Services for PSEG Long Island. “Th e
energy you feel from powerful women
makes you feel unstoppable. I am most
proud of being part of an organization
like PSEG Long Island, which values the
development and promotion of women
while providing me with the fl exibility to
be a mom to my three children.”
Among this year’s special honorees were
Nassau County Executive-elect Laura
Curran; Nassau County District Attorney
Madeline Singas; Linda Armyn, Senior
Vice President of Corporate Aff airs for
Bethpage Federal Credit Union, who
received the Community Leadership
Award; Donna Drake, host of “Live It
Up With Donna Drake on WLNY-TV;”
“Dynamic Duo” Geri Gregor, CPA, partner
in charge of business advisory services
and Lisa Rispoli CPA, AEP partner
in charge of trust and estate services,
of Grassi & Co.; Jessica Kalra, attorney
with David Gallo & Associates, LLP,
who received the Diversity Champion
Award; and Dr. Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton,
CEO and President of the When in Need
Foundation, who received the Hall of
Fame/Global Giving Award.
Raffl e proceeds were donated to
the nonprofi t Family & Children’s
Association, Th e Retreat, a nonprofi t that
helps domestic violence survivors, and
Metavivor, which raises funds for metastatic
breast cancer research.
Th e awards gave the honorees a
moment to refl ect on their successes.
“My most proud, successful accomplishment
is that I’m the mother of fi ve
women,” said honoree Silvana Scotto, the
self-described “Queen of fun,” proprietor
of the Sagamore Bridge Club and woman
behind several other ventures.
Others were profusely
thankful.
“I am so touched
that the leadership at
Parker Jewish Institute
for Health Cared and
Rehabilitation nominated
me for this award,” said
Maureen Schneider, RN
and Director of Corporate
Admissions at the New
Hyde Park-based Parker
Jewish Institute. “It has been a pleasure,
and a blessing in my life to work with
such dedicated and professional people,
whose only mission is to give quality care
to our patients and residents.”
One honoree best summed up the the
theme of the night — keeping the charitable
holiday spirit alive year round.
“Every day is a good day just as
long as we’re helping someone,” said
Linda Armyn, Senior Vice President
of Corporate Aff airs for Bethpage
Federal Credit Union, who received the
Community Leadership Award.
Th is year’s 2017 Power Women honorees
were:
Tara Anglim LCSW-R, ACHP-SW,
Associate Director Palliative Care, Peconic
Bay Medical Center-Northwell Health
MaryAnn Benzola, Director of Marketing,
Custom Computer Specialists, Inc.
Suzanne Brienza, Director of Meter
Services, PSEG Long Island
Anne Brigis, President & CEO, YMCA
Long Island
Lisa Burch, VP & Chief Operating
Offi cer, Family and Children’s Association
Nicole M. DeMichael-Cadena, Senior
Vice President, Commercial Team Leader,
Mid-Corporate Banking | HSBC Bank
USA
Lisa A. Cairo, Partner, Jaspan
Schlesinger, LLP
Pina M. Campagna, Partner, Carter,
Deluca, Farrell, & Schmidt, LLP
Suzanne Chimera, Co-Founder, Hair
We Share
Marian Conway, Ph.D., Executive
Director, New York Community Bank
Foundation
Joy DeDonato, Executive Director,
Nassau Community College Foundation
Rhonda Pierson-
Delorenzo, Vice President,
Branch Manager, Flushing
Bank
Dr. Sheetal Desai,
Owner, Dynamic Physical
Th erapy & Rehab Services
Denise M. Faltischek,
Executive Vice President,
Th e Hain Celestial Group,
Inc.
Maria Th emistocleous-
Frey, Founder & President, Executive
Consultants of New York, Corp. & Th e
ECNY Foundation
Karen C. Green, President, Karen C.
Green Communications, Inc.
Katy Greene, Founder & CEO, Greene
Digital Marketing LLC
Susan Hamblen, Real Estate Broker &
Owner, Exit Realty Achieve
Tina Handras, SVP Retail Market
Manager, Investors Bank
Eileen Hattersley, President and
Breeder, Labradoodles of Long Island
Mary C. Hodge, Coordinator of
Community-Based Day Hab and Head
Coach of the Nassau Th underbolts
Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau
County
Patricia Clements Jaquay, Mortgage
Loan Originator #1214012, American
Advisors Group
Manda Kalimian, Founder, Cana
Foundation
Heather A. Kollar, CEO, h2o cleanse
Dr. Karen Michele Kostroff , Chief,
Breast Surgery, Northwell Health System
Lisa La Macchia, Senior Market
Manager, VP, People’s United Bank
Jennine Rochlin Leale, CEO, HRPRO
Consulting Services, LLC
Barbara Lehrer, Founder & President,
Th e Beacon Group
Lisa Mirabile, Founder & CEO, Vertigo
Media Group
Maureen Tara Nelson, CEO, MTN
Matchmaking, Inc.
Wynne Nowland, Chairwoman & CEO,
Bradley & Parker Insurance
Hillary Peckham, Chief Operations
Offi cer, Etain, LLC.
Claudia Pilato, VP, Director of
Marketing, Bridgehampton National
Bank
Melissa Rose, VP of Marketing,
Marketing Works
Silvana Scotto, Founder & President,
Sagamore Bridge Club of Long Island
Maureen Schneider, RN, Director of
Corporate Admissions, Parker Jewish
Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation
Tina Shah, President & CEO, Sterling
Enterprise Corp.
Dee Lakhani Shravah, MetaBash
Fundraiser Founder, Dee-termined.org
Juliana Curran Terian, President &
CEO, Rallye Motors
Andrea Tsoukalas, Attorney, Forchelli,
Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo &
Terrana, LLP
Alissa L. Van Horn, Managing Partner,
Van Horn & Friedman, P.C.
Carolyn Reinach Wolf, Executive
Partner & Director, Mental Health Law
Practice, Abrams Fensterman
Sponsors of the event included platinum
sponsor Rallye Auto Group, PSEG
Long Island, Parker Jewish Institute for
Health Care and Rehabilitation, Bethpage
Federal Credit Union, Investors Bank,
Bradley & Parker, Sagamore Bridge Club,
Flushing Bank, Greene Digital Marketing,
Bridgehampton National Bank, Carter
Deluca Farrell & Schmidt llp, National
Grid, Raich Ende Malter & Co. LLP ,
People’s United Bank, Etain, Dynamic
Physical Th erapy & Rehab Services, P.C.,
Godiva, Bodian Dermatology, Daily
News, Medcast and Sandwire. Th e event
was hosted by the Long Island Press and
Schneps Communications Events.
For more pictures, go to
www.schnepscommunicationsevents.
com/long-islands-powerful-women-business
honored/
“We’re all about
the women,”
said honoree Juliana
Curran Terian,
President and CEO of
Rallye Auto Group.”
