Women In Leadership

Women in Leadership is a new initiative designed to highlight the accomplishments of the countless successful Hofstra alumnae. The group is expected to become a professional resource and powerful network for both alumnae and current students.

DENISE ADLER
TRACEY ANT
KIMBERLY ARCHER
TAKITA W. BATTLE
ELISA BERGER
CELIA I. BERK
CALANDRA BRANCH
TARA M. BUONOCORE
BETH CAREY
MELANIE MOORE CARPENTER
DIANA CECCHINI
DENISE CHARDOVOYNE
HEATHER COHEN
CAREN COOK
PINDA ENG
CRISTAL FELICIANO
MARIA GRASSO
EVELYN HARRISON
DAPHNE JACKSON HORNBUCKLE
DONNA IUCOLANO

MAUREEN P. KIEDAISCH
JOANNE KRUSH
DIANA E. LAKE
TERRY LAMANTIA
VALERIE LANDRY
TANYA LEVY-ODOM
JACQUELINE O. LICALZI
STELLA MENDES
EMILY MIETHNER
VICTORIA MINK
HILLARY SEROTA NEEDLE
ELIZABETH O'BRIEN
MAUREEN PARADINE
JILL M. RABIN
ALYEAH RAMJIT
DEE RAVIV
ARISLEYDA D. RIEHL
SARA SHINDEL
KATHLEEN M. STANLEY
JAMIE WHITFIELD

DENISE JONES ADLER '81

I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. My father was a NYC fireman, and my mother was a housewife. I am the youngest of 4 children. When I was 14, my father started a new career and we moved to Long Island. I attended Buffalo State University, where I met my husband to be, Rob. After we were married, I continued my education at Hofstra where I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 1981. We have 2 grown sons and a daughter who recently graduated from Redlands University.

I started my career as a graphic designer, advancing to art director at a NYC publishing company, where I worked for 14 years. When my children were young, I freelanced as a designer and photographer. Over the years my work has been in magazines, used on book covers, and as the backdrop for a dance performance. More recently, I have committed my time to mixed media collage, digital photomontage, and photography from my studio in West Chelsea. I am a founding member of ArtSpeak Collective, a virtual gallery platform, and in May 2021, we opened our physical space: Pictor Gallery in the Chelsea Arts Building where I am the managing director. We continue to grow and nurture our diverse and talented member artists, launching more than 30 shows and salons a year. In addition, as an artist I have had six solo shows of my work in various venues in and around New York. I have been included in group shows at galleries and museums, nationally and internationally. My work is included in many private collections worldwide. I was honored to be included in the 2020 LI Biennial at Heckscher Museum in Huntington.

I serve on the board of the Hudson Guild, a community based settlement house in Chelsea, NY where I have been a trustee since 2005.

TRACEY ANT '87

Tracey Ant is Head of Middle & Large Commercial at The Hartford.

She is responsible for driving profitable growth and underwriting excellence across the Segment’s fourteen Business Units. In this National role, Tracey is responsible for leading over 400 Commercial Underwriters, growing a nearly $4 Billion premium portfolio and developing, strengthening and expanding independent agent and broker relationships.

Prior to joining The Hartford in 2013, Tracey served as a Managing Director and the Primary Casualty Placement Leader for the U.S. for Marsh & McLennan. In this role, she was responsible for leading and coordinating the placement operations for Marsh’s U.S. primary casualty business including Global Risk Management and Middle Market clients. Tracey’s tenure with Marsh & McLennan spanned 20 years. Tracey began her career as an underwriter at ITT Hartford where she spent the first six years of her insurance career.

Tracey earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Hofstra University and a Masters of Business Administration in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Tracey is a member of the Hofstra University Women in Leadership group and is active with the Hofstra University Women’s Basketball program. She is the Secretary of the Board of Freedom House, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and reuniting families that are suffering from substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. She lives with her husband Todd and two children, Elizabeth and Benjamin in Gillette, New Jersey.

KIMBERLY ARCHER '95

Kimberly Archer specializes in advising purpose-driven clients across a multitude of industry verticals, with a focus on succession and overall team and leadership effectiveness.

Based in Washington, DC, she is a core member of the Social Impact and Education Industries and the Board & CEO Advisory Partners Capability at Russell Reynolds Associates. She leverages her extensive expertise to recruit high-impact CEOs and other key leadership roles in corporate and external affairs, as well as people and culture. Kimberly currently serves as a member of the firm's Senior Leadership Team, responsible for operations across North and South America.

Since joining the firm in 2005, Kimberly has held numerous leadership positions including co-leadership of the Social Impact & Education Sector, Practice Leader for Education, and Area Manager for the Washington, DC office. She has served on the firm's Risk Management Committee and LEAP Committee, responsible for internal global promotions.

Prior to joining RRA, Kimberly worked in philanthropy, specifically developing strategic partnerships and corporate alliances for one of the largest US-based public health foundations. She also held multiple roles in communications and marketing with Avon Products, Inc and Federated Department Stores/Bloomingdale's.

Kimberly holds a BA in Psychology from Hofstra University. She has also completed the Executive Education Leadership program at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania

TAKITA W. BATTLE '01

Takita Battle is an accomplished and experienced fundraising professional with over 22 years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors nationally and internationally with management and leadership experience. As senior director of corporate giving, Takita is responsible for raising funds for Communities in Schools national office that supports our network of 35 affiliates and licensed partners to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. She is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and stewarding corporate relationships with new and existing partners to leverage Communities in Schools as the go-to organization and thought-leader in integrated student supports across the nation. She has a deep knowledge of corporate strategy to lead organizational growth. Before joining Communities In Schools, she served as director of corporate and federated memberships at BoardSource leading membership sales, director of development at Paul Public Charter School (Paul PCS), where she led the fundraising, marketing, family recruitment, and communications strategy for the organization in collaboration with its chief executive and board of trustees. Takita also servied as the director of corporate relations at United Negro College Fund, working closely with its corporate scholar programs and other national initiatives. Beginning her career in the special events and publishing industry, Takita worked in sales with Working Mother Media, (Diversity Best Practices, The National Association of Female Executives, and Working Mother magazine), Black Enterprise magazine, Katz Radio Group, and Noelle-Elaine Media, Inc.

In addition to her professional life, she is involved in a variety of organizations. She is the past President of the Black/Hispanic Alumni Association at Hofstra University and has been an active member since she graduated and a recipient of the BHAA scholarship during her junior year. During her tenure as President, she helped lead the associations’ growth in membership, new website and logo, the association’s first ever endowment, along with providing opportunities for many young Hofstra students to have the same opportunities through BHAA scholarships. She is a member of Hofstra’s Women in Leadership, a new initiative designed to highlight the accomplishments of the countless successful Hofstra alumnae. The group is expected to become a professional resource and powerful network for both alumnae and current students. Takita is an active and dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, initiated into the Xi Gamma Chapter at Hofstra University in Spring 2001, and serving the North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter. She has served the Eastern Region for four years as the co-chair of Program Planning for 147+ chapters, launched the region's first ever “Regional Day of Service” (HIV/AIDS, Parent Involvement in Education), worked closely on key resolutions for the organizations’ social action commission, Co-Chaired the North Manhattan Alumnae Chapters’ Social Action Committee. Post-graduation, she also served as the Primary Advisor to her undergraduate chapter, Xi Gamma, at Hofstra University from 2002-2009.

Takita is an activist in her own right, especially during her time at Hofstra. While there, she spoke out against injustices facing our society and the Hofstra community, attended a host of key programmatic events across diverse communities and groups at the university and ultimately, ensured that she made an impact while continuing to give back to the Hofstra community serving African American and Hispanic students. She is also the founder of the Collegiate Women of Color in 2000, an organization that promoted education, unity, culture and feminist ideals that provided a forum for students to discuss a wide range of topics that impacted women of color. It has always been her goal to do what she can, when she can to make a difference even if it means lifting one person up, knowing that in time, others will follow. Takita keeps one quote from John Maxwell at the forefront of what she does, since high school: “To get nowhere, follow the crowd.” It has shown to be true in every move she’s made and it's clear that she hasn’t followed the crowd, but moved to her own beat with God’s direction.

In her spare time, she loves to cycle, read, travel, shop, and participate in public service. She loves spending quality time with her extended family and friends, but most importantly, her husband and children.

ELISA BERGER ’88, 92

Elisa is President and a Managing Partner at Cross Country Computer Corp (CCC). Under her leadership, CCC’s client base has grown 7-fold and generated its highest revenue and profit in the last 3 consecutive years – since its inception in 1975. Elisa has been successfully helping database marketers achieve their ROI goals for over two decades. After building a solid reputation as a thought leader under the last name Krause, Elisa became partners with her husband, Tom Berger and joined Cross Country Computer in 2008. Elisa leveraged her understanding of marketer needs to re-brand the company with the mission of bringing strategic marketing within the reach of all organizations, regardless of size. She developed the vision and specifications for the Database Marketing Optimization Suite, CCC’s high value, yet affordable tool for managing, analyzing and targeting customers. In her daily role, Elisa is responsible for the client services, new business development and analytics teams, and takes a leadership role in overseeing product development and strategic planning. As one of the most respected leading subject matter experts in the retail-catalog marketing space, Elisa works regularly with our database clients to provide advanced analyses and strategic recommendations.Prior to joining CCC, Elisa is credited with creating the analytics offering at both MBS and Abacus, a division of Epsilon. As VP of Analytics at Abacus (owned by DoubleClick, Epsilon and then Alliance Data), Elisa was responsible for developing the Custom Analytics team, its product line and held accountability for the P & L. She also wrote the Abacus Annual Trend Report for both Consumer and Business Retailers. She was part of the development team for the ClearEDGE database offering and managed $25MM in account revenue. Elisa is an active participant in the American Catalog Marketing Association and is a member of their vendor advisory committee. She is a member of other direct marketing organizations including NEMOA. She is contributor of thought leadership to the industry via white papers, blogs, articles, interviews and speaking engagements. She has been published and quoted in multiple trade publications such as DM News, Multichannel Merchant, Catalog Age, Catalog Success, B to B Magazine. In addition, Elisa is often a ghost-writer for other service providers. Elisa has been a conference speaker at NRF, ACC, DMA and CRMC as well as a judge for the international Echo awards for more than 5 years.

CELIA I. BERK '79

Celia Berk is a Human Resources Consultant and Award-winning Vocalist who also supports philanthropic causes related to the arts, education, children, social justice and the vulnerable.

As a Human Resources Consultant, Celia works with organizations facing disruption, growth, and change. Her career has included a range of roles created at times of critical business transformation. As Group Talent Partner for WPP, she supported three Chief Client Officers and the company's top 50 global client leaders as the company became more client-centric. Celia was the first Chief Talent Officer for Young & Rubicam Group, where she worked in close partnership with its leaders to attract, develop and retain the best talent and promote collaboration across a global network comprised of some of the most powerful brands in marketing communications.

As a vocalist, Celia is known for her intimate interpretations, warm cello sound and affinity for hidden gems by great songwriters. Her recordings have attracted listeners around the world, and she has made memorable appearances at Carnegie Hall, Birdland Theater, 54 Below, and The Town Hall. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, The Recording Academy and the National Arts Club. CeliaBerk.com

Celia holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Hofstra University, serves on the school’s Women in Leadership initiative and received a 2013 Alumni Achievement Award. A Founding Member of the Advisory Board of the National Executive Service Corps, Celia is also a member of the Inclusion Allies Coalition. She is a Trustee of the Nina Abrams Fund and a Reading Partners Tutor.

CALANDRA BRANCH ’91

Calandra Y. Branch, MBA, FACHE is a Senior Director of Network Operations at the Mount Sinai Health System. An advocate for mentoring, she is part of several mentoring programs within the Mount Sinai System, and is also a member of Mount Sinai's Black Women Leader's Connect Employee Resource Group, helping to mentor and empower Black female colleagues and affect the advancement of diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Calandra holds a Master of Business Administration from Adelphi University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hofstra University, where she is former President of the Black/Hispanic Alumni Association, member of the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing Advisory Board, member of the School of Health Sciences Alumni Association, and member of the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is board certified in healthcare management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a member of Healthcare Leaders of New York.

A career mentor and public speaker on leadership, Calandra is a Certified John C. Maxwell leadership coach, trainer and speaker, and hosts the Lessons in Leadership podcast, which explores various topics around leadership development, mentoring and coaching. She has offered guest lectures at Cornell University, Pace University and her own alma mater, Hofstra University. She also served as an Adjunct Instructor of Leadership, Professionalism and Ethics in Healthcare for the Master of Health Administration program of the Graduate

TARA M. BUONOCORE - Rut '03, '04

Tara Buonocore-Rut is President and CEO of CenterLight Health System a not-for-profit organization that operates the nation’s largest Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). She has devoted her career to the health and well-being of older adults and brings impressive expertise in strategic and operational business planning, financial management, dual eligible populations and long-term care.

Buonocore-Rut joined CenterLight in 2020 and has since led efforts to restructure its care delivery, business development, business intelligence, and compliance functions – all in service of more integrated, higher-quality care.

Prior to joining CenterLight, Buonocore-Rut served as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, where she successfully planned and implemented corporate, financial, clinical and quality goals. From 2012 to 2017, she was Executive Director of AgeWell New York, overseeing financial performance, business development and operational planning of the organization, which grew to over $750 million in revenue under her leadership.

An active contributor to healthcare industry and governmental workgroups, Buonocore-Rut served on the Board of the National PACE Association. She is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives, the American College of Health Care Administrators, Health Care Leaders of New York, and the New York PACE Alliance and has served as President of the PACE/MLTC Cabinet for LeadingAge New York. She maintains a Nursing Home Administrator’s license and holds a Master’s in Health Administration and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Hofstra University, where she serves as Chairperson of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Health Sciences and serves on the Women in Leadership Advisory Board.

BETH CAREY ’94

Beth Carey is a Senior Editorial Producer at HLN/CNN Headline News. She produces several of the network's popular true crime docuseries including Lies, Crimes, & Video, Real Life Nightmare and Sex & Murder. Her responsibilities include producing episodes and booking guests for these series, in addition to developing talent for future programs.

Prior to working on docuseries, Carey produced HLN’s live news legal analysis programs, Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield and the long running cable hit, Nancy Grace. For these shows, she also booked key newsmakers. Carey was also an integral part of Nancy Grace's high-rated coverage of the Casey Anthony and Jodi Arias trials.

Carey came to HLN from Court TV where she developed her fascination for crime stories and a passion for our justice system. For almost seven years, she was a producer for the network’s legal news program, Catherine Crier Live. During her tenure, she covered some of the biggest trials in recent history including Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, Robert Blake, and Andrea Yates.

Before joining Court TV, Carey worked for WNBC-TV's Health & Science Editor, Dr. Max Gomez. She wrote and produced pieces about innovative medical procedures and the latest consumer health news for their 5 o’clock newscasts.

A self-professed foodie, she launched her career at the Food Network where she worked on many of their cooking programs as well as their celebrity talk show, Bill Boggs Corner Table. At Bill Boggs Corner Table, she traveled to our country's top restaurants and profiled Hollywood legends that include Sophia Loren and Robert Duvall.

Ms. Carey earned a B.A. in Communication Arts from Hofstra University. She resides in New Jersey with her husband Bill Niebuhr and their children, Caitlin and Christopher. When she is not busy with her two kids or producing television, she enjoys singing in a local rock cover band called The Struggle.

MELANIE MOORE CARPENTER ’95, ’97

Melanie Moore Carpenter (B.B.A. ’95, M.B.A. ’97) is a Partner at Ideal Advisors LLC, an investor relations agency focused on Latin American markets. Prior to Ideal, she was Founder and Managing Director of i-advize Corporate Communications Inc., an investor relations agency she formed in 2000 as the first to focus exclusively on the Latin American market. Some of her clients have included the largest publicly-traded companies in Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Panama and Colombia, as their U.S. IR counsel and representative to the Wall Street community. Melanie was a scholarship member of the Hofstra Women’s Basketball Team from 1991-1995, and a graduate assistant of the Hofstra Recreation and Intramurals Department from 1995-1997, earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration/International Business in ’95, and an MBA in Finance in ’97. She was a member of the Hofstra Business Consulting Team and the President of Hofstra’s Graduate Women in Business. Melanie is fluent in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. She lives in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, with her husband, Matthew, (B.B.A. 96’, Men’s Basketball) and their two children.

DIANA CECCHINI ’85 ’97

CFO/VP of Finance at Korg USA, a global distributor and manufacturer of musical instruments and music products. A 30-year veteran of the company, responsible for directing all global financial strategy, acquisitions, planning and forecasts, as well as overseeing all global company accounting, financial, and credit. Head of international manufacturing division. Additional responsibilities of Corporate Officer in the position of Secretary, as well as a Trustee of Korg USA sponsored Pension, Retirement and 401k employee benefit plans.

Ms. Cecchini is a CPA and holds an MBA from Hofstra University. An active community service volunteer, she also serves on the board of directors of Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank, a Long Island-area charity.

DENISE CHARDOVOYNE ’99

Denise Chardavoyne is currently Executive Vice President, Head of Deposit & Commercial Services with Valley Bank. She joined Valley in 2022 to lead the transformation of Valley Bank’s technology and operations systems. Prior to joining Valley, Denise served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer of Hanover Bank. At Hanover, she was responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of various initiatives while she managed IT, Retail Banking, Marketing and Operations. Denise also worked in similar positions with Amalgamated Bank, Suffolk County National Bank, Citibank, Fleet Bank, New York Community Bank, and the State Bank of Long Island. She has over 20 years of financial services experience that spans global banks to local community banks and with extensive experience in M&A, system integrations, and business process improvement.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Hofstra University in 1999. She currently resides on Long Island with her husband and two children. Outside her commitment to volunteerism and mentoring, she enjoys traveling, golf, and spending time with her family and friends.

HEATHER COHEN

Heather Cohen is President of The Weiss Agency, a broadcast talent agency which represents and develops the careers of many of the industry's most successful local and syndicated personalities.

Heather joined the Weiss Agency directly from GreenStone Media, LLC, where she was Vice President, Programming.

Heather joined GreenStone from New York’s legendary WOR where she was Assistant Program Director and responsible for the station’s local and national on-air content, programs, and production. Prior to that, she served as Executive Producer for “The Joan Hamburg Show”.

In 2013 Talkers Magazine awarded Heather with the prestigious “Judy Jarvis Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Talk Radio by a Woman,” also known as “Woman of the Year”. Radio Ink Magazine has selected Heather as one of the Most Influential Women in Radio every year since 2014. Heather was on the cover of Radio Ink’s June 2017 Most Influential Women in Radio issue. She is a 2015 recipient of Hofstra University’s George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award. In 2019 Heather was inducted into the WRHU Radio Hall of Fame. In 2021, Heather was one of the first awardees of the “Sheroes in Media” Award from the Multicultural Media and Correspondents Association.

Heather has previously served as the Immediate Past Chair, Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, and is currently serving on their Foundation Board. She has co-chaired the Gracie Awards since 2016.

Heather is on the Board of Directors of the Broadcasters Foundation of America.

A graduate of Hofstra University, she is President of the Executive Board of Hofstra University’s Alumni Organization, and has previously served as both Vice President for Programs and Vice President for Services. Heather is a member of both The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Dean’s Advisory Board and the Women in Leadership Advisory Board. She recently completed her term on the Board of Directors of the George M. Estabrook Alumni Association. Heather previously served as President of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Alumni Association.

Heather has mentored New York City school children as part of NYC’s Principal for a Day program and has been a Safe Space committee member. She judged the Tony Awards for eight seasons.

PINDA ENG ’94

Pinda Eng is a highly accomplished, results-driven senior finance and accounting professional with over 27 years of accounting, financial reporting, and administration experience within the real estate operational and alternative asset management industry.

Pinda spent over 16 years at The Blackstone Group. She was a Managing Director and co-led the Global Fund Finance Group where she oversaw the accounting, financial reporting, fund administration and operations for all Blackstone Global Opportunistic Real Estate business with total AUM over $90 billion.

Before joining Blackstone in 2004, Pinda worked at UBS Investment Bank as a Director and Business Unit Controller in the Commercial Real Estate Trading Group where she managed the daily trading P&L reporting, accounting and various trading system implementation projects. Prior to UBS, she worked at Credit Suisse First Boston as a Senior Associate in the Capital Markets Group where she was responsible for the accounting and financial reporting for the real estate investments. Prior to Credit Suisse First Boston, she was an auditor in PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Real Estate Financial Services Group.

Pinda received a B.S. in Accounting from Hofstra University. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

CRISTAL FELICIANO ’94

Cristal Feliciano serves as Vice President of Benefits & HRIS for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. The $2.2 billion company encompasses multiple leading e-commerce brands including 1800Flowers.com, Harry & David, Cheryl’s Cookies, Personalization Mall, and more. She leverages her more than 20 years of experience to oversee HR operations, benefits, compensation and HRIS supporting 4,000 plus employees across the country.

She is a trusted HR business partner who excels at collaborating with cross-functional teams and senior executives to increase employee productivity, satisfaction, retention, and build an engaged, talented workforce aligned around corporate goals.

Her deep HR expertise includes strategic HR planning and execution, change management, stakeholder engagement, corporate culture development, policy and procedure development, compensation and benefits management, budget management, HRIS, regulatory compliance, employee relations, training, M&A integration, continual process improvement and risk management.

Her industry experience spans Retail, E-Commerce, Professional Services, and Consumer Packaged Goods.

Feliciano is passionate about mental health, employee wellbeing, and DE&I. She also volunteers through several organizations to support high school and college students with career coaching, resume reviews, and mock interviews.

Feliciano holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from Hofstra University and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from The Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).

MARIA GRASSO ’86

Maria A. Grasso is Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of Flushing Financial Corporation and Flushing Bank. She joined the Bank in 2006 as Chief Operating Officer and was elected Corporate Secretary in 2007. Maria is responsible for several of the company’s strategic initiatives including mergers and acquisitions, corporate-wide change management, process reengineering, expense management, and Customer Experience. She also manages Human Resources, Compliance, BSA, Operations, and the Customer Service departments for the bank. Maria had previously managed the Retail and Ethnic Markets, Business Banking, Government Banking, Digital Banking, Marketing, and Sales areas. Maria has been in the banking business for more than 36 years, beginning her career with Chase Manhattan. Prior to joining Flushing Financial, she held the title of Senior Vice President and Division Head of The Bank of New York for Long Island and Queens, where she oversaw an organization of 102 branch locations that served the personal and small business banking needs of customers in those markets.

Maria is a former chairperson of the Retail Banking Division Committee of the New York Bankers Association and has been a director and trustee for several of their subsidiaries. Maria is currently a member of the National Board of the American Kidney Fund and President of the Hofstra University Zarb Business School Alumni Association. She is currently the Secretary and a former Chair of United Way of Long Island’s Board of Directors. Recently, Maria was inducted to the Sachem Hall of Honor. She was also named to the LIBN Business Influencers list in Banking and Finance and was inducted into the Long Island Business Hall of Fame. Maria was also recognized by Crains as a 2021 Notable Woman on Wall Street and as a 2019 Notable Woman in Banking and Finance. Maria recently joined Chief, a private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders. Maria has also been honored by Hofstra University as Alumna of the Year and by the United Way of Long Island with the Anthony J. Stupore Memorial Live United Champion Award. Charitable organizations have benefited from Maria’s leadership and support throughout the years. As an advocate of volunteerism, she has volunteered for the March of Dimes, Long Island Care, Bias Help of Long Island, Women’s Fund of Long Island, the American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association. Maria has a BBA in Finance from Hofstra University and an MBA in Marketing from Adelphi University.

EVELYN HARRISON ’84

Evelyn is the Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Operations Officer at IVERIC Bio Inc. and a member of their Executive Leadership Team. Prior to joining IVERIC Bio (formerly Ophthotech Corporation) in 2007, Evelyn was with Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc., where she held the positions of Vice President and Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development. While at Eyetech, Evelyn played a key role in the development and approval of Macugen (pegaptanib sodium) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.

Evelyn has more than 30 years of management, clinical research and development experience in the biotech industry. Her career started at Hoffmann-LaRoche where she held several positions in clinical development and was responsible for the development and implementation of strategic programs for Roche’s oncology franchise. She has worked on all phases of global clinical trials

in multiple therapeutic areas such as ophthalmology, bone marrow transplantation, organ transplantation, and virology.

Evelyn holds a BA degree in Biology from Hofstra University and an MBA from Manhattan College.

DAPHNE JACKSON HORNBUCKLE ’86

Daphne Jackson Hornbuckle is the IT Manager for Charter Communications (Spectrum). For the past decade she has managed the Desktop Support team to provide technical and project support for the North Texas Region. She also oversees the development and implementation of the IT infrastructure for various business units. Prior to joining Time Warner Cable, Mrs. Hornbuckle owned her own IT consulting firm, Diamond Technology Group, LLC. The clients for this successful IT consulting firm included American Airlines and many other Fortune 500 companies.

Mrs. Hornbuckle has served the Dallas community as an IT professional and entrepreneur for 25 years. Her passion is only rivaled by her proven commitment to service. Through her leadership and vast IT career, she has been a tireless champion, working to steer young adults toward higher education, entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities. In 2007, Mrs. Hornbuckle led the efforts in establishing the Dorethea N. Hornbuckle Memorial Scholarship, under the umbrella of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. This national scholarship, named after her late mother-in-law and the sorority’s Past National President, has been given to numerous deserving students.

As a dedicated community leader and a Past President of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., Psi Chapter, Mrs. Hornbuckle was influential in the volunteer efforts for various community organizations. Her leadership achievements are extensive, and they have been recognized and celebrated. During her tenure as Chapter President, she and her chapter received the Outstanding Chapter President and Outstanding Chapter awards on both regional and national levels from 2014-2017. In 2016, she accepted the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Connie Davis Roseborough Volunteer of the Year award for the chapter’s outstanding service and significant enhancements to the African American community. Mrs. Hornbuckle was also inducted into the Third (2016) and Fourth (2017) Editions of Who’s Who in Black Dallas for her leadership role in the Dallas community. Mrs. Hornbuckle has served on several boards. She currently serves on the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Hofstra University’s Women in Leadership Advisory Board. She is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians, Women in Cable Telecommunications and the Dallas Society of Women Engineers where she volunteers and encourages young women to pursue a career in STEM fields.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Hofstra University. This New York native resides in Dallas, TX with her husband, Jesse Hornbuckle, III. Together they own The Hornbuckle Group, LLC, TriBecCa Studios, LLC and 200 Tyler Square, LLC; residential and commercial real estate companies. Outside of her passion for volunteering and mentoring, she enjoys traveling.

DONNA IUCOLANO ’86, ’88, ’94

Donna M. Iucolano, Ph.D. (pronounced U-CO-LA-NO) is a highly accomplished direct and digital marketing, e-commerce, strategy, and digital business transformation executive turned marketing and management professor, researcher, consultant, and business advisor. She is a bilingual (English-Italian), first-generation college graduate with a PhD in Management from Case Western Reserve University; a BA, MS, and MBA from Hofstra University; and, an AAS from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Dr. Iucolano is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and a peer reviewer of papers submitted for AMA Summer and Winter Educator Conferences.

Since 2014, Dr. Iucolano has leveraged her deep corporate experience gained at private and public companies on behalf of undergraduate and graduate level students first as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Marketing at the Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University and now as an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Molloy University. Her approach successfully combines the practical and the academic to better prepare students for entry-to-leadership roles in an increasingly social, political, technical, environmental, and economically complex world where all stakeholders deserve value. Dr. Iucolano’s experience includes in-person, hybrid, and online synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning formats.

Courses taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels include: Consumer Behavior, Branding Strategies, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Management, Retail Management, Direct and Interactive Marketing, and degree completing Capstones.

Dr. Iucolano’s prior 20-year corporate career was marked by innovation, many firsts, aggressive growth, and award-winning achievements in direct and digital marketing, e-commerce, strategy, and digital business transformation. She worked for New York City area private and public companies operating in three industries: floral/gifting, media/publishing, and women’s apparel and accessories. Dr. Iucolano held corporate roles such as Senior and Executive Vice President, General Manager, Division President, and Regional CEO at select firms including 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLWS), Scholastic Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHL), IMP/International Master’s Publishers, New York & Company, Inc., and Weekly Reader, a division of the Reader’s Digest Association (now part of Scholastic).

While at these firms, Dr. Iucolano started and/or led many pioneering initiatives and divisions growing them from a “good idea” to $400+ million in annual revenues. She managed hundreds of people and countless strategic business partners. And, was responsible for core operating functions including direct and digital marketing; customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty; e-commerce; revenue creation and profitability; product/content development; merchandising; fulfillment and customer service; website development and management; and, internet technologies and back-end systems integration. Dr. Iucolano’s industry work now includes consulting, guest speaking, meeting facilitation, research, serving as an independent advisor or board member, and work with nonprofits. She also leverages her extensive professional network on behalf of students, helping them secure internships and full-time employment.

MAUREEN P. KIEDAISCH '93, '98

Maureen P. Kiedaisch is Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting with more than 25 years in the financial services industry with experience in operations, compliance, risk management, human resources and training. She focuses her practice on compliance, administrative and operations-related services.

Ms. Kiedaisch has extensive experience developing compliance and BSA/AML/Sanctions programs, policies, procedures and processes, performing risk assessments and evaluating and implementing internal controls. She has been engaged on a variety of matters for banks, money service businesses and crypto service providers, including working directly with regulators, on BSA/AML/Sanctions monitorships, independent reviews and transaction lookbacks that include conducting KYC file reviews and evaluating transaction monitoring and sanction screening processes, rules, and systems. She has developed, reviewed and modified procedures for all aspects of the BSA/AML and Sanctions programs, for Compliance as well as for operations, such as customer on-boarding, beneficial ownership, periodic reviews and client exits. Ms. Kiedaisch has also conducted training on BSA/AML/Sanctions regulations, provided compliance advice and guidance and reviewed advertisements and new product development to ensure compliance with regulations.

Ms. Kiedaisch has established, reviewed, and implemented various policies, procedures, processes and internal controls, as well as designed and documented process workflows to ensure compliance and best practices as well as create efficiencies. She developed and administered training materials and related initiatives pertaining to operations, compliance, marketing and other corporate needs. She has also supported clients to assess risks and build a governance framework. Ms. Kiedaisch reviewed audit/exam findings and designed programs to ensure necessary corrective actions were implemented. She conducted a loan review and analysis project to ensure the loan processes implemented covered applicable regulations as cited in the consent order and that internal controls were sufficient to mitigate risks.

Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Ms. Kiedaisch held various roles at banks that focused on banking operations, compliance, administration, management, and employee development. Ms. Kiedaisch served in various roles in operations, many dealing with payments, electronic fund transfers and associated regulatory requirements, including Regulation E. She also worked on implementing integration activities for bank mergers. Some of those activities included coordinating systems data validation to ensure accuracy for the unification of the databases, conducting reviews to implement policies, procedures and products, training staff and maintaining status reports and timelines in the role of project manager.

In her most recent role, she was a member of the senior management team providing support and counsel to executives in matters pertaining to organizational strategy, project management, regulatory exam response and human capital.

As an inaugural member of a de novo bank, Ms. Kiedaisch created a Human Resource Department from scratch. In this role, she defined, directed and implemented all human resource initiatives, including establishing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with regulations and conducting investigations. Ms. Kiedaisch evaluated and implemented employee benefit plans. She also managed the payroll function, benefits administration, employee recruitment, onboarding, and performance appraisal management. She guided and counseled managers regarding employee relations, career paths, disciplinary actions, and all other human resource matters.

JOANNE KRUSH ’79

Joanne Krush is Chief Financial Officer at SterlingRisk, a national, privately-held insurance broker. In addition to her ongoing responsibilities, she is a member of the SterlingRisk Executive Team and participates in strategic planning and operational decisions impacting all facets of the organization. Her extensive financial management background includes a focus on strategic planning and M&A (having led or participated in over 30 acquisitions), FP&A and cash management with oversight of the 401k plan, all internal/external reporting, auditing and taxes.

Named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Women” by Long Island Business News, Joanne joined SterlingRisk in 2015 after having held various financial positions in the insurance brokerage industry including SVP/Finance for HUB International Northeast, SVP/Finance at Aon/Berkely Travel and VP/Finance at Jardine Insurance Brokers. She began her Public Accounting career in 1979 at Grant Thornton.

A licensed CPA and CGMA, Joanne received a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University. She belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Management Accountants, and the New York State Society of CPAs, where she co-chairs the Nassau CFO Committee.

In addition to her professional affiliations, Joanne is active in community service that benefits Long Island’s most vulnerable citizens. She volunteers at both the Mercy INN Soup Kitchen in Wyandanch, NY, and the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative (HIHI) and is active in the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF). She has also served the United Way of Long Island and Imagine Awards, reviewing financial statements and applications of member agencies.

With her SterlingRisk colleagues, she was pleased to serve as a 2018 Go Red for Women Honoree.

DIANA E. LAKE ’68, MD

Dr. Diana E. Lake is a medical oncologist with a practice that is devoted solely to the care of breast cancer patients. Her research interests involve all areas of breast cancer but focus mainly on the development of new therapies, prevention of cancer recurrence following surgery, and treatment of recurrent disease.

Working in conjunction with her colleagues on the Breast Cancer Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and as the liaison in breast medicine to Cancer and Leukemia Group B (a national clinical trial cooperative research group sponsored by the National Cancer Institute), Dr. Lake is involved in clinical trials to develop better hormonal therapies and improved approaches to treatment before surgery.

Dr. Lake is a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Review Committee, has served on the NIH Cooperative Group Review and its Cancer Education committees, and has received the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center fellowship.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hofstra University and her Medical Degree from Chicago Medical School. Dr. Lake is a member of the Hofstra University Women in Leadership initiative. This group has provided transformational leadership and mentoring to female students and alumnae at the University. In addition, she has lectured to faculty and community members at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Dr. Lake currently serves on the Hofstra University Board of Trustees.

In 2011, Dr. Lake was awarded the Hofstra University Annual Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of her incredible achievements in the field of medicine as well as the with the 51st Annual George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Lake has led clinical trials and has published countless articles throughout her successful career in medicine.

TERRY LAMANTIA '81, '86

Terry Lamantia is a Partner at Marcum LLP with responsibilities for business development, relationship management and the execution and delivery of tax advisory, accounting and compliance services to Banking and Capital Markets, Commercial, Not-for-Profit and High Net Worth Individual clients. She recently retired as a Senior Partner in KPMG’s Banking and Capital Markets Tax Practice. During her tenure, Terry served as the Tax Leader for KPMG’s Market Development Leadership Team for Banking and Capital Markets.

Terry has over thirty years of experience providing tax advisory, tax accounting and compliance services to significant global banking and capital markets clients. She served as the Lead Account Partner on several significant global banking and broker dealer clients as well as a multinational stock exchange corporation. Her experience includes the planning and execution of the global tax provision audit for a significant SEC audit client, significant tax reform planning, internal audit reviews of global tax department functions as well as tax transformation efforts for numerous clients.

Terry has mentored advisory and tax partners and teams for successful proposal and project executions. She served as a panel speaker on Go to Market discussions with new partners and managing directors and developed mentoring and training programs to train all professionals on soft skills and relationship management matters.

Terry received her JD and BBA in public accounting from Hofstra University. She is a member of the New York State and Connecticut Bars and is a licensed CPA in New York.

Terry serves on numerous not-for-profit boards, including Hofstra University Women in Leadership Advisory Board; Meals on Wheels of Greenwich, Junior League of Greenwich, Inc. (Sustainer Board Member), Greenwich United Way (Advisory Board Member and Former Vice Chair of Fund Development),YWCA Greenwich (Former Vice Chair of the Board) and Greenwich High School (Former PTA Co-President).

Terry received numerous awards including the YWCA Greenwich BRAVA award, Junior League of Greenwich Phyllis Finn Mentor Award and Hofstra University Alumni Achievement Award.

VALERIE LANDRY '08

Valerie (McDonald) Landry is an Arlington native. She attended Hofstra University, on an academic scholarship, and captained the Division 1 Tennis Team during her undergraduate tenure.

Graduating with honors, Valerie returned to Texas, to join the family business, The Sanford House Inn & Spa in 2008. She has led the company through several iterations, helping to diversify the scope of the business including the development of Arlington’s top fine-dining restaurant, Restaurant506.

She actively participates on the Boards of numerous organizations including the Rotary Club of Arlington, Downtown Arlington Management Corporation, Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and the Arlington Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.

In 2012, Valerie earned her MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington College of Business and then was awarded the 2017-2018 Alumni Award for Outstanding Early Career Achievement. In 2018, Valerie received the Rising Star Award on behalf of the Women’s Alliance and continues to pave the way for others to expand their leadership development through civic involvement. In 2022, Valerie was recognized as a member of the inaugural 40 Under 40 Class through the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

Valerie is married to Christopher Landry, and they have two daughters, Vivian, and Arya. In her free time, Valerie enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and travelling.

TANYA LEVY-ODOM ’90

Tanya Levy-Odom is a Manager Director and Deputy Head of BlackRock's Investment Stewardship (BIS) team in the Americas. She represents BIS Americas in all its activities as it engages with companies to promote effective governance and create value for clients. Ms. Levy-Odom oversees the BIS Americas Consumer/Technology team, in addition to direct coverage of selected industries within the Consumer Sector. BIS evaluates the corporate governance of companies in which BlackRock invests, including the assessment of environmental and social factors material to a company's business operation. Prior to joining the BIS Americas team, Ms. Levy-Odom served as the Executive Director of Investor Relations for Time Inc.; additionally she served as the firm's Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. Prior to joining Time Inc., she was a Vice President and Domestic Equity Analyst for Alliance Growth Equities, a subsidiary of Alliance Bernstein, responsible for equity forecasting and stock recommendations in the Consumer sector. She received her MBA in Finance from Fordham University and her undergraduate degree in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University.

Tanya Levy-Odom served as President of the Hofstra University Alumni Organization from 2012-2014. She was the Vice President for Services from 2010 – 2012, and, previously, served as Parliamentarian/Historian.

Since graduating Hofstra University in 1990, Tanya has been active alumna, returning frequently to campus to share career advice with students and serving as a member and officer of the Black Hispanic Alumni Association (BHAA). In addition to serving as a member of Hofstra University's Women in Leadership Initiative, Mrs. Levy-Odom currently serves as a trustee on the Brooklyn Children’s Museum board; she’s an active member and Past President of the East Kings County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., as well as an Associate Jewel Life Member of the Brooklyn Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She has been married to Edward Odom for over 30 years; they have two adult children.

JACQUELINE O. LICALZI ’85

Jacqueline LiCalzi is a Managing Director, Global Head of Regulatory Relations, and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee. She is also the Firm’s Senior Point of Contact with the Federal Reserve for its supervisory program. Ms. LiCalzi leads the day to day activities of the Enterprise Regulatory Oversight Committee and is a member of the Firm’s Risk Committee and Global Franchise Committee. Also reporting into Ms. LiCalzi are the Global Conflicts Office, Environmental and Social Risk Management, and the New Product Approval Process. Further, she is Chair of Morgan Stanley’s Political Action Committee.

Ms. LiCalzi is the Executive Sponsor of Morgan Stanley’s LGBT employee network and is on the Senior Leaders Advisory Council for the Firm’s Institute for Inclusion. She is a recipient of the Firm’s John J. Mack Leadership Award. Ms. LiCalzi is also on the Board of Directors of SIFMA and Chair of its Legal & Compliance Committee; she previously was a decade-long member of the Executive Committee of SIFMA’s Compliance and Legal Society, and co-chair of its Diversity Committee. She is the recipient of SIFMA’s inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advocate Award.

Ms. LiCalzi joined Morgan Stanley in 2006 from Credit Suisse where she was the Counsel to the Global Head of Compliance. Prior to that, she was an in-house litigator at UBS Financial Services/PaineWebber, and a Litigation Associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell, following a clerkship for a federal district judge in the Southern District of New York.

Ms. LiCalzi earned her JD from Fordham University School of Law, and a BA from Hofstra University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Woman of the Year). She is a member of the Board of Directors of TDF (fka Theatre Development Fund), and of the Peconic Land Trust. She is also a member of the Advisory Boards at Hofstra for both Women in Leadership and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of Hofstra’s Alumni Achievement Award.

STELLA M. MENDES '09

Stella M. Mendes, CAMS, is a Senior Managing Director and Leader of the Financial Services Practice at FTI Consulting, focusing on financial institutions, bank governance and regulation. She has more than 25 years of diverse banking industry experience and is based in New York.

Since joining FTI Consulting, Ms. Mendes has led numerous BSA/AML reviews for banks, money service businesses, and other financial services providers. Ms. Mendes has established and enhanced BSA/AML/OFAC policies, procedures, and processes to ensure compliance with regulations and has led several compliance “look-back” reviews. Ms. Mendes consults with clients on BSA and anti-money laundering best practices and performs reviews and enhancements of BSA/AML/OFAC Risk Assessments and conducts anti-money laundering investigations as part of governmental investigations. She provides advisory services on regulatory responses, anti-money laundering training to banks and other financial services firms and gives webinars on regulatory compliance best practices. In addition, she assists clients with fair lending, CRA, UDAAP, TILA, Regulation O, and other regulatory compliance matters.

Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Ms. Mendes served as President and Chief Operating Officer for First National Bank of NY (FNBNY). Additionally, Ms. Mendes served as the Compliance & Bank Secrecy Officer for the Bank, interfacing with regulatory agencies and coordinating all communications and the regulatory exam process.

In her role as the bank’s Senior Compliance Officer, Ms. Mendes was responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive compliance, risk assessment and training programs for staff and the Board of Directors. In addition, Ms. Mendes was responsible for overseeing all compliance issues, including money laundering, terrorist financing activity, and violations of the BSA (include structuring transactions to evade reporting). In addition, she conducted Anti Money Laundering (AML), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and OFAC Compliance reviews and mock exams in preparing for regulatory examinations. She also managed client relationships and branch offices.

Ms. Mendes also has extensive bank operations experience. She established, reviewed and implemented various policies, procedures, internal controls, and work programs as well as designed and documented process work flows. In addition, in her previous capacity as a senior manager at a commercial bank, Ms. Mendes was responsible for the audit function, reviewed audit/exam findings and designed programs to ensure necessary corrective actions were implemented. She has been a core integration team member for three bank mergers, where she conducted due diligence for the compliance program; material contracts; and customer base and sales. In addition, she conducted skillset assessments and coordinated integration activities and training.

Ms. Mendes earned her B.S. Degree from Hofstra University. She is CAMS–certified, fluent in Portuguese and is active in numerous professional organizations including, Hofstra Women in Leadership, New York Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association and The Cancer Center for Kids. She also serves on the Board of Trustees at Hofstra University and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of NYC.

EMILY MIETHNER '10

Emily Miethner is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on community building, social media, and digital marketing. An educator at heart, she is an award-winning keynote speaker with 15+ years of experience delivering engaging talks both online and offline, and she enjoys sharing her expertise at conferences, events, and through teaching courses.

In 2017, Emily co-founded Travel Cat (travelcatshop.com), the #1 cat travel brand in the world. Travel Cat is a profitable, fast-growing, 7-figure omni-channel brand that serves "catstomers" in 100+ countries and is sold in over 1,200 retail locations worldwide. Emily oversees influencer marketing, SMS and email marketing, organic digital content, retail, product development, licensing, and partnerships for the brand.

In 2021, she founded a short-term rental brand in the Catskills/Hudson Valley, Getaway Upstate (getawayupstate.com).

Her first business, FindSpark, launched in 2011 and has connected hundreds of employers with top diverse early career talent, produced more than 300 career programs, and cultivated an online and offline community of over 33,000 young professionals and employers, including Hulu, BuzzFeed, NBCUniversal, L’Oreal, Showtime, Ralph Lauren, and Walmart eCommerce.

Emily regularly leads talks on social media, networking, eCommerce, small businesses, and cats. She has spoken at Global Pet Expo, The International Youth Leaders Assembly at the United Nations, SXSW, Sony, Columbia, Yale, NYU, and the American Pet Products Association, among others.

Her expertise has been featured on dozens of TV, print, and digital platforms, including Good Morning America, Cheddar TV Live, The New York Times, WSJ, Vice, and Vogue, as well as on 20+ podcasts.

Since 2014, Emily has been an Adjunct Professor at institutions such as the School of Visual Arts and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she teaches career and social media classes to a wide range of students. She is also a proud member of the Hofstra Women in Leadership Association.

VICTORIA MINK '90

As Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports), Victoria Mink helps support the long-term direction and overall management of the Company’s portfolio of assets, which includes: the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL), and two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). Ms. Mink is responsible for providing strategic financial insight on all facets of the business, helping prioritize opportunities and drive value creation. She also oversees all financial and accounting matters, including budgeting, forecasting and financial planning and analysis, as well as the Company’s treasury, investor relations, tax and risk management functions.

Prior to MSG Sports becoming a standalone company in April 2020, Ms. Mink served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG), where she oversaw all of the Company’s financial and accounting matters, including helping lead the spin-off of MSG’s entertainment businesses from its sports business. Prior to being named Chief Financial Officer in 2018, Ms. Mink was MSG’s Executive Vice President of Finance.

Before joining MSG, Ms. Mink served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer for Altice USA, where she oversaw accounting and financial matters and played an important role in the Company’s purchase of Cablevision Systems Corporation in 2016. During her tenure at both Altice USA and Cablevision Systems Corporation , Ms. Mink led all accounting and reporting activities through a significant period of change. She set the strategic direction, goals and initiatives for the accounting, financial reporting and accounts payable departments and ensured the management team had access to timely and robust performance measures, while leading all accounting activities for multiple acquisition and sale transactions, an initial public offering and spin-off transaction. Ms. Mink joined Cablevision in November 1997 and served in a variety of accounting and finance roles of increasing responsibility. She was named among the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cablefax Magazine in both 2015 and 2017. Before joining Cablevision, Ms. Mink was an audit manager with KPMG LLP.

Ms. Mink serves on the board of directors of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with MSG Sports to assist young people in need.

Ms. Mink graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. She is also a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

HILLARY SEROTA NEEDLE '89

Hillary Serota Needle, President of Hillary Needle Events Inc., Dix Hills, NY, has more than 25 years of senior management expertise in event planning for corporate and nonprofit organizations. She created Hillary Needle Events Inc. in 2009 to bring her creativity, passion and dedication directly to her clients who value her unique ability to create exciting opportunities to generate revenue and gain recognition for their events. Hillary is successful in developing and implementing strategies that help organizations brand and grow existing events in addition to building an event from concept to celebration.

Long Island Business News (LIBN) featured Hillary in the inaugural “Power List: Long Island’s Most Powerful Women 2022.” In 2013 and 2015, Hillary was named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business” by Long Island Business News and in 2019 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. This prestigious award recognizes the significant contributions of women professionals to the region’s economy and to the communities in which we do business. LIBN also featured Hillary in the 2017 & 2018 “Who's Who in Women in Professional Services issues.” In 2015, Hillary was selected as a “Long Island Power Woman in Business” by Schneps Communications. She is often quoted in Long Island Business News and Newsday.

Hillary is a cum laude graduate of Hofstra University with a BA in Communications/Journalism. She serves as Immediate Past President of the Hofstra University Alumni Association, where she represented over 140,000 Hofstra graduates in all 50 US states and more than 100 countries. She previously served as President, The Lawrence Herbert School of Communications Alumni Association. She also held the following leadership roles as Vice President for Programs, Hofstra University Alumni Organization, Co-Chair for Events on the Executive Board Committee and as Chair of the Hofstra University Women in Leadership (WIL) Campus Connections Committee. In 2014, Hofstra University presented Hillary and her mother, Harriet Schiff Serota, ’64, a past alumni organization President, with the Marjorie and James M. Shuart Alumni Family Award honoring a family where two or more members have been active alumni, donors and volunteers in their service to Hofstra. She is also a proud member of the Alpha Theta Beta sorority, Hofstra’s oldest fraternal organization.

Hillary is also a contemporary realist painter whose work in oils has attracted collectors from across the country and has been featured in numerous galleries and juried exhibitions. She is a member of the Art League of Long Island, Art Studio Hamptons Gallery, Huntington Arts Council, Long Island Museum LIMarts and the Mills Pond Gallery/Smithtown Township Arts Council.

MAUREEN PARADINE ’89

Maureen Paradine serves as our Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Ms. Paradine oversees the overall management and operations of BNED’s human resources across the enterprise, including Barnes & Noble College, DSS and MBS. She is responsible for the talent, recruiting, diversity and inclusion, compensation, benefits, employee relations and all aspects of human resources for the Company. During a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Maureen Paradine has been recognized as an innovator and a pacesetter in the fields of human resources, psychological testing and employee benefits. Her experience and her talents for implementing and optimizing transformational programs, next-generation processes and advanced technologies have been instrumental in the professional growth of thousands of employees as well as the success of several companies.

Previously, she served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., a U.S.-based floral and foods gift retailer and distribution company with several subsidiaries. Prior to that, Maureen spent four years as Vice President, Human Resources at The Hain Celestial Group and held a variety of human resources and development roles at Thomson Industries, Inc., Cooper & Dunham LLP and Klein Behavioral Science Consultants. Maureen has been a leader building out foundational processes and establishing strategic HR functions and partnerships around compensation, retention & rewards, employee engagement, performance management and succession planning. She earned a Master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Hofstra University.

JILL M. RABIN ’75 MD, FACOG

Dr. Rabin is Vice Chair, Education and Development, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northshore University Hospital/LIJ Medical Center, Northwell Health

Co-Chief, Division of Ambulatory Care, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwell Health, Section Head, Urogynecology, LIJ Medical Center

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Professor, Center for Health Innovations and Outcomes Research, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Dr. Rabin graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York in 1975, and subsequently earned her MD from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, in Brooklyn in 1981. She then served a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine until 1985, followed by a fellowship in Urogynecology at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center from 1989 to 1992. Dr. Rabin has been an active member of the full-time medical faculty at LIJ/Northwell for over thirty-five years.

A Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Rabin is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Urogynecologic Society and the International Continence Society. In addition, she is an active researcher, consultant, frequently invited lecturer and media spokesperson. Dr. Rabin holds nine patents and one copyright for urogynecologic medical devices. Widely published, she has authored four books, including ‘Mind Over Bladder’, a step-by-step guide to continence (e-book released 9/2020, hard copy 12/22/2020, mindoverbladderbooks.com).

She also acts as reviewer and editor for a number of journals, such as the International Journal of Urogynecology and is a board member for the Journal of Patient Experience.

ALYEAH RAMJIT '15

Alyeah E. Ramjit, MS, MHA, current serves as a System Vice President with One Brooklyn Health (OBH). OBH is a-2 hospital system, located in Brooklyn, NY serving a population of roughly 1 million patients. Ms. Ramjit currently oversees the Departments of Cardiology, Orthopedics & Surgery where she is the operational and administrative lead with specific oversight on fiscal, human resource and strategic operations. Prior Mr. Ramjit held the same responsibilities for the Department of Medicine across OBH.

In addition to the above, Ms. Ramjit prior experience as Chief of Staff at the Mount Sinai Health System included leading key initiatives to transform organizational culture, including patient experience, system learning and process improvement as well as overseeing initiatives within system and hospital operations, hospital joint venture strategies and business development. Ms. Ramjit has further experience in population health management, creating integrated networks, Medicare Part D operations, long-term care operations and emergency medical services.

In addition to her vast experience in healthcare, Ms. Ramjit serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Master of Health Administration Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University. Ms. Ramjit also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Health Sciences, the Women in Leadership Board and as an Executive-in-Residence for the Master of Health Administration Program at Hofstra University.

Her additional volunteer activities include serving as Immediate Past President with Healthcare Leaders of New York, member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). She is a recipient of the ACHE 2018 Early Career Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award and the 2020 ACHE Recognition Award for Chapter Service. Ms. Ramjit was named by Crain’s New York on their Most Notable in Healthcare 2021 list, been featured as a guest on Becker’s Healthcare Podcast and is an Alum of the 2022 Young Executive Leadership Program hosted by the International Hospital Federation.

Ms. Ramjit is a two-time graduate of New York Institute of Technology holding a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences/Biology and a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition. She also holds a Master of Health Administration with Distinction from Hofstra University as well as obtaining Certificates in Executive Healthcare Leadership and Healthcare Change Leadership from Cornell University.

DEE RAVIV '12

Dee Raviv is a seasoned certified Executive Coach as well as a Business Consultant with over 25 years’ experience in leading and developing talent in large scale organizations. Currently, she serves as the Director of Career Advisors at myNextory™ where she leads the strategy, business development, operation as well as the training for the unit. She also runs her own executive coaching practice Arete, Executive Coaching & Consulting LLC where she works with professionals to help them navigate and elevate their career and ‘do’ work/life better.

Prior to myNextory™, Dee spent 9 years at Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York, where she performed various executive roles and most recently, she served as the Vice President, Program Admin for Ophthalmology. Other roles include Director, Financial & Ops Management for Cardiothoracic and Director, People Strategy, Planning & Analytics. Her tenure with the health system helped her build an extensive skill set around budget management ($80M+), operation, human capital development, process improvement, M&A, project management and administration. Dee’s passion for empowering and growing talent has led her to co-create the successful Emerging Leaders Diversity Mentorship Program across the organization which provides growth opportunities for the next generation of leaders.

Before her career in healthcare, Dee spent 13 years in the financial industry working for American Express and Ameriprise Financial taking on various roles including financial analyst, business development and strategic planning.

The unique career journey Dee had enjoyed contributed to her adaptability, agility and out of the box thinking. Her areas of expertise include identifying and developing talent, elevating high performing teams, building leadership programs, strategic planning as well as strong communications and collaboration skills. Her biggest passion is helping people become their better best and discover or rediscover success.
Committed to this passion, Dee has obtained an Executive Coaching Certification through Columbia University and is working toward her ICF Certification (International Coaching Federation). She is also certified in Taking Flight with DISC and serves on the Hofstra Women in Leadership Advisory Board as well as the Columbia Coaching Learning Association Board of Directors Her commitment to life-long learning affords her the opportunity and privilege to influence and make a greater impact on others.

Dee holds a BA, Summa Cum Laude from Long Island University at C.W. Post University and an Executive MBA, Magna Cum Laude and Beta Gamma Sigma from Hofstra University.

She served in the Israeli Navy as a Lieutenant for 2.5 years before moving to the United State over 30 years ago. She now resides in Florida with her family.

ARISLEYDA RIEHL ‘94

Arisleyda earned her MBA in International Business from Hofstra University 's Zarb School of Business in 1994 . For years she served in the Hofstra Alumni Association with pride and was invited to join the Women In Leadership (WIL) at Hofstra University in 2013. Arisleyda joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management after interning with the Firm during graduate school. Arisleyda is Vice President, Resident Director of the Stamford office in Connecticut responsible for leading strategy, managing sales and driving growth results. In addition to her management role, Arisleyda is a wealth management advisor turned educator who is passionate about helping people live better financial lives. Her long tenure in the industry has given her witness to a variety of challenging markets and economic landscapes. The lessons she has learned have proven invaluable as she helps guide clients through today’s complex, ever changing investment environment on the path to achieving their most cherished financial goals.

Working with a diverse clientele, Arisleyda has a nuanced understanding of the needs of professional women who in recent years have become a stronger financial force. With longer life expectancies, women are spending more years in retirement and are faced with increased health care costs and greater exposure to the effects of inflation on their long-term savings. Working together, Arisleyda strives to help them achieve greater financial security and build a life in retirement around what matters most to them.

Giving back to the community in which she lives and works is a priority for Arisleyda. In addition to the Women in Leadership (WIL) at Hofstra University , she is currently a member of the Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute), Rotary International and the boards of Ferguson Library and Building One Community, an organization dedicated to the advance of succesful integration of immigrants and their families. In recognition of her hard work and dedication to the community, Arisleyda has been named to the Bank of America Volunteer Honor Roll every year since 2018.

Arisleyda has earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) certification and the Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM (CRPC®) designation from the College for Financial Planning and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor™ (CPFA™) credential from National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). She also holds the FINRA Series 7, 66, 9, 10 and 31 registrations as well as life, health and long term care insurance licenses. She is also fluent in Spanish. Arisleyda resides in Connecticut wih her husband , Ralf and enjoys baking, playing golf, skiing and beach vacations.

SARA SHINDEL '83 '88

Sara Shindel is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Lifetime Brands Inc., a publicly traded housewares company. She established a full-service legal department structure and strategy upon joining the company. Sara is responsible for all legal matters including, but not limited to, corporate governance, public filings, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, contracts and licensing, real estate and environmental matters and litigation.

Prior to her current role at Lifetime, Sara was a corporate associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, specializing in securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Prior to joining Pillsbury, she began her legal career as a corporate associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, working on general corporate matters, securities offerings, and mergers and acquisitions transactions for private equity and public company clients of the firm.

Sara began her career in the banking industry at Marine Midland Bank (now known as HSBC bank), becoming a Branch Sales Manager of one of the bank’s midtown Manhattan branches. After five years at Marine Midland Bank, she continued her career in banking at The Bank of New York, where for 10 years she held the roles of Assistant Vice President in the Retail Banking division as a Branch Manager, Vice President-District Sales Manager for 25 branches in western Nassau County, and as a Vice President in the Trust and Estates division of the bank while also attending New York Law School.

Sara received a BBA in Banking and Finance (’83) and an MBA in Finance (’88) from Hofstra University, and a JD from New York Law School (’99), where she was graduated magna cum laude and received an award for Outstanding Editorial Contribution as Executive Notes and Comments Editor of the New York Law School Journal of International and Comparative Law. She is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Sara lives in Nassau County with her husband Ron, a fellow Hofstra alum, and her three children, one of whom is an undergraduate student at Hofstra.

KATHLEEN M. STANLEY '91

Kathleen Stanley ’91 is currently an Executive Managing Director at Webster Bank. With more than 30 years experience in the financial services industry, Kathleen is responsible for Regional Banking, Law Firm Banking, Non-Profit, Property Management, Municipal and Government Institutional Banking and Public Sector Finance groups. Prior to joining Webster, Kathleen led Treasury Management and Depository Solutions for the East Coast for City National Bank and the Cash Management sales team for Capital One's Northeast Commercial Bank. She launched the Treasury Management Department for both Empire National Bank (2008-2010) and State Bank of Long Island (2004-2008).

She was recognized as one of Long Island’s 40 rising stars under the age of 40, and in 2007, as a Woman of Achievement in Banking and Finance by the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women. In 2012 Kathleen was a Butterfly Award recipient at the Inaugural Girls Incorporated of Long Island Butterfly Awards Dinner and in 2014 as Woman of the Year for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island. Kathleen was the Chair and Honoree for the American Heart Association 2022 and 2023 Go Red for Woman Campaign. In 2023, she was a recipient of the LIBN Business and Finance award and most recently named one of LIBN’s “Most Influential Long Islanders of 2024”. In July of this year (2024), Kathleen became Board Chair of the American Heart Association of Long Island.

Kathleen has a BBA in Marketing with a minor in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University. Kathleen was President of Hofstra University’s Alumni Association and the Zarb School of Business. She is an avid supporter of the Northwell Health Katz Women’s Hospital, the American Heart Association, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.