Meet with a Mentor

Matt Greenbaum is the Vice President of International Shoppes, an airport retailer that primarily operates duty free stores and high-end branded shops. International Shoppes is a family owned and operated enterprise and has been operating for over 65 years. Matt focuses primarily on business development, working with brand owners and airport operators to maximize revenue opportunities and the customer experience. As part of the ownership group, Matt is also inserted into all facets of the business, including operations, accounting, human resources, marketing and more. Matt is local to the area, having grown up in Westbury, NY and currently resides in Glen Head, NY. He graduated from Cornell University in 2001 with a degree in Applied Economics & Management and earned his MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business in 2011.

Leo Guthart is currently Founder of Topspin Partners, which operates several venture and private equity funds.

Prior to its sale to Honeywell in 2000, Leo served as Vice Chairman of Pittway Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of its Security Group of companies. After Pittway’s sale to Honeywell, he served as Chairman of the Security and Fire Solutions Group of Honeywell International.

He was also Chairman of publicly-held Cylink Corporation, a leading U.S. supplier of encryption equipment that was sold to SafeNet Inc. He also served as a Director of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR), an international producer of dispensing valves, pumps, and closures for pharmaceuticals and perfumes. He is a Trustee of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and served as its Treasurer, as well as Hofstra University, where he served as Chairman of the Board.

Leo is a graduate of Harvard College, where he received a BA Degree in Physics in 1958, and of Harvard Business School where he was a George F. Baker Scholar and received both an MBA in 1960 and a Doctorate in Business Administration with a specialty in Corporate Finance.

Since exiting the workforce in 2006, Peter has worked with dozens of startups in the New York area, held similar Entrepreneur-in-Residence positions or adjunct roles at several universities including Montclair, Rutgers, and NJIT. He is Managing Partner of 1099Partners, a firm that consists of ex-senior executives that service the emerging market space. He currently advises, coaches or is an investor in eight local firms. Kestenbaum was an early employee (1983-1998) of Sun Microsystems and over 15 years held a variety of positions culminating as Field Marketing Director for North America. His Silicon Valley pedigree includes working directly for or with people such as Eric Schmidt (currently Chairman at Google) and Scott McNealy, founder of Sun Microsystems. During the “.COM” era he served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Agency.COM in New York as it transitioned from a startup and early silicon alley pioneer through its IPO. He also has held an advisor role to senior staff at IBM.

Barbara Roberts, Entrepreneur-In-Residence at both Columbia Business School and Hofstra University, is a well-known advocate, writer and speaker on socially responsible business practices and purpose-driven start-ups and is a lifelong champion for opening doors for women and minorities.

An economist by training, Barbara previously held senior positions on Wall Street and was the first woman to have many Wall Street positions, including a seat on the board of Dean Witter.  Throughout her Wall Street career, she was a champion for women and was profiled in the 1986 Wall Street Journal article that popularized the term “glass ceiling”. After leaving Wall Street, she became President/CEO of two family owned business, the stock photography company, FPG International, now part of Getty Images, and the museum audio tour company Acoustiguide.  As an early champion of expanding the use of non-white models in commercial photography, she was awarded the Business Enterprise Award by President Clinton “for acts of courage, integrity and social vision”  and is a Harvard case of a socially responsible business. Barbara has served as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Small Business and Agricultural Advisory Committee and member of the Suffolk County NY Planning Commission. As an Entrepreneur-In-Residence, she has helped launch hundreds of start-ups, is an active angel investor, and serves on the boards of several private companies. Barbara is the author of four whitepapers about entrepreneurs: Life after an Exit, The Owner’s Journey, Women’s Entrepreneurial Journeys, and Flightpaths.

Phil Rugile has a long history in both corporate and startup business environments. Phil’s current positions include co-Founder of non-profit RecruitLI, as a Corporate Innovation Consultant focusing on workforce and business development, and as the Director of Launchpad Huntington (LPH), a co-working and corporate event space. LPH has become the area’s most successful private startup space by providing connections for entrepreneurs to investment, partnership and mentorship. Through extensive networking and educational events, the space provides invaluable collaboration opportunities for its tenants and the entire LI region. In his consulting role, Phil is currently engaged with several technology and advanced manufacturing clients. Phil is also is a member of the New York State Regional Economic Development Council’s Education and Workforce Committee.

Prior experiences include Human Capital Strategist at eCommerce company eGifter, Entrepreneur in Residence for Accelerate Long Island; co-founder of 100 Urban Entrepreneurs, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to supporting minority entrepreneurship; co-founder of MYMAG, a celebrity driven marketing company that created unique personalized print and digital products; preceded by stints at numerous media and technology companies such as Reuters, Times Mirror and others.

More information at https://www.linkedin.com/in/prugile

Email: phil@launchpadhuntington.com

Leota Blacknor is an accomplished 25 year + music industry veteran. She has been very instrumental in cultivating the music careers of multi-platinum artists. Her professional network spans beyond music and also includes entertainment, media and academia. In addition, she has developed a music business course curriculum for academic programming, curated cross-marketing initiatives, and negotiated global distribution deals for chart-topping artists. 

Her career profile spans from working at major and indie labels such as: Bad Boy Entertainment, Ruff Ryders, Roc Nation, Virgin Records, Capitol Records, Caroline Distribution, just to name a few. She has consulted for music start-up's and worked with several brands, including, Red Bull as Head of Marketing (Music Publishing) and Director of Artist Relations, respectively.

Her passion for music is also shared by her advocacy for education. Ms. Blacknor is a graduate of Syracuse University, B.S. Speech Communications with a specialty in English Textual Studies; she studied abroad in London at S.U.'s Division of International Program Abroad for journalism. 

• Artist Profile: Notorious B.I.G., DMX, 50 Cent, Anita Baker, Johnny Gill, Tyrese, Eve, The Lox, Camron, Raekwon, Mase, Jordin Sparks, Letoya Luckett and many more. 
• Former Adjunct Professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (Tisch School - NYU)
• Carnegie Hall "The B-Side" Program (curriculum development) 
• Former member of Autism Speaks, Communications Committee; attended White House for "Combating Autism Act 2006"

Judith Gaffney is the visionary founder and creative force behind Culture Trees, an avant-garde premium clothing line with a distinct African influence. Since its inception in 2018, Culture Trees has made a significant impact on the fashion scene, gracing the stages of New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, and Miami Swim.

Guided by the inspiration drawn from her parents, who instilled in her the pursuit of dreams and a commitment to excellence, Judith embodies these values in the brand's empowering ethos. Beyond her contributions to the fashion realm, she channels her passion for social impact through a summer entrepreneurship program for children residing in transitional housing.

In 2019, Culture Trees introduced a sustainable collection crafted from 100% organic cotton in Burkina Faso, West Africa. This initiative involved a collaboration with a small women's cooperative, creating meaningful employment opportunities. The sustainable collection earned recognition in the esteemed Fashion Institute of Technology gallery in Manhattan, New York.

Not only a trailblazer in the fashion industry, Judith also imparts her knowledge and passion as an adjunct professor in the Advertising, Marketing, and Communications Division at FIT. Here, she nurtures the next generation of innovators, showcasing her expertise and dedication to shaping the future of the creative landscape.

Joshua Sarmir is a multi-talented business leader with more than 25 years of experience in start-up and corporate environments. When presented with a problem, he sees opportunity, and has helped Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and small businesses tackle significant challenges.

Josh is currently the CEO and cofounder of SplitSage which created software that leverages science from M.I.T. to improve effectiveness and increase safety across many industries. Prior, he commercialized research at BBN Technologies with his leadership roles in professional services and sales which helped BBN get acquired by Raytheon. While at Raytheon he was the director of Strategic Alliances for his business unit. He was also a cofounder of Arcadia Solutions which was a consulting company with practices in incentive compensation and later healthcare which was eventually sold to Pohlad Companies.

Josh is a graduate of Boston College where he studied finance and computer science.