Nine New Members Join

the United Way Board of Directors

“We are extremely fortunate to have a group of highly respected people from our community who have chosen to give back to their communities through the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. Each of them brings valuable skills to our organization. We look forward to their input and working with them as new board members.”

-     William Mooney III, Esq.

UWWP Board Chairman

United Way of Westchester and Putnam's (UWWP) Board of Directors appointed nine community-minded professionals to its roster in 2022-2023 Joining the 20 sitting board members are?Carmelo Alvarado, Leroy Frazer, Amanda Michael, Stephen Moroney, Nino Pesce, Raymond Sanchez, Sara Servadio, Silvana Tapia, and Bernie Thombs. Their term is for three years.

Carmelo Alvarado

Carmelo Alvarado is VP and Business Development Officer at PCSB Bank. Prior to this, he held several management roles at TD Bank. Carmelo brings community development experience to the board. He has RMA commercial credit training and holds a teaching diploma from Richard R. Green High School of Teaching in New York, NY. He lives in Cortlandt Manor.

Leroy Frazer, Esq.

Leroy Frazer is a retired NYC District Attorney who is also a member of the African American Men of Westchester. Leroy serves as the Chair of the Westchester County Police Advisory Board and the Former Chair of the Westchester County Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force. Leroy is passionate about public safety and violence prevention issues from being closely tied into the Westchester County Executive’s Office as well as the Westchester County Police Department. Leroy received his B.A. from Talladega College in Alabama, and his J.D. from Temple University Law School in Philadelphia. He resides in Pelham Manor.

Amanda Michael, Esq.

Amanda Michael is a Senior Managing Counsel at Mastercard International Incorporated. Amanda is the lead product counsel for Mastercard’s new payment division, and is responsible for public policy, risk assessment, and policies. Prior to that, she worked as the Senior Vice President and Counsel at The Macquarie Group. She has provided council for both public and private companies, and managed teams based nationally and internationally. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from UCLA. She lives in Larchmont.

Stephen Moroney

Stephen Moroney is Senior Vice President of TD Bank in White Plains. Stephen is responsible for all commercial lending activity in the region. Previous roles include Vice President of Commercial Lending and Senior Credit Analyst. He has been featured by Volunteer New York for his support of the organization and focus on using the bank’s resources and platform to support and promote local nonpofits over the years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Pennsylvania.

Nino Pesce  

Nino Pesce is Senior Vice President and Team Leader at M&T Bank. Nino is the new head of Business Development for the bank in this area. Nino brings strong financial and accounting acumen to our Board, as well as representation from an important community partner, M&T Bank. He also is an active National Guardsman and has received the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Achievement Medal. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business.

Dr. Raymond Sanchez

Dr. Raymond Sanchez is the Superintendent of the Ossining Union Free School District. Dr. Sanchez has been a member of the district staff since 1998, starting as a fourth-grade teacher and holding various leadership positions prior to being superintendent. Dr. Sanchez received his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College, earning the Doctoral Outstanding Leadership Award in 2019. He also holds advanced education degrees and certificates from Fordham University, Columbia University and Long Island University. He earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Sara Servadio

Sara Servadio is Deputy Commissioner for the Putnam County Departments of Social Services, Mental Health and Youth Bureau. Prior to this, she was the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health Program Coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oneonta, a master’s from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Post Master’s certificate in advanced Clinical Practice from New York University. She resides in Mahopac.

Silvana Tapia

Silvana Tapia is a Field Marketing & Community Partnerships professional at MVP Health Care. Prior to that, she was their Community-Based Outreach leader. She attended Westchester Community College and holds a Life, Accident and Health Insurance Agent certificate from Pohs Institute. She resides in Sleepy Hollow.

Bernie Thombs

Bernie Thombs is the owner of Bernard Raymond Inc. and Surveillance Café, two large-scale enterprise remote security companies specializing in residential, healthcare and governmental facilities and holds training certificates from the National Institute of Crime Prevention. Bernie is a member of the African American Men of Westchester (AAMW), and is also on the boards of ArtsWestchester and the White Plains Housing Authority. He attended Fordham University and The Wharton School.

Six Awarded Ruth Taylor Scholarships

Ruth Taylor Scholarship winners pictured left to right: Tara Battersby, Sarah Cassidy, Betsey Goldwasser, and Maura Knackstedt. Not pictured are Denisse Nunez and Nakeah Wade.

United Way of Westchester and Putnam announced the awarding of scholarships collectively totaling $16,000 from its Ruth Taylor Scholarship Fund to six Westchester graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in social work or public health.

The six recipients are Tara Battersby of Tuckahoe, Sarah Cassidy of White Plains, and Dobbs Ferry residents Betsey Goldwasser, Maura Knackstedt, Denisse Nunez, and Nakeah Wade. Battersby, Cassidy, and Goldwasser are all pursing their master’s in social work at Columbia University. Knackstedt, Nunez, and Wade are attending CUNY Hunter College to earn their master’s in social work.

Knackstedt, Nunez, and Wade are The Children’s Village employees. Knackstedt is a juvenile justice intervention specialist, assisting youth transitioning back into the community from placement, foster homes, detention, etc. Nunez is an alternative to detention specialist. Wade is 

a supervisor of the WAY Home program, which supports adult children aging out of the foster care system by teaching them to be self-sufficient adults.

The additional Ruth Taylor recipients are also working to improve the lives of individuals. Battersby is a crisis support counselor at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison. Cassidy volunteers at The Nicholas Center in Pleasantville. Goldwasser is a teaching assistant for America Reads America Counts and is an intern at I’RAISE Girls & Boys, Int’l in New York City. 

“These women are excellent choices for this scholarship,” said United Way President and CEO Tom Gabriel. “It truly benefits everyone to have people as dedicated as them to reach their full potential, and if we can help along the way with a scholarship, we are happy to do it. We can’t wait to see each of them continue to thrive.” 

The fund was established in tribute to Ruth Taylor upon her retirement as Westchester County’s Commissioner of Public Welfare, recognizing her nearly four decades of outstanding service. United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Westchester County Government, and the Urban League of Westchester County sponsor the annual awards. Applicants must be residents of Westchester County and enrolled in graduate studies in Social Work or Public Health on a full-time basis

Women's Leadership Council Holding a Purse with a Purpose Handbag Drive

In the spirit of Women Helping Women, and as we celebrate Women’s History Month, United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council is launching a business handbag drive for women who need a professional-looking new purse filled with employment essentials.

"Our world has changed as we know it. Women need help and encouragement now more than ever," said UWWP Chief Development Officer Margaret Tramontine. "We have also heard from our members of the strong desire to bring back the “Purse with a Purpose” drive. The concept is simple, yet incredibly personal, moving and, most of all, encouraging to women on the receiving end."

The Women's Leadership Council is collecting new, professional handbags and items for both business and women’s personal needs. Each handbag will also contain a personal note of encouragement. These items are treasured by recipients who feel beyond grateful to receive a new purse… one with a purpose!

They have taken the ‘thinking’ out of this for you. Below, click the ‘Purse with a Purpose Sign Up’ invitation where you can select and sign up for needed items. All items need to be received at UWWP headquarters, located at 336 Central Park Avenue in White Plains, by Friday, March 31, 2023. You can drop it off, order it, or have it delivered here.

Purse with a Purpose Sign Up

Westchester COAD Host Emergency

Preparedness Training

Rockland COAD Chairman Steven Papas and Westchester COAD Co-chair Richard Slingerland welcomed attendees to the Emergency Operations Planning Workshop for Houses of Workshop that was held in Tarrytown on Feb. 3

The Westchester Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) partnered with the Rockland COAD to host emergency preparedness training by FEMA and the New York State Disaster Interfaith Services to more than a dozen representatives from Hudson Valley houses of worship in Tarrytown on Friday, Feb. 3. The goal of the workshop was for the representatives to learn what to consider when creating an emergency operations plan and identify processes and procedures they need to put in place to ensure that needs are being met safely and securely.

"When a disaster or emergency strikes, community members seek out their local houses of worship for guidance and assistance," said Westchester COAD co-chair Faith Ann Butcher, who is the chief impact officer at UWWP. "This training session helps the leaders of the houses of worship look at how they would go about various scenarios such as a natural disaster, analyze the roles and responsibilities that people would need to take on, determine the hazards or threats faced by the house of worship, and have a framework to construct an emergency operations plan."

Westchester COAD is a network within and on behalf of the faith-based, non-profit, governmental, business, and other organizations and agencies which provides a coordinated recovery effort to meet the unmet needs of Westchester County residents impacted by local disasters. It meets regularly and offers programs, services, and training that build resilience and operational capacity within the disaster lifecycle phases; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

United Way of Westchester and Putnam is the fiscal agent of the Westchester COAD and supports the administrative functions of the network.