BBBSLI - Key Persons


Alex Chevez

Job Titles:
  • Program Administrative Assistant

Alina Haitz

Job Titles:
  • Recruitment Manager

Amanda Illig

Job Titles:
  • Match Support Specialist

Amanda Lepurage

Job Titles:
  • Match Support Specialist

Anil Jagtiani

Job Titles:
  • Founder and Chief Executive Officer at NAKA
Anil Jagtiani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at NAKA, a leading North American IT solutions provider focused on Assessments, Cybersecurity, Managed Services, Strategic Consulting, and Staffing services. With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Anil launched NAKA in 2017 with the amazing team he had developed and trusted through his career. Anil wanted to name the company after pride, passion and integrity, where clients trust their diligence and dedication. The name NAKA comes from the town in Mumbai, India where he grew up. Humble beginnings gave him the drive to pursue the American dream of starting his own company.

Bert Lurch

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder and CEO of E Central Medical Management
Bert Lurch is Co-Founder and CEO of E Central Medical Management (ECM), a full-service medical billing and practice management firm. After graduating with a BS in management from SUNY Old Westbury, Bert began his career at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He co-founded ECM in 1999. Bert is active in the business and non-profit community, serving as president of the Health & Business Alliance, a consortium of healthcare, non-profit and business entities. He is co-chair of the Queens Chamber of Commerce Health and Wellness Committee and a member of the Long Island Elite (LIE). A father of two, he resides in Elmont.

Betty Smith

Job Titles:
  • Program Supervisor

Carmelina Vassallo - CHRO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Human Resources

Carrie Thorne

Job Titles:
  • Grant Specialist

Courtney Ruppert

Job Titles:
  • Enrollment Specialist

Crystal Hamilton

Job Titles:
  • Customer Relations Specialist

Danielle Taylor

Job Titles:
  • Marketing & Event Specialist

Emilia Souza

Job Titles:
  • Enrollment Specialist

Fabiola Turner

Job Titles:
  • Chief
  • Program Officer

Gabriella Ramirez

Job Titles:
  • Program Supervisor

Heather Bowen-Leaver

Job Titles:
  • Associate
  • Fellow
Heather Bowen-Leaver is an Associate Fellow, La Mer Expert with Estee Lauder. She has been involved with Big Brother Big Sister since 1998. First as a Big Sister for 9 years, then as a volunteer and, more recently, as a member of the leadership council. She was honored at the 2023 CATWALK for Kids Fashion Show Event. Heather has been instrumental in the agencies Holiday for Kids' Sake Program, Back to School Drive and Prom Drive, among other things.

Jess Cohen

Job Titles:
  • Digital Content Creator

Jessica Levonick

Job Titles:
  • Enrollment Specialist

Kathya Avino

Job Titles:
  • Match Support Specialist

Keith Miller

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Island Federal Credit Union
Keith Miller is a Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Island Federal Credit Union overseeing the Commercial Lending, Mortgage, Collections and Consumer Lending departments. Keith earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from SUNY Oneonta and a Master's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Stony Brook University. Keith has been actively involved with the organization since 2017 and is a member of the Brookhaven Business Advisory Council. Keith and his wife, Amanda, live in Shoreham with their two sons, Easton and Camden.

Kelly Stanley

Kelly Stanley is a therapist at Long Island Behavioral Medicine, P.C. located in Islandia and Long Island Mind & Body, P.C. located in Garden City. She joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Board of Directors in 2014. Having graduated from Hofstra University with an MBA and Fordham University with a Master of Social Work, Ms. Stanley is an LCSW, a member of the NASW and an IATP Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She resides in Rockville Centre with her husband, Michael, and has two grown children, Ryan and Kara.

Kereyne St. Hillaire - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Finance

Kristin Thorne

Job Titles:
  • Reporter With WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News
Kristin Thorne is an investigative reporter with WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News. She is a former Big Sister and now leads the board's efforts to recruit male Bigs. Kristin is an adjunct assistant professor in Hofstra University's Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. She is also a volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Lauren Laurore

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager

Liz Meyers - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Executive Vice President of Purchasing
Liz Meyers is the Executive Vice President of Purchasing and Global Sourcing for Darby Dental Supply, LLC. She is responsible for domestic and international product sourcing, SKU optimization, inventory management, analyzing demand and buy-in opportunities, and maintaining vendor relations. Liz has been an active member and co-chair of the CATWALK for Kids Fashion Show and a generous supporter of our Holiday for Kids' Sake Campaign and Back-to-School Program.

Lucy Brito

Job Titles:
  • Match Support Specialist

Makenzy Chaikin

Job Titles:
  • Match Engagement Specialist

Mark Cox - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Member of Molloy College 's Energeia Partnership Leadership Academy
As Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Cox guides the agency's vision and mission, leading nearly 75 employees including BBBSLI's Mentoring Agency and the BBBSLI Donation Center. For over a decade, Mr. Cox has been an instrumental part of the agency's leadership, first as Chief Development Officer followed by his current position of CEO. As CEO, Mr. Cox has developed the agency's Board of Directors by working closely with its members on the vision for the agency's future growth and success. This has included the formation of a diversity committee, the development of a detailed strategic plan as well as the implementation of investment strategies to grow the agency's funds. Mr. Cox is a member of Molloy College's Energeia Partnership Leadership Academy, Class of 2019, which is dedicated to identifying and addressing the serious, complex and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region. His additional memberships include the Edward Smith Mineola Lion's Club and the Executive Business Association. He resides in Westbury with his wife, Teri, and has two children Kirstin and Tyler.

Meredith Michaels

Job Titles:
  • Chief Development & Marketing Officer

Michael Capilets

Job Titles:
  • Managing Director at SVAM International, Inc
Michael Capilets is a Managing Director at SVAM International, Inc. responsible for strategic planning, market segment identification and evaluation, business strategy development and client negotiations. Additionally, he has overall responsibility for Marketing and Sales. Since joining SVAM in 2003, he and his team have significantly increased sales revenues making SVAM one of the fastest growing entities on the Island. He also serves as a leadership coach and mentor to high potential associates in SVAM's Mentoring Program. Mr. Capilets joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Board of Directors in 2015 and resides in Smithtown with his son Michael Jr.

Michael Paley

Job Titles:
  • Travel Agent at Pro Travel International
Michael Paley is a travel agent at Pro Travel International. Mr. Paley joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Board of Directors in 1984, and previously served as Chairman of the Board. He earned a BA from Boston University in Business Administration and resides in Malverne with his wife Kathi.

Michael Quattrucci - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • Treasurer
  • Vice President of Sales at Red Hat, Inc
Michael Quattrucci is Vice President of Sales at Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of enterprise open source solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver high-performing technologies. Michael became involved with BBBSLI in 2017 and served on the President's Council prior to joining the Board. He holds BA and MBA degrees from Hofstra University and resides in Smithtown, NY with his wife and two children.

Nancy Foster

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President, Deputy Chief Credit Officer With Hanover Bank
Ms. Foster is Senior Vice President, Deputy Chief Credit Officer with Hanover Bank in Long Island, NY. She has worked in various credit and management positions at JP Morgan Chase, North Fork Bank, Capital One and BNB Bank. Nancy has focused her efforts on building out high performing, efficient credit teams while maintaining strong asset quality and portfolio performance. Her expertise is in defining processes that adhere to regulatory guidance and align with an organization's strategic plan and risk framework. Staying abreast of technology advancements, and incorporating these into the bank's processes, has enabled Nancy to continue to make significant contributions to the success of her employer. Nancy received her MBA from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY.

Paul R Moran

Job Titles:
  • Partner at Triton Bay Wealth Advisors
Paul R Moran is a partner at Triton Bay Wealth Advisors providing insurance solutions and wealth management advice. Paul is a graduate of Adelphi University with a BS in Management as well as an AAS degree from Five Towns College in Music Technology. Paul has been serving as an active Big since 2011. He has recently celebrated his 8th anniversary with his current match. He enjoys outdoor sports and playing drums in a couple of local bands. Paul has two children, Ashley and Reese and currently lives in Middle Island.

Praveen Anumolu

Job Titles:
  • Secretary
  • Director of Engineering Services for ASR International Corporation
Praveen Anumolu is Director of Engineering Services for ASR International Corporation, a worldwide management and technical support services company. From 2004 through 2016, he previously served as a volunteer Big in the organization. Mr. Anumolu is a graduate of Cornell University with degrees in Geological Sciences and Electrical and Computer Engineering. He lives in Smithtown with his family and stays active in the local community.

Rich Grossi

Job Titles:
  • Vice Chair
  • Chief Executive Officer at ION
Rich Grossi is the Chief Executive Officer at ION, the global leader in trading, treasury and risk management solutions for the energy, commodities, corporate and financial services industries serving over 2,300 clients with over 80,000 users worldwide. ION's products manage $5 trillion dollars of cash balances and central bank reserves and operate at over 60% of the worlds global energy companies. As CEO of ION, Rich is responsible for leading day-to-day management and implementing and executing the company's operational goals and long-term strategy. Mr. Grossi joined the BBBSLI Board of Directors in 2014 and has played an active role in its fundraising efforts, Holiday for Kids' Sake Program and most recently, their newly created Rise Up Program. Rich resides in Melville with his wife and two children.

Shedely Polynice

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager

Taylor Harran

Job Titles:
  • Senior Match Support Specialist

Thomas Slome

Job Titles:
  • Partner at Cullen
Thomas Slome is a Partner at Cullen and Dykman LLP, a general practice commercial law firm in Garden City, NY. He specializes in the areas of bankruptcy, loan workouts and corporate finance. Mr. Slome is also Treasurer of the New York City Bar Association. He joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Board of Directors in 2012 and served as its Chair from 2015-17. He received a B.A in Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School. Mr. Slome resides in Montauk with his wife.

Timothy M. Foley

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President and Senior Client Manager at Bank of America 's Global Commercial Bank
Timothy M. Foley is a Senior Vice President and Senior Client Manager at Bank of America's Global Commercial Bank, providing financial and advisory services to corporate clients. Tim completed his undergraduate degree in Finance at LIU and earned MBAs from Columbia University and University of California at Berkeley. Tim has been actively involved with the organization since 2008 and is a member of NYU Winthrop Hospital's Board of Regents and the Edward Smith Mineola Lions Club. Tim has two sons and resides in Lattingtown.

Vani Kapoor

Job Titles:
  • Enrollment Specialist

Vic Verola

Vic Verola is a 25-plus year veteran of the Information Technology industry. Vic graduated from Hofstra University with a major in management and a minor in economics. Throughout his career Vic has worked in various sales leadership positions in the information technology arena. In 2017, Vic was named President of Vicom Computer Services, Inc., one of the largest regional solution providers in the area with over 100 million in revenue. Vic continues to lead the transformation of Vicom into one of the most progressive solution providers in the nation. Vic lives on Long Island with his wife Lupita and three children Danielle, Vic Jr. and Tony. His interests include photography, hockey and technology.