The Inside Press

The Volunteer Center of United Way will honor its 2013 Leadership Westchester graduating class on June 25. Among those honored will be Jill Gottlieb of Chappaqua, coordinator, Caregiver Center Replication Program of Northern Westchester Hospital,.

Most people would jump at the chance to learn about leadership concepts taught at the top business schools today. And they’d probably be thrilled to find out ways they could best use their talents to make an impact in their communities. “Leadership Westchester” does just that, and every year 20 professionals in the Westchester business and nonprofit world are selected for this unique nine-month program. On June 25, Leadership Westchester, a program of The Volunteer Center of United Way, will honor this year’s graduating class at a special ceremony to be held at the Gateway Center at Westchester Community College in Valhalla. It also will present Karen Schatzel, vice president and Housing Committee chair of the League of Women Voters of Westchester, with its 2013 Alumna of the Year award.

Now in its 18th year, Leadership Westchester affords participants an invaluable opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of nonprofit board responsibilities and key management tools needed in future volunteer leadership positions. Monthly seminars are designed to refine leadership skills and to share important trends in Westchester’s contemporary social, political, and economic climates.

“Leadership Westchester not only prepares you to be a better, more authentic leader in your professional, volunteer, and personal life, but also helps you define what is important to you and how you can have a positive impact on others,” says Alisa H. Kesten, executive director of The Volunteer Center. Participants graduate with a clear direction about how they can use their skills and passions to assume positions of influence and impact, particularly as board members at nonprofit organizations in the region

The 2013 Leadership Westchester graduates are:

Francely Bernard of the Bronx, director of resource development, United Way of Westchester and Putnam

Patrick Brennan of Fishkill, vice president of information technology, The Westchester Bank

Maire Brosnan Katavolos of Nyack, executive director, Community YMCA of Northern Westchester

Karen Cheeks-Lomax of Mount Vernon, executive director, My Sisters’ Place

Olivia Ecker of Tarrytown, facilities coordinator, communications, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Ed Forbes of Mount Kisco, digital team leader, The Journal News

Jill Gottlieb of Chappaqua, coordinator, Caregiver Center Replication Program of Northern Westchester Hospital

Jennifer Gruenberg of Scarsdale, board member, White Plains Hospital and Westchester Community College Foundation

Mary Jo Jacobs of New Rochelle, human resources consultant

Ann Kilbourne of Hartsdale, manager of planning and analysis, Bunge Global Agribusiness

Marjorie Lang of Irvington, administrative vice president, M&T Bank

Sharon Masciovecchio of New City, development director, March of Dimes

Drew McKay of White Plains, project manager, Arben Group, LLC

Elizabeth Phillips of Peekskill, director of health education services, Hudson River HealthCare

Frankie Shahar of New Rochelle, vice president of communications and marketing, Association of Development Officers

Deborah Silverman of Rye Brook, financial consultant

Julie Sootin of Pleasantville, director of development, Westchester Children’s Museum

Katherine Stipicevic of Tuckahoe, senior manager, PepsiCo

Raymond Wong of Mount Vernon, relationship manager, Small Business, TD Bank

John Wool of West Harrison, director of admissions, Berkeley College (Westchester Campus)

Karen Schatzel (LW ’98), Leadership Westchester’s 2013 Alumna of the Year, is an Irvington resident. She received the 2012 Circle of Giving Award from the Westchester Community Foundation for her demonstrated courage and leadership in guiding the League of Women Voters’ efforts to push for compliance with the 2009 housing settlement entered into between the County and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Schatzel has served on the boards of Abbot House, the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the Irvington Historical Society, and the board of education of the Abbott School. She is currently on the board and chairs the Committee on Directors of the Louis August Jonas Foundation, and is past president of the Fortnightly Club, a social organization in Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and Irvington. In addition, she has been an active volunteer with Historic Hudson Valley since 1997.

“I once heard Pace Law Center’s John Nolon comment: ‘We too often think of leadership in terms of elective office, but leadership of a different type is critically needed from those who have the knowledge, insight, and passion to make a contribution,'” says Schatzel.

Each year there are opportunities for participants to learn more about a variety of challenges that face our community. Schatzel says that, for her, “from education to municipal government to the penal system, Leadership Westchester gave me a much deeper understanding of where volunteer leadership was needed in the community.”

Support for Leadership Westchester comes from The Volunteer Center’s strategic partner, United Way of Westchester and Putnam, and from a wide range of corporations and nonprofits. For more information on the program and to receive an application for 2013-14 Leadership Westchester, call The Volunteer Center at 914-948-4452 or visit www.volunteer-center.org/leadership.

About The Volunteer Center of United Way:

Recently awarded a Top-Rated Nonprofit designation, The Volunteer Center is a one-stop resource devoted to increasing volunteerism in Westchester and our surrounding communities.  We encourage adults to serve, youth to build character, families to bond, young professionals to lead, mature adults to share their wisdom and businesses to support our community.  Through organized volunteer projects, as well as by connecting individuals to nonprofit organizations, The Volunteer Center helps people take action to strengthen the quality of life in their community. Over 254,000 hours of service were devoted last year to 500 nonprofits at a value of over $7.7 million. In September 2011, The Volunteer Center was designated one of ten Regional Volunteer Centers in the State of New York, covering the Mid-Hudson Valley.  For more information, visit www.volunteer-center.org.