Northern Westchester Hospital's New Community Board Chair Named

Gary Cohen has been named chair of Northern Westchester Hospital's (NWH) Community Board, succeeding Michael Schwartz, of Chappaqua, who is stepping down at the end of his tenure along with board members Bill Sarnoff and Rob Rosati. Current board members Ann Kenyon and Nana Banerjee have been named board vice chairs, and newly named board members include David Gefsky, Venu Krishna, Tonya McLaughlin and Clare Murray.

"Gary Cohen's decades of business experience have been invaluable in helping the board address the needs of the community in today's highly complex healthcare landscape. We are delighted that he will continue serving on the board in his new role as chair," said Derek Anderson, executive director of Northern Westchester Hospital. "We extend our heartfelt thanks to outgoing chair Michael Schwartz, who has provided significant leadership to the Community Board during my transition to Northern Westchester Hospital and during the global pandemic, along with departing board members Bill Sarnoff and Rob Rosati. We look forward to celebrating Michael's many accomplishments when he is honored at this year's Gala on October 2nd."

Cohen, who resides in Bedford Corners, spent more than three decades with IBM Corporation in positions that included general manager, Global Communications Sector, chairman of IBM Africa and Global Alliances Executive Leader. He has served on Northern Westchester Hospital's Community Board since 2015 and served as vice chair since 2017.

Ann Kenyon, of Chappaqua, incoming vice chair, is a CPA and retired senior partner at Deloitte with more than 35 years of experience. She joined the NWH Community Board in 2020. Nana Banerjee, PhD, of Bedford, incoming vice chair, joined the NWH Community Board in 2019 and is currently Senior Managing Director for Cerberus Technology Solutions. His family endowed the Sabita Karunes Scholarship (in memory of his mother who was cared for at NWH), which supports NWH team members who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

New appointees to the Community Board include the following:

David Gefsky is founder and managing principal of Camp Eight Capital, a real investment platform making equity and debt investments in the multifamily and commercial real estate sectors. Gefsky worked for JP Morgan in the Real Estate, Lodging and Gaming group as Vice President from 1997 through 2003. He left to start Antheus Capital, a real estate investment company focused on development, renovation, and operation of multifamily properties located predominantly in the Midwest (2003-2020). He attended Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Gefsky lives in Chappaqua with his wife and three children.

Venu Krishna is a managing director, head of Equity Linked Strategies and deputy head US Equity Research for Barclays. He began his career on Wall Street at Salomon Brothers before moving to Lehman Brothers in 2002 to head its convertibles research effort. He moved to Barclays in 2008. Krishna earned a B.A. in Economics (honors) from University of Delhi, India, and a M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from the Darden School, University of Virginia. He is also a CFA charter holder. He is a resident of North White Plains.

Tonya T. McLaughlin, MS, is a senior microbiologist for the Westchester County Department of Laboratories & Research in Valhalla, NY, and an adjunct professor at New York Medical College in Valhalla. McLaughlin has a master's of science degree in microbiology and immunology from New York Medical College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. She is a resident of Brewster, NY.

Clare Murray has served as executive director of the Community Center of Northern Westchester since 2016, and as its director of operations from 2009. The center supports 3,000 low income families annually, providing vital services including food, clothing, and programs to develop job skills and enhance education. She was born in England, where she trained as a physical therapist. She moved to Bedford Hills, NY in 2001 with her husband and two daughters, and managed a retail and wholesale clothing import business to support women artisans in South America.

For more information about Northern Westchester Hospital, visit www.nwh.northwell.edu.