Neighbor News
A New Class of Leadership in Westchester
The 2015 class of Leadership Westchester included many notable local residents
A new class of leaders gathered the evening of June 23rd to officially become the 18th class of graduates to go through the Leadership Westchester program.
“This is not your usual executive training program. It is an opportunity to become an effective leader by identifying one’s core values and developing authentic presence. It is truly transformative,” said Laura Rossi, Esq., a 2015 Leadership Westchester graduate and the Executive Director of Westchester Community Foundation.
The Leadership Westchester Alumni Association presented Kate Bialo (LW ‘07), Founder and Executive Director of the Furniture Sharehouse, the 2015 Alumna of the year award for her outstanding leadership and professional achievement at the start of the Class of 2015 Leadership Westchester graduation ceremony on the evening of June 23rd. Bialo also received recognition on the county, state and federal level by County Legislator Catherine Borgia, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Governor Andrew Cuomo – whereby the following day, July 24th, 2015 was named Kate Bialo Day in Westchester County.
During her award acceptance, Kate read from a recent thank you note she received via Furniture Sharehouse,
“ . . . never change the steps you have your clients start out with when they first come into your warehouse. The first item that I got to choose was a mirror. To me the mirror was a message that I was about to see my entire life change; the change starts with the person in the mirror.” Kate then commented, “Thanks to this note, I can think of no better way than to thank Leadership Westchester and its facilitator, David Severance, for giving us all our own mirror and teaching us how to see our inner leader in our own reflections.”
As a member of Leadership Westchester’s Class of 2007, the year in which Bialo founded Furniture Sharehouse, she credits the training and focus she was given in Leadership Westchester with helping her rally the resources needed to make Furniture Sharehouse a reality.
The full class of the 2015 graduating class included: Hamra Ahmad, Hudson Valley Justice Center; Donna Banks, Communications Professional; Noam Bramson, City of New Rochelle; Alicia Brockway, M&T Bank; Ian Ceppos, Colliers International; Karen Daugherty, Bunge; Judy Eisele, YWCA of Westchester; Tessa Garcia, The Journal News Media Group; Lini Jacob, United Way of Westchester and Putnam; Lindsey Jones, Axiom Legal; Lauren Candela-Katz, LCK Consulting; Lindsay McAllister, Reader’s Digest Association; Kathleen Reckling, ArtsWestchester; Laura Rossi, Westchester Community Foundation; Rosario Samudio, Volunteer New York!; Paula Saraiva, People’s United Bank; Diane Tukman, My Sisters’ Place; Jackie Vanover, Network System Solutions; Sabine Werner, Leviticus Alternative Fund; and, Tracey Zimmerman, The Westchester Bank.
“One of the many benefits of being involved with Leadership Westchester is access to our growing Alumni Association, an impressive group of men and women who continue to make a difference professionally and personally. The alumni calendar of activities includes ongoing workshops, networking, volunteering events and more,” said Alisa H. Kesten, Volunteer New York! Executive Director.
Find out more about Leadership Westchester at volunteernewyork.org/leadership or call 914-948-4452.
Photography by Paul Schneiderman.
