FEATURED INTERVIEWS
Each month the editors will choose one interview to feature.
This featured interview will be linked from our Home Page and mentioned throughout social media.
Click on photo for interview.
This featured interview will be linked from our Home Page and mentioned throughout social media.
Click on photo for interview.
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Diane Nickerson (August 2022 Featured Interview as part of Focus on Youth) is founder of Castle Island Bilingual Montessori, serving students in the Capital District of New York State. With more than 25 years of experience as an educator, she has achieved NYS certificates as a teacher of elementary education, English as a Second Language, Spanish, and as a K-12 Administrator. While raising her four sons to be bilingual, she had been seeking a school for them that would not only meet their language goals but would also provide creative opportunities for their inquisitive minds and active bodies. After some research and travel, Diane found an ideal approach in the Montessori method that holistically meets the learning needs of each child.
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Michelle Hollaender (July 2022 Featured Interview) has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years. Born in Guatemala City, Michelle moved to Dallas, Texas in 2002. She served as Chief Development Officer for an international nonprofit organization for many years before founding International Esperanza Project (IEP) in 2017. Michelle is passionate about inspiring hope and improving lives in Guatemala, and she is doing just that having helped thousands of Guatemalans to experience better healthcare, community development and education. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Texas A&M University. She is the mother of two adult sons.
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Jocelynn Anderson (May 2022 Featured Interview) is co-founder of Well Earth Goods, a company based in Oregon that strives to minimize waste by using products from sustainable resources. The company's quality products support a minimalist, waste-free lifestyle for all ages and help keep the earth well. Jocelynn and her husband, Lee, have devoted themselves to helping others change their habits and find better solutions to reduce a reliance on plastic. Jocelynn shares, "We strive for a balanced business/family culture for our whole team and a simple lifestyle that prioritizes family, gives back to our community, and takes care of our planet."
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Photo Courtesy: University of Oregon
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Laura Lee McIntyre, Ph.D., BCBA-D (April 2022 Featured Interview) is the interim dean for the College of Education and Castle-McIntosh-Knight Professor at the University of Oregon. She is known for her work in autism, family-centered interventions, and family–school partnerships for children with disabilities. Laura Lee is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), certified school psychologist, and board licensed psychologist. She has professional experiences in both school and hospital settings. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Oregon, she was a faculty member in the Psychology Department at Syracuse University and an affiliated faculty member in the Center for Development, Behavior, and Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
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Photo Courtesy: Emma Willard School
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Jenny Rao (March 2022 Featured Interview) grew up in Mexico City and is the daughter of a Mexican mother and a British American father. She earned her B. A. in economics from Bates College and began her professional career in investment consulting for Cambridge Associates. Jenny moved into education starting as a classroom teacher and then pursued a master’s degree in private school leadership at the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Before arriving at Emma Willard School in July 2017, Jenny was the director of academic affairs at Garrison Forest School, where she combined classroom teaching (English, Spanish and Geography) with administrative work. Jenny is the 17th Head of School at Emma Willard.
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Nieca Goldberg, M.D., (February 2022 Featured Interview) is a nationally recognized pioneer in women’s heart health. She is medical director of Atria New York City and clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. She is also the co-medical director of the 92nd Street Y’s Cardio Rehab Program, a cardiologist, author, and former radio show host of "Beyond the Heart" on Doctor Radio SIRIUS XM 81. Nieca is a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association and started the “Go Red for Women” campaign. "Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. But it’s a worldwide problem." ~ Nieca Goldberg, M.D.
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Wendie Blanchard (January 2022 Featured Interview) is the founder and national director of Arthur & Friends, a social entrepreneurial training and employment program that provides meaningful community employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities and individuals with socio-economic disadvantages who have for many years been considered unemployable. In June of 2011, Wendie was awarded the New Jersey Heroes Award by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat Christie for her work with Arthur & Friends. The program has been recognized by many organizations over the years, and Wendie was acknowledged by the White House during the Obama administration as one of 50 Champions of Change.
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Featured Interviews: 2021
Photo Courtesy: Chicago Lights
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Stacy Jackson (December 2021 Featured Interview) is the executive director of Chicago Lights, a community outreach organization at Fourth Presbyterian Church that provides hope and opportunity to Chicago’s children, youth and adults who face the challenges of poverty. Stacy has been with the nonprofit and its predecessor organization, Partners in Education, since 1996 and has over 25 years of experience in youth development and volunteer management. Since becoming Executive Director in 2012, Stacy has focused on board development in addition to leading teams to strategically expand program services. She also managed the program to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Tutoring Program in 2014 and gained national exposure.
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Photo Credit: Michael Gold
(The Corporate Image) |
Darlene L. Pfeiffer (November 2021 Featured Interview) is a trailblazing, magnanimous entrepreneur who has built a philanthropic and entrepreneurial legacy fueled by her passion for women and education, earning her a spot in the 2013 publication Remarkable Women in New York State History. As a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchisee, she was the first woman elected as President of the Association of KFC Franchisees. She has been strategically involved in numerous charitable organizations throughout the region and has transformed students' lives by selflessly offering her time and giving generously to numerous SUNY Ulster programs and organizations. Her impact as the college's top donor and support of the broader community is immeasurable.
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Photo Courtesy:
Breast Care for Washington |
Regina Hampton, M.D., FACS (October 2021 Featured Interview) is the medical director of the Breast Care Center at Luminis Health-DCMC, the first breast center in Prince George’s County. She is a board-certified general surgeon with a practice focus on breast health and breast cancer. Regina is also a co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Breast Care for Washington, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to mammograms regardless of the ability to pay. The facility is the first 3D mammography provider east of the Anacostia neighborhood in Ward 8, which has the highest mortality rate for breast cancer in the District of Columbia.
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Jill Weinberg (September 2021 Featured Interview) is a Lake County, Illinois native who is well-known in the community as a fierce fighter for Holocaust survivors and their children and for advancing Holocaust education in the Chicago community, across the U.S. and around the globe. For almost 30 years, Jill has led the Midwest Regional Office of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Her efforts and the generosity of Chicagoans have made her office the leader in helping the museum ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten. Jill personally speaks to local Holocaust survivors and their children on a regular basis.
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Silvia Fallon (July 2021 Featured Interview) is director of wildlife at the Natural Resources Defense Council where she provides scientific expertise that informs policy and regulatory decisions on endangered wildlife. She uses her training in ecology and genetics to advocate for enhanced conservation protections for species such as whitebark pine trees in the western states, wolf populations in the Northern Rockies and the Midwest, and bat populations nationwide. Before joining NRDC, Sylvia was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Elizabeth Spencer (May 2021 Featured Interview) is the current president of the Salmagundi Club, a not-for-profit organization and one of the oldest art clubs in the U.S. She is also a practicing full-time artist who works mostly in watercolor and oil. Elizabeth teaches painting classes at Salmagundi and at her studio in Union Square. She has been a member of Salmagundi since 2004, serving on the board and in many other leadership roles for several years before being elected president in 2019. Elizabeth has been painting and exhibiting for over 20 years. She is a Life Member of the Art Students League and has studied with Max Ginsburg, Daniel Greene, Richard Pionk, Nelson Shanks, Mary Beth McKenzie, Peter Cox, Frank Arcuri, and other notable artists.
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Photo Credit: Warner Prokos Photography
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Michelle Rubin (April 2021 Featured Interview) successfully works with young adults on the autism spectrum through her nonprofit Autism After 21. As the founder and president, she developed the SOAR program – Summer Opportunity for Adult Readiness. She collaborates with the State of Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to serve customers needing transition services to join the workplace and learn independence. Michelle is growing this program based on college campuses around the State of Florida while retaining the very elements that have made the program so successful. Autism After 21 is now adding On-the-Job Training programs as part of its services. She sees this as the next step for students in transition.
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Cameron Myler, Esq., OLY (March 2021 Featured Interview) is a four-time Olympian in the sport of luge, a Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport, an arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and an intellectual property and sports lawyer. She served on the Anti-Doping Division of CAS at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Cameron is an Athlete Ambassador and Vice President of Kids Play International, a nonprofit that uses sport to promote gender equity in countries impacted by genocide, an Olympic Ambassador for Athlete Ally, which advocates for inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in sports, and a Champion for the Sports Integrity Global Alliance. She also supports Champions for America’s Future, a nonprofit organization that promotes policy solutions for at-risk kids to compete in life.
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Yekaterina (“Katie”) Chudnovsky (January 2021 Featured Interview) is an attorney, entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, and president of the GI Research Foundation Board of Directors. She is passionate about and deeply involved in philanthropy. For the past seven years, she has served as a GI Research Foundation Board Member and, in 2019, Katie was named the first female President of the Board. She is also a strategic advisor of an innovative telehealth technology company, a Trustee of a private healthcare organization, and Board Member and investor of Vertiport, Chicago’s Helicopter Airport. Katie is a mother of four and enjoys spending time with her family and teaching them the importance of giving back and helping others.
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