40 UNDER 40 2022_09_09 by The Island 360

SPONSORED BY A BLANK SLATE MEDIA SPECIAL SECTION | SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

S2 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022

Northwell is on a mission to fight food insecurity in New York. That’s why we created Wellness on Wheels : a program that brings healthy food and nutrition guidance to thousands of school kids. Because when it comes to raising the health of our communities, well can’t wait. Learn more about how we’re taking on food insecurity at RaiseHealth.com

WELLHUNGERTODRIVENWE’REFIGHTBECAUSECAN’TWAIT

BlankSlate MEDIA,LLC

Steven Blank OFFICE MANAGER Holly Blank REPORTERS Brandon Duffy Steven Keehner Robert Pelaez MARKETING DIRECTOR Sue Tabakin PRODUCTION MANAGER Rosemarie Palacios

Movers and shakers. Trend-setters. Progressive thinkers. These words describe the people we are honoring this year who are bringing a modern approach to the way we do business.Thisgroup of successful individuals is constantly motivated to reach and surpass goals set forth by their organizations and, in many cases, by Constantlythemselves.focused on solutions, their practical and creative thinking allows them to find possibilities and answers to difficult questions. Not only are they unafraid to adapt, but they are eager to help make significant advancements in their respective fields. Do not let their ages fool you. They are working hard to change policy, advocate for your health, define better infrastructure and fight for your rights now and as you move forward in life. They are rebuilding communities, creating memories and caring for those less fortunate.

Although my father ran a successful consumer electronics chain on the East Coast, I knew that path was not for me.

DESIGNERS

I see how passionate this group is and how they are invested in their careers, without compromising their standards and values.

The stories of who they are as people and what they have accomplished, in and out of the workplace, are found in this special section. Their talent, passion, drive and commitment to excellence should inspire conﬁdence that the future of the county is bright. I oﬀer my congratulations to all the honorees for recognition that is well deserved. Field Road, Roslyn Heights, New York 11577 516-307-1045 Blank Publisher, Blank Slate Media

Phone:

S3Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40

22 Planting

I also learned a lot through “horizontal mentoring” – listening to my peers, cultivating relationships and working collaboratively.

I learned early on that the best way to move forward with a successful career is to be openminded to learn new things, to not be afraid of the unknown, and to always look ahead without being consumed with past mistakes.

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

E-mail: sblank@theisland360.com Steven

Amanda Cipriano Debbie MelissaStacyWendyBarbaraFlynnKaplanKatesShaughenessySpitalnick

Jewell YvonneLorensDavisMorrisFarley

FROM THE PUBLISHER to Dan Lloyd & all the 2022 Honorees. Your dedication, vision and drive to empower Minority Millennials and Gen Z is an inspiration to us all. On behalf of the board, volunteers, friends and the hundreds of young people you’ve impacted, Minority Millennials celebrate you. 629 BROADWAY, SUITE 101, N. AMITYVILLE, NY 11701 631-246-3026 Congratulations

I remember my days as a young reporter, starting out at the Daily Record in Morristown, N.J. I was looking to make my own mark as a young journalist. It was important to me to not just write for my editor, but to make sure that the information I was putting out was going to make a diﬀerence in the communities I covered.

Once I gained the experience, and conﬁdence, I moved on to Syracuse, where I worked at The Post-Standard. Still striving to do more, my career took me to the Kansas City Star, a far cry from the suburbs of New Jersey where I grew up. It was there that I learned so much about what I could accomplish at 34 years old. I was proud of myself for the work I produced and the recognition I received in state and national awards as well as a Pulitizer Prize nomination.

Perhaps I was too self-assured, maybe even a little bit naïve. But that did not stop me at a young age to go after what I dreamt about, being an award-winning journalist and eventually owning my own group of newspapers.

40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022S4 1809 Lakeville Rd., New Hyde Park 516-354-4666 | www.OmegaDinerny.com The Omega Diner has been serving delicious food since 1979. We are open and always ready to serve you, with daily lunch and dinner specials. For your convenience, we offer curbside pick-up, indoor dining and take-out as well. Just stop in & order or call ahead & pick up! We are open 7 days a week Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner DINEROMEGA In New Hyde Park, Long Island PRESENTED BY BLANK SLATE MEDIA NassauWINNERBestCounty OF 2022 “Congratulations to all of the 40 Under 40 Honorees for all of Your Achievements.”

— From the Omega Diner

Ryan SERHANT KEYNOTE SPEAKER yan Serhant, CEO, broker and founder of SERHANT., is one of the most successful and well-known real estate brokers in the world. After a decade leading the group that became New York City’s No. 1-ranked residential real estate sales team, he founded SERHANT., the first multi-faceted brokerage designed for the marketplace of tomorrow. SERHANT. leverages media, education, entertainment, tech, an awardwinning, full-service, in-house film studio that creates bold marketing to sell luxury real estate and it is the mostfollowed real estate brand in the world. Over the course of his career, Ryan has sold $5 billion in real estate and is known for breaking market records. In early 2021, he represented the buyer for the most expensive home sale ever in the state of Florida and the second most expensive singlefamily home sale in the United States for just under $140 million. Ryan is an innovator, entrepreneur, producer, public speaker, author of two best-selling books, host of the iHeartRadio Original Podcast ‘Big Money Energy with Ryan Serhant’, the creator of the Sell it Like Serhant digital education course to teach others how to master the art of sales to succeed in any profession, and the star of multiple Bravo TV shows, including the two-time Emmy-nominated Million Dollar Listing New York. He now produces Listed, a YouTube series that features lifestyle passions and property listings as well as up-andcoming, and diverse agents. Central to Ryan’s beliefs and the SERHANT. vision is giving back and amplifying others’ success. Ryan and SERHANT. are committed to operating with purpose and support causes that focus on bettering the equality and experience in housing, health and in NYC. They have donated and dedicated resources to Feeding America, the Ali Forney Center, the NYC Sanitation Foundation and Project Sunshine. Also in 2021, Ryan was named the national ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s ‘Real Men Wear Pink’ initiative, a campaign set for the month of October that enlists men to raise awareness and funds for breast cancerRyanresearch.worepink every day in October, dedicated his global social platforms to sharing important information to help fight the disease and helped raise $12 million across the U.S. Since 2020, SERHANT. has grown to more than 155 agents and over 60 full-time employees, and they recently opened its newly designed headquarters, SERHANT. House NYC, in the heart of SoHo. In 2021, SERHANT. did $1 billion in sales. In 2022, SERHANT. opened its second location with SERHANT. Hamptons, a unique SERHANT. House with brokers and agents covering the Hamptons and Long Island. SERHANT. is on track to achieve $2 billion in sales in 2022. Ryan has a healthy disregard for the status quo and is on a mission to revolutionize and modernize the real estate industry, to give back, and to share his formula for success to enable and motivate others.

R CEO, FOUNDER & BROKER, SERHANT.

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ANCHOR AND REPORTER

S6 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Antoinette BIORDI 2022 EMCEE

ntoinette Biordi is an Emmy Awardwinning reporter for News 12 Long Island. She has been in the news business sinceBiordi1997.began her career as a oneman band reporter, producing, shooting, writing and editing daily stories for News Center 7 in Ithaca, N.Y. Then in 1998, she worked as a reporter/anchor for WETM (NBC) in Elmira, N.Y. In 1999 Biordiworked at WNYT (NBC) in Albany, and FOX 23 News in AfterAlbany.5years in upstate New York, she jumped at the chance to be

NEWS 12 LONG ISLAND closer to home and began working as a freelance reporter at News 12 Long Island before working full time at News 12 Westchester in 2003. In 2007 Biordi earned a prestigious New York Emmy Award in the category of Sports Coverage for a series called “More than Just a Game.” It was an inspiring story about physically challenged children who despite their limitations were able to beat the odds and excel in the Special Olympics.Shealso received two Emmy Nominations, one in the category of “Writing Composite” and the other for a piece about adults who were physically challenged but overcame their deepest fear of the water in order to steer and control a sailboat on the Hudson River. During her time at News 12 Westchester she also worked on a series called “Wasted Youth” where she went undercover with police as they busted an underage drinking party. As the story progressed, undercover surveillance video discovered that several conveniencestores were selling beer to underage kids. A year later she did a series called “Westchester Teens: Life in the Fast Lane” where she exposed parents who were hosting underage drinking parties for their own kids and their friends.The drinking epidemic continued the next year in a series called “When Mommy Drives Drunk” as she found dozens of mothers were driving drunk with their own kidsin the car. Those series combined with her daily stories won her several distinguished awards including Edward R. Murrow Awards, Deadline Club Awards, New York Press Club, AP awards, AEGIS award, Gold Aurora Awards, New York Festivals, Telly Award and aVideographer Award. Since 2010 Antoinette has also worked on countless stories that have made a huge impact on Long Islanders. She covers everything from hard news to feature stories. In 2017 she received her 2nd New York Emmy Award in the category of Religion for a 2-part series called “Beyond the Broomstick” where she showcased modern-day Long Island witches and the growing practice of Wicca.In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, she continued to bring attention to the challenges of Covid-19 in the community. She focused on businesses in her special series called “We’re Open” by highlighting the hurdles many business owners had to overcome in order to stay open during the pandemic and how they continued to thrive. The spotlight on businesses made such a big impact, that Antoinette won a 3rd New York Emmy award in the category of business.Outside of the News business Antoinette loves to workout, and teaches classes as a certiﬁed Spin and Bootcamp Instructor. When she entered a ﬁtness competition in 2017 and 2018 she was determined to win. She trained, lost 30 lbs and increased her muscle mass and won two Fitness Competitions with (WBFF) World Beauty Fitness and Fashion. Antoinette was born in Brooklyn, she lived in Corona, Queens and then eventually moved to Nassau County. She lives there with her husband Andrew, son Michael and dog Pepper. In her spare time, she loves to work out, cook, make homemade wine, collect antiques, and play the accordion.

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Starting this year, he has spearheaded the rollout of AFL-CIO’s race and the economy workshops on Long Island. In these workshops, Imran discusses the link between systemic racism and the generational wealth gap. Imran also currently sits on the Long Island Jobs with Justice Board. Imran attributes his professional success to his desire to work in roles that will make a diﬀerence in the lives of LongSinceIslanders.earlyin life, he has known that he wanted to pursue a career in public service and has always used the desire to serve his community as his guiding principle. He has also had a keen interest in politics and government since a young age, and began volunteering and interning on campaigns and in government oﬃces throughout high school and college.

She has advised the New York State Library on COVID-19 reopening as well as regulations regarding state aid for NYS libraries. She also serves on the board of the Long Island Library Resources Council.

Caroline holds a B.A. from the CUNY Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College and an M.S.L.I.S. from Pratt Institute. She lives in Port Washington with her husband and three children.

Imran resides in Huntington Station with his wife, Elizabeth and they are expecting their ﬁrst child in September of 2022. secure wiﬁ, digital literacy training, and access to digital devices to locations throughout the county.

Caroline also advocates for fair access to digital content for libraries and has presented to the state Legislature and appeared on the Capitol Pressroom podcast to discuss challenges libraries face making the full cultural record available to the public, when so much original content is licensed only to individual subscribers.

S8 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Imran ANSARI Caroline ASHBY 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE mran Ansari has worked in Long Island government, politics, and government relations since 2013, after graduating from Hofstra University with an undergraduate degree in Political Science. His first professional stop was in the Office of Congressman Steve Israel as his executive assistant, where his primary responsibility was managing the schedule of Congressman Israel. Since then, he has worked for Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, before leaving government service. He handled scheduling, constituent affairs, and social media for Legislator Sarah Anker. While working for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, he oversaw community outreach projects and was part of the intergovernmental relations team that liaised between the County Executive and the Suffolk CountyImranLegislature.servedas the Nassau County regional representative for Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In this role, he was responsible for keeping the governor and senior staff informed of all key local current events, representing the Governor at events, and staffing the governor on visits to Long Island. While in the governor’s office, Imran’s proudest accomplishment was playing a role in the planning and execution of the UBS Arena and its adjacent community benefits. After leaving government service, Imran worked for Discover Long Island as their vice president of community engagement. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was responsible for communicating with key regional stakeholders and local hospitality businesses. He handled keeping Discover Long Island’s partners informed in regards to various funding opportunities to help assist with pandemic-related financial struggles. He also led efforts to get state Tourism Recovery Improvement District legislation introduced in 2020, and then again in 2021. Imran has served as the Political Director for the Long Island Federation of Labor since July of 2021. In this role, he works on political and legislative projects.Inorder to ensure the labor movement’s interests are represented pubaroline Ashby is the Director of the Nassau Library System, a cooperative that supports the 54 public libraries in Nassau County. Through managing shared services like the Nassau Digital Doorway ebook consortium and IT infrastructure, coordinating group purchases to achieve economies of scale, and providing professional development opportunities and consultant services to library staff, the Nassau Library System works to find efficiencies and improve the quality of public library service in Nassau. Caroline turned her love of using libraries into a career advocating for them.Public libraries stand alone as institutions offering intellectual freedom and equality of access at all stages of life. They help people discover themselves, connect to their communities, and reach their full potential. Caroline credits her success to working with an inspiring group of colleagues and partners that share her vision for vibrant libraries deeply embedded in their communities. Prior to joining the Nassau Library System, Caroline worked in various capacities at the New York PublicSheLibrary.began as a volunteer teaching reading and writing to adults in Harlem, then was a librarian in a Bronx branch library. In her role as chief librarian of the NYPL’s Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, she oversaw the provision of library services to the people with visual and physical disabilities across New York City and Long Island. The pandemic has opened everyone’s eyes to the critical importance of universal access to technology and digital resources. In 2021, Caroline led the Nassau Library System’s Wifi Whenever project, bringing free outdoor wifi available 24/7 to over 30 locations. The service is used 7,000 times per month.The Nassau Library System will soon be unveiling its first Techmobile, an update to traditional bookmobile service. In partnership with Nassau’s public libraries, this stateof-the-art vehicle will bring free, I C licly, Imran often speaks at public forums to voice the needs of Long Island’s working families. He also oversees the organization’s role in the campaigns of labor’s endorsed candidates.

POLITICAL DIRECTOR LONG ISLAND FEDERATION OF LABOR AFL-CIO DIRECTOR NASSAU LIBRARY SYSTEM

S9Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Nixon Peabody LLP | 275 Broadhollow Road, Melville, NY nixonpeabody.com | @NixonPeabodyLLP ANMAKINGIMPACT Nixon Peabody LLP congratulates Vincent Nguyen for being named to Blank Slate Media’s “40 Under 40” 2022 list. His talent, insight, collaboration, entrepreneurial spirit, and excellent client service are making a positive impact every day. Vincent Nguyen 516.832.7619 vnguyen@nixonpeabody.com

S10 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Nadia BAICHOO

2022 HONOREE s the Director of Clinical Research at Orlin & Cohen, Nadia Baichoo oversees all aspects of clinical research for Long Island’s premier orthopedic practice Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group. In addition to her experience in orthopedics, Ms. Baichoo has worked on many clinical studies, of all phases, in several other therapeutic areas including neurology, oncology, anesthesiology, OBGYN, and allergy and immunology. Ms. Baichoo obtained her master’s degree with a focus in research methods from Adelphi University and has gained exposure in data analysis and biostatistics through additional training with the renowned Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health. She brings the same commitment to excellence to Orlin & Cohen’s clinical research studies providing accurate, reliable research that contributes to the development of innovative treatments to improve patient outcomes. Utilizing her experience in project management, she has developed a system to seamlessly integrate clinical and quality improvement research to focus on studies catered to providing patients with as many resources as possible and specializes in collaborative randomized clinical trials as well as investigator-initiated studies from study start up to overall completion. Ms. Baichoo brings an extensive background and technical expertise to accurately evaluate innovative treatments and procedures providing fundamental research to advance orthopedic knowledge and help patients feel better, faster.

Shreena BINDRA

2022 HONOREE

ORLIN

— GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

hreena Bindra is the CoFounder, President, and COO of UOTech.co, an IT managed services, IT consulting, and information security firm based out of Long Island. In Shreena’s role as COO, she makes sure UOTech.co has reliable and consistent processes so that its team members feel confident in efficiently providing the best technology services to clients. She also leads the marketing team and oversees the finance team. Through her work with UOTech.co, Shreena has made it a point to give back to the UOTech.cocommunity.donated over $20k worth of technology equipment to local schools on Long Island during the pandemic to help ensure children had equal opportunities in distance learning. Shreena and UOTech.co have prioritized providing in-kind services and donations to a number of nonprofit organizations on Long Island to help further important missions like providing green and healthy homes to Long Islanders, furthering the arts and education, providing mental health support especially for those in crises, and making an ecological impact, to name a few. Shreena has an eclectic background that has molded and fine tuned her into the charismatic leader she is today. From providing developmental therapy to children with autism and guidance for their families to being a prominent community organizer and campaign manager for environmental justice and social policy to cofounding a farm with over 100 acres of land and sister farms in a network across the globe to immersing herself in the problem solvS ing and detective work foundational in healthcare IT and now to being an entrepreneur and leading a business that fills her with pride, helping others and bringing better outcomes to people’s lives has been at the heart of every decision Shreena makes. It is with great honor that Shreena accepts the acknowledgement of the 40 Under 40 Award. Shreena’s amazing team members, like Elizabeth Hilton, Michael Maser, Tairique Robinson, and Chrysandra Speranza, to name a few have made every success possible and have made the entire experience of running a business a fun reason to go to work every day too!

PROGRESS IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT CHANGE, AND THOSE WHO CANNOT CHANGE THEIR MINDS CANNOT CHANGE ANYTHING.

CLINICALDIRECTORRESEARCH & COHEN

CHIEFCO-FOUNDER/PRESIDENT/OPERATINGOFFICER UOTECH.CO She brings the same commitment to excellence... providing accurate, reliable research that contributes to the development of innovative treatments to improve patient outcomes. Helping others and bringing better outcomes to people’s lives has been at the heart of every decision Shreena makes.

S11Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 (516) 307-1236 | 185 Roslyn Road | Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 | www.sjslawpc.com LAW OFFICE OF STEPHEN J. SILVERBERG, PC Congratulations to Scott B. Silverberg, Esq. On being named to the Blank Media 40 Under 40 List We celebrate your dedication to the Elder Law and Estate Planning profession and commitment to providing superior advocacy for 402022Congratulationsclients.toallBlankSlateMediaUnder40Honorees LAW OFFICE OF STEPHEN J. SILVERBERG, PC

manda Burns is an outstanding young professional that her clients love, families trust, and her colleagues value. SJJCC is enhanced by her knowledge, skill set, and Amandasmile.began her JCC journey seven years ago, working in the afterschool program for individuals with special needs. As a true team player, she worked in each special needs program and even the adult day programs for frail and memory-impaired seniors over the years. Amanda’s goal is to help the vulnerable community as much as she can each day. This year, Amanda was promoted to the Director of the Sandler Family Kehilla Center after years of dedication, hard work, and commitment to the JCC. The Sandler Family Kehilla Center is designed for individuals ages 5-21 with special needs. The center includes Camp Kehilla, after-school and weekend programs, providing fun activities to children with varying abilities and respite for their parents all year.

Over the past 15 years, Matthew has developed and been a part of several different businesses, ranging from waste transfer stations to health products! Having built startups and other operations as CFO/comptroller, he has navigated a spectrum of operations. Matthew has not only spent time in the private sector but has also held government positions working with Long Island villages. His experience with local governments has contributed to his success with various state and city Jobs. His mother, Mayor Barbara Donno of Plandome Manor, has always instilled the importance of civic responappreciate everything you’ve done for my son this summer. This is the happiest he has ever been at camp.” Campers shared similar messaging every day. Amanda already has tons of ideas to prepare for the Summer of 2023. When the fall is in full swing, you’ll find Amanda back at SJJCC facilitating support groups, developing new program ideas, building nurturing relationships with her staff, clinically supervising a team of younger social workers, and continuing to reach her next professional goal to support the Amandacommunity.andher team are introducing enrichments to the afterschool and weekend programs, such as music, science, and social-emotional learning activities. Each activity is designed to help children reach their fullestAmandapotential.isalso focusing on rolling out a series of workshops, groups, and social events to educate, support, and link families. Amanda is always accepting calls from new families, so if you are reading this and know a family in need of support, please call to learn just how unique Amanda and the Sandler Family Kehilla Center is. sibility. When Matthew isn’t working or volunteering for the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce, he divides his time between the Manhasset Rotary and the Gift of Life International. Matthew has been a board member with the Manhasset Rotary and the liaison to the Manhasset High School Interact, (a Manhasset High School Rotary club), leading many initiatives in fundraising to community outreach, such as providing Thanksgiving meals to families and winter coats to those in need.

Matthew is very grateful to his parents for instilling all the values he embodies today. He is thankful to be recognized for this achievement and looks forward to being a leader and mentor for future entrepreneurs.

EGA Safety primarily hires military veterans and retired police/ﬁreﬁghters. Their background in safety regulations and protocols make them ideal employees for this practice.

EGA provides expertise in safety management, safety logistics plans, written health and safety programs, inspections, and ﬁre safety, as well as compliance training programs. In addition to working on building construction, EGA Safety has a unique focus on MTA, LIRR, and Transit Authority trained professionals.

Born and raised in Manhasset, Matthew has an intimate knowledge of the town and neighboring communities. Matthew is co-president of the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce.

S12 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Amanda BURNS, LCSW Matthew DONNO 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE

CHIEFCO-OWNER/FINANCIAL OFFICER EGA SAFETY CONSULTANTS LLC A KEHILLASANDLERDIRECTORFAMILYCENTER SID JACOBSON JCC

When Amanda stepped into the helm, she quickly evaluated processes and procedures to ensure quality services. She has a great vision to roll out many new cutting-edge services. She has launched a self-esteem-rising program for individuals that identify as female.Itoperated for 11 weeks, and during this time, teens with special needs fostered relationships with typical teens and together built skills to have a positive sense of self. She also applied and was rewarded two grants that focused on mental wellness through sports, recreational activities, and group conversations on such topics asAmandaanti-bullying.ledher team this summer to provide the most incredible summer experience for over 130 campers with special needs at Camp Kehilla.Many days were challenging, and many days were sweltering, but nothing beat Amanda’s spirit. Amanda led her team with smiles, positivity, and the biggest brightest heart. Messages received from parents mirrored this experience. One parent shared, “All of you rock, and I truly atthew Donno is the Co-Owner and Chief Financial Ofﬁcer of EGA Safety Consultants LLC, a construction OSHA Safety company, and a real estate agent in Manhasset. Matthew brings over 15 years of experience with marketing and sales, accounting, business management, and business development.EGA Safety Consultants LLC is dedicated to ensure the highest level of safety services for clients.

In this position, he uses his business development skills to assist local businesses with the tools to be successful. Matthew received an education from Duquesne University in business and communications. Having a background in leading companies, Matthew has been recognized by his clients and colleagues as a strong leader and a motivated individual who is patient, reliable, and trustworthy.

Matthew’s father, Robert Donno, taught him about being a self-employed entrepreneur and also led the way for his charity focus by starting the Gift of Life International as a young Manhasset Rotarian himself. Gift of Life International is the largest pediatric heart surgery program in the world, with operations in 80 countries responsible for saving over 43,000 kids from around the world.

S13Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 COMING BREEZELONGBEACH.COMSOON Thank you for your hard work and dedication to: Congratulations to on this well-deserved honor. COLLIN GABRIEL

Jessi appreciates that each business relationship extends beyond the closing. She remains a valuable reworking with children around issues of trauma, grief, loss and adjustment as well as teaching and fostering the identification of feelings and emotions through both individual and group work.Some of Jessica’s favorite modalities include art, play and sand tray to assist children and adolescents begin to identify and express emotions. Jessica brings an appreciation for life and love to her practice with those facing a difficult time in their lives and her goal is always to help those she is serving to find a way back to living. Her vast work with those facing traumatic or end-of-life situations have inspired her belief that we experience grief reactions and emotions as a result of everyday losses, not always attached to an event or a physical death. Through introspection, processing and psychoeducation we can begin to develop insight into our coping patterns and begin to tailor beneficial coping skills to achieve the balance we desire in our lives. source, and often friend, to all of her clients. As part of the Scout Residential Team, she appreciates that Real Estate is hyper-local and personal. She has quickly made a name for herself in the community that she calls home. Jessi’s philosophy: Love where you live. Love what you do. She is honored to be named 40 under 40.

J J

essica Dunn is the Clinician/Director, Hospice CareJessicaNetwork.Dunn, LCSW received her master’s of science in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work in New York with a focus on health and mental health. She has a certiﬁcation in advanced clinical practice in hospice and palliative care as well as training in evidenced based practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy, strengths-based therapy, mindfulness practices, art and play therapies. An experienced clinician and medical social worker, Jessica has worked with families facing trauma, grief and loss for over 15 years. For the past eight years, she served as the director of social work at Hospice Care Network, a part of Northwell Health, where she is also a clinician.Herclinical roles in hospice have included medical social work practice with patients facing end-of-life situations and their families, anticipatory grief support with patients, families, couples and children as well as bereavement support for children ages 4-18 and adults in both individual and group formats. In her role as director, Jessica provided ongoing supportive environments for clinical practitioners to process their practice with patients facing end of life. This role was heightened throughout the COVID pandemic while hospice teams continued to provide in-home care to patients and families while living through the pandemicJessicathemselves.iscurrently in private practice with the Long Island oﬃce of STEPS-Stress & Trauma Evaluation and Psychological Services. She continues to employ an educational aspect to the therapeutic support that she provides, allowing clients to become empowered in understanding their emotional reactions and enhancing their coping skills. Jessica has extensive experience

LICENSED ASSOCIATE REAL ESTATE BROKER

WASHINGTON

THE SCOUT RESIDENTIAL TEAM Jessi appreciates that each business relationship extends beyond the closing. She remains a valuable resource, and often friend, to all of her clients.

essi brings a professional, fresh and personal approach to Long Island’s real estate landscape. A former corporate attorney at a top global law ﬁrm in New York City, Jessi manages every transaction with the perfect blend of analytics, diligence and friendliness. Understanding that real estate is a complex combination of business and emotion, she uses her past experience to expertly negotiate and advocate on behalf of her clients while compassionately addressing their questions and Inneeds.herthree years with The Scout Residential Team, Jessi has put undercontract and closed over $78,000,000. And she is just getting started. Born and raised on Long Island, Jessi has an extensive knowledge of Long Island’s real estate market. She delivers a full-service approach to every deal, connecting her sellers and buyers with her professional network, from mortgage lenders and attorneys to home decorators and contractors.

SUCCESS IS TO BE MEASURED NOT SO MUCH BY THE POSITION THAT ONE HAS REACHED IN LIFE AS BY THE OBSTACLES WHICH HE HAS OVERCOME. T.

S14 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Jessica DUNN, LCSW Jessi EPSTEIN 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE

— BOOKER

CLINICIAN/DIRECTOR HOSPICE CARE NETWORK

The agency’s rebrand involved a new look and redesigned logo that positioned the NCIDA as an approachable, friendly, and modern organization with the resources and influence needed to connect businesses to opportunities for expansion. On the digital front, Catherine worked tirelessly to launch a new data-centric website to enhance navigability and intuitiveness for all visitors. This led to the creation of the Nassau County Business and Community dashboards, a tool that quickly and easily provides prospective businesses critical information about employment, labor force, employment by industry, salary ranges by occupation, and top employers.Thenew website provides a suite of resources for chief executives and site selectors to use when identifying Nassau County as a possible location to move their business to including CoStar search capability, Nassau County Land Record Viewer, Nassau County zoning referrals, New York State traffic volume viewer, town and city zoning maps and links to all local municipal websites. Catherine created a partner’s page on the website for smaller and mid-sized businesses to easily access various resources and connect with organizations to assist with workforce development, housing opportunities, utility rebates and more. Catherine also created a library that houses easily searchable NCIDA documents and information on public meetings to increase transparency. Never having a social media presence, Catherine created the agency’s first social media channels and developed a following of thousands to share business resources, promote the agency’s projects, and help the community understand the work of the NCIDA. During the height of the pandemic, Catherine worked with the County of Nassau and Town of Hempstead to organize and distribute over 3,000 Personal Protective Equipment kits to local businesses in need and served as a sounding board for this struggling business demographic.Catherine connected donors with businesses that supplied water and C food and coordinated deliveries to staff at Nassau County hospitals in April of 2020.Prior to joining the NCIDA, was project coordinator for Nassau County working in tandem with the county executive’s administration on various county initiatives involving finance, compliance, public safety, Departments of Public Works/Parks, Health Services and Economic Previously,Development.Catherinewas the manager at Harris Beach PLLC where she managed all aspects of day-to-day operations. Catherine earned her B.A. in Business/Corporate Communications at Queens College and an MBA from Adelphi University.Catherine resides on Long Island with her husband Michael and her twin sons Jack and Thomas. What has enabled you to be successful? What has enabled me to be successful is understanding my employers’ goals, following through with each project and building integral lasting relationships with key Long Island stakeholders including public officials, civic leaders, C-Suite executives and the general public.

125 Hillside Ave. | New Hyde Park, NY 11040 | Tel: 516-354-0634

NassauWINNERBestCounty OF 2022 atherine Fee was appointed by the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency to serve as Chief Marketing Oﬃcer and Director of Business Development in April of 2019.Catherine is responsible for the planning, developing, implementing and monitoring the overall business marketing strategy of the agency to attract new businesses to the county and works closely with businesses that are currently here on retention and expansion eﬀorts. Catherine organizes county-wide events to bring together businesses and

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NASSAU COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

29 Atlantic Ave. | Floral Park, NY 11001 | Tel: 516-354-0634

For a list of all our locations visit, www.thomasfdaltonfuneralhomes.com

Congratulations to JAMES E. LEWIS on his well-deserved recognition. Your hard work and dedication inpsires us all!

PRESENTED BY BLANK SLATE MEDIA

S15Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Catherine FEE 2022 HONOREE key decision makers on the county, state and federal Throughlevel.ayear-long organizational review, Catherine worked aggressively to pinpoint areas of opportunity for economic growth through bolstering marketing, brand strategy and the latest economic research to best support growth in the region.

412 Willis Ave. | Williston Park, NY 11596 | Tel: 516-354-0634

S16 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Adam FISHER, CPA, JD 2022 HONOREE dam Fisher is a Partner at Frankel Loughran Starr and Vallone LLP in the Business Tax Services Group in Garden City. For nearly 15 years, he has provided tax advice and exceptional service to businesses and their leaders. He provides tax advisory and compliance services to a broad range of businesses, including private equity funds, investment entities, real estate companies, venture capital firms, family offices, closely held businesses, management companies, and high-net-worth individuals. Adam serves as a co-lead partner with the firm’s WTS Global alliance. In today’s environment of constantly changing tax rules and ever-increasing complexity, Adam seeks to keep clients appraised of these changes and assists them in managing the myriad of tax compliance requirements. He advises clients on a wide array of federal, state, and local tax matters, including pass-through entity and corporate compliance, domestic entity structuring, mergers and acquisitions, business formation and succession planning, inbound and outbound structuring, and international tax Beforeplanning.joiningFLSV, Adam was a tax director at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Banking, Capital Markets, and Insurance tax practice. During his tenure with PwC, he gained valuable experience working with publicly traded companies and advised on complex domestic and international tax issues, financial statement tax audits, and tax compliance. He also spent two years in the Washington National Tax Practice advising insurance companies on complex tax consulting matters. Adam earned a bachelor of science in accounting from Binghamton University and his juris doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. At Cardozo Law School, Adam was a member of the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in the State of New York and is admitted to the bar in the State of New York and the State of New Jersey.Adam is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Additionally, he has authored articles published in Tax Notes and the Society of Actuaries, as well as in the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. He also enjoys giving back to the

PARTNER FRANKEL

A Long Island community. In addition to participating in various Long Island community events and fundraisers, Adam was elected as a trustee to the Wantagh School District’s Board of Education in 2017 and was re-elected in 2020. Adam finds joy and fulfillment in giving back and dedicating time to the Long Island community, especially with respect to education. What has enabled you to be successful? Adam considers himself fortunate to work alongside a talented group of knowledgeable colleagues. He attributes his success to the FLSV team, which motivates him to be a thoughtful and wellrounded professional. “When surrounded by extraordinary people, it is a constant inspiration to be the best version of yourself.”He also recognizes that working with a diverse group of great clients has played a big part in his professional success throughout the Throughoutyears.hiscareer, he gained experience working with a broad range of clients, from publicly traded companies to private businesses, all with unique brands and diverse operations. Adam’s wideranging experience has enabled him to be flexible in his approach to the constantly changing needs of his clients. LOUGHRAN STARR

The Board of Trustees and staff of the Nassau Library System salute and congratulate our Director Caroline Ashby for being honored as one of Blank Slate Media’s 40 Under 40. Ms. Ashby’s exemplary service, leadership, and dedication to th e public libraries of Nassau County is a source of inspiration to us all. Congratulations to Caroline and all honorees!

& VALLONE LLP

S17Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40

•The Rotary Club of the Gold Coast •The Knights of Columbus •The Port Washington/Manhasset KiwanisMichaelClubgrew up in Port Washington and was a resident for 20 years before buying a home with his wife and son. His vast knowledge of the North Shore of Long Island schools, community, and social scene will help you ﬁnd the home of your dreams. He is deterollin Gabriel is responsible for the launch and operation of the Multifamily Division at Engel Burman. He has built a career on “lifestyle experience” focused on property management. He and his teams have been recognized with multiple service and revenue awards.

LICENSED REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON DOUGLAS ELLIMAN VICE

I keep a clear and constant line of communication with the client so that they know what is going on every step of the way whether I have good news or bad for them.

Collin also spent time renovating brownstones in Brooklyn which required working within strict guidelines set by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Brooklyn Historical Society. Collin is also a member of the Long Island Builders Institute.

Collin began his multifamily career on the construction side with Pulte Homes in Florida and Timber Ridge on Long Island, building condominium and townhome communities in Orlando, Florida before moving to Long Island to build condo communities in Massapequa, Mount Sinai, Oceanside and Patchogue. He has over 15 years of experience working in multifamily real estate between building, renovating and managing properties across Nassau and Suﬀolk counties and Florida.

I believe my prior business ventures and experience help me in a big way when it comes to working in real estate. I treat every day as if I am running a Fortune 500 company whether it comes to customer service, marketing, branding, social media, sales, etc. I invest heavily in my business to ensure a streamlined client experience from beginning to end. My contact and guidance do not stop once the purchase or sale is complete as I stay in touch with all of my clients and make sure I am always there for them to answer any question they have or be a resource to them.

What has enabled you to be successful?: “It’s all about the team! Every team member serves an equally important function, regardless of their position or title. I have always been a firm believer that no task is above or below my role or anyone else’s, and forming teams of like-minded individuals has been crucial to all of our collective success. Throughout my career, it has always been important to me to ensure my boss looks good. As my leadership roles have grown, my goal has shifted to making sure my teams look good. By giving my unwavering support to the team, mutual trust has grown which enhances our drive to excellence in our respective field. Work is work, but it can still be fun! Being confident, positive and honest through every type of situation has always been at the fundamental core.” PRESIDENT ENGEL BURMAN

RESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT

S18 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Michael FURINO Collin GABRIEL 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE ichael Furino’s outgoing personality, integrity, and positive outlook is what makes working with him to buy or sell a home such a wonderful and fulﬁlling experience. His persistence, strong work ethic, and ability to understand and implement modern marketing and advertising strategies are all unique qualities that will help make each transaction a success. Michael has achieved some of the company’s most prestigious awards including:#400 Overall Ranked Individual Agent In NY State (2021) Ranked #15 Agent (By Volume) & #16 Agent (By GCI) For Long Island — 2021Pinnacle Award Winner (Top 8% of Agents) — 2021 Top 20 Realtors Under 40 — Long IslandRookieRegionOf The Year — Long Island regionPrior to pursuing his passion for real estate, Michael enjoyed a career on Wall Street where he traded oil & gas futures on the NYMEX and quickly learned how to function at a high level in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment. His professional experiences have instilled in him the importance of being analytical, employing very thorough research, and meticulous attention to detail.

I am willing to do what it takes to get the deal closed no matter what (removing bags and bags of garbage at the last minute that clients did not dispose of before ﬁnal walkthroughs while in a full suit has become a more common theme lately amongst many more glamourous stories).

Collin brings over a decade of rental management and development experience, most recently as regional manager of the Long Island portfolio for Greystar Management which he built from a single property. Prior to that, he managed various properties for Avalon Bay Communities, including successful redevelopments of Avalon Towers in Long Beach and The Avalon, in Bronxville.

Michael received his B.S. in finance and his M.B.A. in marketing & management from St. John’s University. Michael is a firm believer in giving back and is particularly passionate for helping children. In response for this passion, Michael started a 501(c)3 notfor-profit organization in 2013 called “Be The Best Sport,” which provides sports and recreational services for children and adults with special needs. The program has grown significantly and is now offered across Long Island and services several thousand children each year from Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties. He has received several awards and recognitions for his service •Receivedincluding:theNassau County Independence Party Freedom Award •Chosen as an Honoree at The 12th Annual Woodbury Ball For Autism •Featured on Verizon FIOS “Heroes On Our Island” TV special Michael is also an active member and volunteers his time for other organizations dedicated to helping children including but not limited to:

mined to provide the very best service by being accessible, having open communication, and responding quickly to his clients needs. What has enabled you to be successful?

2022 HONOREE

heodore Gallucci is the Co-Owner and Chef at Long Island Meal Prep. Long Island Meal Prep is a prepared meals company helping people feel and achieve their best through food! The inception of Long Island Meal Prep began over five years ago. At the time, Theodore was presented with an opportunity to cook for a friend. A simple “yes” turned into what would become a thrivingFoodbusiness.hasbeen an important part in Theodore’s life. Growing up Italian, cooking starts at a young age. At 16 years old wanting to learn more, he turned to Youtube. There, he began to teach himself foundational cooking skills from watching professional chefs. Cooking for him has been said to be an outlet to creativity and to express oneself. At the age of 21, Theodore dropped out of Farmingdale State College, only after two years of attending. This was when he was asked to start meal prepping for a friend. Later on, he met Anthony Locast who would become his business partner. For the next few years Theodore worked in private ﬁnance and marketing, while meal prepping proved to be a consistent side hustle. Come March 2020, the pandemic put Theodore and Anthony out of work.The crisis proved to be an op-

T portunity, they had the time and resources to fully plan out the business. Turning to Youtube, Theodore again began to self-educate himself on the principles of success, personal excellence, and running a business. He attributes many of his successes and habits from listening to entrepreneur Andy Frisella. The habits developed helped ensure a winning mentality in an industry that often requires grit and determination to succeed. Halloween of 2020 marked the company’s first official cook. Within the first year, the company outgrew several kitchens, and established a small storefront in Wantagh. Their healthy and delicious menu is inspired by cuisines from all over the world. The team at Long Island Meal Prep has cultivated a strong following in the local communities that it serves.Every few months they also work with local charities to help feed hungry Long Islanders. Since its opening, Long Island Meal Prep has served thousands in its communities.

S19Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Theodore GALLUCCI

CO-OWNER/CHEF LONG ISLAND MEAL PREP, LLC FIRST LONG ISLAND INVESTORS, LLC Trust ◈ Service ◈ Performance ◈ Since 1983 516 935 1200 ◈ fliinvestors.com First Long Island Investors, LLC congratulates our colleague BBr ian Ga mble on this well-deserved honor. Theodore again began to himselfself-educate on the principles of success, personal excellence, and running a business.

Brian is part of the team which develops initial and ongoing asset allocation recommendations for clients. He analyzes the existing holdings of a new client, including annuities, retirement plans, etc. and develops a recommendation(s) of how best to transition those assets to FLI’s various strategies (including in some cases a recommendation to maintain certain existingBrianinvestments).worksclosely with many of our clients and provides recommendations on additional wealth management strategies (e. g. setting up trusts, gifting, and philanthropic donations) where appropriate as their needs and goals evolve. The combination of financial planning skills and deep investment product knowledge Brian attained through the rigorous CFP® certification process has greatly aided him in this effort. Brian graduated cum laude from Hofstra University/Hofstra University Honors College in 2007, where he earned a B.B.A. concentrating in Business Computer Information Systems with a minor in Finance. Brian is a Long Island native and an avid New York Islanders and New York Giants fan. He also enjoys traveling and snowboarding.

S20 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Brian GAMBLE, CFP® 2022 HONOREE

rian Gamble, has been part of the First Long Island Investors team since 2006 and is a Certiﬁed Financial Planner (TM) professional.His role at FLI has continued to expand over the years and he currently is a key member of the client management and investment management team. Brian is a member of the investment committee and is a member of sub-committees for many of our investment strategies. He is the ﬁxed income portfolio manager- responsible for buying and selling bonds for clients as well as interfacing with our multiple bond brokers to ensure our clients get the best pricing and have access to a wide variety of securities. He is the associate portfolio manager of FLI Dividend Growth one of our defensive equity strategies. He is involved with research, analysis, and due diligence for potential new equity holdings and existing holdings.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT FIRST LONG ISLAND INVESTORS, LLC. NadiaCongratulations,Baichoo,on your 40 Under 40 selection! As Orlin & Cohen’s manager of clinical research, your insights help us deliver innovative treatments that improve patient outcomes and make us this region’s premier orthopedic practice. Best wishes to you and all the 40 Under 40 honorees for your continued success! 516.536.2800 | orlincohen.com Rockville Centre • Lynbrook • Merrick • Garden City • Bellmore • Massapequa Woodbury • Melville • Bohemia • Smithtown • Port Jefferson • Riverhead Southampton • Port Jefferson Station • Rocky Point • Kew Gardens • Staten Island OC1121_40under40_Ad_10x6.16_v4.indd 1 8/4/22 3:21 PM Brian clientsmanycloselyworkswithofourand provides mendationsrecomon additional strategies.managementwealth

HONOREE

The Garvies Point development exempliﬁes RXR’s work building community, particularly with public-private partnerships where in-depth collaboration with local stakeholders is critical to the success of the project.

Mr. Graziose’s development portfolio also includes projects such as the Ritz Carlton Residences, North Hills; Garvies Point, Glen Cove; Village Square, Glen Cove; Magnolia DUMBO, Brooklyn; Sawyer Place, Yonkers; St. Regis Residences, Rye; Atlantic Station, Stamford; 360 Huguenot, New Rochelle; One Clinton Park, New Rochelle; Hamilton Green, White Plains and Maven Mott Haven, Bronx. In New Rochelle, Mr. Graziose serves as the Project Executive for RXR’s master development partnership with the City of New Rochelle. Through the master development partnership, Mr. Graziose is responsible for leading the creation of a revitalization plan to transform Downtown New Rochelle into a center for job generation, market rate and aﬀordable housing, dining, retail, and arts & culture.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate is proud to congratulate Michael Furino for being honored by Blank Slate Media as one of the 40 Under 40. Michael is being recognized not only for his success in real estate, but also for his charitable work that has truly made a difference in the lives of so many. Under 40

The mix of uses now entitled across the Downtown, including sites controlled by RXR, include 5.5 million square feet of commercial, retail, institutional and hotel space as well as more than 5,000 residential units. Mr. Graziose joined RXR in 2011 to ﬁrst develop the 192-unit Ritz Carlton Residences in Baltimore, Md. His experience in construction and sales of luxury condominiums allowed for RXR to continue building on their collaboration with the Ritz Carlton brand, later completing a 244-unit Ritz Carlton Residences on Long Island in North Hills. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Graziose served as project engineer for Gilbane Building Company. At Gilbane, Mr. Graziose’s responsibilities were focused on institutional redevelopment in New York City, including the campus redevelopment of the Fashion Institute of Technology and New York City College of Technology.JosephGraziose is a native of Glen Cove and attended Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville prior to receiving a degree in corporate ﬁnance and marketing from Boston College, where he also playedMr.football.Graziose and his wife, Anastasia have two children, Joseph and Avelina.

The RXR platform manages 93 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $22.3 billion, comprising approximately 30.3 million square feet of commercial properties, a multi-family residential portfolio of approximately 7,600 units under operation or development, and control of development rights for an additional approximately 3,800 multi-family and for

Michael Furino Licensed Real Estate Salesperson O 516.354.6500 | M michael.furino@elliman.com516.459.6246 elliman.com 110 WALT WHITMAN ROAD, HUNTINGTON STATION, NY 11746. 631.549.7401. © 2022 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE THIS INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT, IT IS REPRESENTED SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SQUARE FOOTAGE, ROOM COUNT, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PROPERTY LISTINGS SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY, ARCHITECT OR ZONING EXPERT. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT RXR oseph Graziose, Jr. serves as Senior Vice President of Residential Development at RXR. headquartered in Uniondale. With a national platform strategy, RXR is a 500+ person, vertically integrated operating and development company with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities, including ground-up real estate, infrastructure and industrial development.

S21Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Joseph V. GRAZIOSE, JR.

2022 sale Asunits.senior vice president, residential development, Mr. Graziose is responsible for managing ground-up development with a focus on multi-family, mixed-use and master planning in the New York metro, including Long Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Westchester and Fairﬁeld County along with spearheading RXR’s multifamily national expansion, including new development opportunities in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.Mr.Graziose’s core responsibilities include land acquisition, zoning & entitlements, pre-construction, design, ﬁnancing, construction management, leasing, property operations and community engagement. His current portfolio includes over $3.5 billion of assets in operation or development, consisting of approximately 5,700 residential units. Mr. Graziose’s development portfolio includes the redevelopment and master plan of Garvies Point in his hometown of Glen Cove. The Garvies Point masterplan, a true transit-oriented multi-family development, consists of a 56-acre redevelopment, including 1,125 condominium and rental units, a mile-long waterfront esplanade, bicycle paths, children’s playgrounds, open green space and over 30,000 square feet of retail and commercial space including four restaurants.

Shannon began her career in hunger-relief work at Island Harvest Food Bank, based in Melville. Still in college at the time, she started out as an intern for one of the food bank’s childhood hunger programs, providing meals to children during the summer months when school was not in session. This position gave her the opportunity to work with churches, schools, and other nonproﬁt organizations across Long Island, providing insight into the people and organizations actively working together to meet a great need across Long Island. This program involved providing more than just food, but also nutrition education, meal preparation demonstrations, and connections to other services and partners. Upon graduation, she was hired full-time to run the food bank’s volunteer program, engaging individuals, community and school groups, and corporate partners in hunger-relief eﬀorts. “My role had given me the opportunity to work alongside members of our community all working towards the same goal: to end hunger. Being surrounded by those kinds of people and experiencing the overwhelming support for our mission has furthered my belief in the limitless possibilities that come with community support.” Not long after she began this role, the COVID-19 pandemic began, resulting in a rapid increase in the need for the organization’s services. She recruited and deployed thousands of volunteers, ran weekly food distributions with local school partners, and was instrumental in starting up a fully volunteer-supported home delivery program to address the increased need. This set the foundation for the food bank’s volunteer program today. Now in her current role as part of the community relations team at Stop & Shop, she is supporting community

hannon Karaﬁan is the Charitable Giving and Community Relations Specialist for Stop & Shop, serving as part of their community relations team for Long Island, New York City, and New Jersey. Born and raised in Smithtown, she received her bachelor of arts in psychology and bachelor of science in human development from SUNY Binghamton University, then returned home.

S giving campaigns, assisting in the regional execution of Stop and Shop’s School Pantry Program, and continuing to maintain strong relationships with regional food banks and nonprofit partners.Stop & Shop actively works to fight hunger across all the cities and towns that they serve, and additionally support veterans and military families and help fight cancer. “I’ve seen the work that so many of these nonprofit organizations are doing, and I’ve seen the need in the community that they are responding to, and my position with Stop & Shop now gives me the opportunity to offer even more support and extend my reach beyond Long Island.” She credits her support network for the path she has chosen to follow and the success she has had thus far. “The support that I have received from family and friends is what has allowed me to get here. They have encouraged me to push myself. They have volunteered at events with me when I needed the extra support. And I have had many amazing coworkers along the way to learn from and help me get to where I am today.”

S22 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Shannon KARAFIAN 2022 HONOREE

CHARITABLE GIVING AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPECIALIST STOP & SHOP We Ilissacongratulateand Scott Reich on this well-deserved recognition. We’re so proud of you and your efforts, and like you, we bELIeve in a better future! All our love, The Reich/Freedman www.webelieveinacure.orgFamily

S23Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 PierceCamps.com • CampBirchmont.com • 37 Mineola Avenue, Roslyn • (516) 621.2211 • Info@PierceCamps.com T HE P IERCE F AMILY P ROUDLY CONGRATULATES C OURTNEY PIERCE — PHILIPPOU • • • BLANK SLATE MEDIA 40 UNDER 40 HONOREE

Melissa KATZ 2022 HONOREE

Zachary KAYAL

SENIOR DIRECTOR LONG ISLAND ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA CENTER

S24 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022

After growing up and graduating high school in Sparta, N.J, Zachary now calls Long Island his home. Zachary concluded by stating that he would not be where he was today if it were not for the guidance from his family and friends, and especially the mentorship from his team at Lynx Mortgage Bank LLC.

HEAD OF MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LYNX MORTGAGE BANK, LLC

Although we are all on our own path, at the end of the day we are all human and there is more to life than just being successful. Taking the time to really get to know someone and what he or she may be going through, in my opinion, is how you truly become a better person. We never know what the future holds, and if you’re fortunate enough to have a great team by your side, then there is nothing you will not be able to overcome.”

2022 HONOREE

‘There are countless people I have met through the years, all of which have helped shape the man I am today, and I hope I was able to do the same for them.

elissa Katz is the Senior Director of Programs and Services at the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center in Westbury. Melissa oversees the social work team. Melissa joined LIAD in 201 after receiving her B.A. in psychology from Muhlenberg College and her master’s in social work at Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in 2013, where she studied clinical work with individuals and families in healthcareMelissasettings.began her social work career working with Super Storm Sandy survivors and preventing PTSD through counseling services at Visiting Nurse Services of New York. Melissa’s long-time passion for working with seniors, and caregivers, and conducting research, led to her currentMelissarole. has had an integral role in implementing new support services and grant opportunities for family caregivers and their loved ones living with dementia, helping families cope and believe that there is life worth M living after diagnosis. Over the past few years, Melissa has focused on educating and connecting community members with the resources they need to care for their loved ones with dementia through library discussions, training for local legislators, Senators, and collaborations with other social service agencies.In 2019, Melissa was inducted into the Long Island Business News, “40 Under 40” and was appointed to present the class of 2020 at the annual awards dinner and ceremony. She is an active member of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island and their Health Equity Alliance.With the support of her husband, parents, in-laws, and her LIAD Center family, Melissa is proud to be a working mother.

Melissa has had an integral role in portingimplement-newsup-services for family caregivers and their loved ones living with dementia.

Zachary and his team have developed a mobile loan tracking app that has given their clients the power to track their loans from start to ﬁnish from the palm of their hands. When asked what the future holds, Zachary had this to say: “I am optimistic about my personal growth along with the continued success of Lynx Mortgage Bank. I’m a true believer in the idea that knowledge is power. In our ever-changing digital climate, staying ahead of the curve is vital. I look forward to all that the future holds.”

During his personal time, Zachary enjoys traveling, recently returning from visiting Portugal. He has a passion for health and ﬁtness and is always seeking the next adventure. His closest friends see him as an event organizer and planner, always putting together something to look forward to, whether it be a weekend getaway or a European excursion.

achary Kayal is the Head of Marketing & Business Development at Lynx Mortgage Bank LLC in cumAfterWestbury.graduatinglaudefromthe Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, Zachary has spent the last several years pursuing a career in digital marketing with a focus on social media advertising. He has been awarded Long Island’s 30 under 30 and listed as one of the top 100 people in real estate in 2019. Of late, Zachary is most proud of his contribution to the development of Lynx’s ﬁrst-ever online application, giving their borrowers the ability to apply for a mortgage from the comfort of their ownAdditionally,homes.

Additionally, he had this to add: “I think the most important lesson I have learned over these last two years is just how precious life is. The last few years have been challenging for everyone and I have learned to enjoy every moment I am given, both professionally and Furthermore,personally.”Zachary is humbled to share that he has been selected to represent New York in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America, highlighting Entrepreneurs and Business Owners with remarkable professional achievements.Zachary believes that people are his greatest asset, and the relationships he builds with his peers are a key component to constructing a successfulWhatcareer.has enabled Zachary’s accomplishments, is his dedication to the success of his team and most importantly an eagerness to advance and to learn. “We are never done learning, every day I try and learn something new. This has enabled me to be fortunate enough to have a taste of success at a young age. Most importantly are the connections I build with people. The people I surround myself with are always going to be my biggest advantage. Taking time to grow a friendship with someone who shares a common goal as myself has been an instrumental part of my life.

TEACHER/COACH/MENTOR MANHASSET SCHOOL DISTRICT

While I can get a little carried away on the sidelines my girls know that I always have their back and they will do whatever it takes to help the team win. I utilize many of those same principles inside the classroom. While the environment might look very diﬀerent the goal is the same, preparing my students for life. I think many teachers and coaches often worry about test scores and wins but not every student’s success can be measured by a standardized test nor a team’s by championships. Since we have no idea where our students will go when they leave us, I think it is our job to prepare them the best way we know how. Like on the ﬁeld, I believe motivation and respect are the keys to a great learning environment. I can have all the knowledge in the world but if I do not have the student’s respect or have them properly motivated it will be for nothing. As a teacher, my passion is evident as I often get loud and excited, in fact many kids will come into my class later in the day and say I heard you say that this morning from down the hall. Being a teacher is the greatest job in the world because it is never redundant and when that classroom door shuts you

M can see the excitement and growth the students display. Fortunately, I teach a topic that is naturally engaging to my students, but I feel it opens doors to more important discussions such as two that I make sure to talk with my kids about every year, drugs and sexual assault. I have brought in great speakers and use different mediums to keep up with the current issues my students face and most importantly let them know I am there for them. Being a high schooler is an amazing time but also one of the most difficult and one of the primary reasons is lack of communication. In an era with endless ways to communicate via technology I feel we are more cutoff than ever, so I use my classroom as an opportunity to do just that, communicate. Whether it be discussing the election or another tragic school shooting my students know that yes, my job is to teach them psychology, but I will also show them how it will help them in life. It is so rewarding to attend graduations and see the excitement each class has and to see them come back proud to tell me they are studying psychology in college. For all this I am forever grateful to the Manhasset community.

S25Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Christopher KEEN 2022 HONOREE

y name is Chris Keen I have been a teacher/ coach at Manhasset High School for the past fifteen years. I teach AP psychology and coach girls soccer and boys baseball. I started teaching at Manhasset right out of graduate school and have been fortunate to have been there ever since. I feel so strongly about Manhasset because of how tight knit the community is. In many ways I have grown up there and I often credit my students and athletes for helping prepare me to become a father to my two children. As a coach, I see myself as a motivator more than an “Xs and Os” coach. I feel the two hours spent on the field should be a place where kids feel safe and comfortable to destress and as much as that is true for them it is also true for me. I love being on the field after a tough day and enjoy the relationships built between the team in many ways more than winning. I think what makes me successful as a coach is my ability to bring kids together, to motivate, and to make every player on the team feel they serve a purpose in our overall success.

2022 HONOREE

Peter KOKLANOS, PE

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CIVIL AND ENGINEERINGSTRUCTURAL THE LIRO GROUP

Mr. Koklanos has established an impressive 15-year record in structural engineering experience encompassing design and administration of projects of various size and complexity and now leads LiRo’s building civil-structural group.He has extensive project management experience on a variety of projects, for such major clients as New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the United Nations, New York City DDC, PANYNJ, Massport, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Town of Hempstead, Town of Oyster Bay, Mount Sinai, Memorial

Sloan Kettering, RXR Realty, and Lennar LMC.Since joining in LiRo in October 2021, Mr. Koklanos has already had a positive impact on such projects as the Manhattan Jail Dismantle Design, a Conversion Facility for a 900+ megawatt Offshore Wind Farm, and Bronx Community College’s Campus Wide Utility Upgrade. Mr. Koklanos is a proven project team leader with experience on various civil and structural projects, especially in metro New York, including NYC Beaches Restoration after Superstorm Sandy; Manhattan’s Pier 57 “SuperPier”; Central Park’s Lasker Pool and Ice Rink; the United Nations Headquarters Renovation; the Construction of Rockefeller University over FDR Drive; Expansion of the Metropolitan Opera House; the Brooklyn Botanic Garden South Garden Renovation and Brook Recirculation, and The Smyth — Stamford, a 414-unit residential development.Mr.Koklanos has a keen understanding of the engineering field in general and project flow. Recognized as an effective team leader, he has the ability to quickly gauge the needs of clients and develop practical solutions to complex problems that are custom tailored to the client’s project goals. Mr. Koklanos has served several professional societies including AIA NY, ASCE SEI, and the Structural Engineers Association of NY. He has also served on several steering committees such as the ASCE SEI Sustainability Committee — Disaster Resilience Working Group and the AIA NY Design for Risk and Resilience Committee.Mr.Koklanos was a contributing lecturer in the continuing education course: “Green Retrofit: The Fundamentals of Gut Renovation,” at The Cooper Union Institute and facilitated a seminar on “Disaster Resiliency for Sustainable Design” at Pratt Institute. He is the author of several publications including a sustainability reference guide; and has supported various research endeavors. An advocate for sustainable infrastructure, resiliency, and green initiatives, Mr. Koklanos also spearheaded LEED consulting efforts including the LEED Platinum Liberty Island Retail Pavilion, the Queensbridge Comfort Station Reconstruction for Gold Certification, and served as an emergency responder postHurricane Sandy performing rapid structuralInassessments.2016,he was presented with a Project Management Award from McLaren Engineering Group that recognized his effective project management skills, including fiscal responsibility, meeting schedules, cultivating client relationships, and producing high-quality products. In 2019, he was presented with the President’s Award as the year’s most accomplished employee in the pursuit of the company’s mission of delivering technical excellence, fiscal responsibility, and client satisfaction.Asanative New Yorker and now a Long Island resident, Mr. Koklanos is excited to live out his dream of driving positive improvement to the built environment in the surrounding communities, villages, cities, and towns through his passion for engineering, mentorship, and giving back to the community. Mr. Koklanos is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Washington, a Structural Engineer in California, Illinois, and Oregon, and is also an Assoc. DBIA and LEED AP BD+C Certified. His education includes a master of science in structural engineering and geomechanics from Stanford University and a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Syracuse University.

eter Koklanos is the Senior Vice ning,national,ofcivil-structuralPresident,divisionTheLiRoGroup,aaward-win-multidisciplinary project and construction management, engineering, architecture, and technology ﬁrm.

S26 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Congratulations to Ilissa and Scott With love from Sherry and Felix Wolkowitz and family www.webelieveinacure.org

LOCATION MANAGER THOMAS F. DALTON FUNERAL HOMES

Starting from a part-time position in the funeral home and working his way up to management, he has learned that keeping himself humble, working with his team and guiding them while working side by side instead of just giving orders, has not only made him an effective leader, but a respected one. He always strives to learn everything he can about his field by reading various books, journals, studies as well as taking many continuing education courses. His ability to perform and hold steady under pressure and strict time constraints has helped him to excel in his position. The pandemic was the most uncertain time that he has had to face in his life. Not knowing the full danger or the severity that COVID-19 would bring to us, James and Victor selflessly put themselves into harm’s way being the only ones to subject themselves to anyone who was infected or assumed infected by the virus so that their fellow staff members were always safe. The countless hours and endless days of the pandemic has taught him what a valuable asset basic comradery and fellowship are when the rest of

scheduling of employees, maintaining records and documents, inventory control, budgeting, reducing costs, facilities maintenance and maintaining the overall health and safety of the employees.Heholds an AAS in mortuary science from Nassau Community College and is a notary public of New York State.He has been with Thomas F. Dalton Funeral Homes since February 2008, when he started as an ambassador to the funeral home. In June 2008, James began his residency with Dalton Funeral Homes. In June of 2009, he was hired as a licensed funeral director with Dalton Funeral Homes and was promoted to manager of the Floral Park office in 2017. James has also taken on the role of site safety officer and is always working to make sure that optimum working conditions are always present. He maintains a very active role in every aspect of the field. He believes in a strict “boots on the ground” approach to his management style and always stating, “I will not ask you to do anything that I will not do or have not done.”

Senior Vice President - Residential Development ON THIS DESERVING HONOR

Joseph V. Graziose Senior Vice President s Thomas F. Dalton Funeral Home’s Location Manager of Floral Park, James Lewis has played an intricate role in overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations of the ﬁrm while working closely with the managing partner, Victor J. LoGiudice. In his position, James focuses on the complete satisfaction of our client families.Inaddition, he utilizes his extensive experience, expertise and knowledge in his ﬁeld in coordinating funeral services, dealing with international repatriations, managing the

S27Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 James E. LEWIS 2022 HONOREE

JOSEPH V. GRAZIOSE

We salute his continued commitment to creating enduring value across the communities we develop.

WE PROUDLY CONGRATULATE

A the world has isolated you. The bonds forged with his team during these times will never be broken.His abilities in art and design have been used in recreating the company’s branding and Jameslogo. also utilizes his background in arts and creativity to help with the many various community outreach by drafting and designing the advertisements for many of our events such as food drives, clothing drives, community shred days and hosting a drive-thru trick-or-treat during the pandemic for the children. His sense of charity has led him to join the Knights of Columbus where he continues to volunteer his time to better the community. He has also aided in events for the Rotary Club, various chambers of commerce, local parish outreach programs and helping to coordinate and deliver donations to many local pantries. He has always believed in helping his fellow man. “Teamwork makes the dream work. If not for the constant support from my wife Christina, my sons Michael and Dustin, my family, friends and co-workers, I wouldn’t be the man, father, peer or manager that I am today.”

an Lloyd is a dedicated social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and founder of Minority Millennials. Dan features an extensive 10+ year background in the public and privateinvestment spaces involving network building, and policy/program development focused on reducing disparities to meet the needs of underserved communities.

CATHERINE FEE

Overall, Dan has a genuine passion for translating economic development goals into tangible realities. From bridging disparity and socioeconomic gaps to delivering necessary building blocks for both minorities and young adults to evolve from, Dan demonstrates his resilience through his strategic, forwardthinking approaches that help solidify growth-driven futures. Most importantly, Dan is a father of two beautiful children, Ariah Rose Ruth Lloyd (3) and Levi Azariah Lloyd (5 months) and married to his high school sweetheart Charlotte Lloyd. A proud 80’s baby, born the same year the Mets won the World Series, Dan is a native Long Islander who comes from a bi-racial, working class family that instilled within him a strong sense of faith, values and principles. As a child, Dan navigated the many obstacles of adoption and race, all of which now provides a highly unique speciﬁc set of outliers (skills), empowering him to be empathetic to social, political and economic developments.

You are

Since its inception in 2017, Minority Millennials has helped hundreds of young people from diverse backgrounds access jobs, build wealth, and become civically Furthermore,engaged.ithas proactively addressed disempowering narratives around majority minority communities while mobilizing young people of color with tools needed to become the next generation of change-makers in society.

For

FOUNDER/PRESIDENT MINORITY MILLENNIALS

Congratulations, Catherine!

NCIDA

Thank your hard work and dedication to the Nassau County IDA, the businesses in Nassau County, and the long-term sustainability of the Nassau County economy. well-deserving of recognition as one of Nassau County’s top “40 Under 40.” would also like to congratulate all the other distinguished honorees for their contributions to our region and for the successes they have achieved in their professions. more information, visit NassauIDA.org, or call 516-571-1945

Dan holds a BA in Finance from Rutgers University, an MBA in Global Management from Westwood College, and an MA in Public Policy from Stony Brook University.

Its workforce developments, civic education training, and economic development initiatives have steadily expanded due to the partnerships with many public and private organizations such as Citi, M&T Bank, Merrill Lynch, Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff, Newsday Media Group, AHRC Nassau, Nassau IDA, Babylon IDA, the Suffolk County Water Authority, and many more. In addition to his advocacy work with Minority Millennials, Dan is also the Project Director for the Babylon IDA’s Economic Inclusion Initiative. An innovative program with a goal to create opportunities of equity, mobility, and growth for Minority/Women and Veteran entrepreneurs within the Babylon Township by providing Financial, Training & Technical Assistance, MBWE/ VETERAN Certifications & Ongoing Developments.Mostrecently, Dan was selected to be the new Program Director for Accelerate Long Island, a unique collaboration among Long Island’s world class research institutions and its business community to commercialize research and create an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Dan is responsible for organizing networking events across Long Island for entrepreneurs, working with startups and commercialization opportunities emanating from academia to connect them with resources and capital, and managing the Accelerate New York Seed Fund’s portfolio of 22 high-tech companies.Danhas served(ing) on several Boards of Directors and Boards of Advisors in the non-profit sector, including the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, United Way of Long Island, Community Development Corp of Long Island, Discover Long Island, NAACP Central LI Branch, Urban League of LI and the Town of Babylon Trustee at Suffolk County Parks. During this time, Dan spent numerous hours mentoring Wyandanch Elementary School 5th-graders with the New York State Mentoring Association and has spoken at various speaking engagements covering the intricacies of economic inclusion. In 2022, Dan was recognized as one of City & State’s Top 40 under 40 non-profit leaders and in 2021 was honored as a Top 35 Non-profit Founders to impact the world by Cause Artist and was recognized by Long Island Business News as a Trailblazer of Diversity.

S28 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Daniel J. LLOYD 2022 HONOREE

you for all

S29Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40

S30 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Anthony LOCAST 2022 HONOREE

There is no single key to success, but a combination of the right moves–ﬁnding what you’re passionate about, gaining knowledge and skills, setting goals, and being organized–can multiply you truly desire.

into achieving whatever

CO-OWNER/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER LONG ISLAND MEAL PREP, LLC www.jaspanllp.com DavidCongratulationstoassociateW.Pernickonhisselectionasa40Under40 Garden City Office Tarrytown Office 300 Garden City Plaza, Garden City, NY 11530 520 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591 T: 516.746.8000 | F: 516.393.8282 T: 914.476.7800 | F: 516.393.8282

The team at Long Island Meal Prep has cultivated a strong following in the local communities that it serves. Every few months they also work with local charities to help feed hungry Long Islanders. Since its opening, Long Island Meal Prep has served thousands in its communities. “There is no single key to success, but a combination of the right moves–ﬁnding what you’re passionate about, gaining knowledge and skills, setting goals, and being organized–can multiply into achieving whatever you truly desire.”

nthony Locast is the Co-Owner and CFO of Long Island Meal Prep.Anthony went to Adelphi University where he received his bachelor’s in education, and master’s in exercise scienceUpon graduating and trying a handful of different jobs in the health and fitness field, Anthony still didn’t feel the spark that he was looking for in a career. Confident in his knowledge and abilities, these jobs didn’t pay what he was hoping for and in his heart he felt the passion just wasn’t there. This led him to try a career in sales, where he soon ended up being let go due to the pandemic.Being let go in a career that Anthony was succeeding in made him realize that nothing in life is guaranteed and that every career move has risks. This then influenced him to follow his true dreams of becoming a business owner. Anthony wished to start something involving his current skills, knowledge, and passions. Luckily, he was a consumer of the meal prep industry before starting his own company–so he based Long Island Meal Prep off of what he liked and disliked about the businesses he was buying from. Anthony attributes his current success off of these factors. Having extensive knowledge of the healthy food industry, being a consumer, and being passionate about what he was doing, Anthony credits his success to being organized, studying the industry, and setting daily, weekly and monthly goals.

S31Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Congratulations Dan! We are so proud of you. Much love, The Sunrise Association Board and Staff Caitlin A. MCNAUGHTON, ESQ.

I am successful because I frame my career around using my privilege and education to help others navigate institutions that are deliberately complex and stacked against them. I am motivated by a deep belief that our systems and institutions are not equitable or fair to most people, and I feel that it is my responsibility to use every tool at my disposal to help folks navigate the legal system and vindicate their rights. Over the course of my career I have obtained, either through settlement or verdict, over thirteen million dollars for my clients. However, success should not be measured monetarily or even measured by victories at trial, but rather measured by the quality of assistance provided to those who seek help. I In law school, a mantra often repeated is that the law is supposed to be dispassionate, unequivocal and evenly applied. As anyone who works within this system or indeed lives in this country knows, that is all too often the lofty goal and not what actually happens in practice. Good attorneys who take their work seriously, who believe in their calling, who genuinely want to obtain the best result for their clients are the only way to ensure that the system works as it should. I believe that while the law may be dispassionate, I do not have to be. I can and do channel my passion for supporting the underdog into my work with clients while balancing that advocacy with my aﬀection and respect for the rule of law and our court system. If there is a Goliath, I am happy to be ﬁlling my sling with stones. I believe that passion makes me successful.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY LAW OFFICE OF COHEN & JAFFE, LLP

2022 HONOREE

am a litigator with a background in employment law and personal injury, and I am currently an Associate at the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP. My educational background is a dual degree, with a J.D. and LL.M. in Democratic Governance and Rule of Law, which enabled me to work with anti-trafficking and anti-forced labor organizations in Washington D.C. as well as organizations working to strengthen the rule of law in Tanzania.Ichannel that knowledge into my practice, as I have always believed firmly that people need zealous advocates when they are up against large institutions such as their employers or insurance companies.Our society is not structured to help out the little guy which is a deep unfairness that has always bothered me on a personal level. I grew up on Long Island, attending a high-achieving public school, attending college and graduate school, while being raised by two loving parents who expected success and assisted me in achieving it. All of that privilege is like being born on third base and priding yourself on scoring a run. What I have always known, is that to whom much is given, much is expected.

S32 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Donald “DJ” MITCHELL, JR., PH.D.

2022 HONOREE

onald “DJ” Mitchell, Jr. Ph.D., 38, serves as the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, joining Molloy in February 2022.In his role, he serves as the senior diversity, equity and inclusion advisor to President James Lentini and the President’s Cabinet, the university’s senior leadership team. He also chairs Molloy’s DEI Committee and works across the university to develop DEI initiatives, programs, and policies. Before joining Molloy, DJ served as chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and professor of Education at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. As an advocate for equity, inclusion, and justice, DJ strives to leave his workplaces, communities, and those he interacts with better than he found them. As a senior DEI officer, DJ often draws on his research and scholarship, which focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education contexts, primarily using qualitative research methods. More specifically, his work explores race and racism, gender and sexism, and identity intersections and intersectionality within higher education contexts. With over 50 scholarly publications and counting, DJ’s research and scholarship have received national recognition. He is the recipient of the Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s 2020 Emerging Scholar recognition; the Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference’s 2016 McGraw Hill Distinguished Scholar Award; the American College Personnel Association’s 2015 Emerging Scholar Award; and the Multicultural/Multiethnic Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association’s 2014 Dr. Carlos J. Vallejo Memorial Award for Emerging Scholarship, among other honors and awards.Anative of Portsmouth, Va., DJ earned his Ph.D. in educational policy and administration with a concentration in higher education from the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities

D by the age of 27. He also earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Shaw University, the first historically black college or university in the South. DJ also holds a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University and the Certified Diversity Executive credential from the Institute for Diversity Certification. DJ is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a member of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York. DJ is married to Dr. Jakia Marie, assistant professor of Integrative and African American Studies, and they have one son, Donald “Tre” Mitchell, III. DJ enjoys traveling with his family, watching sports, diverse foods, and DJJeopardy!contributes his success to having a strong support network in his family, friends, mentors, colleagues, and students. He also contributes his success to faith, Kairos moments, keeping his head down at work, and aligning his work, purpose, and passions.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION MOLLOY UNIVERSITY The Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe congratulates Caitlin McNaughton, Esq. on being named a 2022 Blank Slate Media 40 Under 40 Honoree. We thank you for your hard work and dedication to our firm and clients! Personal Injury Attorneys Who Care About Putting Your Life Back Together After An Accident 516-358-6900 | www.CohenJaffe.com

Chris’ experience in the commercial real estate marketplace includes working with many international, national and regional tenants. Transacting in large multi-family sales in the boroughs, negotiate sales or leases within multiple asset classes such as retail, oﬃce & industrial. Commercial development (Roche Bobois, Roslyn) and residential small community single-family projects. His ability to be a creative problem solver and expert negotiator help bring even the most complicated deals to the ﬁnish line.

Taking presidency at the start of COVID, he has ﬁnancially grown the chapter by creating a world-class golf tournament fundraiser, large raﬄe fundraiser and introducing an investment account to help generate additional income for charitable purposes.

Having close to 20 years of experience in the real estate world, Chris has been able to carve out a niche and identify shortcomings in the business, which makes his partnership with Compass Real Estate so beneﬁcial.

Vincent hopes to continue making a positive impact through his work and to meet more of his colleagues within the legal industry. ed as “Best Nassau County Commercial Real Estate Broker for 2022” and honored with Long Islands prestigious 40 under 40 award.

A portunity to advocate for a particular position instead of having to impartially decide the matters before the court. Vincent recently transitioned into the private sector and began working as a Complex Commercial Disputes associate for Nixon Peabody LLP’s Long Island office. He pursued the opportunity to work at the firm to obtain further experience on more complex and sophisticated legal matters. Nixon Peabody LLP provides him the opportunity to assist clients with their soft intellectual property issues that appear infrequently, if at all, in New York state court.In addition, Vincent’s work at the firm requires the same amount of research, writing, and editing as his prior clerkship. Although Vincent appears before a judge on a weekly basis on behalf of a client, Vincent hopes to gain more experience in trial advocacy.

Since graduating from Hofstra University with a bachelor of business administration in ﬁnance, Chris managed a compliance division for a local wholesale mortgage bank in Melville.

VICE COMMERCIALPRESIDENTSERVICES

COMPASS COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

S33Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Vincent NGUYEN, ESQ. Chris PAPPAS 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE

Taking this experience, he began a wholesale lending career with Greenpoint Mortgage Bank and Capital One Bank handling both residential and commercial loans and taking them to the secondary markets.

fter graduating in 2018, Vincent Nguyen continued with Fordham Law School working as a postgraduate fellow before beginning his position as a law clerk for Judge Lucy Billings, New York County Supreme Court. Vincent pursued the clerkship after receiving advice that it would provide invaluable exposure from the beginning to the end of a litigation matter.He believes his clerkship provided him with valuable insight into the day-to-day functions of the judiciary, not only granting the opportunity to observe and evaluate hearings for motions but also trials. In addition, Vincent was able to regularly interact with the practicing attorneys who would appear at the courthouse. This public service role required Vincent to remain wholly impartial at all times, which could certainly be a challenge when one party was being particularly uncooperative or when applying the same standards for a pro se litigant, who is obviously less familiar with New York’s Civil Rules of Practice and Procedure. Although this role was originally intended to last for one year, the global pandemic began about halfway through the clerkship, and, as a result, Vincent extended his clerkship to provide assistance during the period of uncertainty.Whilework as a public servant has its own set of personal and professional rewards, Vincent envied the ophris K. Pappas is the Vice President of Compass Real Estate’s Commercial Division on Long Island, a boutique brokerage ﬁlling the gap between institutional commercial real estate ﬁrms and small one-man operations.

As the markets shifted, Chris took his unparalleled banking experience and pivoted into real estate brokerage in 2008. Initially focused on building a residential real estate business, Chris’ interests and opportunities began steering his business toward commercial real estate

Taking an opportunity created by the mortgage meltdown of 2008, a family-owned commercial strip center was due to be repositioned.

Chris is also president of his local north Nassau AHEPA Chapter, Gold Coast 456. AHEPA brings the ideals of ancient Greece, which includes philanthropy, education, civic responsibility, and family and individual excellence to the community.

Vincent hopes to continue making a impacpositive t through his work and to meet more of his colleagues within the legal industry.

Chris took the lead on this project and negotiated with tenants while taking on a complete interior and exterior redevelopment of the strip center. Working hands on in the field, Chris directed and worked side by side with architects, zoning attorneys, structural engineers, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and carpenters to bring this center back to life with a service-oriented tenant base, safe from the impacts of e-retailAddingcommerce.commercial construction to his arsenal of experience, along with financial deal structuring, commercial brokerage became a natural fit. These experiences helped guide and shape his brokerage business into a multi-year award-winning broker.

For almost a decade, Chris has been the recipient of multiple President and Gold awards and being recognized as the number three commercial broker in the state (2018) at his former brokerage. Most recently, he was just award-

COMPLEX COMMERCIAL DISPUTES NIXON PEABODY

ASSOCIATE JASPAN SCHLESINGER

LLP

She also maintains the supervision of all the regulatory mandates of the state Department of Health, state DOT and the oﬃce of Child and Family Services, and Fire control.

D Service League toy drive, the Veteran’s Day donation drive for Paws of War; the United Way’s school supplies fundraiser which enabled him to connect with these charities. He is proud to be part of a firm that during Covid, fundraised internally and purchased gowns, personal protective equipment and much-needed supplies for the ICU of a local hospital.The firm is a proud sponsor of the Marcum Workplace Challenge and David has competed on the firm’s team.

The SCOPE board consists of 25 members of the business, legal, ﬁnancial, and camp communities – all dedicated to SCOPE’s mission and the ﬁnancial well-being and growth of the organization.Piercewas honored in April 2022 as SCOPE’s Philanthropic Camp of the Year, being recognized in NYC with over 500 peers and camp leaders in attendance.

LICAPS consists of 26 member camps and private schools that have a long and rich history of providing children with a summer experience that is not only fun but also teaches valuable life and social skills for a successful future.Today, Courtney is busy managing a myriad of administrative responsibilities throughout the organization including staﬀ recruitment, retention and professional development, curriculum development and program scheduling, transportation oversight, facility management and more.

Courtney is also an American Camp Association standards inspector. The ACA accreditation program assures that camps maintain a rigid program of safety and best practices related to all aspects of their day-to-day operations.

Courtney and her husband Peter currently reside at Pierce Country Day Camp – School and have three sons: Johnny 10, Charlie 7 and Thomas 5.

Having direct access to the Banking and Financial Services practice Chair Jothy Narendran and her wealth of knowledge and experience with commercial lending has certainly taught him a great deal. He also believes the firm does a great job of letting associates act on their own, with minimal supervision, while at the same time still making sure younger associates are learning the correct way to do things. Prior to joining Jaspan Schlesinger LLP, David worked at a commercial real estate-centric law firm on Long Island, where he counseled clients on a broad range of real estate transactions on behalf of lenders, borrowers, sellers, purchasers and developers.Hehas experience representing applicants before local municipalities and state agencies to obtain zoning and legislative approvals, as well as liquorDavidlicenses.isadmitted to practice in the State of New York and received his J.D. from Touro Law School. David often contributes to firm fundraising initiatives such as the Family ourtney Pierce-Philippou represents the 4th Generation of the Pierce family to own and direct Pierce Country Day Camp, America’s first Day Camp, alongside her Cousin Will Pierce. Pierce Day Camp was established in 1918, serving children from the North Shore of Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. This past summer was the 105th consecutive summerAfterseason.graduating from The Berkshire School in 2002, a prestigious coed boarding school in Sheffield, Mass., Courtney went on to pursue a double major in child psychology and speech pathology at Hofstra University. After graduating college, Courtney spent her first 10 years in the family business preparing to follow in her father’sPiercefootsteps.Country Day Camp was established in 1918 by Forrester “Pop” Pierce, Courtney’s great Grandfather. Pop was a 25-year-old physical education teacher and coach who envisioned a unique summer program for children.He imagined a safe place to broaden children’s horizons and boost selfesteem; an extraordinary environment where children can just be kids. Pop created an environment that promoted freedom, self-expression, and positive physical, social, and emotional development.

OWNER/DIRECTOR, PIERCE COUNTRY DAY CAMP PAST-PRESIDENT LI CAMPS/PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Pierce Country Day Camp became a model followed by camps across America. Pierce remains a nationally recognized industry leader continually raising the bar for what day camp can be. Pierce promotes mutual respect, sportsmanship, and team building. Campers grow in self-confidence within the dynamic program which emphasizes personal growth through an innovative curriculum offered by a very talented staff. In addition to Pierce Day Camp, Pierce-Philippou along with an active team of Pierce family members operate Pierce Country Day School, Pierce Camp Birchmont, and Pierce Coach Lines.Courtney is the past President of Long Island Camps and Private Schools, a professional association of summer day camps, private schools and camp directors who are dedicated to the highest quality summer camp experience.

S34 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 David W. PERNICK, ESQ. Courtney PIERCE - PHILIPPOU 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE

Currently, Courtney serves on the board of SCOPE, Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education. SCOPE is an organization co-founded 30 years ago by her father Doug to offer underserved at-risk children by giving them the opportunity to attend not for profit ACA Accredited summer camps at no expense. SCOPE has provided thousands of camperships since its inception in the hope of offering the benefit of camp to some truly wonderful kids who otherwise would never have this opportunity!

avid W. Pernick is an Associate in Jaspan Schlesinger LLP’s Banking and Financial Services practice group, where he represents institutional lenders in commercialWhentransactionsheisasked what has enabled you to be successful, David believes access to the ﬁrm’s senior attorneys, especially the partners, has enabled to him be successful and further his career as an attorney.

The fundraising Challenge is a 3.5 Mile Run at Jones Beach that beneﬁts four local charities- Long Island Children’s Museum, Long Island Cares- The Harry Chapin Food Bank, Children’s Medical Fund of NY and the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

ichael Polak is Vice President of Communications, Long Island Ducks. Michael begins his 12th season with the Ducks in 2022 and has called the action of eight Atlantic League Championship Series matchups, including the Ducks 2012, 2013 and 2019 ALPB championship victories. He is also the point person responsible for the Ducks broadcasts, all media requests, website, social media, publicity and communications. Additionally, he has previously handled all communications responsiblities for the Atlantic League of Professsional Baseball. A native of New Hyde Park, Michael has served as a play-by-play announcer during North American Prospects Hockey League and Eastern Hockey League Premier showcases.While there, he broadcast games played by many of the top 18U and 16U hockey teams in the United States and Canada. He has previously served as an associate producer at MSG Varsity on Long Island and as a Live Editor at Neulion Inc. Prior to his ﬁrst season with the Ducks, Michael spent time as the playby-play announcer for the Ontario Reign of the ECHL. Michael graduated from Ithaca College in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Media and a minor in journalism.Duringhis time at Ithaca, he served as a broadcaster for various sports on 92 WICB Radio, VIC Radio and ICTV. He also gained experience through internships with SportsNet New York, WCBS NewsRadio 880, WNBCTV, the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Club and Torrance CitiCABLE 3. What has enabled you to be successful? The Ducks organization has allowed me the ability to pursue my dreams and held me to the highest standard of professionalism and excellence.Thisconstant drive to perform my duties at the highest possible level is something I strive to achieve each season. I have been given the freedom to be creative with the various projects we put together each season and to keep improving our overall product for our terriﬁc fan base.

VICE COMMUNICATIONSPRESIDENT LONG ISLAND DUCKS I am honored to have been recognized as an industry leader in Nassau CongratulationsCounty.to all of the recipients for their hard work and dedication to their craft. Chris Pappas Vice President of Commercial Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker 1468 Northern Boulevard Manhasset, NY 11030 M: 516.659.6508 | O: 516.427.2000 Chris Pappas is a licensed real estate broker afﬁliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Data per Blank Slate Best of Nassau County Rankings for 2022 based on voter submissions. The Ducks organization has allowed me the ability to pursue my dreams and held me to the highest standard of professionalism and excellence.

S35Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40

2022 HONOREE

Michael POLAK

40 Under 40 Award Recipient

Molloy University, an independent Catholic university based in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York, was founded in 1955. The University serves a student population of approximately 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Molloy students can earn degrees in a variety of outstanding academic programs, including nursing, business, education, social work, music therapy and many Foundedmore. by the Dominican Sisters of Amityville.

CO-FOUNDER BELIEVE IN A CURE

Donald

This journey has opened Ilissa’s eyes to the experiences of countless other families who struggle each day... Ilissa endeavored to create a platform for mothers of kids with special needs to build community and offer support. UNIVERSITY

S36 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Ilissa REICH 2022 HONOREE

lissa Reich is a former fashion executive who transformed her career into being a fierce advocate for families of children with special needs. When her now-3-yearold son, Eli, was diagnosed with FOXG1 Syndrome, a rare brain disorder with no cure, she spun into action and co-founded Believe in a Cure (webelieveinacure.org), a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation working to develop a treatment for FOXG1.Founded in 2019, Believe has raised millions of dollars and funded over 40 research and development projects around the world. Along the way, the foundation has partnered with preeminent institutions ranging from the National Institutes of Health to Harvard, MIT, and Tel Aviv University, to biotechnology companies in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Renowned scientists from industry and academia serve on the scientific advisory board of the foundation, and several notable leaders serve on the foundation’s lay advisory council, including former U.S. senators Joe Lieberman and Paul Kirk, the former CEO of Staples Ron Sargent, mediation czar Ken Feinberg, and many more. This journey has opened Ilissa’s eyes to the experiences of countless other families who struggle each day, and despite her own anguish, Ilissa endeavored to create a platform for mothers of kids with special needs to build community and offer support. She has appeared on the Today show, in People magazine, and a host of other outlets profiling her efforts.A native Long Islander, Ilissa previously worked in fashion at notable brands Tibi, Free People, Splendid, and Alternative Apparel. She studied business in college at The George Washington University. She lives in Port Washington with her husband, Scott, and their three children. What has enabled you to be successful? “I always aspire to be a good role model for my children. I want to be someone they’re proud of.”

1-888-4-MOLLOYwww.molloy.edu1000HempsteadAve.,RockvilleCentre,NY11570 MOLLOY

Joins in honoring “DJ” Mitchell, Jr., Ph.D., CDE® Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Molloy University

The clock is ticking for Eli, and so the short-term goal of the foundation is to identify a drug that will increase the FOXG1 protein in which Eli and others are deﬁcient. Longer-term, the foundation’s goal is to develop a novel gene therapy that will provide a more permanent medical solution for aﬄicted patients. Scott is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was president of his class. What has enabled you to be successful? “We never give up. We never give in. When there’s nothing left in the tank, we just keep pushing.”

Thank you for your leadership and vision!

The foundation has developed cell lines, animal models, and novel drug candidates, attempting to do in ﬁve years what normally takes pharmaceutical companies ten to twenty years to achieve.

Scott REICH 2022 HONOREE

cott Reich is an author, attorney, activist, and entrepreneur. Scott first practiced law at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where he represented companies and investment funds in their corporate affairs.He then founded and successfully sold an online food business aimed at creating a more sustainable local food system. Scott currently works in the general counsel’s office at American Express, where he supports the company’s innovative mobile and digital payment strategies.

S37Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 & OUR FAMILY OF BRANDS

CO-FOUNDER BELIEVE IN A CURE

The foundation has developed cell lines, animal models, and novel drug candidates, attempting to do in ﬁve years what normally takes pharmaceutical companies ten to twenty years to achieve.

We proudly congratulate our NC Custom CEO LANCE STIER on this well-deserved recognition

Scott’s acclaimed book, “The Power of Citizenship: Why JFK Matters to a New Generation,” examines President Kennedy’s emphasis on public service and how his legacy can be used to increase civic engagement today. He lectures nationally and is an adjunct lecturer on the American presidency at the University of Pennsylvania.Scott is President and Co-Founder of Believe in a Cure. He has made it his life mission to develop a novel treatment for Eli and other kids who suﬀer from FOXG1, working tirelessly, seven days per week, to manage the foundation’s numerous science projects and lead fundraising eﬀorts to enable the science to progress.

T periences for sports, entertainment and high-net-worth clients. Her mission is to sell the most breathtaking homes in the world and provide bespoke luxury real estate and concierge services to elite buyers and renters via her exclusive network — always with discretion and privacy. Luciane brings her “have it all” philosophy to her clients and agents, helping them secure the homes and investments of their dreams, enjoy their friends and families and live healthy and sustainable lifestyles.Inaddition to being a full-time executive, Luciane is also a champion ﬁtness model and author of the book “Handle It: Get it Together and Finally Have it All.”, where she shares her personal story in the hopes of inspiring others to use the lessons she’s learned — big and small, to create a brighter future for themselves and ﬁnd balance in a fast-paced world. The book is an inspirational immigrant story about how women can succeed at work and home while using obstacles as fuel to propel them into the life they dreamed about. Proceeds from the book will be donated to charities that help break the cycle of poverty for children. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Luciane Serifovic!

Nineteen years ago, Luciane walked into a real estate office in Manhattan and convinced the manager to give a young woman from Brazil who spoke little English and knew little about New York City a chance.Today, she’s handled thousands of transactions, managed multi-million dollar high-end New York real estate, secured properties and investments for clients all around the globe, coached hundreds of agents and built one of the most successful real estate offices in the nation.Luciane Serifovic is a luxury real estate powerhouse, investor, thought leader and CEO & Founder of Luxian International Realty, the first luxury virtual real estate brokerage to utilize blockchain technology and accept cryptocurrency payments, launched just 3 years ago. She understands that we live in an experience economy. That’s why she founded Luxian – to address the need for remarkable and luxurious real estate ex-

S38 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 Matthew Donno CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/CO-OWNER EGA SAFETY CONSULTANTS LLC EGA Safety Consultants, LLC 516-382-2070 WWW.EGASAFETY.COM/CONTACT-US EGA Safety Consultants, LLC is dedicated to ensure the highest level of safety services for our clients. We provide expertise in safety management, safety logistics plans, written health and safety programs, inspections, a nd fire safety, as well as compliance training programs. project safety Luciane SERIFOVIC 2022 HONOREE he story of our next recipient is one of triumph in the face of overwhelming Lucianeodds. Serifovic is one of the most successful luxury brokers in New York and internationally. But her journey to get there was not an easy one. Leaving her native homeland of Brazil at just 18 years old and arriving in the U.S. with no money, no connections and not speaking English, Luciane quickly discovered that the struggles of her youth were far from over. A tough upbringing, family dysfunction and hard-learned life lessons made her into a resilient and tenacious fighter who would transform those experiences into personal traits that would help her overcome any Determinedobstacle.toachieve the American Dream, she pushed herself outside of her comfort zone, breaking down cultural, language and economic barriers in order to achieve success in a fast-paced and demanding world. In time, the life she wanted for herself became a reality. A successful career in a male-dominated field, a loving relationship with her husband, two beautiful children and outstanding achievements in business and fitness competitions were only the beginning of her quest to “have it all.”Throughout the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur, Luciane describes it as “it’s like a roller coaster ride, you can have a blast or be petrified; you choose”.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER/ FOUNDER LUXIAN INTERNATIONAL REALTY

After high school, he attended Mumbai University where he received his bachelor and master’s degree in accounting. Upon completion of his professional degree in chartered accountancy he gained his first experience as an accountant with Morgan Stanley as a part of their hedge fund arm. After working with Morgan Stanley for over a year, Chintan moved to America in 2008.Once here, he began working with Navika Group as an auditor. With his hard work and panache for numbers, he made tremendous progress from auditor to controller to vice president of accounting. During his 15 years of employment, Chintan climbed the corporate ladder and became the CFO of the company in December 2020. As CFO, his responsibilities include accounting, financial planning and reporting, budgets, program financial control, negotiating vendor contracts and implementing new technologies to increase the organization and efficiency of the team. The COVID 19 pandemic was a very crucial time, not only for the company but the hospitality industry as well. Chintan and the CEO, Naveen Shah, along with their team worked diligently to manage crisis and get the company back on track. With hard work and dedication, the company has seen a return boost in revenue and in some properties the revenues have surpassed even the pre pandemic levels.

Chintan along with his wife Meghna and partners currently own and manage Paris Baguette bakery café franchises. Their teamwork has allowed them to flourish and in turn, open two more locations within the Queens area. It brings Chintan and his wife great joy to be able to provide jobs and give back to the community that once gave him the opportunities to grow.During the pandemic, the café tied up with various soup kitchens and community centers to provide free meals to those hit hardest. As part of his philanthropic efforts, Chintan is also affiliated with a non-profit organization based in India and now registered in USA called Gulal Foundation which is spearheaded by a very dear friend, Dr. Reena Sharma. The foundation focuses on providing free meals, education, and healthcare to those in need. It is something Chintan is very grateful to be a part of.

When asked about his experience with the pandemic, Chintan responded with “It was a difficult situation and at times, discouraging. After witnessing businesses and its people suffer, we knew we had to work together and push through until we prevailed. It was not an easy task, but our hard work has really paid off.” Chintan credits his team for his career’s success. He truly believes that with strong communication skills and dedication, the accounting team can overcome whatever issues come their way.Chintan has always been attached to his roots and is determined to take the learning back home in India. As part of this effort, he is actively involved in the EdTech Startup Ecosystem in India through his investment in the Startup accelerator fund, Marwari Catalyst.

S39Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 EVENTS ARE BACK! Submit Your Events TODAY with our simple add event form then let us create you a ticketed page automatically from the event submission workflow. #Exciting Promote all your events via our network of 5000+ events calendars, listing sites, email and print services. 60 seconds to create, ticket and promote your event, so what are you waiting for! PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS TODAY AT https://theisland360.com/local-events/ the island 360TICKETING

The company focuses on fundraising for pre–Series A rounds and enables Startup to become investment-ready by oﬀering professional training, skill building and mentoring.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER NAVIKA GROUP OF COMPANIES & BLUE SKY HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS hintan Sheth is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Navika Group of Companies & Blue Sky Hospitality Solutions. Navika Group of Companies commenced it business in 2005 with a mission to acquire, own and manage income generating commercial real estate across the US. Navika also currently owns and manages its assets through its management arm, Blue Sky Hospitality Solutions LLC. As part of the executive team to both Navika & Blue Sky Hospitality, Chintan is responsible for the financial performance of its diversified commercial real estate portfolio by managing a variety of roles in acquisition, operations, negotiations & audit. Chintan was born in India. At a young age, Chintan always valued education.

Chintan SHETH 2022 HONOREE

VICE GOVERNMENTPRESIDENTAFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS LONG ISLAND ASSOCIATION

tacey I. Sikes is an experienced leader of innovative programs in business, government, the non-profit sector, and higher educaShetion.serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications for the Long Island Association, which is the leading business organization in the region that supports Long Island’s economic growth. At the LIA, she is the primary advocate for its legislative agenda, manages the Membership Department, coordinates the work of the member Board Committees, and oversees the organization’s press and digital communications. Stacey previously served as the Executive Dean of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at Hofstra University, where she supervised the globally-recognized Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Scott Skodnek Business Development Center. She developed new initiatives to support students and entrepreneurs, including the ideaHUb New York State certified business incubator and Hofstra Veterans Venture Challenge. She authored successful grant applications from federal, state, and private sources to build entrepreneurship facilities and fund programs for small businesses. Under her leadership, Hofstra was the only organization in New York State to receive a 2021 U.S. Small Business Administration Lab-to-Market award for its efforts to support a diverse population of entrepreneurs during the pandemic. Stacey has collaborated on regional initiatives to further economic development, including serving as a writer for the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council report. She developed surveys on behalf of Nassau and Suffolk Counties to assess the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and served as a speaker on several Newsday panels offering advice to businesses navigating the economic challenges presented by COVID-19. In 2022 Stacey was appointed chair of the Board of Accelerate Long Island, a non-profit collaboration among Long Island’s research and academic institutions and business community to support the growth of high-tech startup companies, and previously served as its assistant executive director. Stacey was a 2019 honoree at the Girls Inc. of Long Island Gala and currently serves on the organization’s Advisory Board. She was included on the following Long Island Business News lists: 2021 Power 25 in Education, 2021

S40 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022

Stacey I. SIKES 2022 HONOREE

S 40 Under 40, and 2022 Most Powerful Women on Long Island. In 2022, Stacey was recognized by the Urban League of Long Island as a Woman of Influence, by City & State on its Albany 40 Under 40 list and was honored by the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at its annual Latina Hat Luncheon. She is a member of the 2022 class of the Energeia Partnership at Molloy College and is a volunteer with Girl Scouts of Suffolk County in her community.Stacey’s career started in government, serving as deputy chief of staff for Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko (projects included the Ronkonkoma Hub Transit-Oriented Development); Director of Special Projects for Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi (where she assisted with the New York State Property Tax Commission); and deputy regional representative for U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Stacey received her BA and MA in Government and politics from St. John’s University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and also served as an Adjunct Instructor.Stacey could not be successful without the love and support of her family. She was born and raised on Long Island and lives in East Northport with her husband Rich and two daughters, who inspire her every day.

Dan himselfprides on his work ethic, but believes hard work is most easily achieved when there is a true accompanyingjoy it.

an Silver is the Assistant Director of Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island, the world’s only full-summer day camp for children with cancer and their siblings, offered free of charge to over 600 children each summer. Dan began at Sunrise as a counselor when he was 18 years old while studying Industrial & Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan.Despite having never worked with children before nor attending camp growing up, Dan worked at Sunrise every summer throughout college, remaining dedicated to giving the joys of childhood back to children with cancer.After graduating magna cum laude from Michigan with a bachelor of engineering and a master of accounting, Dan accepted a job as a tax and technology consultant for the Big 4 accounting firm Deloitte. In 2014, Dan chose to leave behind his career in corporate America to return to Sunrise as the assistant director, where he has overseen 600 cancer-affected children and 200 staff for each of the last 8 summers. Outside of Sunrise, Dan is the CEO of Clothes On, Inc, a company he founded in 2011. Clothes On is a full-service design and custom apparel company, primarily serving the collegiate and corporate markets. Clothes On is proud to cott B. Silverberg is an associate attorney at the Roslyn Heights-based Law Office of Stephen J. Silverberg, where he focuses his practice on estate planning, Elder Law, and special needs planning. Scott is dedicated to elevating the profession and is active with several national and regional legal organizations. He is a member of the National Board of Directors of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and the Vice President of the New York Chapter of NAELA.In2022, Scott became a member of The Estate Planning Council of Nassau County, a member chapter of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC). Membership in the Council is selective. A member nominates candidates, and two members must endorse a nominee’s qualifications. The Board of Directors determines whether the candidate meets the high standards of the Council to admit the new member. As a New York State Bar Association member, Scott serves as Chair of the Technology Committee and Vice-Chair of the Practice Management Committee of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Nassau County Bar Association. Scott has attained the L.L.M. (Master of Laws) in Elder Law from the prestigious Stetson University School of Law. This rigorous program is offered only to Elder Law practitioners who have provided legal services in elder law matters in these specific areas of the law. The faculty of Stetson’s L.L.M. Elder Law program includes many of the nation’s top Elder Law attorneys.Scott is a graduate of Fordham Law School (J.D., 2013) and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a highly competitive program that prepares students for leadership positions in law, government, public policy, and business.

Scott is admitted to practice in New YorkScott’sState. grandparents came to North Shore Nassau County in the 1950s, and he was born and raised in East Williston, the second generation to grow up in the area. He graduated from The Wheatley School as a top student and has remained connected to the area ever since. What has enabled you to be successful? Success in this practice requires S have employed several hundred college students and has expanded to over 75 college campuses nationally.

As a younger member of 40 Under 40 (a millennial, at 31 years old), Dan genuinely believes everyone should enjoy the work they do, as well as the mission behind it. Dan prides himself on his work ethic, but believes hard work is most easily achieved when there is a true joy accompanying it. His leadership style centers around an honest commitment to learning from and listening to those around him. His work at Sunrise has allowed him to maintain a steady perspective on what is most important in life- relationships, health, and happiness- and that perspective shapes the decisions he makes in both his camp and his business. strong communication skills and empathy as much as intelligence and hard work.

Over the last decade, Dan has grown Clothes On from a small sidebusiness to a national e-commerce enterprise with operations and a sales force that spans 28 states. Dan has credited his success in both his non-proﬁt life and his business to an unbridled enthusiasm and passion for the work he does.

S41Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Dan SILVER Scott B. SILVERBERG, ESQ. 2022 HONOREE 2022 HONOREE

The latter is required to understand complex issues and keep up with constantly changing laws, rules, and regulations.

The former allows me to explain diﬃcult subjects to clients in ways they can understand and help them get through some of the most challenging situations.

I get great satisfaction when clients realize the issues they face have solutions.

Watching someone have a “lightbulb” moment when they learn there is a solution to their problem which lifts the weight from their shoulders is a treat. Having knowledge and expertise is necessary, but connecting with clients emotionally and conveying complex topics to them enables true Mysuccess.work as an advocate for the estate planning and elder law profession is gratifying and helps my practice. Working with colleagues on legislation and determining the impact of new laws on situations gives me greater insight into the law. Being exposed to how other attorneys are solving problems is an ongoing educational process that improves my skillset so I can better represent my clients. When I have a question, I have a vast network of colleagues I can reach out to for answers.

ASSISTANT CAMP DIRECTOR YEAR ROUND PROGRAM DIRECTOR SUNRISE DAY CAMP NEW YORK ESTATE PLANNING AND ELDER LAW ATTORNEY LAW OFFICE OF STEPHEN J. SILVERBERG, PC

E Through Smith’s leadership, LIBOR’s Global Business Council was awarded the 2021 Platinum Global Achievement Program Award from NAR for exhibiting the highest level of service to its members by consistently providing them with the tools they need to excel in international real estate. This places LIBOR’s Global Business Council in the top 8% of Global Councils nationwide. In dedication to his role at LIBOR, Smith has earned the Certified Distance Education Instructor certification through the Association of Real Estate License Law Official, the Certified International Property Specialist, At Home with Diversity, and Commitment to Excellence certifications through NAR. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management with a concentration in Music Business from Five Towns College. Prior to joining the association, Smith worked extensively in the music industry. His years of sales and management experience at various NYC record labels and music establishments have set the stage for his deep appreciation of richly unique cultures throughout the world.

S42 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 “Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” - Serena Williams Your wisdom, compassion, determination and courage continue to make a difference every day! Congratulations Jessica Dunn CHRIS Teacher/Coach/MentorKEENManhassetSchoolDistrict For being recognized as a Blank Slate Media 40 under 40 honoree Congratulations CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S HONOREES! THE AWARD-WINNING Manhasset Times Great Neck News Roslyn Times Port Washington Times Williston Times New Hyde Park Herald Courier Evan SMITH 2022 HONOREE

van Smith serves as the Global Business Liaison and Online Learning Coordinator for the Long Island Board of REALTORS® (LIBOR), a preeminent regional REALTOR® trade association that serves over 30,000 real estate professionals throughout Queens, Nassau, and Suﬀolk Counties. In that role, Smith brings his trademark positivity and years of experience and expertise to multiple areas, including education, administration, global business development, and management of LIBOR’s Global Business Council. Since joining LIBOR in 2017, Smith has elevated the Association’s global relations by collaborating with other associations, international partners, and outside entities to build awareness among members of the global real estate opportunities within their market and throughout the world. Smith has been instrumental in creating and maintaining lasting communication lines with international associations through the signing of Memorandums of Understandings (MOU).

GLOBAL BUSINESS LIAISON AND ONLINE LEARNING COORDINATOR LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS®

LIBOR currently has agreements with 18 countries, including Argentina, Bahamas, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ukraine. The MOU establishes cooperation for associations to share relevant market information, foster global relationships, and cultural exchanges, and build bridges with international partners abroad. Under the tutelage of Smith, LIBOR was appointed partner association with the Spanish International Realty Alliance (SIRA) through the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Ambassador Association Program. In 2022 Smith coordinated a trade mission to Seville, Spain for members to attend the annual SIRA conference. In 2021, to adapt to members’ changing needs, Smith helped launch “Travel Abroad Virtually with LIBOR” an international monthly web series that hosts representatives from global associations to communicate valuable resources and inspiration to LIBOR members.

Prior to entering private equity, he was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, where he completed over $20 billion of M&A/LBO transactions in food, retail & consumer. Lance is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (where he met his wife, Rachel). He is an active member of YPO and a member of the SAS Ambassador Council of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a multiple-time winner of Acquisition International’s Consumer/Food M&A Award and the DealMaker Award. He was named 40-under-40 by LIBN, Griffin Supermarket Report and YJP. He received Finance Monthly’s Game Changer Award and is a member of ASI’s Power 50. He is a father of three, Elizabeth (9), Ethan (6) and Lucy (4). Lance enjoys tennis, soccer, golf, running, skiing, business-themed podcasts, and spending time with family. Lance and his family reside in Roslyn. What has enabled you to be successful? I have been fortunate to have tremendous support from family, friends and our work team. As the son of an entrepreneur, I learned firsthand the laser-focused commitment that successful entrepreneurship requires. As the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, I understood that “monetary” success can be taken away, as it was to our family in Germany, but your family and your education persist— this has made me a lifelong learner and family man. I met my wife, Rachel, at Penn. She has always encouraged me to strive for excellence. We have had highs and lows in business during our 15 years of marriage — she has encouraged me to keep my head down and to persevere. Fortunately, we have.Waking up and seeing my smiling kids every day, gives me extra motivation. I want them to be proud of me – much as I am of my father. My daughter, Lizzie, and I, for example, started a charitable business together last year. Much as Rachel and I love encouraging our children to follow their passions, we similarly hope to instill in each of them the value of hard work and grit. Our work team is a very special group of people. We are a hard-driving, passionate family culture. The strength of this team has enabled us to navigate business challenges from Hurricane Sandy to COVID, and we have emerged a stronger, more cohesive group. I am honored to work with this talented group of professionals every day. Amongst these talented professionals includes my three brothers, my father and uncle. We are a family team – Garrett runs our manufacturing business, Travis, our distribution business, and Spencer, our gourmet foods business. My father (Les) and uncle (Barry) are the first-generation entrepreneurs who inspire, coach, mentor and lead us everyday. It is a powerful shared trust and love that is at the center of all we do.

ance Stier, is owner and CEO NE Custom, of Custom of Nassau Candy Distributors Inc., a leading, andbelandfoodconfectionery,family-owneddiversiﬁedspecialtygourmetandnaturalmanufactureranddistributor,leaderinthecustom,privatela-confectionery,hardgoods,healthbeautyandapparelcategories.AsCEOofNCCustom,Nassau Candy’s customization business, Lance has led organic and M&A growth throughout the U.S. and Canada, including the acquisitions of 10 customized products businesses, forming a vertically integrated top-40 ASI supplier, the largest food supplier in the promotional products industry, and growth platform in travel + resort and retail multi-category merchandise (ACE/AmuseMints). At Nassau Candy, Lance is head State: Zip Code: for unlimited access to theisland360.com)

of business development and leads M&A, strategy, and ﬁnancing, including acquisitions and ﬁnancings across company-owned real estate and operating businesses. He was previously a private equity investor with Paine + Partners and Wellspring Capital, and completed investments in the consumer and food sectors investing over $1 billion of equity capital, including Vistar and Performance Food Group, forming the 3rd largest broad line foodservice distributor (NASD: PFGC).

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NC CUSTOM CO-OWNER NASSAU CANDY

Phone: ______________________________________________________Email: (required

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S43Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022 • 40 UNDER 40 Lance STIER 2022 HONOREE

— SELLER Jessi Epstein

The Scout Residential Team at Compass M. 516.445.4744 | O. jessica.epstein@compass.com516.200.1098

Congratulations Jessi on your recognition! scoutresidential.comscoutresidential

S44 40 UNDER 40 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, September 9, 2022

Jessica Epstein is a licensed associate real estate broker afﬁliated with Compass. The Scout Residential Team is a team of real estate agents afﬁliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws.

“My wife and I recently sold our house with Jessi and while it could have been a very stressful process, Jessi made it effortless. Her patience and knowledge were unmatched, and we are so grateful for all she’s done. Whether it was her real-time communication skills, incredible demeanor or her clear focus on getting a deal that made everyone happy, she made us comfortable every step of the way. Jessi is the only choice when it comes to choosing a residential broker. We say this with no hesitation and complete conﬁdence — nobody knows East Hills and the North Shore of Long Island like Jessi Epstein!”

Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker