Thank you to all alumni who have invested their time in showing up since 1996.
LWAA VALUES: Community, Learning, Service.
LWAA MISSION: To create leaders with deep self-awareness, abiding commitment, outstanding interpersonal skills, and an exceptional ability to influence others positively.
LWAA VISION: LWAA is a dynamic community of caring people who are . . .
1. Learning and demonstrating the practice of leadership and contribution
2. Choosing to serve each participant’s personal growth and development.
3. Creating communities that reflect it’s members’ highest ideals and aspirations.
WAYS TO SUPPORT LEADERSHIP WESTCHESTER:
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Deepen your connection with Volunteer New York! (let's connect!)
LWAA COMMUNITY:
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LWAA Directory (new 2025 password required)
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Leadership Westchester Graduation
LWAA LEARNING:
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LWAA Learning Series
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Mission Possible (March 10, 2026)
2025 - 2026 LWAA EVENTS CALENDAR:
November 5, 2025 - Nonprofit Board Boot Camp
November 20, 2025 - Board Speed Dating
March 4, 2026 - Spring Class of 2026 Breakfast
March 10, 2026 - Mission: Possible
April 17, 2026 - 2026 Volunteer New York! Volunteer Spirit Awards
April 22, 2026 - Local Leaders with Impact Panel Discussion
June 16, 2026 - Class of 2026 Graduation and Alum of the Year Presentation
LWAA BOARD SERVICE:
NOW YOU ARE READY TO SERVE - Leadership Westchester Alum have a deeper understanding of nonprofit board responsibilities and key management tools and are great candidates for board service. There are countless places to align your personal priorities and passions with the important missions of locally-based organizations.
If you are interested in learning more about local nonprofit board openings, please email leadership@volunteernewyork.org
LEADERSHIP WESTCHESTER 2026 ALUM OF THE YEAR
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2025 Alum of the Year
Dr. Carmen L. Martínez-López
SUNY Westchester Community College
(LW '19)
Dr. Carmen Leonor Martínez-López earned her Ph.D. in international business in the area of management from the University of Texas–Pan American (renamed University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley). She is currently the dean of the School of Business and Professional Careers at SUNY Westchester Community College. She was previously the dean of the Division of Business, Arts, and Social Sciences at Bergen Community College, and she was a tenured faculty member and deputy chair of the business department for 10 years at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Dr. Martínez-López has served SUNY Westchester Community College as dean since 2016, where she facilitated the creation of the new Robert R. Wiener Center for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and the implementation of the School of Business and Professional Careers’ Success Team, whose main goal is to offer a holistic approach to academic success.
At the regional level, Dr. Martínez-López serves on the Board of Directors of Volunteer New York!, where she has served as a member of the finance and government committees. Dr. Martínez-López is also the chair of the Westchester County Hispanic Advisory Board, where she advocated for conducting the first academic Hispanic community needs assessment for Westchester County. At the national level, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education until spring 2025. She served as a treasurer and member of the finance committee until spring 2025.
Dr. Martínez-López has published in The Journal of International Management Studies; The Review of Business Research; The International Journal of Business Research; and The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture, and Change Management.
Dr. Martínez-López continues with her lifelong learning to contribute to the well-being of Westchester County residents. She has continued her professional development by obtaining certificates on topics such as women on boards, coaching strategies in higher education, using assessment for improvement, assessment of learning outcomes, corporate governance, systems thinking, negotiations, mediation, conflict management, crisis leadership in higher education, and Leadership Westchester, among others. Her vocation of service transcends her deanship duties and responsibilities.
Class of 2026
(Affiliations listed are from their time of graduation)
Matt Ambrogi, DataArt Solutions, Inc.
Brian Barry, Clay Art Center
Tammy Bordeaux, Dancing Village Partners
Kyra Brunner, Office of NYS Assemblyman Matt Slater
Guadalupe M. Fishman, Volunteer New York!
Elaine Gloth Merker, ReSET Westchester
Luisa Granda-Rodriguez, Neighbors Link
Angel Gray, Westchester Children's Association
Ryan Hirt, Access: Supports for Living Foundation
Emily Karol, The New York Community Trust
Caroline King, Human Interest
Spencer Moon, ArtsWestchester
Weezie Mullaly, Weezie Mullaly Insurance Agency, GEICO Exclusive Agency
Erin O'Grady, M&T Bank
Sophia Pineiro, SUNY Westchester Community College
Amy Rivera, Nonprofit Westchester
Swati Sharma, Hudson Valley Credit Union
Alicia Simmons, Homeless Remedies, Inc.
Lizette Taylor, Hispanic Advisory Board / Paul Weiss
Annie Willis, Office of NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
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