White Plains, NY, January 10, 2020 –Nonprofit Westchester, whose mission is to advance and advocate for the needs and interests of the county's nonprofit sector and the people and communities they serve, has elected six area leaders to serve on its Board of Directors, starting in 2020. These new board members include Allison Lake, Executive Director, Westchester Children’s Association; Marjorie Madfis, Founder and President, Yes She Can Inc.; Michelle A. Nicholas, Executive Director, Girls Inc. Westchester; Maurice K. Segall, Director, Pro Bono Partnership of New York and Fairfield County, CT;  Samuel Wallis, Executive Director, Yonkers Partners in Education; and Jane Veron, CEO, The Acceleration Project.

“These new board members bring diverse talents and deep expertise to NPW” said Nonprofit Westchester Board of Directors President Anahaita Kotval. “They lead organizations that provide a wide range of critical services to our community and have a deep commitment to NPW’s mission of ensuring a vital, effective nonprofit sector.”

Allison Lake is the Executive Director of Westchester Children’s Association (WCA), the county’s only multi-issue children’s advocacy organization. She has worked at the WCA in various capacities for over 20 years, including 10 years as Deputy Director managing  their program initiatives. Allison  lead WCA’s advocacy partnerships and community mobilization efforts that successfully bought mental health supports into Head Start classrooms, raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 in New York State and increased county funding of youth development programs.   Allison has worked for nonprofit organizations here in the U.S, and in West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer/Trainer. She has held management positions at the National Civic League and Associated Black Charities, worked in youth development with the City Volunteer Corps program in New York City, and at the YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester. Allison earned her BA from Amherst College, and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Marjorie Madfis Marjorie Madfis is founder and president of Yes She Can Inc., a nonprofit organization helping young women with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities develop transferable skills for employment and greater independence.  Marjorie and Yes She Can have been recognized by Autism Science Foundation, YAI, and Nonprofit Westchester. As a parent of a daughter with autism and a professional in workforce development, Marjorie has been an advocate for disability inclusion at school, in the community, and at work.  Previously, Marjorie had a successful 30-year business career in marketing strategy, digital and interactive marketing.  She worked for major marketing agencies and corporations, retiring from IBM in 2013.  Marjorie earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and MBA from Boston University School of Business.

Michelle A. Nicholas is the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Westchester County, a leadership development organization dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of girls (ages 9-18) by helping them become Strong, Smart, and Bold! Girls Inc. delivers girls-only programming throughout Westchester County to teach girls how to achieve goals, confront challenges, prepare for college, explore non-traditional career paths, and use their knowledge and strength to promote positive change for themselves and their communities. An award-winning advocate, she has been recognized by the Westchester Business Council, The Network Journal, United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Caribbean Life, Women of Mission International and Face2Face Africa. Nicholas is the founder of Sexual Assault and Family Education (S.A.F.E.) Guyana, an organization that provides support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and those struggling with mental health and other social issues in the diaspora and Guyana. Nicholas is a graduate of the University of Guyana, Rio Branco Institute, Volunteer New York’s Leadership Westchester, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s Citizens’ Academy and Mount Vernon Citizens’ Police Academy.  

Maurice K. Segall is Director  of the New York and Fairfield County, CT Program  for Pro Bono Partnership (www.probonopartner.org), a 501(c)(3) organization that engages volunteer attorneys to provide free business legal services to nonprofits. Maurice provides direct legal services to nonprofit groups, coordinates and supervises the work of staff and volunteer attorneys, and frequently lectures on legal issues for nonprofits and attorneys. He was previously an associate at Cummings & Lockwood, and Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin and Kuriansky. Maurice serves on the Senior Advisory Board and the Risk Management Committee of Family and Children’s Agency (FCA), and on the Advisory Board of Circle of Care for Families of Children with Cancer.  He previously served on other boards, including FCA, the Fairfield County Bar Foundation, the Wilton Library, and Connecticut Legal Services.  Maurice is a recipient of the Liberty Bell Award from the Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar for outstanding community service, the first practicing attorney ever to receive this honor. Maurice is admitted to the bar in New York and Connecticut.

Samuel Wallis is the Executive Director of Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE), a not-for-profit partnering with students to ensure they are ready for, enroll in, and complete college. Sam began his work in education by joining Teach for America (TFA) to teach history and government in a Mississippi Delta high school. He moved back up north to join the leadership team of a Democracy Prep public charter high school before joining YPIE as the program director in 2015. Sam attended Tufts University as an undergraduate and earned his master's degree in Public School Building Leadership from Columbia University Teacher's College.

Jane Veron is CEO and Co-Founder of the Acceleration Project (TAP), a nonprofit organization that provides high-caliber consulting services at an accessible price to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and municipalities. Prior to TAP, Jane worked in business strategy and marketing at Bain & Company and American Express; as an independent consultant; and in private equity and venture capital as an investor and board member. Jane is also Deputy Mayor of  Scarsdale and previously held civic leadership positions as Chair of the Scarsdale Planning Board and President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale.

In recognition of her sustained and significant impact on the community, she received the Mayor’s Award for Exceptional Leadership, and the Daily Point of Light Award granted by Points of Light, an organization founded by President George H.W. Bush to recognize volunteer service. Jane currently serves on Harvard’s Women Leadership Board, the Harvard Business School Alumni Board, the Regional Plan Association, the Scarsdale Foundation, and the Yale Westchester Alumni Association, and she is a member of Golden Seeds and Harvard Angels.  Jane earned BA magna cum laude from Yale University and an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School.

“I am very excited to begin working with this dedicated group of  leaders, as they all deepen the quality and experience of our board,” said Jan Fisher, Executive Director, Nonprofit Westchester. “Combined with our existing Executive Committee and Board of Directors, NPW is uniquely positioned to address and provide solutions to critical issues in our county that support equity and inclusion for all Westchester residents.”

For more information, contact Jan Fisher jfisher@npwestchester.org 914-441-439-0203 or visit www.npwestchester.org.

About Nonprofit Westchester

Nonprofit Westchester (NPW) is Westchester’s only membership organization dedicated solely to advancing and advocating for the needs and interests of the county's nonprofit sector and the people and communities they serve. Representing 170 nonprofit organizations, the mission of NPW is to strengthen the impact, capacity and visibility of the nonprofit sector in Westchester County.