Joseph Curto Jr. Board Chair
Joe has been the president and co-owner of Yonkers Tennis Center since 1986. He was a partner of the Curco Operating Company and the JoMale Realty Corporation, both Yonkers-based management and development companies. He’s currently President of 493 Sprain LLC, a real estate holding company.
Joe is very passionate about community involvement. He has been active on the boards of several Westchester & Putnam County organizations, including the Haldane Board of Education, the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry & Homeless, the Haldane School Foundation, the Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library, Philipstown Little League, and Yonkers Partners in Education. He has also served as a trustee of the Friends of Philipstown Recreation and on the Advisory Board of the Westchester Green Business Challenge.
He received his B.S. from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
Sarah Carrier Vice Chair, Communications
Sarah is an editor and supervisory analyst of institutional equities research, with nearly 15 years of experience. Sarah currently works at Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. Prior to her career in the financial services industry, Sarah was a web designer. Sarah received her B.A. in advertising design from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. Sarah is also a member of Macquarie’s New York community advisory committee which champions volunteer and fundraising efforts for several local non-profit organizations in coordination with the Macquarie Foundation.
Sarah, her husband and her son Owen, have lived in Croton for 11 years.
Natasha Fapohunda Vice Chair, Strategic Partnerships
Natasha is senior vice president & chief counsel, Enterprise Partnerships at Mastercard based in Purchase New York. Natasha is a strategic legal advisor and business partner focused on driving new industry opportunities for Mastercard. Prior to joining Mastercard, Natasha was a corporate associate with the NYC law firm of Willkie, Farr & Gallagher.
Natasha is a longtime resident of New Rochelle and alumna of the Yonkers and New Rochelle public school systems. She currently serves as an executive member of the Legal Aid Society’s New Leadership Board and she is a member of New Rochelle’s Police Review Committee. She holds a BS in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Natasha is the mom of three curious and inspiring young children and she loves growing herbs in her backyard and trail running in Westchester County.
Stephan Spilkowitz Vice Chair, Development
Stephan Spilkowitz is a passionate and purpose-driven leader with over 12 years of experience in the mental health and non-profit sector. He currently serves as Director of Engagement and Culture for the largest provider of outpatient mental health services in the county; Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS). His aim is to build an exceptional organizational culture where all employees feel valued, respected, included, and actively supported to reach their full potential.
Prior to joining WJCS, Stephan served in six roles at ANDRUS, working to help children and teens recover from early childhood trauma. His work at ANDRUS began in direct care supporting the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children with Autism and concluded as Assistant Director of Therapeutic Programming & Youth Development. In his final role, Stephan led a team of Recreation Therapists and developed a wide variety of specialized programs including a ropes course, motivational youth dirtbike program, therapy dog program, swimming program, winter sports program, music production program, and more.
Stephan is also an experienced trainer and practitioner of trauma-informed culture, experiential education, organization development, and emotionally intelligent leadership. Additionally, he has been deeply involved in serving his hometown of Yonkers, as a former member of the City Council President’s Advisory Board for Children with Special Needs, co-chair for the Lower Hudson Valley Progressive Action Network’s Education Committee, and as a two-term elected Democratic District Leader.
Stephan holds a BA in Psychology from Cornell University and an MA in Organizational Psychology and Change Leadership from Columbia University.
Brian Carroll Treasurer
Brian is a member of First Hill Partners, which provides investment banking services to emerging growth companies and their owners. He began his career in corporate finance at Morgan Guaranty in 1980. From 1995-2001, Brian served on the Board of Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining, NY, where he assisted with land acquisitions and a capital campaign.
He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. with honors in English Literature from Colgate University.
Wendy Zimmermann Secretary
Wendy worked for 15 years at the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, where she focused on immigration and immigrant integration issues, including the effects of education and welfare reform on immigrant communities. She also served on the board of Upwardly Global, a non-profit organization that helps skilled immigrants and refugees find jobs in their fields.
Wendy holds a B.A. from Duke University and received an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University.
Robert Baron Board Member
Robert worked for 10 years at the education finance firm First Marblehead. Prior to this, he managed social service programs for at-risk populations at JEVS in Philadelphia and Homes for the Homeless in New York City. He also serves on various committees in local government, and served as President of Temple Beth Shalom, a Reform congregation in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.
Robert attended Hamilton College and received a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
Helen Crenshaw Board Member
Can Etili Board Member
Can (Jon) Etili is a digital strategy leader with nearly 15 years of experience in management consulting and go-to-market strategy for technology companies. He is currently a Senior Engagement Manager at Adobe, advising financial services institutions across the U.S., including retail banks, wealth and asset managers, payments providers, and FinTech companies. In this role, he collaborates with industry leaders to shape their digital strategy and customer experience through multi-year transformation roadmaps.
Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Can began his career at SAP, working in Industry Go-to-Market and Value Engineering. He later moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he spent six years leading digital transformation initiatives for Europe’s top retail, CPG, banking, travel, and hospitality companies. His ability to bridge technical expertise with strategic insight has helped organizations navigate the evolving digital landscape.
Can holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Bogazici University. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, he is passionate about sustainability and leveraging technology to drive positive environmental and business impact.
Lauren Finnegan Board Member
Lauren is a Technical Designer at PS&S Architecture and Engineering in Yonkers, NY.
Outside of her work as a civil engineer, she is a member of both the Shade Structure
and Green Infrastructure Groundwork Hudson Valley community working groups. Prior
to working at PS&S, Lauren participated in and led student-run environmental research projects, worked at Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx River Alliance, and worked at the New York Botanical Garden Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.
In her free time, Lauren is very active in local community groups. She a member of
Yonkers Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee and the Yonkers-East
Yonkers Rotary Club. She is also a part of the Sarah Lawrence College Center for the
Urban River (CURB) volunteer sampling program. Within her company, PS&S, Lauren is
Chair of the Rising Professionals employee resource group for young professionals, a
member of the Women’s Inspiration Network (W.I.N.), and Yonkers Regional Lead of the
Social Engagement Committee. Lauren also loves taking care of her plants, playing
tennis, and taking walks in nature.
Lauren holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Environmental Engineering from
Manhattan University.
Allison Kaufman Board Member
Jennell Keith Board Member
Jennell Keith is a dedicated professional with a diverse background in law, education,
organizational leadership, and community engagement. Jennell currently serves as Program Director for an environmental nonprofit, where she leads initiatives and programs to advance environmental sustainability and community impact.
With over a decade of professional experience, Jennell brings a unique blend of skills spanning administrative work in legal and political offices, education, customer service, and marketing. She has worked in high-level positions including internships with the New York State Attorney General's office and the New York State Senate, where she developed expertise in legal processes and policy work. Her passion for education led her to tutor elementary students, where she made a meaningful impact on young learners.
Jennell's career has since evolved to include customer service leadership, real estate and insurance work, and marketing strategy. She excels at building strong relationships, managing projects, and creating engaging content for digital platforms. Her interpersonal skills and genuine commitment to helping others drive her work in any role she undertakes.
With her combination of legal knowledge, organizational leadership skills, and deep commitment to community service, Jennell is passionate about contributing to meaningful environmental initiatives and aspires to make a lasting impact on her local community as a leadership professional.
Jennell holds a B.A. in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Law from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is currently pursuing an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Mercy University, with an expected graduation date of May 2026.
Sherazade Langlade Board Member
Sherazade Langlade (she/her) joins WPTI for the second time, having previously served as Deputy Executive Director in 2013-2014 and remained an enthusiastic supporter and advocate for the organization since. Throughout her 20+ year career, she has consistently worked in, and partnered with, workforce development and financial inclusion mission driven organizations. As a first-generation immigrant she learned firsthand that the “land of opportunities” was not inclusive of all and has committed her career to strengthening, innovating and transforming the trajectory of individuals, and the organizations that serve them.
In her expansive career she served in direct service functions – designing and implementing programs, fundraising, partnering with boards, and designing strategy for growth and impact. Additionally, she has also served as a change management, strategy, organizational development and business development consultant, trainer and coach to dozens of nonprofit clients. Some of the organizations where she has contributed to their growth and success are Upwardly Global, NYC Mayor’s Office of Talent & Workforce Development, JobsFirstNYC and most recently at Community Resource Exchange. She brings her deep knowledge in social enterprise/business development, organizational design and operations, leadership and change management to WPTI, with a goal to inspire ambitious strategies to best achieve WPTI’s critical mission.
Sherazade is a National Urban Fellow; received her MPA from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College, and B.A from St. John’s University. She holds certifications from PROSCI, Change Management Practitioner; Blooming Willow, Healing-Centered Coach Certification; Clark-Wilson Group, Survey of Management Practices. She is a bi-racial, white presenting, first generation immigrant cis-woman; lives in the Bronx with her spouse, and is proud to be step-parent, daughter, twin sister and auntie. She’ll never say no to a cortado, sharing travel tales or planning big ideas.
Renee Milligan Board Member
Renee has been one of the main driving forces for the Yonkers Greenway Project. She has worked with Groundwork Hudson Valley to present the vision of the Yonkers Greenway to the Environmental Protection Agency and to various funders.
Since the age of 14, she has engaged in community work and currently works with the Yonkers community in various ways. She is an Assistant Sunday School Teacher & Angel Tree Coordinator at her church, Chairperson of the Mayor’s African American Advisory Board, member of the National Night Out Planning Committee, member of the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, and previously served on the Board for Peace Keepers of Yonkers, Living Transformation, and the initiating team for Stepping Up Yonkers. Renee currently works for the City of Yonkers in the Finance Department.
Renee holds a B.S. in Accounting from Wilberforce University.
Shakira Wilson Board Member
Shakira Wilson is Con Edison’s Vice President of Electric Operations and is responsible for the safe and reliable operation of the electric distribution system serving a population of approximately 2.9 million residents in the Bronx and Westchester County. Shakira joined Con Edison in 2001 as a management intern and has held positions of increasing responsibility in electrical construction, project management, and auditing. She is experienced in the operations and maintenance of both the electric distribution and transmission systems. Shakira was a regional incident commander for the restoration effort in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. She was responsible for leading the New York State contingent in restoring electric service to residents in the San Juan region. In addition to her regular duties, Shakira finds time to work with new employees that are just starting out in their careers. She also spends time mentoring young, career-minded women and shares with them her own experiences as a working mom in a non-traditional role. She helps women understand both the challenges they will face in the workplace as well as the intrinsic rewards associated with accomplishing important, meaningful work in a fast-paced work environment.
She is a graduate of the College of Mount Saint Vincent with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and has a Master of Business Administration from Oswego State University of New York.