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Community Corner

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester Announces New Board Members

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) recently announced the addition of five distinguished members of the community: Ashley Diamond, Andrew Handler, John New, Charles Parsons and Rick Suarez to its board of directors.

Ashley Diamond is co-founder of the Bedford Hills-based wine company, Vine & Co. Diamond previously served as marketing manager for Frontline Marketing until 2004 before deciding to dedicate more time to family. She remains actively involved in the community, having served on several committees including the Northern Westchester Hospital Annual Gala Steering Committee from 2009 to 2011 and as co-chair of the Gala in 2009. In 2012, Diamond served as a member of the Annual Benefit Dinner Committee for the Katonah Museum of Art, and in 2013, Ashley and her husband, Jim, were the recipients of the BCGNW’s Humanitarian Award. Diamond is a graduate of George Mason University and currently resides in Katonah, NY with her husband and their two daughters.

Andrew Handler currently works as an independent commodities options trader/market maker. In 2012, Handler decided to share his passion for nutrition and physical fitness with the community by opening a CrossFit Gym in Mount Kisco. In addition to his new position on the board of BGCNW, Handler and his wife, Kimberly, have been involved with Northern Westchester Hospital for numerous years, serving as co-chairs for their annual gala.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics from Lehigh University. Handler and his wife live in Bedford Hills with their three children.

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John P. New, managing partner at Access Securities, LLC in Stamford, CT, is a financial professional with over 19 years of experience, and was formerly president of Source Trading and Senior VP, International Wealth Specialist at Morgan Stanley. New is head coach of the JV basketball team at Iona Prep and is very involved in BCGNW’s youth basketball program. New is also a former BCGNW board member, serving from 2004 to 2009, and was a long-time member of the Club’s Golf Committee. New’s wife, Gina, was also actively involved on BCGNW’s Humanitarian Award dinner committee for many years. New currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Claudio Reyna Foundation and has been a long-standing board member for the Bedford-Pound Ridge Baseball Association. He and his wife reside in Bedford with their four children Sean, Gianna, Blaise, and Cullen.

Charles Parsons has been at Proskauer Rose LLP for his entire professional career. He is a partner in the corporate department and a member of the Global Private Investment Funds Group. Parsons serves on the board of the Chappaqua Youth Soccer Club and coached his son and daughter’s AYSO soccer teams. He currently lives in Chappaqua with his wife, Rachel, his son, Owen, and his daughter, Hayden.

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Rick Suarez is a managing director and senior equity partner at Clarfeld. Suarez is responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s investment advisory business, for both US and off-shore clients, including strategic asset allocation, selection of third-party investment managers and mutual funds, business development and investment performance monitoring and reporting.  Suarez is a Certified Financial Planner and received his Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Pace University. He is also an alumnus of Fairfield University, where he earned his undergraduate degree.  He currently resides with his wife and three children in Briarcliff Manor, where he also devotes time to his children’s youth soccer and lacrosse teams.

“Each of these individuals has displayed such commitment to their professional lives, their families and their community,” said BGCNW Executive Director Brian Skanes. “We look forward to the expertise and enthusiasm they will bring to our organization.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester also recently appointed new officers to the Board. Todd Rockefeller will now serve as president; Muffin Dowdle as vice president; Marc Weisenfreund as secretary, and Linda A. Mahon has been reappointed as treasurer for her second term.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester is located at 351 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY and can be reached at (914) 666-8069 or by visiting www.bgcnw.com. For the latest news, photos and updates, please "like" the Club on www.facebook.com/BGCNWand follow on www.twitter.com/BGCNW.

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About the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester
Celebrating its 75th year,  the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester remains dedicated to its mission to inspire and enable young people, especially those who need it most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. A non-profit organization established in 1939, the Club has served more than 100,000 youth and welcomed nearly 10,000 volunteers, staff and board members over the years. Located in Mt. Kisco, NY, the Club’s 36,000-square-foot facility features an eight-lane pool, Child Care Center, gymnasium, game room and two computer labs, and an additional 1,600-foot Teen Center facility. The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester currently serves 1,700 boys and girls ages 6 months to 18 years, from more than 60 Northern Westchester communities. The Club has been ranked among the outstanding Clubs in the national network of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

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