United Way Board of Directors Appoints Six New Members
United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s Board of Directors announced the appointment of six community-minded professionals to its roster. Joining the 20 sitting board members are Swati Goel-Patel, Associate Vice President, Human Resources, PURE Insurance; Walter Hosp, Chief Executive Officer, ZenRE Holdings LLC; Joshua Kimerling, Esq., Partner and Chair of Litigation, Cuddy & Feder LLP; Kevin Kubicki, Vice President, Human Resources, Finance & Operations, IBM; Leslie Lampert, Executive Chef and Proprietor, Ladle of Love and Love Hospitality; and Bernadette Schopfer, CPA, Partner and Director of Taxation, Maier Markey & Justic LLP. Their term is for a three-year period.
“We are very fortunate to have a group of highly respected and well-connected individuals, who want to give back to their communities through the United Way of Westchester and Putnam,” said Board Chairman Bud Hammer, who is also the President of Atlantic Westchester, Inc. “Swati, Walter, Josh, Kevin, Leslie, and Bernadette bring valued skillsets to the organization and we look forward to working with them as new additions to the Board of Directors.”
Goel-Patel, associate vice president of human resources for PURE Insurance, has more than 15 years of experience in human resources with a focus on talent acquisition, performance management, and senior-level employee relations and people strategies. She has a passion for creating meaningful employee experiences rooted in strengths-based growth, inclusion, and empathy. Goel-Patel graduated Magna Cum Laude from Manhattan College with her BA In Psychology and Minor in Business and an MS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Baruch College where she was the Salutatorian of her class. She continues to pursue courses in Positive Psychology, Brain-Based Coaching, and Conscious Leadership. Additionally, Goel-Patel is an active member of United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s Women’s Leadership Council. She lives in Ardsley with her husband and three children.
Hosp, CEO of ZenRE Holdings LLC, is a Scarsdale resident who during his seasoned career, has led all aspects of financial and administrative management. His broad-based expertise includes control, treasury, planning and analysis, corporate development, investor relations, information technology, legal, risk management, compliance, and human resource functions. Hosp has served as a director and chair of the audit committee for the Trustwave Holdings, Inc. and was formerly on the boards of Bostwick Laboratories, Inc., Hexcel Corporation and the United Way of Westchester and Putnam Counties where he served as Chairman of the Board from 2000 to 2002 and as its treasurer.
Kimerling of Dobbs Ferry is partner and chair of the Litigation Group at Cuddy & Feder LLP. His commercial litigation practice is diverse, with varied experience in areas of real estate litigation, title and easement matters, contract and corporate disputes, commercial landlord-tenant proceedings, employment-related issues, and appellate advocacy. He has appeared before local, state, and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. Kimerling is a longstanding active member of the community, previously serving on the boards of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley and The Hudson Valley Justice Center.
Kubicki of Chappaqua is Westchester New York’s Senior Location Executive for IBM. In this capacity he is responsible for leading the strategy and execution for people and culture for 35,000 IBMers worldwide, influencing and proactively addressing business opportunities and issues related to talent, leadership, skills, labor cost, diversity and inclusion, and organizational development to support business growth. Kubicki has held a variety of positions across both Finance and Human Resources during his 19 years with IBM. Prior to joining IBM, he previously worked for the Walt Disney Company and Lockheed Martin. Kubicki earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida.
Lampert is the executive chef/owner of Love Hospitality and Ladle of Love, and the former senior editor at Ladies’ Home Journal Magazine. She produced and wrote scores of lifestyle articles and spent countless hours in the test kitchen developing recipes for more than 17 million readers. In addition to the shop in Bronxville, the company includes Love On The Run Catering, MarketLove (distribution division to Fresh Direct among others), and is the proud culinary team for The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, providing hot meals to more than 1,500 kids, weekly. Lampert holds a Bachelor of Arts from Skidmore College, attended Colgate University, and received a Master’s in Journalism from Boston University. She is a founding member and original steering committee member of UWWP’s Women’s Leadership Council and a member of Westchester Medical Center’s Foundation Board. Lampert has three children, three grandchildren and lives in Katonah.
Schopfer is a partner and Director of Taxation at Maier, Markey & Justic, LLP, managing every aspect of the tax department, from oversight of all services provided to the clients to ensuring that each member of the tax team is trained and up-to-date on the ever-changing federal, state and local tax codes. She is a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in understanding the increasing complexity of the tax laws, and translating them into ordinary, everyday language for her clients. Schopfer earned her BA in Accounting from Siena College, and her Master’s of Science in Taxation from Pace University. She is a Founding Member of United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council and a member of its original Steering Committee.
With the United Way of Westchester being an independent nonprofit, which is part of the United Way network, its board is responsible for developing the vision and policies of the organization as well as maintaining its fiscal oversight.
United Way of Westchester and Putnam supports education, financial stability, and health initiatives to help residents become self-sufficient and thrive. These include the 211 Helpline, essential goods for basic needs distributions, early literacy programming for preschoolers, support services for students, job skills training and financial empowerment for adults and access to health services for all.
