Board of Directors

Sandra Echols Williams, President

Sandra Echols Williams is serving as President/Chair of the Board of Directors.  Ms. Williams has served as Executive Vice President of the Board of Directors since 2000.  She served as Chair of both the Nominating and Finance committees during her tenure on the Board.  Elected to serve as a 2005-2008 National Delegate, Ms. Williams led the GSNC Delegation to the National Convention in 2005.   Ms. Williams holds a B.S. in Engineering and a Masters in Public Administration. 

Diane M. McFarlane, Esq., Executive Vice President

Diane McFarlane is serving her first term as Executive Vice President of the Board of Directors.  Ms. McFarlane served one term as Vice President of the Board of Directors, two years on the Council Nominating Committee as Chair and ex-officio Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  Ms. McFarlane is a former Girl Scout with a strong dedication and commitment to public interest.  A dedicated mentor throughout her career, she currently volunteers as a mentor to high school, college and law school students.

Ms. McFarlane was inducted into the Links, Incorporated, Long Island Chapter in 2006 and elected Vice President in 2007.  A graduate of SUNY at Stony Brook with a B.S. in Psychology, she received her Law Degree from Hofstra University School of Law.  Formerly Senior Regional Counsel for the New York City Department of Education, Ms. McFarlane is currently the Manager of Staffing and Professional Development at Goodwin, Procter, LLP.  Ms. McFarlane is a resident of Baldwin.

Diane White, Vice President

Diane White is serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors after serving three terms as a Member-at-Large.  Ms. White is most knowledgeable of the governance process and currently holds several key governance positions with GSNC.  She also served as the Chair of the Delegate Communications Committee, as a National Delegate, attending the National Council Session/Convention held in Atlanta in 2005, and served two terms on the Council Nominating Committee. 

A Girl Scout as a girl and a Troop Leader for ten years, Ms. White served the Valley Stream Association as Consultant, Troop Organizer, Delegate and Delegate Chair.  She is a resident of Valley Stream, and employed as an electronic products consultant with Insurance Services Office, Inc. in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Ms. White is a graduate of SUNY Albany. 

William Mays, Vice President

William Mays is serving as the Vice President of the Board of Directors and was previously a Member-at-Large since 2002. He is a past member of the Council Nominating Committee and currently serves on the Delegate Communications Committee.  Mr. Mays was elected in May 2005 as a National Delegate and attended the GSUSA Convention in Atlanta.  In addition, Mr. Mays served as Co-Chair of the Council Annual Giving Campaign Committee and was instrumental in the success of our Council’s Commit to a Girl online fundraising campaign. 

Mr. Mays has been a member of the Girl Scout movement since 1990, when his oldest daughter, a Gold Award recipient, became a Daisy Girl Scout.  In 2005 he chaperoned Troop 911/981 on its European trip.  He is a Manager for KeySpan Energy and has a private pilot’s license.  Mr. Mays and his family reside in Merrick, where his wife, Fran, is an active Girl Scout Leader. 

Eric Rogers, Treasurer

Eric Rogers is serving as interim Treasurer of the Board of Directors.  He is a member of the Human Resources and Fund Development Committees.  Mr. Rogers and his entire family are committed to Girl Scouts of Nassau County.  His wife is a Troop Leader and both his daughters are Girl Scouts in the Carle Place/Westbury Association.  Mr. Rogers was appointed to the Carle Place School Board and serves on several committees with the New York State Society of CPAs. 

A graduate of CW Post College, Mr. Rogers is President of Rogers & Company, a CPA firm serving not-for-profit clients.  The Rogers family resides in Westbury.

Debra Ieraci, Secretary

A member of the Board of Directors since 1997, Ms. Ieraci is serving her third term as Secretary.  A former National Delegate and past member of the Council Nominating Committee, she has served for several years as Chair of the Delegate Communications Committee and currently serves as its Vice Chair.  In 2005 she was elected as a 2005-2008 National Delegate.  Ms. Ieraci is employed as a Field Collector with National Grid and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Old Westbury. 

Ms. Ieraci is a member of the Gold Award Alliance and a Leader in the Glen Cove Association where she resides with her husband and daughter Amanda, a Girl Scout Brownie; she volunteers in her local community and is a licensed massage therapist.

Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director/CEO

Donna Ceravolo is Executive Director/CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County, where she is responsible for the direction of 23,000 girls, 7,000 adult volunteers, and the management of a staff of 54. Prior to becoming a professional Girl Scout, Ms. Ceravolo was chief executive officer of the YWCA of Brooklyn, an organization committed to the empowerment of women and the elimination of racism. She was honored as a Woman of Distinction by the YWCA of Brooklyn, where she also received the Sojourner Truth Award for Racial Justice in 2000. In 2005 she accepted a Women of Valor Award from the Sisterhood of Temple Emanu-El in Long Beach. 

Ms. Ceravolo is a National Delegate and served as a member of the Core Business Strategy Team for Girl Scouts of the USA, a group charged with devising new and relevant direction for the Girl Scout Movement in the 21st Century. She is also a member of United Way of Long Island’s Agency Executives Council. 

Donna Ceravolo is an outspoken advocate for girls and frequently speaks to community groups on the critical issues facing girls today. Donna resides in Freeport along with her husband and son.

Andrea Borah, CSW

Andrea Borah, CSW, has devoted her professional career to assisting teens and youth.  A Brownie leader since 2005, Mrs. Borah is a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  As a mother of three girls she is particularly sensitive to the many issues that girls face throughout their lifetime.  Mrs. Borah is also a Curriculum Specialist of Relational Aggression for Girl Scouts of Nassau County.

In her role as the Director of Tova Mentoring she has formed close relationships with the 19 yeshivas and day schools that utilize the organizations services.  Before coming to TOVA she worked at the Nassau Legal Aid Society and Adelphi University.  Mrs. Borah has been with TOVA since its inception in 1997 and under her leadership, the program has grown into the flagship mentoring program of the Jewish community.  Mrs. Borah is a resident of Hewlett where she lives with her husband Richard and her daughters, Aliza, Avigail and Ariella.

Lisa Burke

Lisa Burke is serving a second term as a member of the Board of Directors and previously served as a member of the Council Nominating Committee.  A lifetime member of the Girl Scout Movement, Ms. Burke attended the past two GSUSA National Council Meetings and Conventions, and was a chaperone to the Girl Congress in Atlanta in October 2005.

The mother of two Girl Scouts and a Boy Scout, she has been both Troop Cookie Manager and QSP Manager in the Oyster Bay Association, where she lives.  A graduate of SUNY at Plattsburg, Ms. Burke is the owner and President of “A Business Contracting Corp” - in business for over 25 years.  Ms. Burke prides herself on her ability to manage, motivate, and organize people and events for a common goal.

Austin E. Cannon, Jr.

Elected as a Member-at-Large in May 2005, Mr. Cannon has a long association with the Board of Directors, having served previously as Vice President from 2003-2005 and Member-at-Large from 1992-1998. He served as a member of the Council Nominating Committee from 2006-2008, 2000-2002 and for two-years in 1994. A proud recipient of the Girl Scout Thanks Badge, Mr. Cannon is a former National Delegate and currently serves on the Human Resources Committee. 

A resident of North Bellmore with a long history of volunteerism with Boy Scouts and the Knights of Columbus, Mr. Cannon is currently the Scouting Program Coordinator for the Diocese of Rockville Centre Office of Youth Ministry.  Mr. Cannon has recently been presented with the Silver Saint George Emblem of the National Catholic Committee, a national honor given for exceptional service to Catholic youth in Scouting on a national level.

Paige Johnston Charles

Paige Charles is serving her first term as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  Paige served as the Chair of the Nominating Committee from 2007-2008.  A member of the Executive Committee (Recording Secretary) of the Baldwin Middle School PTA, Ms. Charles is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for foster children in Nassau County. She is also a Girl Scout Co-leader for her daughter’s Junior Girl Scout Troop.

Ms. Charles has been a member of the Nassau County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. since 2005.  She attends Second Baptist Church in Baldwin where she has served as the Corresponding Secretary and Co-Treasurer of the Scholarship Committee, and as the Assistant Director of the Praise Dance Ministry.  In 2008 Ms. Charles was inducted into the Links Incorporated, Long Island Charpter. A graduate of Morgan State University in Baltimore with a B.S. in Biology, Ms. Charles is Assistant Vice President of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in Brooklyn.  She and her family reside in Baldwin Harbor.

Melissa Kane Connolly is Vice President for University Relations at Hofstra University, and is responsible for Hofstra's communication, marketing, external and public relations efforts. Prior to joining Hofstra, Ms. Connolly served as Director of Communications for New York State Senator Kemp Hannon and as the first Director of Marketing for Farrell Fritz, P.C., one of Long Island's largest law firms. Ms. Connolly was named one of Long Island's "50 Most Influential Women" in 2006 and 2007 by Long Island Business News, one of Long Island Business News' "40 Rising Stars Under 40" in 2002, and has been noted as one of that paper’s "Marketing Achievers."  Ms. Connolly currently serves as President for the Long Island Women's Agenda, and has been active in the Early Years Matter campaign in cooperation with the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls.

Ms. Connolly and her husband James live in Malverne with their two children, Madeline and Ryan. She has served as Madeline's Girl Scout troop leader for 3 years and has been on the board of the St. Thomas the Apostle Parents' Club since 2006. Ms. Connolly is serving her first term as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.

Mark Florio

Donna Geidel

Donna Geidel is serving her first term as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  Donna is pursuing her life long dream of being a visual artist after a long career in the financial industry.  She is furthering her formal education in Fine Arts at Nassau Community College and has previously studied at the Art Students’ League of New York and at the Nassau County Museum of Art.  Her art work has received merit awards and she holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from SUNY Old Westbury. 

Deborah Johnson-Schiff

Deborah Johnson-Schiff is serving as a Member-at-Large for the Board of Directors. As a hospital administrator and the mother of a daughter, she is interested in promoting the health and well being of girls in our community.  Ms. Johnson-Schiff is the Project Director for the New York State Department of Health Grant and Senior-Vice President of Administration at Winthrop University Hospital.  In addition to her job she also serves on the Coalition to Eliminate Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare, the Nassau County Department of Health Minority Health Task Force, and the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s Hispanic Task Force.

Ms. Johnson-Schiff strives to establish meaningful partnerships with community and faith-based organizations and to connect to people “in the communities where they live and work.”  She was the recipient of the Coalition for Community Well Being, Inc.’s 2002 Community Service Award, Soroptimist International 2004 Woman of Distinction Award and 2005 March of Dimes Woman of Distinction.  Ms. Johnson-Schiff is a resident of Dix Hills.

Marianela Jordan

Allison Kasson

Allison Kasson was elected to serve as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors in 2006.  Ms. Kasson has been an active volunteer with GSNC for the past several years, as a member of the Annual Luncheon Committee and the Fund Development Committee, where she spear headed the successful “A Night on Broadway” event held in March 2006.  Allison has a strong commitment to community service and looks forward to channeling some of her endless energy towards furthering the Girl Scout mission. 

A graduate of Siena College with a BBA in Accounting, Allison is currently a Senior Manager with KPMG, LLP.  Alison resides in West Hempstead with her husband Joe and their four children.

Thomas Lawrence

Thomas Lawrence is serving as a Member-At-Large of the Board of Directors and is a member of the Council Nominating Committee.  As an active participant in Long Island youth sports for over twelve years he knows the importance of mentoring our youth.  Mr. Lawrence has been an active member in Huntington Chamber of Commerce currently serving on the Human Resources Committee and is a member of the Hauppauge Industrial Association.    

Currently a Region Manager for the NY Metropolitan market for Kelly Services, Mr. Lawrence looks forward to bringing his twenty years of experience in the staffing/human resources industry to his new role at the Council.  Mr. Lawrence holds a BS degree from the New York Institute of Technology and is a resident of Kings Park, where he lives with his wife and three children.   

Miriam Lopez is serving as a Member-at-Large for the Board of Directors after serving on the Council Nominating Committee.  She is a member of the GSNC Hispanic/Latina Task Force and was an Honorary Co-Chair of the 2005 National Latina Conference.  She was a chaperone to the past two National Latina Conferences and in the summer of 2004 served as interpreter and chaperone at the WAGGGS Western Hemisphere Meeting in Costa Rica. 

A resident of Rockville Centre, Ms. Lopez is a Guidance Counselor at Roosevelt High School, where she also leads a Girl Scout Troop.  She holds a BA is Spanish/Education from Adelphi University and MS in Guidance Counseling from C.W. Post.

Ms. Lopez is also the owner and director of the Jem Art and Culture Dance Center and credits the leadership skills she gained in Girl Scouts for helping her have the courage to pursue her dream and open her own business.

Eileen Owen Masio

Eileen Owen Masio is a lifelong resident of Nassau County, and is serving her first term as a Member-at-Large of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Board of Directors. A graduate of North Shore High School, Ms. Masio went on to Towson University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts and Communication. She started her career in marketing at Time Inc.’s Parenting Magazine and her career path has taken her to such major New York publishing giants as Gannett, Rodale, Reader’s Digest and Condé Nast. As the Marketing Director of TIME magazine For Kids, she was awarded the prestigious “Kudos Award for Excellence and Innovation in Advertising and Marketing” by Time Inc. executive management.

Now back at Time Inc., Ms, Masio has recently joined the management team at Sports Illustrated as the Executive Director of Marketing for Sports Illustrated Kids. She is a co-leader of Brownie Troop 66 and an active member of the Glen Cove PTA where she co-chairs a variety of fundraising efforts. Ms. Masio resides in Glen Cove with her husband Richard, daughter Amelia, a proud member of Brownie Troop 66, and son William

Betty Monroe

Betty Monroe is serving her first term as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  Ms. Monroe has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors and has held the position of Executive Vice President.  She has been Chair of the Community Relations Committee, the 2002 Council Performance Assessment Task Group and has served on the Council Nominating Committee.  For her many contributions to Girl Scouts over the years, Betty received the Girl Scout Thanks Badge in 2002 and was named one of GSNC’s 90 Women for 90 Years. 

A resident of Freeport, she is actively involved with many organizations, including Negro Business and Professional Women of Nassau County, 100 Black Women of Nassau/Suffolk and The Links Inc., Long Island Chapter.  Ms. Monroe is employed as Director of the Defense Contracts Management Agency in Garden City. 

Domenique Camacho Moran, Esq.

Domenique Camacho Moran would like to give back some of what Girl Scouting has given her.  Serving as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors will allow her to do just that.  Currently Ms. Moran is a partner at Farrell Fritz, P.C. where she heads up the Firm's labor and employment practice.  She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a 1993 graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School. At Notre Dame she received the Kraft W. Eidman Award presented by the American College of Trial Lawyers for Excellence in Trial Advocacy and was the Lead Notes Editor of the Journal of College and University Law.

Ms. Moran recently served as a committee member for the Long Island chapter of the National Association of Mothers’ Centers in planning its Annual Long Island Work/Life Conference. Currently serving as a Daisy Leader, Ms. Moran and her husband, Bill, reside in Rockville Centre along with their daughter Emily, a Girl Scout Daisy, and her son Joseph.

Vilma Osborne

Vilma Osborne is serving as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  Ms. Osborne looks forward to being a part of the Girl Scout team and welcomes the opportunity to work with others in assisting future generations of women in becoming leaders with strong values and commitment to family, nation and community.  Ms. Osborne is a member of the Delegate Communications Committee.

A graduate of St. Francis College, Ms. Osborne also received her MPA from New York University.  She has enjoyed a long career in the field of health care administration and is currently the Licensed Nursing Home Administrator of Oak Hollow Nursing Care Center.  Vilma resides in Freeport.

Carol Ransom

Carol Ransom is a face very familiar to Girl Scouts of Nassau County and she is serving a third term as a Member-at-Large.  Ms. Ransom previously served on the Board as Vice President from 2001-2003 and as a Member-at-Large from 1994-2000.  Ms. Ransom was Chair of the 2005-2006 Council Nominating Committee and is currently Chair of the Human Resources Committee.  She is a past National Delegate and served as Chair of our delegation to the 2002 National Convention.  Ms. Ransom received the coveted Thanks Badge for her outstanding service to Girl Scouting.  Recognized as one of Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s “90 Women for 90 years,” she is also involved in fundraising for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. 

A graduate of North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Business Administration, Ms. Ransom recently retired from the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority.  She is a resident of Hempstead.

Brian Rothschild

Brian Rothschild is serving as a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors.  A staunch advocate for education, Mr. Rothschild feels that working with children is the most important work that can be done.  As the Assistant Dean of the School of Business at Adelphi University, he provides personalized academic and career advising to graduate business students and prospective applicants. Since joining Adelphi in 2003, he has expanded Adelphi’s ties to the Long Island business community and increased the number of internships and employment opportunities for students.  Mr. Rothschild holds an endowed chair at the Turnaround Management Association, is on the board of the Young Professional's Chamber of Commerce, a subsidiary of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce, and is a founding member and sits on the board of the Organizational Development Network of Long Island.

Mr. Rothschild has extensive experience in higher education and technology, having served as director of Internet Strategies at Fordham University and having taught as an adjunct professor at Dowling College, John Jay College, and Iona College.  He holds an M.B.A. and B.A. in economics from Iona College and an M.S. in education from Fordham University.  A former Cub Scout, Mr. Rothschild lives in Long Beach.

Leslie Segrete