Board of Directors
Gloria Dios, Secretary
Nicole Grogan, President
Nicole is Managing Director and Head of National Accounts at DWS, a global asset management organization. In her role, she is responsible for managing the firm’s strategic relationships with leading intermediaries in the financial services industry. Nicole has over twenty-five years of experience in financial services, received her Bachelor of Science at Villanova University and her MBA at Fordham University.
As a resident of New York City, Nicole has always felt it was important to give back to the local community. She previously was a board member of Cardinal McCloskey Community Services, and served as President of the founding board for the Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter School in Bronx, NY. Nicole is an active volunteer in supporting St. Joseph’s School – Yorkville. Her interest in supporting Hearts to Homes is rooted in a firm belief that all children and young adults deserve an opportunity to build an independent life for themselves, where they can achieve their personal goals, and lead a happy and fulfilling life.
Alisande Heriyanto
Alisande (Ali) Heriyanto is the Vice President of Product and Tech Support at the Corcoran Group and began her 15+ year career in March 2006. In her current role, she manages the day-to-day responsibilities of in-field Tech Support Specialists across the country as well as manages the Corcoran Group’s proprietary suite of software products and innovations with her team of Product Managers.
Prior to entering the real estate technology space, Ali co-founded one of the first women’s consumer lifestyle tech blogs. Chip Chick, which had been featured on MSNBC, CNN, Reuters, CNET, and Wired magazine and at the time was recognized as one of the top 25 most influential female voices on the web. She also supports various charities that include GLAAD, The Humane Society of the US, and the Catskills Animal Sanctuary. After learning more about Hearts to Homes, Ali became inspired to join the board and continue to bring awareness and support to this great organization.
Jan Jason
Jan Jason joined the Hearts to Homes board after fifteen years at the Rockland County Department of Social Services where she served as Coordinator of Operations, Analysis and Planning. Her experience consisted of collaborating with management and supervisory staff on program administration including children and family services, child welfare, and adult services, as well as benefits programs. In her previous position as assistant to the Commissioner of Social Services, she served as liaison with government agencies, community organizations, and county departments to increase collaborative efforts and maximize resources to benefit clients. Jan retired in 2017 and since then has volunteered as a board member of Child Care Resources of Rockland, as a classroom aide in the East Ramapo, NY Early Childhood Learning Center, with the Soup Angels Food Program in Nyack, NY, and as a Surrogate Decision-Making Committee Member with the NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.
Kevin Kennedy
Kevin currently works for RC Kennedy Consulting, which serves clients in the supply chain management and logistics industry. Prior to the current position, he was Director of Finance for Tracer Imaging, LLC, and a Managing Director for Sterling National Bank (now Webster Bank). Kevin graduated from Gettysburg College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, where he was a captain of the basketball team. He currently serves on the Alumni Board for the team. Kevin moved to Westchester, NY, in 2011 and lives in Bronxville. He looks forward to working with the Hearts to Homes team to engage the community and provide assistance on strategic initiatives.
Mary Leitner
Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University and a Master of Business Administration from Iona University School of Business.
Mary spent her career in financial services holding leadership roles in operations and accounting and finance. During her career she managed key initiatives that targeted technical and operational excellence. She lent her support to internal women’s networks and mentored onshore and offshore colleagues. She retired in 2021 from UBS as Business Manager for the Americas CFO after 25 years of service.
Mary is a long-time Westchester resident and supporting her local community and organizations is important to her. Mary’s passion for the YWCA’s mission “to eliminate racism and empower women” led her to join the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester Board for over ten years and serve as Board Secretary. The opportunity to empower young adults attracted Mary to Hearts to Homes and currently serves as Vice President of the Board.
Ameena Makhdoomi
Ameena is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and three years of Marketing experience in the wine industry. She is a Class Correspondent for the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut where she attended high school. Ameena has also served on the Junior Committee of Hearts to Homes since 2019 and is currently on the Marketing Committee.
Mike McNamara
Mike is a financial professional and CPA with over 40 years experience in a board range of business environments, in both the public and private sectors. Starting at KPMG in audit roles, he moved to CFO roles in various manufacturing companies including Coty, Inc, Fusion Brands and cosnova Inc.
Mike holds a BS degree in Physiological Psychology from Fordham University and an MBA in Accounting from Iona University. He and his family are long-time residents of Yonkers. In the past, Mike has served in various roles supporting his daughter’s swim team.
One of his main inspirations for joining the Hearts to Homes board stems from the insight he gained from his daughter’s experience as a foster care case planner in upstate New York. She was able to make a real difference in the lives of the families she supported and found it to be a truly rewarding experience. Mike looks forward to making a difference in achieving the mission of Hearts to Homes in that regard as well.
Cathy Murphy, Treasurer
Cathy is the Executive Vice President of NY Operations at Blue Raven Solutions, a provider of supply chain solutions for government, defense, and commercial aviation markets. Prior to joining Blue Raven Solutions, Cathy served as one of four executives at CTG, holding leadership roles in accounting and finance, human resources, compliance, and operations. During her career, Cathy has built a reputation for operational excellence, strategic thinking and working with the highest level of integrity.
Cathy is passionate about the Hearts to Homes’ mission. As the mother of two grown adopted children, she recognizes the value of a safe and comfortable place to call home. Over the years she and her husband have been active volunteers in community and school boards. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Marymount Manhattan College, a certificate in Financial Planning, and the designation of IRS Enrolled Agent. Cathy is excited to be part of the important work of Hearts to Homes in supporting young adults as they embark on a new journey.
Maureen Noonan
Maureen holds a Master of Science Degree in Education from Fordham University and a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Mount Saint Vincent. During her thirty-two-year career in Catholic education as a teacher, principal and head of school, she distinguished herself as a collaborative leader who cared deeply for the success of each child. She was a visionary in the areas of advancement and school growth, which included the creation of a 501(c)(3) foundation for one of her schools. Maureen and her husband Martin have been supporters of Hearts to Homes from its inception. She is thrilled to be more deeply involved as a board member.
Monika Nowak
Monika is an accomplished value and access director with extensive experience in evidence generation, real world evidence research, data technologies and personalized medicine. Known for her ability to foster cross-functional collaboration and drive successful client engagements, she excels in aligning business strategies with client needs, ensuring that pharmaceutical organizations can fully leverage real-world data to improve access, optimize market strategies, and deliver impactful health solutions. She has earned multiple top performance awards for her dedication to ensuring excellence in research and client satisfaction.
With a heart for vulnerable children, Monika is also passionate about child advocacy, and supporting child welfare agencies and organizations that provide essential services. She has a firm belief and a deep sense of responsibility to advocate for creating safe, nurturing environments where every child can thrive and understand the value of safe and comfortable place to call home. She is excited to serve on the Board of Hearts to Homes to make a lasting impact on the lives of foster youth, ensuring they receive the love, compassion, stability, and support they need to thrive and have a voice in decisions that affect their lives.
Allison Reich
Allison Reich is an advertising professional working as a Group Copy Supervisor at a Havas Group agency. She is a graduate of Lafayette College where she studied English and Studio Art. Her lifelong passion for contributing to her community and creating a better world through enacting change has led to volunteer work with local and national nonprofit organizations focused on the arts, health, and social causes. Allison previously served on the Junior Committee of Hearts to Homes, and she is thrilled to continue supporting young adults starting their lives outside of the foster care system as a member of the Board of Directors.
Dana Solomon
Dana Solomon is a human resources executive with over 20 years of expertise working to help people reach their fullest potential in their professional lives. Dana has in depth experience with the full employee lifecycle spanning onboarding, compensation & benefits, performance management, learning & development, employee relations and beyond.
She is passionate about the mission of Hearts to Homes and is eager to bring her HR expertise to aid in the next phase of the organization’s evolution. Dana received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and her Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University. She resides in Manhattan with her husband and two children.
Dan Suzuki
Dan is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Richard Bernstein Advisors, LLC and a frequent contributor to CNBC, Bloomberg TV, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Barron’s. Prior to joining RBA, Dan worked at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in Global Research. Dan holds a BS in economics from Duke University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder. He and his family reside in Westchester County.
Jeremiah Perez-Torres
Jeremiah Perez-Torres is a criminology doctoral candidate at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, NY. He is a professor for several undergraduate courses and outside of the classroom his work centers around the study of terrorism, war, propaganda and de-radicalization. He has worked for and contributed to several law enforcement agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Criminal Justice Services, and the Erie County Crime Analysis Center. Jeremiah is passionate about serving the people and creating a more just system. As a former foster youth he is particularly interested in making sure foster kids succeed and have everything they need to survive, live and thrive. A graduate of the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and dad to his pup Chance and cat Mowgli, he loves to give back and is excited to be a part of and contribute to the great work that Hearts to Homes is doing.
Christina Murray Trizano
Chris is an entrepreneur and has owned and operated over a dozen companies the past 35 years. She is a Licensed Customs Broker with over 35 years experience in the supply chain and logistics industry. She founded American Cargo Express, Inc. in 1988, a global logistics provider with offices worldwide, and in 2017, merged the operations with OIA Global where she remains on the executive team as the Director of Compliance. Chris also manages a real estate portfolio with both commercial and residential properties nationwide.
Chris serves on the Board of Directors at the Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle. Chris was the recipient of New Jersey’s 50 Best Women in Business in 2012 and recipient of New Jersey’s Women of Influence in 2013. She has volunteered for several youth organizations and coached cheerleading, lacrosse and softball for more than 10 years. Chris received her B.A. from SUNY Albany. She resides in Eastchester, NY with her husband, Rick, and is the mother to four grown children. Chris is excited to be a part of Hearts to Homes that offers support to young people aging out of foster care.
Lauren Turchio
Lauren is the Chief Operating Officer at The New York Botanical Garden. She holds an MBA in Marketing Management from Pace University and a BA in Communications & Media Studies from Fordham University.
John Vezza
John Vezza is the president of APJ Realty Corp., a real estate investment company. He also owned and operated Astor Place Hairstylists Inc. in NYC along with his family for 38 years. A long time resident of Yonkers, he and his wife Diane have raised two children. He is currently enjoying semiretirement and his three grandchildren.
He has been a staunch supporter of Mercy Center, Midnight Run, and Hearts to Homes since its inception.