Professional Documents
Culture Documents
WWW.UNAWESTCHESTER.ORG
Marcia Brewster | President, UNA-USA Westchester Chapter, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to read this report, and I hope to
meet you either in person or virtually at our coming Earth Day and
Annual Meeting at the Yonkers Riverfront Library on April 28th! We
look forward to hearing the ideas of our speakers and members.
Supporting full payment of the arrears for U.S. obligations to support the UN Regular
Budget and Peacekeeping: Meeting U.S. financial obligations to the UN is critical to achieving
peace and security worldwide. We are requesting members to let Congress know that we need
to support President Biden’s budget proposal to fully fund the UN Regular Budget and
Peacekeeping Arrears in Fiscal Year (FY)'25.
UNA-Westchester is privileged to work with so many enthusiastic and loyal partners, who
support our programs and their links to the United Nations. Thank you for everything you
do to make the world a better place. The many partners who cosponsor our public
programs are listed in the Program Committee section of this report.
Key current and prospective partnerships include, but are not limited to:
• The Links, Inc. (Greater Hudson Valley and Westchester County Chapters), and
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Zeta Nu Omega chapter) continued to be major
supporters and co-sponsors of all our events.
The Program Committee remained the most active and dedicated to showcasing the priorities
of United Nations work, including the Sustainable Development Goals, through public outreach
events, both virtually and in person. These feature keynotes by international speakers and
spotlights on local practitioners who are implementing those priorities at the local level. We
typically host four to five public events per year.
Annual Meeting, 7 May 2023: “The Human Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment”, held at
Greenburgh Public Library - Keynote by Angela Kariuki, UN Environment Program; Youth panel
of local activists on recycling, conservation and protection of insects. The panel was
moderated by Paul Anthony Presendieu (UNA-USA Global Goals Ambassador for SDG #13,
Climate Action). The Youth Panel included Harshal Shet, Marissa Glaze, Anusha Vaish and
Vanessa Agudelo, discussing what this theme means to them.
We were honored to welcome Congressman Jamaal Bowman via video, NY State Senate
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in person, and State Assemblymember MaryJane
Shimsky via Zoom. Special thanks to all volunteers and co-sponsors: Manhattanville
University Clark Center; Mercy University; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Zeta Nu Omega
Chapter); The Links, Inc. (Westchester County Chapter), and WESPAC Foundation. The
program was organized and moderated by the Program Committee led by Human Rights Day
Chair, Ms. Nikolina Gelmanovski.
Officers:
• Marcia Brewster: Agreed to accept second consecutive
term as President.
• Karen Rockwell El-Badry: Agreed to accept
continuation as Secretary.
• Victor Petenkemani: Agreed to accept second term as
Treasurer.
• Paul Presendieu: Agreed to stand for re-election and is
transitioning his role as Co-chair of Young Professionals
Committee. He will be appointed 2nd Vice President,
succeeding Lilli Schindler, who is leaving the Board.
Board Directors:
• Tricia Baldes: Agreed to stand for re-election to the
Board and will continue as Co-chair of Education. Term
ending in 2026.
• Colleen Gardephe: Agreed to stand for re-election to
the Board. Term ending in 2026.
• Nicole Butterfield: Agreed to stand for re-election to
the Board and has agreed to assume Chair of
Membership Committee, succeeding Ronnie Lichtman
who is leaving the Board. Term ending in 2026.
• Yuhanna Edwards: Agreed to stand for re-election and
continuation as Advocacy Chair. Term ending in 2026.
• Brenda Smith: Agreed to stand for re-election. Term
ending in 2026.
Nikolina Robina
Gelmanovski Singh
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Tricia Baldes, Co-chair
Demetrios Mihailidis, Co-chair
Karen Rockwell El-Badry, Co-chair
NOTE:
*Previously, there was only a Youth category. Now members from 18-26 can
join as a Young Professional for $25 annually and receive additional benefits.
The Youth category remains free.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMMITTEE
Raina Kadavil, Co-chair
Paul Presendieu, Co-chair
• The Young Professionals Program held five meetings throughout the calendar year.
• Co-chair Raina Kadavil was awarded Youth Leader of the Year by UNA-USA at the
National Leadership Summit in Washington DC in June 2023.
• Elections were held for the new Young Professional Co-Chairs on Thursday, March
28th, where Julianne Wang and Harshal Shet, MPH were elected.
• Outgoing Co-chair Paul Presendieu moderated a panel discussion during Westchester
County’s observance of Human Rights Day held on 10 December 2023. He is also
organizing the Earth Day/Annual Meeting on 28 April 2024, and will moderate the panel
discussion by Mayors involved in the Climate Smart Communities program.
• Outgoing Co-chair Raina Kadavil is traveling to Turkey as Secretary-General at a Model
UN Conference in late April 2024. She is also organizing a Model United Nations
Conference at Manhattanville University scheduled for October, with a specific date
being confirmed by campus administration to allow participation from students not
enrolled at Manhattanville University.
• Outgoing Co-Chair Paul Presendieu has established contact with Westchester County
Board of Legislators Environmental Committee Chair David Tubiolo, who expressed
interest in partnering with us for a virtual program in support of World Environment Day.
• Incoming Co-Chair Julianne Wang promoted CEDAW template resolution to Young
Professionals during our winter meeting and encouraged participation in the UNA-USA
Youth Working Group, where she serves as national co-chair.
• Incoming Co-Chair Harshal Shet, MPH plans to organize Fall 2024 programing on First-
Aid/CPR certification opportunities, and food drives to promote nutritional equity, in
partnership with Feeding Westchester.
• Scheduled a Tree Planting in the City of New Rochelle on Saturday, April 20th at 1:00
PM in partnership with the Mayor of New Rochelle.
• 2024 Fall/Winter Engagement plans include virtual workshops to help members gain
access to professional support creating cover letters, and resumes.
BUDGET SUMMARY
Victor Petenkemani, Treasurer
Budget summary:
Beginning Balance: January 1, 2023: $ 9,418.61
2023 Revenue: $4,802.09
2022 Expenditures: ($5,747.31)
Ending Balance: December 31, 2023: $8,473.39
Victor Pentenkemani
J. Yuhanna Edwards Colleen Gardephe Nicole Butterfield
Treasurer
WWW.UNAWESTCHESTER.ORG
Marcia Brewster | President, UNA-USA Westchester Chapter, 2024