United Way of CNY announces Young Leaders United

SYRACUSE, N.Y. —The United Way of Central New York recently announced the formation of its Young Leaders United (YLU) group.

Its mission is to “promote and encourage the spirit of philanthropy and volunteerism among young professionals in Central New York,” according to its website.

YLU members agree to a minimum of 16 hours of volunteer service every year and a financial commitment of $250.

Members will also be able to take advantage of networking and social activities as well as a leadership education and community education workshop series.

The group recently toured some of the Salvation Army’s programs and ARISE at the Farm in Chittenango.

ARISE at the Farm is described as the nonprofit’s “accessible, inclusive recreation center located on a 77-acre working horse farm,” according to its website.

The nonprofit ARISE describes itself as an organization that provides “opportunities so that people with disabilities can live freely and independently in the community,” its website says.

The United Way started recruiting for steering-committee members earlier this year, and the group began meeting over the summer.

“Like so many other organizations, we realized that our younger generation is an untapped resource.  We brought in some focus groups and realized quickly that [young professionals] are looking for significant opportunities to connect to their communities,” Marianne Ferris, director of leadership at the United Way, said in an email to the Business Journal News Network on October 24.

“It is truly a win-win to connect our younger generation to our current leaders and involve them in our current issues,” said Ferris.

The following are the steering committee members of Young Leaders United.

Jeremy Thurston, Chair
President, The Hayner Hoyt Corporation

Michael Masci, Vice Chair
Financial Advisor-Private Client Group, Wells Fargo Advisors

Jeffrey Biesiada
Vice President, M&T Insurance Agency, Inc.

Nicole Collins
Research Manager, Business Journal News Network

Jennifer Creighton
Communications and Office Coordinator, F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse

Elizabeth DeJoseph
Office of the Mayor, City of Syracuse

Corey Driscoll
Community Volunteer

Capt. Melissa Forsyth
Budget Officer, 174th Attack Wing, NYANG

Michael Freund
Project Manager, Rich & Gardner Construction

Marylin Galimi
Director, Engineering and Construction, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center

Cristina Jardine
Donor Relations Coordinator, AccessCNY

Thomas Kazmierczak, III
Executive Director, Landmark Theatre

Ryan Laura
Advanced Staff Accountant, Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa, CPA’s, PC

Michelle Lesser
Auditor, Testone, Marshall & Discenza, CPA’s

James Licata
Software Engineer, SRC

Robert Moses
Area Director, n2 Publishing

John Neri
Relationship Banker, M&T Bank

Christie Novak, CPA
Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC

Lanessa Owens, Esq.
Chief of Staff/Counsel, New York State Assembly

Holly Oyer
Gas Program Manager, Resource Planning, National Grid

JD Pierson
Manager of Environmental & Transport Services, Crouse Hospital

Kate Reid, Esq.
Associate Attorney, Bond, Schoeneck & King

Ashley Rivera
Community Organizer, Near West Side Initiative

Kristin Thompson
Community Events Assistant, Marketing & University Communications, Public Relations, Upstate Medical University

Sabrina Tipton
Call Center Supervisor, Columbian Financial

Drew James, Executive Sponsor, Young Leaders United
President, SRCTec, Inc.

Contact Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com