Staten Island Children's Museum Announces New President And Members Of Board Of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of the Staten Island Children's Museum elected a new President and two new Members during its annual meeting on June 17, 2019.

• Gina M. Laine, 1st Vice President, Marketing Director at Richmond County Savings Bank, a division of New York Community Bank, was elected President for a 1-year term.
• Joseph Paradise, Vice President, Regional Manager, Northfield Bank and Esmeralda Xheleshi, Assistant Vice President, Marketing Director, Empire State Bank were elected as Members of the Board.

Three Members have completed their terms and are stepping down from the Board: Kevin Drumgoole, Northfield Bank; Christa McDonald, NYC Public School Teacher; and Monica Petraglia McCabe Esq., partner at Phillips Nizer LLP.

For more than 20 years, Monica Petraglia McCabe served on the Children's Museum Board as President, Officer and Member. Her idea of implementing STEM into the Museum's programming as well as its annual summer carnival continues today through a variety of programs as well as community favorite the "Carnival & Science Spectacular!" Her passion for youth and arts education has been integral to the Museum's effort to offer internships to high school students as a way to provide meaningful work and leadership experience. As a partner at the law firm of Phillips Nizer, LLP, she and her colleagues also provided an immeasurable amount of legal guidance to the Children's Museum during her tenure.

Lisa Risolo Laub has completed her 3-year team as President, but will remain on the Board, continuing her 13 years of service to the Children's Museum. Under her tenure as President, the Museum undertook a $4.3 million interior upgrade to align with the City of New York's green initiatives to help reduce the institution's carbon footprint. She was also instrumental in leading the addition of new species and improved habitats for the Museum's living animal collection. Ms. Laub also oversaw the implementation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for the Children's Museum staff in an effort to ensure that all visitors feel included, enabled and empowered to learn, explore and play.

The current Officers and Members of the Board of Trustees are:

• Gina M. Laine, President
• Alfredo P. Conti, Esq., Vice President
• David Oldham, Vice President
• Bonnie Lauder, Treasurer
• Cathy Pimpinella, Secretary
• Renee Fiduccia
• Guy Gioeli
• Alecia Giovinazzo, M.D.
• Mark C. Irving*
• Leslie Kasegrande, Esq.
• Lisa Risolo Laub*
• Kanika Mathur
• Michael McSwiggan
• MaryLee Montalvo*
• David L. Oldham
• Joseph Paradise
• Alanna Sachs
• William Spiezia
• Esmeralda Xheleshi

*Past President

"We would like to offer our deepest thanks to Monica, Kevin and Christa on their many years of service to the Board," said Dina Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Staten Island Children's Museum. "During their tenure, the Children's Museum has become a stronger community partner, improved its financial outlook, and continued to evolve our mission to become an even more inclusive and welcoming place for our diverse community. Their numerous contributions through fundraising, advocacy and, oftentimes, plain old sweat equity means that even more children and families will get to enjoy the Children's Museum for years to come. We are also pleased to welcome new Members Joseph and Esmeralda and look forward to their input and guidance as we build on the great work of our past Board Members."

About the Newly-Elected Staten Island Children's Museum Board of Trustees President and Members

Gina M. Laine is 1st Vice President, Marketing Director at Richmond County Savings Bank, a division of New York Community Bank, where she institutes both strategic and tactical marketing programs to support the growth of the bank's core business. She joined Richmond County Savings Bank in 1995 as the Manager of the Personal Banking Center, its first customer call center. Ms. Laine was promoted to Marketing Assistant in 1996. In 2001, with the merger of New York Community Bank and Richmond County Savings Bank, she was promoted to Marketing Director. Today, she and her team plan, establish and direct the Bank's Branch network, Community and Commercial Branches in all marketing efforts, including: brand management, media relations, philanthropic activities, bank-wide promotions, merchandising, advertising, marketing research and internal communications.

Joseph Paradise is Vice President, Regional Manager at Northfield Bank. He began his 23-year banking career as a Small Business Specialist at Fleet Bank. He then moved to Commerce/TD Bank where he was promoted from Branch Manager to Regional Manager, covering the east side of Manhattan. Following a few years at a commercial private bank in Manhattan, he decided to "come home" and work on Staten Island with Northfield Bank. Mr. Paradise's entire career has been customer-facing, and he particularly values being able to collaborate with branch personnel to create and execute a plan for success. Throughout his career, he has been very active as a coach for several youth sports organizations and has also given his time to several not-for-profit organizations, including: the United Way, the Special Olympics, City Parks Foundation, Gay Men's Health Crisis and Meals on Wheels. Mr. Paradise holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from St. John's University.

Esmeralda Xheleshi is the Assistant Vice President, Marketing Director of Empire State Bank. She is responsible for linking the innovations of the company through marketing, communication and business development efforts to build the brand, create consumer awareness and advocacy. In addition to strategic business development efforts, Ms. Xheleshi directs media relations, branding, advertising and website development. She manages and oversees the brand management of Empire State Bank, including consumer insights, digital marketing, creative development and agency management, marketing effectiveness, social responsibility, sponsorships, events, media and employee communications. She holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the College of Staten Island, where she served as president of the CSI Marketing Association. Her leadership has earned her the Lorraine DiPaolo Academic Excellence in Marketing Scholarship, President Recognition Award, Club Officer Award and Event Planning Award. Ms. Xheleshi is the co-chair of SIEDC Marketing Association. She has also volunteered with the American Cancer Society and Animal Care Centers of New York in the community.

About the Staten Island Children's Museum
The Staten Island Children's Museum is located on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301. For information and Museum hours, call 718-273-2060, email info@sichildrensmuseum.org or visit sichildrensmuseum.org.

The Staten Island Children's Museum is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and its operation is made possible, in part, with public funds provided through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Staten Island delegation to the NYC Council. Significant operating support is also provided by the NYS Council on the Arts, Corporations, Foundations, the Trustees and Members.

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