The New York City Hemophilia Chapter (NYCHC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization incorporated in 2008 to address the needs of the bleeding disorder community in the greater NYC area, including: Long Island, Staten Island, Westchester, Queens and Brooklyn. NYCHC's mission is to foster a sense of community amongst people affected by bleeding disorders, to assist them and their families to help each other through shared experiences and mutual support by:
Board of DirectorsKelly Anne Ambrosio, RNKelly is a Registered Nurse for the NSLIJ Health System. For the past eight years she has worked in high risk obstetrics, the emergency department, and currently works at NSLIJ Region Care, a home infusion company.
Kelly has a passion for helping others, and besides working as an RN, volunteers her time for the Lynbrook Fire Department Emergency Medical Company as an advanced medical technician, AEMT, for the past 10 years. Kelly currently holds associate member status in the Department.
Kelly is always willing to help and strives to become involved in the hemophilia community. She became involved in the first hemophilia Walk in 2006, and has been a top fundraiser for subsequent Walks.
Kelly, along with her husband and three young children, live on Long Island. Her oldest child is 5 yrs old and has severe hemophilia A, with inhibitors.
Kelly can be contacted at
kelly.ambrosio@nyhemophilia.org.
Shari Bender - PresidentShari Bender is a longtime community volunteer, having served on various National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) committees since 1998. She was instrumental in creating the First Step program (for newly diagnosed families) and was a part of the inception of Project Red Flag, NHF's program for women with bleeding disorders. She was also a member of NHF's Cooperative Fundraising Committee, which launched the National Walk program in 2008. Shari, along with her husband, Stephen, has raised well over $1 million dollars for NHF. They established the Rose Bender Grant Fund, which funds research towards the cure of hemophilia.
For over a decade, Shari has been a volunteer Blood Drive Coordinator with Long Island Blood services and has been a popular speaker at LIBS events. Shari is also a freelance fundraising and marketing consultant, providing companies with one-on-one strategies to increase earning potential.
Shari holds an undergraduate degree in Communications from Stanford University and lives on Long Island with her husband and two children; her teenage daughter has hemophilia A.
Shari can be contacted at
shari.bender@nyhemophilia.org.
Wendy ChouWendy Chou is President & CEO of CHOUmedia, a full-service marketing and PR firm. She brings over ten years of experience to NYCHC, in the realm of marketing, branding, event planning and project management. Wendy served as co-chair for the 2009 NYC Hemophilia Walk in Riverside Park.
Wendy holds a Bachelor of Science from Beloit College and also studied at Lingnan University in Hong Kong enrolled in the China Business Studies program. She lives in Brooklyn with her three children; two of whom have hemophilia, one of which is a carrier.
Wendy can be contacted at
wendy.chou@nyhemophilia.org.
Glenn MonesGlenn Mones has worked in the nonprofit arena for more than twenty-five years, holding senior leadership positions at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, UJA-Federation of New York, and the National Hemophilia Foundation. His areas of expertise include healthcare marketing and communications, advocacy and public policy, fundraising and development, and nonprofit administration. During his tenure at NHF, Glenn worked to increase awareness of critical issues affecting access to care and to engage more members of the community in advocacy-related activities.
Glenn’s interest in public policy, advocacy and government relations date back to his student days at the State University of New York at Albany, where he studied lobbying under Dr. Alan Chartock, and headed the Capitol Bureau at WCDB-Albany.
Glenn has served previously on the boards of several non-profits including the Brain Injury Society and Congregation Beth Simchat Torah. Both are located in New York City, where he is a life-long resident
Glenn can be contacted at
glenn.mones@nyhemophilia.org.
Melissa Penn, JD, MPH - Executive DirectorMelissa Penn is a lawyer with an expertise in public health. She has spent her career in public service, from working with adults with developmental disabilities, to working as an attorney for the City of New York, and as the Administrator of the New York Blood Center's National Cord Blood Program.
Melissa became involved with the Hemophilia Community after her oldest son was diagnosed with severe hemophilia A. To raise money for NHF, Melissa started the Hemophilia Walk in 2006 in Riverside Park, NYC, inspiring the National Walk Program which raised over $1 million dollars in its inaugural year.
Melissa received her undergraduate degree at Univ. of Massachusetts, law degree from Rutgers Law School, and her Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University School of Public Health. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and three children. Her oldest child, now 8 years old, has hemophilia.
Melissa can be contacted at
melissa.penn@nyhemophilia.org.
Sarah Asekoff SchapiroSarah Asekoff Schapiro is employed by Nine Thirty Capital; a registered investment advisor based in New York that designs and manages customized investment portfolios for prominent families and institutional clients from around the world. Sarah is in charge of Communications and has been with the company since it launched in 2004. Sarah was previously employed for ten years by Jacobson Family Investments, Inc. (JFI), a diversified family investment company. At JFI, Sarah was responsible for setting up and maintaining the infrastructure of the company.
Sarah attended Rutgers University in NJ and she has a degree in Communications. She is involved in various organizations such as Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, and Temple B'nai Shalom. Sarah lives in West Orange, NJ with her husband and daughter. Sarah has become involved in the bleeding disorder community as she herself has severe hemophilia A.
Sarah can be contacted at
sarah.schapiro@nyhemophilia.org.
Bradley SchoenfeldBradley works as a Group Account Manager at Allied Integrated Marketing, one of the largest full service, integrated marketing firms in North America, focused on the entertainment industry and consumer brands. Holding a Bachelor of Science from Towson University, Bradley carries dual degrees in Business Administration, Marketing, along with an Advertising Interdisciplinary Specialization. His professional experiences handling advertising, promotions and publicity for numerous major motion picture studios, offer a unique blend of Marketing resources to NYCHC.
Bradley is actively involved in the bleeding disorder community on various levels including fundraising and education, and is a member of the Coaltion for Hemophilia B.
He lives in Forest Hills, NY with his wife and young twin sons; both of whom have severe hemophilia B.
Bradley can be contacted at
bradley.schoenfeld@nyhemophilia.org.
Spring/Summer 2010
