On May 13, 2013 Big Sister held our Annual Meeting, sponsored by Grand Circle Corporation and Jules Catering. Joining Big Sister staff members were our Board of Directors, Advisory Board, Young Professional Board (YPB), Diversity Council, Alumnae Association, and community partners.
We bid a fond farewell to retiring board members Kerry Nelson and Kathy Wallace. Sabrina Nicholson, Lisa Scannell, Lynne O’Connor, and Maria Fernandes will retire from the Board of Directors, and remain a part of Big Sister as members of our Advisory Board. We officially elected five new board members: Denise Coll, former President of North America at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Wing de la Torre, former Head of Business Operations at the Biogen Idec Innovation Incubator; Lisa Hughes, WBZ-TV News Anchor; Eneida Roman, principal attorney of Roman Law Offices; and Amanda Martinez, Global I.S. Contract and Vendor Manager for Boston Scientific Corporation.
Current Board Officers include President Sharon McNally, Chief of Staff at The Connors Family Office; Chair Maxwell Bardeen, Managing Director of UBS Financial Services; Vice President Kathy Kiely, President of The Ad Club of Boston; Treasurer Aileen Keaney, Vice President of Finance at Audax Group; and Clerk Deborah Daccord, Member at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, P.C.
We celebrated Robyn Barros, Karen Lubov, Sven Meier (a founding member of the YPB), and Betsy Zuik, who are retiring from the Young Professional Board. New members of the Young Professional Board were also appointed: Jacquelyn Redmond, an Associate at Dhar Law, LLP; Megan Cooney, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley; Shannon Felton, Deputy Head of Politics, Press, and Public Affairs for the British Consulate-General Boston; Kinsey Kornack, Business Analyst at Fidelity Investments; Erin Maghran, Business-to-Business Marketing Manager at The Boston Globe; Geoff Mueller, Fund Manager at General Catalyst Partners; Kathryn Quirk, Player Relations for the Boston Red Sox; and Elly Van Faasen, Coordinator, Corporate Citizenship at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
After nominating committee and parliamentary procedures, Deborah Re, Chief Executive Officer, unveiled the 2012 Annual Report. The Report celebrates Big Sister’s accomplishments from the previous year, presented in the style of a teenage magazine, which reflects the vibrancy, boldness, and energy of our Little Sisters. Featured on the cover are Big Sister Ana Leon and Little Sister Sally. Ana, who told the crowd that she has been matched with Sally for seven years, was recently named 2013 Massachusetts Big Sister of the Year. Through stories like Ana and Sally’s, quotes from women we admire, including many of our Big Sisters, horoscopes, book reviews, and words from our community partners, readers will learn about the impact an investment in Big Sister Association, and a Big Sister mentor can have on the life of a young girl.
We also celebrated the achievements of two staff members who embody the values and beliefs of Big Sister and do whatever it takes to ensure girls reach their full potential. Annie Fischer, Coordinator of Match Support, was recognized with the Above and Beyond Award. Not only does Annie exceed her goals, she also works collaboratively with other departments, actively seeks fund development opportunities for the organization, and continually leverages all the strengths of our organization to benefit the girls we serve. Annie’s warmth, sense of humor, positive attitude and enthusiasm for her work are invaluable to the organization. Heidi Ziobro, Vice President of Programs, was recognized with the Excellence in Management Award for her leadership of all our programs in 2012. To put it simply, Heidi gets things done. Her straightforward communication and “say what you mean and mean what you say” attitude make her an extremely successful leader. Heidi is involved and approachable to staff at all levels of the organization.
Sharon McNally, President of the Board of Directors, closed the program with a few words about the past year. She recalled telling the crowd at last year’s Annual Meeting that Big Sister should celebrate our accomplishments and “show-off” all the wonderful work we do for the girls of our community. She commented, “In 2012, we did just that and more. We look forward to continuing this momentum through 2013 with the help of all of our Board members, supporters, and community partners.”
Visit our Facebook photo album to see photos from the event.
