Photos by Christina Santucci, Anna Beeke and Michelle Kawka
The Queens Courier and Queens Business Today honored prominent women in the borough and well-known journalist Geraldo Rivera during the Sixth Annual Top Women in Queens Business Networking Awards Dinner on Thursday, March 13.
The event, which was held at Terrace on the Park, began with cocktails, a silent auction and networking event. The silent auction benefited “Go Red for Women.” During the networking, about 28 companies and organizations had expo tables. Representatives handed out information and giveaways.
Rivera, who currently hosts the show “Geraldo at Large” on the Fox News Channel, was honored as the Man of the Year by Queens Courier Publisher Victoria Schneps-Yunis.
The 2008 honorees were Dr. Michelle J. Anderson, Dean, CUNY School of Law; Sandra E. Bentley, VP, Business Banking Group, Citibank; Domenique Camacho Moran, Partner, Farrell Fritz, P.C.; Bernadette Catanzano, Queens Branch Manager, Chase Home Mortgage; Carol Conslato, Director of Public Affairs, Con Edison; Susan Deutsch, Financial Advisor, Jamaica Development Corporation; Bruna L. DiBiase, Esq., President of Women’s Queens Bar Association, Office of Deputy Chief Administrative Judge; Mary Ann DiBlasi, General Manager, DiBlasi Ford; Pouran Eshghi, President, Pouran Salon & Spa; Jean Fleischman, MD, Chief of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine, Queens Hospital Center; Patricia Flores, President, Publimax Printing; Joann Gull, Deputy Executive Director, Elmhurst Hospital, Charlesetta Horton, Executive Vice President, CWA Local 1182; Karen S. Karsif, M.D., Director, The Breast Center, New York Hospital Queens; Theresa Kelly, Senior Vice President, Flushing Savings Bank; Benedetta LeoGrande, Regional Executive, Sovereign Bank; Mary Ann Mattone, President of Queens Borough Library Trustees; Marci McCall, Manager, Commercial Sales, HIP; Grace Meng, Partner, Law Firm of Yoon & Kim, LLP; Melva M. Miller, Director, Business & Work Force Development, Office of the President, Borough of Queens; Dorothy Ogundu, M.D., Aki Life Health Center/AngelDocs; Donna Reardon, Branch Manager, Prudential Douglas Elliman; Ada Rodriguez, Chief Marketing Officer, Health Plus; Dr. Neeta Shah, VP of Women’s Services, North Shore-LIJ Health System; Annette Vallone, President, Landrum School of Dance and Precious Moments Nursery School and Day Care Center; Lata Singh Vasconcellos, Chief Marketing & Development Officer, Queens Long Island Medical Group; and Martha Wolf, Director, Granat Alzheimer Center at the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation.
Margaret Zarzana-Vitale, Assistant Vice President, Commerce Bank, received the Commerce Bank Wow Award. The Claire Shulman Award was given to Susan Baer, the General Manager of JFK International Airport, Port Authority of NY & NJ.
The sponsors of the 2008 Top Women in Business included A&S Whitestone Flowers & Gifts, Astoria Federal Savings Bank, Bombardier, Chase Home Lending, Citibank, Commerce Bank, Con Edison, The Daily News, DiBlasi Ford, Elmhurst Hospital, Farrell Fritz, P.C., Flushing Savings Bank, HIP, MetLife, New York Hospital Queens, New York Mets, North Shore-LIJ Health System, Parker Jewish Institute, Parkway Hospital, Publimax Printing, The Queens Courier, Queens Business Today, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Queens County Savings Bank/New York Community Bank, Queens Hospital Center, Queens Long Island Medical Group and Verizon.
The event also featured a special award presented to Borough President Helen Marshall and City Councilmember Melinda Katz sang “God Bless America.”
