NEW FRIENDS OF KAREN BOARD PRESIDENT 

Friends of Karen in North Salem recently announced that Richard Sgaglio will serve as the new president of its Board of Directors. Outgoing President Paul Smadbeck, known for his dedication to the organization for 26 years, will continue to serve on the board.

Providing emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with life-threatening illnesses to help keep their families stable and functioning, Friends of Karen serves families throughout the New York metropolitan area. The organization is led by longtime Executive Director Judy Factor.

Smadbeck, a longtime resident of North Salem and managing director at JLL, a major commercial real estate professional services company, began volunteering with Friends of Karen in 1996. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2006 and was its president for the past six years. On March 28 Smadbeck turned over the reins of president to Sgaglio, who is vice president of marketing and development at The Osborn in Rye.  

Friends of Karen began in 1978 when North Salem resident Sheila Petersen reached out to a neighborhood family whose child, Karen MacInnes, suffered from a rare, terminal disease.  Petersen”™s legacy has endured over the past 44 years, assisting more than 17,000 children and their families living in the New York tri-state area with basic needs, care management and social work services. 

Other officers recently re-elected to the board include Laura Salerno Evans, vice president, New York City; Sharon Weiner, secretary of Pound Ridge; and Tom Jocelyn, treasurer of Yorktown Heights.