PLAY PRESENTATION
WESTCHESTER REGION OF HADASSAH recently joined the SCARSDALE LIBRARY to present “The Grain of the Wood,” an inspiring play about the life of Justine Wise Polier, a family court judge, who dedicated her life to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and fighting social injustice.
A daughter of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise and child advocate Louise Waterman Wise, Polier was the first woman justice in New York state. She worked closely with her friend Eleanor Roosevelt to open a school for delinquent boys in New York and worked to rescue 20,000 children from Nazi Germany.
The playwright is Ellen W. Kaplan, a professor at Smith College. She collaborated with Polier”™s granddaughter, Debra Bradley Ruder, whose vast collection of her grandmother”™s papers, plus interviews with those that knew Polier, created the material for this three-person play.
NEW PARTNER AT LAW FIRM
STEVEN SCHOENFELD has joined DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr L.L.P. (DDWWW) law firm as a partner in the litigation practice group. He has more than 20 years experience in commercial, corporate, financial, real estate, bankruptcy, intellectual property litigation and related counseling. He”™s frequently sought after to speak on managing litigation to corporate counsel, according to the firm.
“We are thrilled to have Steve join us. He is an extremely talented litigator and our clients will appreciate having him on their team,” DDWWW Managing Partner Al Donnellan said.
“I am very excited about joining DelBello Donnellan. The firm has a stellar reputation for providing high-quality, cost-effective legal services to clients in the New York metropolitan area and the lower Hudson Valley,” Schoenfeld said.
Previously a partner in the New York offices of Torys L.L.P., Dorsey & Whitney L.L.P. and Robinson & Cole L.L.P., Schoenberg earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University and a Juris Doctorate from New York University Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and several federal courts, serves as a member of the American Arbitration Association”™s Roster of Neutrals and as an arbitrator and mediator for the New York Joint Committee on Fee Disputes and Conciliation, and is a member of the New York State Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section Executive Committee.
THIRD YEAR FOR RIDGE HILL ACADEMY
RIDGE HILL ACADEMY, a partnership between YONKERS PARTNERS IN EDUCATION and FOREST CITY RATNER COS. marked the start of their third year March 11.
Students from high schools who will participate in the session workshops were joined by recent graduates of the course, as well as Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano; Yonkers City Council President Liam McLaughlin; City Council members Christopher Johnson and Michael Sabatino; Symra Brandon, representing Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins; Robert Voorhies representing Assembly member Shelley Mayer; Kathryn Welch, executive vice president, retail development FCRC; Andrew Hardy, Ridge Hill general manager; and Wendy Nadel, executive director of YPIE.
The career-exploration program ”“ funded by Forest City Ratner as part of a $100,000 grant to YPIE ”“ teaches participating Yonkers public school students about management careers in the shopping center retail industry, including retail and restaurant management, health care, operations, security and maintenance management, public relations and marketing. The initiative builds on YPIE”™s commitment to provide students with the information and tools they need to launch into college and career paths that will result in a fulfilling and stable future.
“The Ridge Hill Academy is a shining example of how private and public partnerships can result in the vital growth of our students and communities,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
YPIE”™s mission is to increase the number of Yonkers Public School students who complete a post-secondary program that prepares them for a successful career.
PHONE SERVICE LAUNCHES
Westchester County Legislator MICHAEL B. KAPLOWITZ recently joined the United Way at its White Plains office to announce the full-time operation of Hudson Valley Region 2-1-1 ”“ a seven county free, confidential, multilingual information and referral telephone service.
Kaplowitz, a longtime member of the Westchester County Legislature”™s Committee on Public Safety & Criminal Justice, first introduced 2-1-1 to the legislature seven years ago. Since then he has worked with United Way and the county executive to make this project a reality and was successful in having $75,000 added to the 2005 county budget to support this service.
“This regional effort will streamline the process of obtaining vital information and direction for services such as health issues, elder care or child care, among others,” said Kaplowitz. “The 2-1-1 program enhances the quality of life for Westchester”™s residents as well as residents throughout the Hudson Valley in Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster counties.”
PHELPS MEMORIAL APPOINTS EXEC
RICHARD BECKER M.D., has been named vice president, physician administrator, at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow.
Becker will serve as the key liaison between the hospital and the medical staff.
“His duties will include working with members of the medical staff on collaborative initiatives and being a champion for quality, through evidence-based medicine, best practices and optimizing the use of electronic health records,” Phelps President and CEO Keith F. Safian said in a statement.
Becker will also oversee operations of the hospital”™s growing multispecialty medical group, Phelps Medical Associates, which employs 34 clinicians in 12 practice locations. In this capacity, he will be responsible for clinical quality and patient satisfaction, as well as recruitment of physicians.
A board-certified cardiologist who formerly practiced in Cortlandt Manor, Becker earned his medical degree at New York Medical College and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, followed by a fellowship in cardiology at New York Medical College. He resides in Cortlandt Manor.
NO. 1 BROKER AT COLDWELL BANKER
MICHÈLE FLOOD, an associate real estate broker affiliated with the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Rye office, was ranked as the company”™s No. 1 real estate salesperson and associate broker in Westchester County. In addition to this honor, Flood earned the President Premier Award, which is presented to the top 1 percent of approximately 85,000 Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.
With more than 35 years in the real estate business, Flood has consistently distinguished herself as the company”™s best producer in Westchester County and was named the No. 1 real estate salesperson companywide for all of Connecticut and Westchester County last year, according to a press release.
“Michèle had a phenomenal year and continues to impress her clients and colleagues with her professionalism, boundless energy and the enthusiasm she demonstrates for the business,” Cathleen Smith, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County, said in a statement.
Flood has also been recognized nationally, ranking among the country”™s top 250 real estate sales professionals by The Wall Street Journal/Real Trends based on sales volume.
