More than 350 on Sept. 25 gathered to celebrate the accomplishments, impact and work of dozens named to The Brooklyn Power List presented by Schneps Media to recognize the most influential individuals in the region.
Honorees at the event at El Caribe Country Club Caterers, listed on Brooklynpowerlist.com, were recognized for their commitment, impact and influence on the community.
They were given trophies and spent a night of networking as many of the best in Brooklyn were united by Schneps along with supporters as part of a night or recognition and networking.
“What’s great about these events is that we’re giving recognition to people doing amazing work in Brooklyn,” Schneps Media CEO Joshua Schneps said at the event. “We’re networking them with other like-minded people and everybody’s having fun while they’re here.”
At a time when many worry about things going on in the world, this was a night to focus on the best in Brooklyn and those making a positive difference.
“These events are a great way to celebrate people and really tell very positive stories of what they’re doing, neighborhood by neighborhood, across the borough,” Joshua Schneps said of the 20th year that the company has done power lists.
The evening brought together extraordinary men and women to connect, support one another, do business and build community.
“It’s celebrating Brooklyn,” said Angela Cooper, emcee. “They’ve been doing this for years. It’s nice when you can recognize the people of Brooklyn for their contributions.”
In one particularly powerful moment, Kervens Louissaint, a registered nurse and chief clinical officer and senior vice president of LiveOnNY, talked about saving lives. He said 100,000 people are “waiting for a life-saving organ nationally,” including 10,000 in New York State.
“Please, please, register to be an organ donor,” Louissaint said. “Please tell your family about your decision.”
Working together
If ever a group were busy making a better Brooklyn, this group, including current and previous honorees, is that for today and the future.
Terence J. Ricaforte and Renata Landskind, a husband and wife team and managing partners at Landskind and Ricaforte Law Group, started and built their business in Brooklyn.
They focus on wills, trusts and estate and elder law, helping Brooklynites protect their assets and plan their futures.
“This is the largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world,” Terence J. Ricaforte said of Baby Boomers. “What else is driving it? Long-term care. People want to protect their assets in case they get sick. They’ll have medical bills not covered by their insurance.”
Renata Landskind said they focus on the middle class, which some other firms may forget, as they help Brooklynites.
“My favorite quote comes from what’s happening in my life,” she said. “Succes is not final. Failure is not permanent. The ability to keep on going is what really matters. There have been successes. There have been failures. Really hard work has paid off. And hopefully it keeps paying off.”
Honorees ranged from those born in Brooklyn to those who moved here and made it their home.
Gaia DiLoreto, executive director of Brooklyn Made Stores, a project of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, originally from Sante Fe, New Mexico, has lived in Brooklyn for 25 years and says it is her home.
“Brooklyn welcomed me with open arms,” DiLoreto said, citing “the multicultural-ness of my community.”
Wells of inspiration
Motivation may be among the most important things like the engine that helps so many successful people run.
Rafiq R. Kalam Id-Din II, founding and managing partner at Ember Charter School for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation, said they “take what we call a truly holistic human development approach.”
He said they ask children “Who is the human being you want to be?” and help them become that. When asked who through history motivated him the most, he like many others mentioned family.
“There are so many people in history, so many of our ancestors, people doing our work today,” he said before pausing. “I’d say my mom and dad. They grew up poor and just finished high school. They were wealthy in knowledge and motivation.”
Kalam Id-Din II, who grew up with nine siblings, helped create a school that he hopes serves those in others’ families. “We created the legacy of setting an example,” he said.
Richard Dodson, regional director and senior vice president at Dime Community Bank for seven years, said he enjoys his job thoroughly and described his parents as role models who inspire him. “They were very determined people,” Dodson said.
And Everlyn Ortiz, co-CEO of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, described herself in one word as “joyful.”
“In any situation I find that seeking joy is so important,” she said. “Specifically with everything surrounding us right now it’s critical for us to seek happiness, fun, enlightenment in any way that we can.”
Nicole G. Epps, chief operating and financial officer at Brooklyn.org, summed things up simply and succinctly. “To whom much is given,” she said. “Much is expected in return.”
And Lisa Bing, strategic leadership coach and consultant at Bing Consulting, said she helps people achieve what they want, turning hopes into things that happen. “I help others achieve their goals,” she said.
The next generation
Honorees worked with and helped people of all ages, but many help children, benefiting the upcoming generations.
Debra-Ellen Glickstein, founding executive director of NYC Kids Rise, works with schools setting up scholarship accounts for college and careers for hundreds of thousands in New York City.
“I was all in. It just takes all of us,” Glickstein said. “There is nothing any of us can do alone. It truly takes all of us.”
She said being all in means staying with something, not just for years, but longer to make a difference.
“If you want to play the game, the chips are decades of your life,” Glickstein said, noting she has been with this more than a decade. “Nearly every single first to fourth grader in New York City has a scholarship account for college and career.”
Others talked about the power of persistence in building a career and achieving positive change.”
“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you continue,” Jenny Khuu, branch banking officer and Bensonhurst branch manager for Ridgewood Savings Bank. “Don’t stop. If you have a goal, it may take you long to get there, but as long as you continue to work on it, you’ll get there.”
Vivian Scalise, vice president and Bay Ridge branch manager for Flushing Bank, started as a teller and worked her way up. “You get to know so many people, so many customers,” she said of the human touch for her business. “They tell you all their stories.”
Schneps daily tells the story of Brooklyn, but others also talked about the importance of communication and storytelling. Alice Du, director of communications for the Chinese-American Planning Council, serving 8,000, said people want stories not just statistics.
“I like to translate my thoughts into compelling stories. We have a lot of data. Not a lot of people want to look at the data,” she said. “They want to look at the story. What’s more compelling than having a story written, connecting with people and sharing our mission?”
For a good cause
Meanwhile, 100% of the evening’s raffle proceeds will go to The Opportunity Hub, whose Executive Director Nanda Prabhakar talked about her philosophy at the nonprofit that serves Starett City, East New York, Canarsie and Brownsville and beyond.
“Just say, ‘We can work that out. We can make that happen,’” she said of finding ways to do things. “I feel if we go into it with, ‘We can solve that problem,’ we can be flexible and adaptable.”
They provide services ranging from after school to a community farm and community newspaper, as well as workforce development and benefits counseling.
“It’s a great networking community and it’s right in the neighborhood for us,” she said of the evening. “We serve this neighborhood.”
She said, since she leads a relatively new group, the attention is even more welcome.
“This recognition means quite a lot to us,” she said.
Others talked about the need to help guide the community to a better future. Alec-Brook-Krasny, Assembly Member from the 46 th District, said he was happy to see opposition to a casino in Coney Island.
“We are experiencing traffic now. New York is a city of traffic, honestly,” he said, noting a casino, which he expects to be defeated, could clog potentially life-saving roads and routes. “Coney Island might be a different situation, God forbid. The traffic situation can turn into life and death situation.”
Little acts, big differences
Although individuals and groups were honored, honorees become part of a select club of people singled out for building a better Brooklyn.
“The honorees are a pretty impressive group,” Terence J. Ricaforte added. “A lot of fellow attorneys have been honored over the years, prior or present. To be in their company is a humbling experience.”
Honorees said big as well as small things matter to them, helping them stay grounded and continuing to do good work.
Dina Rabiner, senior vice president of strategy and innovation for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said biking to work is important for her. “It’s time to myself,” she said. “It gets me out.”
Others talked about how important the morning is to getting things done later in the day.
“I like to meditate in the morning and spend quiet time,” said Dr. Marilyn Fraser, CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, which the tennis great founded soon before passing away. “Taking some time to be quiet and just breathe. That’s my stress reliever.”
Elizabeth Santo, past lieutenant governor of Kiwanis Brooklyn Division 2022 to 2024 and a 9/11 first responder, said many people came together to help that day, and continue to work together in different ways. “I wasn’t there alone. I was one of many,” she said. “There were many of us there.”
Through the Kiwanis in Brooklyn, she has helped children. But Santo, a 9/11 cancer survivor, still appreciates little things done for that that make big differences.
“I get a text from my neighbors every morning. They text me, ‘Good morning, sunshine. Good morning, sweetheart.’ That helps me get my day get going,” Santo said. “Maybe one of you could do that tomorrow. Text someone, ‘Good morning, sunshine.’”
In an often virtual, electronic world, others said the human touch matters as much or more than ever.
“How many of you have felt lonely? You can have family and friends and still feel lonely. People with long term loneliness, it’s like smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It attacks our hearts,” Taina Martinez Laing, CEO of Baltic Street Wellness Solutions, said. “Love heals everything. Go get a real hug. Don’t ask Chat GPT what can I do to combat loneliness?”
ICON, Lisa A. Bing — Strategy and Leadership Expert, Bing Consulting
2025 Outstanding Achievements Award, Makeela Brathwaite — Executive Director, Grow Brooklyn
ICON, Monique Brizz-Walker — Founder & CEO, Event Strategies for Success
Mistress of Ceremonies, Angela Cooper — Former Assistant Director, Brooklyn Hospital
ICON, John J. Ciafone, Esq. — Trial Attorney, Law Offices of John J. Ciafone
Gaia DiLoreto — Executive Director, Brooklyn Made Stores, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Camille Hastick — Vice President of External Affairs and Government Relations, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Dina Rabiner — Senior Vice President of Strategy & Innovation, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Stephanie Pierre — Cannabis Account Manager, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
ICON, Richard Dodson — Regional Director & Senior Vice President, Dime Bank
Alice Du — Director of Communications, Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc.
Joel Eisdorfer — Founder, Handshake
Nicole G. Epps — Chief Operating & Financial Officer, Brooklyn Org
ICON, Howard Fensterman — Managing Partner, Abrams, Fensterman, LLP
Marilyn A. Fraser, MD — Chief Executive Officer, Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Mary Eustace Valmont, Ph.D — Associate Executive Director for Health Science Education, Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Faven Araya, DrPH(c), MPH — Director, Community Engagement & Health Equity Research, Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Debra-Ellen Glickstein — Founding Executive Director, NYC Kids RISE
ICON, Dr. Kayane Hanna-Hindy — Director of Women’s Digestive Division, Gastroenterology Associates of Brooklyn
Amanda Hayde — Executive Vice President, Dolphin Property Services; Camber Property Group
Linda Joseph — Director, WIC Supplemental Food and Nutrition Program, BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers
ICON, Rafiq R. Kalam Id-Din II, Esq. — Founder & Managing Partner, Ember Charter School for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation
Veronica Kaninska, MS.Ed, CTRS — Assistant Teaching Professor, St. Joseph’s University
Jenny Khuu — Branch Banking Officer, Ridgewood Savings Bank
ICON, Rev. Edward Lai — Senior Vice President of Business Development, Bensonhurst Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare
POWER TEAM, Renata Landskind, Esq. — Managing Partner, Landskind & Ricaforte Law Group, P.C.
POWER TEAM, Terence J. Ricaforte — Managing Partner, Landskind & Ricaforte Law Group, P.C.
Kervens Louissaint, RN, MSN, CPTC — Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer, LiveOnNY
ICON, Dr. Natalie Marks-Ascher — Director of the Vascular Institute of NY, New York University School of Medicine and Vascular Medicine
ICON, Taina Martinez-Laing, MSW, NYCPS — Chief Executive Officer, Baltic Street Wellness Solutions
ICON, Caroline Nonye Anyadiegwu — Founder & Fashion Trailblazer, Noni Style
Evelyn Ortiz — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
Nanda Prabhakar — Executive Director, The Opportunity Hub
ICON, Dr. Patricia Ramsey — President, Medgar Evers College
Candace Sandy — Senior Vice President, Mercury Public Affairs
Elizabeth Santo — Past Lt. Governor, Kiwanis Brooklyn Division 2022–2024
ICON, Vivian Scalise — Vice President & Branch Manager, Bay Ridge, Flushing Bank
Todd Shapiro — President & Chief Executive Officer, Todd Shapiro Associates Public Relations
Leticia Theodore Greene — Chief of Staff, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
