Junior Board

Keenan Reilly, Junior Board Co-chair, grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, but quickly manifested his ever present wanderlust. After attending Avon Old Farms (high school) and Hamilton College, he began his career at Electronic Arts. While at Electronic Arts Chicago and later Los Angeles studios, Keenan designed and produced music-based video games and licensed titles for the NFL, NCAA, Hasbro, Def Jam, and Steven Spielberg. Keenan was then draw to New York where he joined R/GA to build platforms and campaigns for brands such as Verizon, Nike, L'Oreal, Tiffany & Co, SC Johnson, and Avaya. Keenan is currently a Director at Noise, a business invention agency in New York. He deeply loves the city and his hobbies include photography, writing, design, music, and adventurous travel.

Lori Weitzel, Junior Board Co-chair, works in the Legal Department of the ASPCA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty across the United States. Prior to joining the ASPCA, Lori taught elementary school in Manhattan and served as a volunteer in the ASPCA’s adoption center. A lifelong animal welfare advocate, Lori continues to serve as an active volunteer for the organization, assisting in rescue and relief efforts, government relations initiatives, and adoption events. Lori graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and holds a Master’s of Science in Education from Hunter College.  A passionate traveler, Lori studied abroad in England and recently visited the beautiful country of South Africa. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two cats, and boxer.

Nikki Breedlove Bio forthcoming

Scott Brzezinski is originally from northern Michigan, where he grew up loving the outdoors and all things in nature. After living in Italy, while in the U.S. Navy, he moved to NYC and attended New York University, receiving degrees in Journalism (BA) and Elementary Education (MA). After corporate jobs in events, marketing, and promotions, Scott entered the field of teaching, and taught public elementary school for eight years before returning for a short time to corporate events. Scott generously volunteers his time with several nonprofit organizations, drawing on his years in the corporate world to help with their fundraising events and initiatives. Scott enjoys Bikram Yoga, cooking, traveling, and is an amateur NYC/Hudson Valley historian. 

Crystal DiMiceli grew up outside of New York City and from a young age has been in love with the animal kingdom. Since these early days, she has known that her path would be one in the field of conservation and she has worked steadily toward that end. Crystal currently works for the Wildlife Conservation Society's Prospect Park Zoo, caring for a range of species that serve as ambassadors for their wild cousins. It was through WCS that she had the opportunity to do field work in Belize's Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve where she participated in a follow-up census of the reintroduction of the Black Howler Monkey to the area. Most recently she has brought her passion for travel into the fold through interning with the Rainforest Alliance's ecotourism division where she helped to launch a new wildlife tourism initiative called SeeTheWild. She is also involved in the program Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders whose aim is to conserve ecologically important bat colonies around the world. Crystal graduated from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a BS in Environmental Studies and from Baruch College with a MPA in Nonprofit Management.

Gabrielle Francesco recently graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University with a degree in Art History and a certificate in Cultural Heritage Preservation, where she had the opportunity to spend summers studying art in Paris and Greece. From November 2010 through October 2011, Gabrielle served as ARC’s Social Media Intern and implemented a revitalized social media campaign during the organization’s 20th anniversary marketing relaunch. With her interests in environmental conservation and sustainability, she is excited to stay involved with ARC as a Junior Board member, and also volunteers her time as a Special Events Volunteer with the Rainforest Alliance. Currently, Gabrielle works at the Segal Family Foundation, an organization that partners with NGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eventually, she would like to pursue an MBA with a social sector focus, and start her own social enterprise. In her spare time, Gabrielle enjoys practicing yoga, perusing the latest art exhibit, attending Middle Eastern Dance festivals, and planning her next travel destination.

Jane Johnson works in the Strategy and Excellence Division of Public Funding at The Children’s Aid Society (CAS), one of New York City’s oldest nonprofit agencies, which provides low-income children with an array of support services. Prior to her work in fundraising at CAS, she served as the Assistant Director for the agency’s World Trade Center Relief Program. Her love of nature and commitment to environmental preservation is deeply rooted in her North Carolina upbringing, as well as her time living in the natural wonderlands of New Mexico and Northern California. In addition to her pursuits of amateur writing and photography, Jane imagines visiting the lush Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania while searching for pockets of nature, along with her dog Lola, in the concrete wilds of New York City.

Meaghan Kimball has over a decade of experience in the broadcast television industry. Meaghan has produced and directed national television segments for HBO, History Channel, Plum TV, American Express, and Current TV, amongst others, including directing A-list talent, like Claire Danes. Her debut documentary Blau Jeans, produced through her production company MVK Films, won numerous awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Feature Documentary at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Remi Award Worldfest Houston International Film Festival.  Meaghan holds an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute and a B.F.A. in Film and Television from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She currently is a writer-producer consultant with HBO Creative Services. She dreams about visiting the rainforests of Tanzania in the near future.

Chrstine Lackowski has over ten years of experience in the financial services industry, having served in various capacities in the mutual fund, hedge fund, and private equity sectors.  She holds an undergraduate degree in International Business from the University of Georgia, an MBA from Pace University, and will graduate from Baruch College at the end of 2011 with an MPA.  She is excited to utilize her skills and experiences as she transitions her career to the nonprofit sector, ideally one with a focus on the environment and conservation. After growing up as an Air Force kid, and moving around the country, Christine now happily resides in Brooklyn, NY.  In her spare time she loves to travel, explore New York City, and train in hapkido at the World Martial Arts Center.

Nekenasoa Randresihaja was born in Madagascar and her interest in conservation in Eastern Africa developed from her personal connection to the region.  She studied ecology and conservation at the Galapagos Academic Institute of Arts and Sciences and holds a Masters of Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College.  Through her current work with the Open Space Institute, Nekenasoa provides operational assistance to environmental projects started by local citizens and community groups in the U.S.  Her past experiences with international organizations include the Synergos Institute where she assisted in planning and executing events that brought together global leaders in government, business, and civil society.

Flint Reilly Bio forthcoming 

Mike Sacks joined Emanate as a Vice President in January 2011, leading the Bank of America Merrill Lynch account. He brings expertise in corporate reputation management, thought leadership, crisis & issues communication, and corporate social responsibility, having worked with clients across a range of industries – from gaming to manufacturing to foreign governments. Previously, Mike worked at Edelman, with a focus on crisis & issues management for clients including GE Healthcare and AstraZeneca.  He has also worked at MWW Group, where he managed corporate communications and thought leadership campaigns and developed editorial content for clients, including Samsung’s consumer electronics and mobile division, JetBlue, and Deloitte. He earned a B.A. in English from James Madison University and a Master of Arts in Public Communication from American University. He has been named one of PR News’ “Young PR Professionals of the Year” and serves on an advisory board for Columbia University.

Zachary Sadow is an Energy Analyst at Barclays Capital focusing on oil services and drilling. His research interests include the convergence of energy, markets, the environment, policy and security. Zachary is actively involved in a number of charitable organizations and currently serves on the Young Leaders Advisory Council for Global Kids, an educational non-profit that facilitates a hands-on foreign affairs education for urban youth. Zachary is also a Carnegie New Leader at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

Christopher Smajdor is a member of the Capital Markets team at Needham & Company, LLC, a boutique investment bank serving small and mid-size technology companies. Prior to joining Needham & Company, Chris spent three years working in the Institutional Asset Management group at AllianceBernstein. Chris is actively involved with a number of charitable organizations in New York and currently serves on the Junior Board of Project Renewal, an organization with the mission to end homelessness in New York by empowering homeless men and women to move from the streets to health, homes, and jobs.

Nathanael Stanek is originally from St. Louis, MO, and has lived in New York City for nearly five years. With a B.S. in biology, he has worked for zoos and conservation organizations, including Brookyln's Prospect Park Zoo. He is currently preparing for graduate school where he intends to study conservation biology, and hopes to do in-depth research in the field so he can play an active role in protecting species biodiversity.

Frederick "Erick" Volp is an Investor Relations Associate at Credit Suisse in the Customized Fund Investment Group, which specializes in private equity funds of funds. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, he worked as a Senior Sales and Client Service Associate at AllianceBernstein on the Public Funds and Taft-Hartley teams. Erick also serves on the Project Renewal Junior Board, a New York City based charity focused on helping the homeless. He received his BA from Hamilton College.

Sam Wathen Bio forthcoming