Our
Team
The Board Of Directors
We are a group of people who believe in the mission and work of WDN. We proudly take on the legal responsibility of the organization along with the strategic governance.
Shanequa Levin
Founder & CEO
Shanequa Levin is an uplifting social justice leader who has won several awards for her work. She is also a registered ordained wedding officiant. Shanequa is the author of a memoir titled Poverty's Phoenix, the Founder, and CEO of the Women's Diversity Network, Co-Convenor for LI United to Transform Policing & Community Safety, Co-Chair for the Long Island Million Women Community, former director of Every Child Matters in NY, the creator of culturally relevant Facebook groups. She's a member and advisor of several coalitions and groups. Shanequa has been instrumental in advocating policy changes to Early Care and Learning, Raise The Age, Paid Family Leave Insurance, and more. As a survivor of childhood poverty, drug-addicted parents, an incarcerated father, and a teen mom, she uses her voice to help others break negative generational cycles.
Erika Deans
Board Officer
Chair of the Board
Erika is a Licensed Social Worker, studying for her doctorate in Education at LIU. Erika has a strong commitment in servicing the needs of disadvantaged youth and their families.
Kathryn Abbatiello
Board Officer
Secretary of Board
Kathryn has dedicated her life’s work to championing the needs of children with disabilities and their families and has received her B.S. in Elementary Education N-6 with a minor in Sociology and her M.S. in Early Childhood Special Education, Summa Cum Laude, from Adelphi University.
Charlie Rogers
Board Officer
Treasurer of Board
Charlie is the Founder of "Partners in Possibility" an organization devoted to the personal development of girls and women. Charlie was an NYPD Police Officer prior to becoming an attorney, and along the journey spent many years as an educator on the college level.
Aisha Alexis
Board Member
Aisha has a Masters in social work and specializes in art therapy with a passion to teach and empower youth and families to move in the direction they truly desire. She is a driven leader with a focus on coaching, motivating, and mentoring youth towards a better future.
Donna Raphael
Board Member
Donna has a Masters in clinical psychology and 20+ years of managing high impact youth development and empowerment programs. She inspires positive social and community impact in the areas of private and public partnerships and relationships in support of youth and at-risk populations.
El Schneider
Board Member/ Appointed Leader Representative
El received their Masters of Social Work. They firmly embody the values of social justice, action, community, and service that guide both their profession and the WDN. Their breadth of experiences has prepared them to be an effective agent if change in their community.
Farrah Mozawalla
Board Member
Farrah has a proven track record of dedication to creating a more inclusive Nassau County. She is the Executive Director of The Office of Asian American Affairs of Nassau County, the first Muslim to be appointed as a department head in Nassau County.
Irma Solis
Board Member
Irma has more than 15 years of experience leading campaigns to address issues affecting communities in upstate New York, Brooklyn and Long Island.
Jazmyne Archer
Board Member
Jazmyne has a Bachelors in Communication & Behavior and a double minor in Consumer Psychology and Spanish. Jazmyne helps Black, LatinX, and Native American students secure internships with fortune companies, and corporate and banking partners.
Monique Powell
Board Member
Monique has a Master’s in Master’s in Business Administration and Master’s in Public Administration. She is a strong advocate for youth development in her community, economic equality, and quality education.
Pascale Jean-Noel
Board Member
Pascale holds a Clinical License in Social Work and has over twenty years’ experience in social-service settings. Her interests are to push through barriers by influencing cultural shifts within the organizations to hire and deliver services that are inclusive, equitable and reflect the diversity of the people that are being served!
Serena Liguori
Board Member
Serena is the executive director for New Hour for Women & Girls. She has 28 years of experience in the Social Welfare, Mental Health and Criminal Justice field, she has spent her career working with the most vulnerable of people in our communities.