Members of the year

Mark Berkowitz is a professional career builder. Mark is a standout in his field and his reputation proceeds him. He has been named to be one of the best resume writers by U.S. Today. Wendy Enelow, founding President of the Career Masters Institute has acknowledged Mark as one of the most talented career counselors she's ever met. Mark has been published and quoted in over two dozen books and publications. Mark has been helping professionals in their careers since 1986. Mark started his studies at the prestigious New York University, where he received his bachelor's of science in 1975. He received his master's of science in special education at Lehman College in 1985. After discovering his passion for career building in the late 80s, Mark went back to school to complete his master's of science in career development and career counseling at the College of New Rochelle in 1989. He stayed active with the College of New Rochelle community by teaching at the school for many years. Mark taught computerized counseling and job search programs at the school and at Fordham University. Mark is currently the President of Career Development Resources in the Westchester area. The company not only reaches the greater Westchester area, but they reach international clients via internet and clients up and down the east coast. Mark works with clients who are in high school, college, and working professionals. He helps out students in high school by teaching workshops about colleges and the future. Mark helps college students figure out their career paths. He also helps adults who are transitioning career paths. Mark's passion and dedication to his clients make him one of the best mentors in the business. In his free time, Mark enjoys scuba diving and playing the drums. Mark has scuba dived in tropical locations in the Caribbean, Hawaii, and even braced the Red Sea. Back in the 1970s, Mark was a professional drummer. He has graced the stages of many colleges and clubs worldwide and has even toured Northern Israel.

Peggy Werner Becker graduated from Albertus Magnus College with a Bachelors Degree in German, Education. Peggy's highest degree is her Masters in social work, education and religion. Professionally, Peggy has over 30 years of professional experience. She is a licensed clinical social worker and received her license in VA in 1986. Peggy has worked in a clinical settings, as well as inpatient and outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers since 1976. In 1977 Peggy became certified and practiced in a family clinic, during her internship. When Peggy developed her own practice her main role was to grow her own clientele and to be a case manager. At the time she managed blue cross blue shield and was seeing 1 to 2 clients regularly. Peggy was prompted to get involved in this profession because of her family background of psychology professionals. Her passion developed at a young age because she was interested in development and the intricate ways that human experience plays out in life. Her progression was a natural one because she had many influences from a young age. In the next few years Peggy intends to grow her network of clients and to grow as a professional and person. At this stage in Peggy's career networking is very important to her. Having the ability to connect and bond with other like minded professionals, share different ideas and areas of expertise with others is ideal for Peggy. Peggy has done a lot of training throughout her career. Peggy bases her success on passion and determination to succeed. She is most proud of her time at Albertus Magnus College, as well as building her private practice.

Nancy Morsch wonderfully represents Eastern Nazarene College as an alumni. She taught in the Florida school system for 53 years, spending 32 years teaching elementary school and 33 years teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL/ESL). She retired in 1994 from full-time teaching, but continued to teach part-time until 2014. At age 77, Nancy currently works at Disney where she has been for 22 years. She started teaching at Disney, preparing their international workers to take the TOPL exam. She now does merchandising for Disney and trains the merchandising staff. She also teaches its 8 hour cash handling class. Nancy says she does not know why she chose a career in teaching. She says she's always had an interest in English, but she just more or less fell into teaching. Nancy had majored in English in school with a minor in Education. Later, she took more classes in Education at Rollins College and eventually became a certified teacher and continued to do it because she found she really liked it, especially teaching English to non-English speakers. She said it also fed her love of learning about new cultures and those from developing countries and her love of travel. She notes trips she has taken to; Turkey, China, Uzbekistan, and Papua New Guinea with her son, Dr. Gary Morsch's wonderful organization, "Heart to Heart. Nancy is the sole care giver for her husband and 8 year old grand child. Her future plans are to retire so that she can dedicate her full-time attention to them. She would also like to continue to travel and volunteer with her son's humanitarian groups. Her family consists of a family full of doctors who are committed to service. She welcomes contact with fellow members from all around the world.

Naj Qureshi is the Executive Vice President for Mufti International DBA Tysons Floors, a top-tier commercial flooring provider based in the greater Washington, DC area. With more than a decade of experience in flooring and sales, he assists and oversees the sales operations, helping to develop new sales opportunities. With a varied and broad career, he is an expert in government sales, commercial sales and providing exceptional flooring for new builds. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Music from Shenandoah University, Naj enjoyed a freelance career as a Classical Double Bass player, he has played for many local orchestras and been invited to audition for Major Symphony Orchestras. He gained his footing in the flooring industry by working for Mohawk Industries, a fortune 500 Company where he climbed the corporate ladder from Sales Trainee to Director of Institutional Sales. While at Mohawk, he was ultimately responsible for well over $50 Million dollars in revenue. Naj resides in Dulles, Virginia, where he continues to play the bass. Outside of his professional endeavors, he is an avid blogger, enjoys playing golf, supporting charities, and is active with St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church.

Robert van der Velden have worked for the last 25 years in sales of consumer electronics goods in Latin America developing new markets and growth strategies for the region. He has excellent relations in most of the major retail and wholesale distributors in the region. Recently, he developed new relations with the Far East, both with clients and suppliers. Robert opened a new company selling consumer electronics, moving such items such as white goods and brown goods. His team help clients in the region to get their products from China. Robert worked for Philips Electronics in which he took care of the distribution of their products for Central America, The Caribbean and Colombia. He was in charge of the Panama office, a regional office for the northern latin region. Robert also developed several commercial and sales strategies which proved to be very successful for the company.

Joseph's first profession was in banking, but he eventually wanted another challenge and went into financial planning, and found that tax preparation was a lucrative addition especially after acquiring a practice from another accountant. He had a partner in his business at one time, and they have split into separate business amiably. Joseph is fueled by his talent for communication and his attitude. He appreciates simply being able to look forward to coming to work each day. He believes in simplicity and being honest with people. His charitable work has included fund-raising for historical preservation and other improvements for his town of Sandwich, California.

Palma Mendez originally from Texas, he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in International Business and was an exchange student at the University of Texas at Austin from 1998-1999. Palma returned to Mexico and is currently a Country Manager Mexico with a company by the name of Wood Mackenzie where she has been for 2 years now. Palma's responsibilities include; strategizing for consulting firms, building good relationships with the government, assigning resources, overseeing selected projects, and following through with objectives in order for the company to reach their goals. Palma has been published just this year 2016 in a book by the name of Mexico Oil and Gas. In the next few years Palma plans to continue developing herself professionally, establish long lasting relationships with companies, and assisting her company with growth and expansion. At this stage in Palma's career networking is very important to her, being able to connect with other like minded Professionals, sharing different ideas and areas of expertise with one another. Palma bases her success on one thing, taking risks, she believes taking positive career type risks has attributed to her success.

Ramón Bravo is an accomplished corporate and finance attorney with over 30 years of experience in finance, banking, and legal services. For the past year, he has been a Partner at SMPS Legal, a boutique law firm providing cutting-edge legal services to address the needs of today’s leading corporations in the Latin American Region. His key responsibilities involve overseeing the corporate and financial practices of the firm, M&A, transactional, banking, capital markets, acquisitions, JVs, and risk capital. Ramón's area of expertise is M&A, finance, and government procurement contracts. He also speaks fluent English and Spanish. Ramón graduated with a Master's in Finance from University of Cambridge in 1988, and earned a Law Degree, graduating summa cum laude, at Universidad Iberoamericana. He is a member of the International Bar Association and the Mexican Bar Association. Originally, Ramón decided during high school to go into law school and University of Cambridge was his first choice. He began his career in 1984, when he joined Barrera, Siqueiros y Torres Landa, S.C. (now Hogan Lovells BSTL) where he worked for almost 10 years and where he later returned as partner. Following his initial stint with Hogan Lovells, Ramón joined GE Mexico as General Counsel, where he oversaw the development and implementation of the process for requesting and obtaining authorizations to create a Financial Group for GE Capital, as well as a wide variety of financing operations, including secured and structured loans, leasing and financial factoring and restructuring processes. The key to his success is focus and having dedicated 100% of his professional life into the legal field. Indeed, he has been practicing law since 1986 and has been in private practice his whole life. Going forward, Ramón wants to grow the practice out and double the number of their attorneys over the next few years. He is keen to network with other accomplished members to exchange ideas and expertise. One highlight of his career thus far has been his focus on M&A and has overseen a number of very important transactions. When he's not working, Ramón enjoys participating in triathlons and traveling to do Iron Man competitions.

Norma attended Texas Tech University and has obtained her highest degree of education of an MBA in Human Resources. Norma has over 20 years experience and feels that the key to her success has been her understanding of human capital and her niche for building relationships both internally and externally. Moving forward, Norma sees herself having continued success in her field of expertise coupled with moving to the next level in management to a Vice President position within the next two to three years. She also considers her greatest accomplishments to be people development, mentoring and inspiring others to reach higher limits professionally. Norma is looking to affiliate with a strong network to build from.

Eunice Arias Torres is a business professional who is driven by her passion for the intersections of law and finance. She is a natural born leader who knows how to lead new businesses and organizations. Eunice's specialty is the legal side of digital transactions. Her multi-lingual ability to speak three languages helps her communicate to a wide array of people. Eunice has been a certified public accountant(CPA) since 1982. She received her CPA from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña. In addition to being certified, Eunice has three different degrees from three different countries. She received a MBA in Finance from the Universidad de Victoria in Spain in 2010. She also received a MBA in Trade from the UNIVERSITÉ DE MANAGEMENT SUISSE in France in 2011. Eunice finished off her education in the United States at the University of San Francisco where she received a Masters Degree in Taxation in 2011. Eunice is currently the president of the Dominican Republic chapter of the IFA. The Asociacion Tributaria de la Republica Dominicana focuses on digital transaction and commerce. Eunice was able to start and help found the chapter in her country. She deals with the legal aspect of taxing digital purchases. Eunice also deals with decisions and problem solving on a daily basis. In her free time, Eunice enjoys the entertainment industry. She enjoys going to operas and watching movies. Her favorite pieces of work include the Nutcracker and Dirty Dancing. Eunice likes traveling the world to find the best operas and plays to watch.

Dr. Teressa Stewart is a retired teacher and school counselor after spending thirty-one years of her career on academia. Upon completing her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Johnson C. Smith University in 1980, Dr. Stewart began working as a Music Teacher in the Baldwin County Public School District. She taught general music and organized the choir, at several of the Middle Schools within the district for fourteen years. Dr. Stewart, working in this capacity, she had won the Outstanding Woman of the Year in 1986, as well as Teacher of the Year in 1992. Dr. Stewart discovered that what she enjoyed the most about her job was talking to her students about their aspirations and interests outside of the classroom. Consequently, she decided to transition into becoming a school counselor. Dr. Stewart worked for seventeen years at both the Richmond and Baldwin County Public School Districts, at both the Middle and Elementary School levels. In this role, she counseled students on career choices and provided them with information and resources to better assist them with achieving the goals that they were placing for themselves. Eventually Dr. Stewart returned to school and obtained her Master's Degree in Education from Troy State University in 2001. Soon after, she was published in Who's Who Among Educators, the following year. Dr. Steward has since retired from teaching, and obtained her Doctorate Ministry from Andersonville Theological Seminary in May 2016. She attributes her successful career to her unique life experiences, former colleagues, passion for learning, and the love of helping people reach their full potential. Although she is formally retired, Dr. Stewart is the Minister of Music at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, in Augusta Georgia. She continues to look for opportunities to do work with other and be a vital resource for them as a consultant.

Diogenes Uceda is a highly accomplished senior metallurgical and process engineer with over 25 years of international management experience in Mineral Processing, Mining, Hydrometallurgy, Electrometallurgy and Pyrometallurgy. His areas of expertise include mineral processing and environmental management, metallurgy, solving technical problems related to the mining and metallurgical industry, process improvement, and Six Sigma. Originally from Peru, Diogenes has an impressive educational background starting with earning his Degree in Metallurgical Engineering at Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in 1967 and a Diploma in Physical Metallurgy (Quinto Curso Panamericano de Metalurgia / Fifth Pan-American Metallurgy Course) as part of the National Atomic Energy Commission in 1967. Diogenes graduated with a PhD in Electrometallurgy from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1989. He earned both a Master of Science in Financial Management at Universidad Tecnológica del Cibao in 2001, and a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines in 1976. He is a Six Sigma Brown Belt and has completed several additional certifications and coursework. Growing up in Peru, Diogenes discovered that mining was a very important field so he wanted to study mineral processing. As he was a good student, the mining profession was a natural fit for him. He started out his career as a Senior Metallurgist at Cerro Verde Mine in Peru. Currently, Diogenes is working as an independent contractor and is looking to work at an engineering company. His prior role was Process Engineer at United Commodity in Ontario, Canada, providing technical support to the company's operations and overseeing the technology development and engineering of the Yukon refinery. In addition, he is writing a book in Spanish that he will have translated to English. He is fluent in English and Spanish and speaks some French. Throughout his career, Diogenes has achieved tremendous success in global business settings, working with diverse cultures and countries including the U.S., Peru, Dominican Republic, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Canada, at metallurgical operations both large and small. The key to his success is determination, a good education and the passion he has for his field. Indeed, Diogenes loves working in mining and metallurgy. He excels at driving more efficient operations through improved process performance and six sigma methodology, research and development, and enhancing procedures and cost savings. Diogenes strives to be an innovative change agent in order to deliver new ideas critical to the modern mining and metallurgical industry. When he's not working, Diogenes enjoys reading and travel, especially to Europe with his son. He also supports The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Vasileios Sotiras currently serves as Senior Developer with the Queen Mary University of London. Vasileios' main role is to develop academic applications for universities, work with the development team, and design strategies for the university. An average day for Vasileios consists of developing new concepts and keeping everything running smoothly. Vasileios has over 30 years of professional experience in his career. Vasileios engages in public speaking and internal conferences at the university. At this stage in Vasileios' career, he would like to network with like-minded professionals and he credits his success to determination , learning from his failures and passion for what he does. Vasileios is most proud of how far he has come and the time he spent at the University of Westminster.

Jorge Acuna has been with Maersk Line since 2011. Being the largest shipping line in the world, Jorge is responsible for all in-house consult and takes care of general corporate matters. Jorge has also implemented global policies and guidelines on Risk Management, Compliance and Corporate Governance for the company. Jorge believes the key to his success is his education and being fortunate enough to have the right mentor at the right time in his life. He also believes in a little luck and then living up to the expectation. With these tactics in mind, Jorge is open to new opportunities to advance in his career. In the next 3-5 years Jorge plans to put together a legal organization in Latin America. Perhaps moving into global law

Leonard J. Mazzarisi Jr., Esq. has operated his real estate law practice for 31 years. Leonard's real estate and tax professor inspired him to go into real estate law because it merged perfectly with his finance background and education. His law firm represents Wells Fargo and he is also an expert witness in malpractice. He works with a social conscience for he has represented many same sex couples and helped with their estate planning before same sex marriage was legalized. Leonard also won a case for a tenant to keep his small dog in his apartment despite the landlord requesting the Russian Poodle to be removed, turning Mr. Mazzarisi into an unintentional but welcomed pet advocate. Leonard says his father was his hero who motivated him to succeed in life and he uses the motto "family first." He also contributes his work ethic and never losing the quest for knowledge for being the key to his success. Leaonard has many satisfied clients and many of them he also considers his friends. He also has vast legal experience and he will practice law for many years to come.

Sherry Crowe has been involved in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly 30 years. Sherry currently serves as Senior Manager of the Regional Market Access at Novartis Oncology for the past 14 years. In college, she wanted to get into marketing and began to look into some fields. A pharmaceutical company came on campus and was looking to recruit a junior marketing person to help them push ADVIL in Canada. Sherry was granted the opportunity and has successfully been in the field since. Over her 30 years in the industry, she has earned multiple awards including - MVP, several impact awards and national awards. Sherry's greatest accomplishment thus far is coming to the US and succeeding in the largest market in the world. Sherry believes the key to her success is never giving up, knowing herself and her key strengths. Sherry also believes in being very self aware. In the next 3-5 years, Sherry is looking to begin mentoring younger women coming up through different business rinks. She also sees herself looking over other managers at director level.

Richard D. Howard is a healthcare professional with over 25 years of expertise in the Biopharmaceuticals industry. Richard serves as a Pharmacy Technician, providing medical care and advice to patients. He counsels staff in delivering medical solutions for various healthcare providers. Richard was previously employed by Tricaras Scripts as the Head of Pharmacy Operations.

Mary "Jo" Wiebersick is a retired business and special education teacher, middle school and high school counselor, counselor coordinator at the high school level, and middle school and high school Dean of Students, with over 35 years of experience in the field of education. Jo worked for the Clark County School District for almost 30 years as a special education teacher, counselor, Dean of Students and then as a substitute counselor and special education teacher after retirement. She attributes her success to her determination, her self drive, and support from family and friends.

Maurice is a military man and a constant professional who has made his mark in his industry. His core value is service and he is continuing to serve whether it's in the National guard, overseas, or to his lovely wife. His motto is the same as the US Air Force: service before self. Maurice began his studies in Industrial Engineering at San Francisco State University. While he was at the university, Maurice was an active member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. Maurice was forced to put a hold on his studies to serve our country. He was a member of both California and Texas Air National Guard units for over 20 years. While serving our country, Maurice was in charge of military communications, being an instructor, and served the honor of being a Team Chief. Maurice has received his Bachelors of Science in Engineering degree from the Ira A Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University and is currently pursuing his MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business. Maurice has served in the Middle East as a Project Manager, Senior Engineer, Project Engineer, and Filed Engineer for General Dynamics Information Technology. He was responsible for the design, engineering, and implementation of IT hardware and structured cabling for military communications systems. His daily activities included Scrum meetings, waterfall planning, and meticulously written engineering plans that supported the communication needs of Coalition Forces. His efforts afforded many opportunities for recognition along with continued efforts to hone his professional skills. He has proven to be a valuable asset to many organizations and demonstrates his pride and patriotism while serving the American people.

Roy Wever has been an active entrepreneur for over 7 years and currently serves as Consultant/Owner at Toffy S. A. Roy also has a second company called AKSES Holdings in Guatemala. His company Toffy (www.bonbonelli.com) is an international confectionery story and caters to a person's sweet tooth. Roy's second company, AKSES, is a holdings and rental company for duplex apartments primarily for international student rentals. Roy has been in the corporate world for over 12 years, and began his career working as a Commercial Director for Central American and South America for Molinos Moderno, a huge flour company in Central America. He was promoted to Vice President and landed many international deals. Roy is an accomplished industrial engineer, having graduated from Northeastern University, a prominent American University. He now does consulting work, primarily in the market research and contract and purchasing sectors, helping small and medium sized businesses.