Panel Discussions

Challenges and Solutions for Supporting Communities

Megan Allen

Megan Allen is CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON), a nonprofit organization working to promote a vibrant nonprofit sector across New York State through advocacy, education and leadership. With more than 3,200 members and three regional offices, NYCON is the largest nonprofit member organization in New York State and the only one that serves all nonprofits. NYCON supports members through its experts in legal, human resources, governance, fundraising, finance, strategic planning and more. Through its affiliates, NYCON members can access all types of insurance, health benefits, fiscal sponsorship and additional board support.

Megan also serves as CEO of Board Strong, Inc., a NYCON affiliate that helps nonprofit organizations achieve the highest standards of board leadership, governance and oversight.

Megan joined NYCON in 2022; she has a master’s degree in business administration and lives in the Capital Region with her husband Andy and daughter Veronica.

Suzette Gordon

Suzette Gordon is President and Chief Executive Officer of SCO Family of Services, one of New York’s largest providers of vital human services. A mission‑driven and collaborative leader, she oversees an extensive continuum of programs focused on education, family permanency, health and wellness, housing, youth justice, and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Under her leadership, Suzette has profoundly shaped how SCO Family of Services fulfills its mission to empower children, families, adults, and communities with essential resources for success. She has cultivated an environment where every team member’s voice is valued, inspiring staff to actively shape SCO’s strategic direction and amplify the organizations’ impact across Long Island and New York City. She is recognized for reimagining and strengthening SCO’s leadership team, improving program optimization, and ensuring the organization’s culture remains deeply aligned with its mission, vision, and values.

With more than 20 years of experience across the legal, government, and nonprofit sectors, Suzette brings deep expertise in healthcare transformation, organizational governance, and compliance. Prior to becoming President and CEO, she served as SCO’s Chief Legal Counsel and led the agency’s legal, compliance, human resources, and communications and marketing functions. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Suzette holds a BA in Political Science from New York University and a JD from NYU School of Law and is a well-respected lecturer and author on healthcare privacy and the law.

Yolanda Robano-Gross

Yolanda Robano-Gross joined Options for Community Living, Inc. as its Chief Executive Officer in 2014 with more than twenty years of prior executive-level experience in the health care industry. Options is a not-for-profit organization that helps the most vulnerable Long Islanders live independently in the community. She is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of agency operations and reports directly to the Board of Directors. Her responsibilities include fiscal management of an annual budget of over $31 million, personnel management, program development, and fundraising. Yolanda earned her master’s in health care administration from Hofstra University, master’s in social work from Yeshiva University, and her bachelor’s degree in social work from Marist College. She holds a certificate in Executive Education, Non-Profit Leadership from The Fordham Center for Non-Profit Leaders.

During Yolanda’s tenure with Options, programs have developed and expanded, increasing capacity. Options’ total revenue in the last five years increased by 50% as government contracts have been renewed at increased levels and innovative programs with new funding streams were established. Agency growth has also created more employment opportunities. Most notably, “peer” workers play a prominent role in helping clients achieve their recovery goals. In 2019, Options relocated its administrative office to Ronkonkoma, adding 10,000 square feet to accommodate current needs and future growth. Today, Yolanda leads a team of more than 260 employees providing quality housing and case management services to well over 2,300 adults and children annually.

Yolanda is an enthusiastic community leader involved with multiple organizations. She is a board member for the Advanced Health Network (AHN) and the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless (LICH). She serves as secretary on the board of the Association for Community Living (ACL) and Vice President of the Women Economic Developers of Long Island (WEDLI). She sits on the advisory councils for the Hempstead Prevention Coalition and Adelphi’s Center for Non-Profit Services. Yolanda is also the President of the 5 Towns Kiwanis Club and a member of the American Legion Post 958 Ladies Auxiliary. In 2025, she received the Long Island Business News Executive Circle Award and was named a Long Island Business News Top 50 Women in Business – Circle of Excellence Honoree. In October of 2025, Yolanda was inducted into the Marist College Theater Hall of Fame

Joe Salamone

Joseph Salamone, a Long Island native from Deer Park, is the Founder and Executive Director of The Long Island Coalition Against Bullying (LICAB), a role he has held since establishing the organization in 2013.

A victim of adolescent bullying himself, Mr. Salamone is driven by a clear mission—reach as many affected children and families as possible and ensure they feel seen, supported, and empowered. His approach centers on strengthening awareness, expanding access to prevention resources, and responsibly stewarding the community support that fuels LICAB’s work.

Under his leadership, LICAB has grown into a leading voice for bullying prevention on Long Island, partnering with school districts, community organizations, and families to build and enhance meaningful anti-bullying education. Mr. Salamone’s resolve has helped LICAB drive systemic change, including participation in state policy conversations, collaborating on government task forces, and advocating for legislation that protects students.

His leadership has earned widespread recognition, including Long Island Business News’ 40 Under 40, Executive Circle Award, and two time Long Island Power List honors.

Mr. Salamone has also been a prominent advocate for making New York public schools cell-phone free, championing policies centered on student well-being, focus, and mental health.

In August 2023, he was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to the New York State Temporary Task Force on Cyberbullying.

Sam Friedman

Moderator

Sam Friedman is a strategic advisor at Urban Strategies, where he helps nonprofits, developers, tech companies, and small businesses grow and succeed. For over 16 years, Sam has worked with leaders navigating complex challenges—from securing government funding and building partnerships to developing new business opportunities and clarifying the path forward. His work involves deep research into stakeholder landscapes, mapping the relationships and power dynamics that determine success. Sam supports organizations across affordable housing, environmental advocacy, clean energy, behavioral health, food relief, faith-based institutions, legal services, workforce development, real estate development, and technology. He studied entrepreneurship at SUNY Albany and is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alum, actively participating in NY League of Conservation Voters Emerging Leaders, Association for a Better New York Young Professionals Associates, and Eminae. Sam is quick on his feet, works collaboratively with technical, political, and business executives, and combines hands-on leadership experience with practical frameworks to help organizations see what’s really happening and what’s truly possible—then helps them move forward with confidence. While Sam is involved in various professional projects, his favorite role is being a devoted father.

The Golden Grantee – Partners that Funders Can Fund

Sol Marie Alfonso-Jones

Sol Marie Alfonso-Jones joined The New York Community Trust in 2009. She is a senior program director who manages the Trust’s competitive grantmaking programs on Long Island in the areas of education, youth development, and community and economic development.

With 30+ years of experience, Sol Marie leads strategic initiatives to ensure an accurate census count, develop regional solutions to racial/economic inequities, advance affordable housing, and support an inclusive and representative democracy. Previously, she worked at Sustainable Long Island, the Fight for Families Coalition, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and in Governor Mario Cuomo’s Office of Hispanic Affairs.

Sol Marie is an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare. She is on the executive committee of Engage New York, chair of the Funders Committee Census Initiative, a board member of the Regional Plan Association and the Funders Committee for Civic Participation, and a member of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council and the Long Island Continuum of Care Governance Board.

Marc Damsky

Marc Damsky is a Senior Program Officer at the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, supporting its grantmaking focused on Mental and Behavioral Health and responding to needs in the Long Island region. He received his BS from Brandeis University and Masters in Public Health from The Mailman School of Public Health. Before coming to MCHF, he spent his career in the service delivery system focused on older adults across different long-term care settings and those with serious mental illness throughout New York City.

Erika Floreska

Since 2023, Erika Floreska has served as President of the award-winning, accredited Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM), providing leadership and vision for an institution with a more than $6 million budget and over 100 full- and part-time staff. As President, she has focused on advancing the well-being of children and families through the power of play, while expanding partnerships with community nonprofits to increase access and deepen impact across Long Island and the New York metropolitan region. Under her leadership, LICM unveiled its first new permanent exhibit in more than a decade, Saltwater Stories, in October 2025. Prior to becoming President, Floreska served as LICM’s Director of Development from 2020 to 2023. Grounded in her musical roots, Floreska brings 30 years of experience as a leader, fundraiser, and program developer in the nonprofit arts and education sector, with prior roles at organizations including Bloomingdale School of Music, Tectonic Theater Project, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Paola Muggia

A native of New York, Paola Muggia is a graduate of Oberlin College with a B.A. in Art History with Masters work in Art History from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. She has worked in the field of fundraising for over 20 years both in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2019, Paola has been Executive Director of The Chemotherapy Foundation, a cancer research organization based in New York City. Her areas of expertise are strategic planning, annual and capital campaigns, grant-writing, major gifts and donor relations. Her experience with small to medium sized organizations has given her the opportunity to wear many hats, which has allowed her to effectively build and rebuild fundraising programs.

Paola is the Founder of As It Develops, a consulting firm that offers small and new nonprofits pro bono development support. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Golden Gate Chapter and Charles Armstrong School’s Development Committee and is currently a member of Women in Development, New York and AFP NYC.

Sima Matthes

Sima Matthes is the President of the Long Island Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP-LI). AFP empowers individuals and organizations to practice ethical fundraising through professional education, networking, research and advocacy.

Sima is also the Vice President for Individual & Institutional Giving for The Good Dog Foundation, a nationwide leader in training and certifying volunteer handlers and their dogs as therapy teams to bring comfort and healing to those in need. She leads the organization’s efforts to expand individual giving and grant revenue, and plays a key role in board stewardship and in elevating The Good Dog Foundation’s visibility within the philanthropic community.

Sima has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, donor stewardship, data management, grant writing, and relationship-building in the Long Island philanthropic community, both as a staff member and as a grant writing and strategic planning consultant for not-for-profits. She is passionate about justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all spaces, and about centering the experience of less-frequently heard populations in philanthropy. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international advertising and Public Relations from Ithaca College; her paralegal certification from New York University; and her Juris Doctor from New York Law School.

Donna Haynes

Moderator

Donna Haynes is the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Adelphi University, where she develops and manages strategic partnerships that support academic programs, scholarships, research, and student success initiatives. She works closely with campus leadership, faculty, and external partners to align institutional priorities with philanthropic and corporate interests. Before entering higher education, Donna spent several years in the private sector in relationship-building roles in the technology and insurance industries. That experience shapes her practical, partner-focused approach to advancement work and informs how she engages corporate and foundation partners today. She is known for building trusted, long-term relationships and creating opportunities that deliver meaningful impact for both donors and the communities they serve.