Advisory Board
Anne Akers
Borne into three generations of military service, Anne Akers proudly serves as on the Shining Service Advisory Board. Founder/Editor in Chief of GLOW Beauty, Health & Wellness Magazine, Co-founder of MDPublish.com, and former Publisher/Founder of Castle Connolly Graduate Medical, Anne is fully committed to honoring our returning female Vets as well as extending the mission of "healthy bodies, radiant beauty, and positive spirits" through her professional and charitable outreach.
Recipient of the 2013 SMART CEO/BRAVA award for "entrepreneurial spirit with a sense of give back to the community", Anne presently serves on the Board of Directors of VOICE-Mt. Sinai Ovarian Cancer and the NYC Advisory Group for IEWW (Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women) and is a former Advisory Board Member for the Skin Cancer Foundation and the National Host Committee for the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Jacqueline Newman
Jacqueline Newman is the managing partner of the divorce law firm of Berkman Bottger Newman & Rodd, LLP. Jacqueline's practice consists of litigation, collaborative law and mediation. She specializes in complex high net worth matrimonial cases and negotiating prenuptial agreements. She has appeared as a commentator on various television shows and has been quoted as an expert in numerous publications, including Glamour Magazine, Crain's New York Business, U.S. News and World Report, Woman's Day and The Huffington Post.
Ms. Newman has been included in the New York Metro Super Lawyers Edition for 2012 and 2013 and was honored with a listing in The Ten Leaders of Matrimonial & Divorce Law in New York City, Age 45 and Under. She has recently been honored to be selected as the New York Divorce and Prenuptial Agreements attorney for the exclusive Haute Lawyers network. These activities and her reputation for ethical standards and professional ability among her fellow lawyers have earned her the highest rating, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell. Ms. Newman is also the youngest attorney to be selected for inclusion in Thompson Reuters New York-Metro Super Lawyers Top 50 Women Attorneys for 2013.
Marilyn Kane
In 2009, Marilyn Kane founded Iridium Capital, a real estate fund management firm, to hold real property. Marilyn was named one of "New York's 100 Most Influential Women in Business" by Crain's and one of the top "100 Women Real Estate Leaders of the 21st Century" by Real Estate Weekly.
After her involvement in a landmark child support case which put her on the cover of People magazine, she became a staunch advocate for child support initiatives. She is on the Board of the Foundation for Social Change, which runs a Global Conference with the United Nations.
Recently she became a principal and investor in the newly launched company ChangeCorp, a content provider for mobile technology in emerging markets.
Frank Amalfitano
Frank Amalfitano has been the President/CEO of United Veterans Beacon House,Inc. since 1999. He is a Veteran who served four years in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed to Vietnam as a K-9 handler during his service.
Mr. Amalfitano was a successful Long Island businessman, who upon learning the unimaginable truth that there were Veterans living on the streets in our country; decided to devote his time and resources to bringing awareness and change to that truth.
Under his direction and leadership United Veterans Beacon House, Inc. has flourished becoming a pillar in the community proudly serving over 4250 U.S. Veterans and over 4000 civilians. Mr. Amalfitano is a board member of the Coalition for the Homeless. He had been named the Long Islander of the Year by Newsday & was awarded the Keys of Excellence Award @ the 2013 Keys for the Homeless conference.
Tamsen Fadal
Tamsen Fadal is a long-time supporter of Shining Service Worldwide. She is an award winning journalist, author and entrepreneur who now anchors the 5pm and 10pm news on WPIX, Tribune's flagship station in New York City.
A perfect media voice for Shining Service, Tamsen travelled to Afghanistan in 2002 with the American troops reporting on the war. She was also sent to Air Force bases in London and Germany to report on local troops during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Tamsen was awarded an Emmy in 2005 for her work as an investigative reporter.. She was awarded a Broadcast Journalism award in 2004 by the National Air Disaster Foundation post - 9/11, for contributions leading to improved aviation safety and is also the recipient of the Associated Press Award for Best Enterprise Reporting.
Ms. Fadal is proud to serve on the Shining Service Worldwide Advisory Board which is focused on assisting returning women veterans and their children in New York City.
Annette Green
Annette Green is recognized as one of America’s leading fragrance authorities and futurists. She was appointed President of The Fragrance Foundation in 1980. Upon her retirement in 2003, the Board of Directors named her President Emeritus. The Fragrance Foundation’s Annual “FiFi” Awards, the Oscars of the fragrance industry, were conceived by Ms. Green 40 years ago. Prominent celebrities present the internationally acclaimed awards at gala ceremonies in June of each year attended by worldwide members of the fragrance industry and media.
Ms. Green developed and opened the country’s first fragrance museum. The Board of the Foundation elected to name the museum, the Annette Green Museum at the Fragrance Foundation.
In 1993, in ceremonies at Gracie Mansion, the Mayor of New York presented the “Certificate of Appreciation” to Ms. Green “for her contribution to the well-being of the fashion and beauty industries in our City.” In 2002, she was honored with the Medal of the City of Paris, presented at ceremonies at City Hall in Paris for her dedication and commitment over the past twelve years to France/America friendship, personified by the establishment of Fragrance Foundation Français.
She is currently writing her memoir tracing her 40 year career and its impact on the growth of the fragrance industry in America.
Marc Kutner
Marc Kutner is Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Akuity Social Enterprises, Inc. Characterized by his creativity, drive and problem solving skills, Kutner oversees the strategic direction of this New York-based management consulting firm specialized in the health care and human services sectors.
Prior to assuming his current role, for the past 15 years, Kutner has held a range of management and executive positions in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors encompassing operations, research & development, and strategic planning roles, most recently serving for more than five years as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Services for the UnderServed Inc. (SUS), a $180 million multi-service health and human services company based in New York.
Kutner is perhaps best known for his business development and fundraising expertise, having secured approximately $75 million in government, corporate and private foundation grants on behalf of clients over the course of the past five years supporting a wide range of business lines including housing, capital construction, workforce development, health care, and social services.
Marc has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA) and was appointed to the faculty of the Columbia University School of Social Work. Kutner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Master of Science in Social Work, Social Enterprise Administration degree from Columbia University; Kutner is now in the process of completing dissertation requirements for a Ph.D. in Social Welfare.
Laurie Leitch
Laurie Leitch, Ph.D. has been a practicing psychotherapist, clinical trainer, consultant, social entrepreneur and researcher for over 25 years. She is Director of Threshold GlobalWorks, dedicated to cultivating the social dimension of resilience in individuals and within communities, enterprises and systems. Committed to promoting workplaces and communities in which principled behavior and collaboration are the norm, Leitch’s organization, Threshold GlobalWorks, has developed a neuroscience-based curriculum, Social Resilience Model (SRM) for building social resilience in adults and children as well as at the system’s level. The curriculum has been used in military, medical, educational, corrections and corporate settings nationally and internationally to strengthen resilience by building improved cognitive, emotional, and physical health and promoting collaborative relationships among individuals, across disciplines, and in communities of all sizes. SRM’s model is being used in urban communities which have high rates of violence to amplify community strengths, network diverse groups and enhance safety and sharing of resources.
Lisa Beatha
Lisa Beatha, University Director of Veteran Affairs, CUNY Central Office of Student Affairs
Lisa Beatha served in the U.S. Army Reserves during the Gulf War Era and trained as a 91 Alpha (Army Medic) at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. Since 2001, Ms. Beatha has attained both her undergraduate and graduate degree from CUNY.
Ms. Beatha currently serves as the University Director of Veterans’ Affairs at the CUNY Central Office. In this role, she supports the three thousand veterans enrolled at CUNY by facilitating the transition of veterans from the military to academia. One of her main responsibilities is to advance CUNY’s commitment to provide student veterans with educational access and guidance as they pursue their degrees and future careers. To do this, she promotes collaboration and partnership within and across CUNY campuses as well as with surrounding community partners. Ms. Beatha also leads the CUNY Veterans’ Affairs Liaisons Council, which conducts targeted outreach and assessment of veterans issues. The council benefits from Ms. Beatha’s passion about the issues that women veterans face.
Ms. Beatha is a member of CCME (Council of College & Military Educators) and of the DOD (Department of Defense) Academic Credentialing Taskforce, IHLs (Institutions of Higher Learning), the Department of the VA (Veteran Affairs) and the Department of Education. Ms. Beatha was recently was nominated by her peers to represent the North East/Region I Board member, for NAVPA (National Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators).