A Stellar Celebration for the 2025 Rising Stars

Five hundred business leaders were on hand Tuesday evening to celebrate the BCW’s 2025 Rising Stars, a diverse and talented group of young men and women who represent a wide array of professions. The reception was held at Million Air’s luxurious facility at Westchester County Airport.

“These exemplary leaders have distinguished themselves through their talent, determination, leadership and commitment to the Westchester business community. As we celebrate their initiative and innovation, we continue to look to our Rising Stars to ensure that Westchester County continues to be the leading business community,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester.

Since 2004 the BCW’s Rising Stars program has chosen honorees based on professional and/or entrepreneurial accomplishments, professional and/or business affiliations, and demonstrated leadership skills.

With Tuesday’s event, the Rising Stars program has now honored 880 young professionals in Westchester County. Among the many industry sectors represented in this year’s class are finance, real estate, law, healthcare not-for-profit, higher ed, retail, hospitality, entertainment, technology and government.

The Rising Stars Class of 2025 are as follows:

Jonathan Alvarez
Pres. & CEO
914United

Derick Ansah
AVP, Wealth Advisor
Tompkins Community Bank
Tompkins Financial Advisors

Anthony Bartolotta
Business Owner
Pete’s Saloon

Tyler Bisack, CFP®
Dir., Wealth Strategies
Altium Wealth Management

Michael Bitondo
Sr. Project Manager
Cappelli Organization/LRC Construction

Brian Bodansky
Associate
Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Marco Castelli
Dir. of Client Services
Montefiore Medical Center

Joseph Castiglie, CFA® III
CEO & Chief Investment Officer
SYKON Capital

James M. Comblo, CFF, President – FSC Wealth Advisor
CEO
FSC Wealth Advisors

David Cortez
Founder & CEO
The Leasing Experts & Foretold

Alexa Dalbis, M.A.
Dir. of Strategic Partnerships
Yonkers Partners in Education

Florence Davis, M.A., SHRM-SCP
HR Director
Wenesco Restaurants

Sean DeBiase
Associate Dean of Students,
Admin. Coordinator
Iona Preparatory School

Lauren Douglas
Dir. Guest Experience, Northeast Group MGM Resorts
Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts

Patrick Durney
COO
STEER for Student Athletes, Inc.

Art Efremkin
VP of Business Operations
Aerolase Corp.

Michelle Elsener MBA, BSN, RN-BC, CPHQ
Clinical Quality Nurse
White Plains Hospital

Andrew Germansky
SVP of Real Estate
Westhab, Inc.

Rachel Greenspan
Senior Director
GHP Office Realty, LLC

Xiaofei Guan
Instructor of Neuroscience, Director of the Structure & Functional Imaging Core
Burke Neurological Institute

James Hurley
Project Manager
Cappelli Organization/LRC Construction

Faheem Jamal
Director of C-Store Operation
Chestnut Market

Tiago Machado
Dir of Student Involvement
SUNY Westchester Community College

Kara Magoolaghan, Esq., CPHD
Principal & Founder
KMCG

Greg Maugeri
Senior Project Manager
RXR

Dr. Mzimeli Morris
Director of Labor and Delivery
NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester

Dr. Giovanni Nanna
Director of Hospital Medicine
Phelps Hospital, Northwell

Lauren O’Connor- Falcone
Deputy Commissioner
City of New Rochelle’s Department of Parks & Recreation

Peter O’Keefe
Director, Development
Rose Associates

Moish Eli Peltz
Co-Managing Partner
Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP

Michael Pinto
Corporate Affairs Manager
Con Edison

Padraic Reynolds, M.P.H.
Associate Dean for
Academic Administration
New York Medical College

Malav P Shah, MD
Dir. of Inpatient Orthopedic and
Limb Loss Rehabilitation Medicine
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

Dr. Sunaina Shrivastava, BEng., MBA, PhD
Co-Founder & CEO; Faculty of Business & Consumer Behavior
YellowFryum NY & New York University

Remy Silvestre
Founder & Owner
LOVE2LEARN

Alise Strauch, SHRM-CP
Senior Manager, Human Resources Business Partner
Regeneron

Kayli Tarcy, MSDM
Director of Marketing
Cross County Center

Margot Warhit
Associate Counsel
ENT and Allergy Associates/QMMS USA, LLC

Mattie Wilkes
CEO
REx2

Scott Zaro
Owner
Zaro’s Family Bakery