At the Eden II Programs Board of Directors Meeting on June 21, 2012, members elected officers, re-elected board members Robert Fitzsimmons and Sheldon Becher, and elected new members Donald M. Russo and Anthony Tucci, Esq. to the board.  At the previous meeting, Eden II elected Christie Del Ray-Cone, Esq. to the board.  The officers elected include Shanx Ravisankar, Chair; Lenore Puleo, Vice Chair; Gregg Illiceto, CPA, Treasurer; and Jim Caldarella, Secretary.

Christie Del Rey-Cone represents employers in the full range of employment litigation  and counseling matters.  In 2011, Chambers listed Ms. Del Rey-Cone as being “one to watch” in New York Labor & Employment, with clients describing her as “an exceptional advocate and a thoughtful, practical adviser.”  She has also been named a “New York Rising Star” by the Super Lawyers publication.  Ms. Del Ray-Cone is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Wetern Districts of New York; and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.  Additionally, she serves as the President of the PDR Foundation for the Study of Uterine Cancer.

Donald M. Russo is the Senior Vice President of Oracle’s Insurance Global Business, a division of Oracle’s Financial Services Global Business Unit.  His experience includes over 35 years in the software industry split evenly between working for major Financial Institutions and consulting to a number of industries.  Mr. Russo served as Vice President at Solomon Brothers and then at Merrill Lynch, where he worked in both Finance and IT and was responsible for key systems such as Finance, Credit, Risk Management and support for Trading Operations.  He led the acquisition of Oracle’s Global Financial Services Business.  Mr. Russo has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Boston College.

Anthony Tucci, Esq. is an Attorney and Certified Public Accountant with a private practice located on Staten Island.  Mr. Tucci’s firm has successfully negotiated multi-million dollar exemptions for a wide variety of properties including industrial and commercial facilities owned by large corporate clients. Mr. Tucci is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.  He is actively involved as a cabinet member of Staten Island Economic Development Corporation.  Mr. Tucci is also the executive director of the Autism Awareness & Support Foundation, and served on the board of the San Bernardino Society for a ten year period.  He is a member of the American Association of Attorney-CPA’s and has a child in Eden II’s School Program.

“We are so pleased to have Christie, Don and Anthony join the Eden II Programs Board.  They bring a wealth of experience to the agency, and a passion for helping us stay true to our mission, to provide individuals living with autism with the opportunities to achieve the highest possible quality of life,” shares Dr. Joanne Gerenser, Executive Director.