Board of Directors & Staff

Board Officers

Julie Ratner, Ed.D.

  • Julie Ratner is the co-founder and chairwoman of The Ellen Hermanson Foundation which she founded in 1996 with her her sister Emily Levin.  Named in honor of their younger sister, Ellen, who died in 1995 of breast cancer at the age of 42, the foundation has distributed more than $4 million in grants.

    Julie worked as a school librarian at the Brearley School and at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City before enrolling in the Department of Higher and Adult Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1990. She earned her Doctorate in Education in 1996.

    Currently, Julie is a member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the New York State Breast Cancer Network. She has also served on the boards of the League Education and Treatment Center in Brooklyn (as President), Congressman Tim Bishop’s Breast Cancer Advisory Board, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Chamber Symphony, the Hadassah Foundation, and The American Friends of the Soroka Medical Center of the Negev in Israel.

    Julie received her B.A. from Simmons College with honors (1968), M.L.S. from Columbia University School of Library Science (1970), and M.A. and Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University (1996). She is a graduate of Project Lead, Science Training Course, sponsored by the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

    She has two daughters, Rebecca and Elizabeth.

Ann Ciardullo

  • Ann began her real estate career in 1979 in the Northern Westchester areas of Armonk, Bedford and Chappaqua, and relocated to the Hamptons in 1995. Ann's passion for and deep knowledge of the real estate business, along with her outgoing personality and excellent people skills, have made her extremely successful. Ann is a fully licensed real estate broker, is very accomplished and committed, and loves to match buyers with the perfect property.

    The social whirl of the Hamptons is nothing new to Ann, who concurrently with her real estate career over the years has been very involved with fundraising for the New York Junior Tennis League and Cartier's Grand Slam Event for the American Cancer Society. Ann is a Board member of the Ellen Hermanson Foundation and was a Co-Chair for HEAT, a celebration at the home of Steven Klein for the new Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Southampton Hospital. Ann joined Sotheby's International Realty in 2006.

Melissa Cohn

  • Melissa Cohn is a pioneer in the mortgage industry as we know it today, with nearly 40 years in the business. Cohn remains one of the industry’s top-ranked mortgage brokers and continues to hit past her billion-dollar mark. She began her career with CitiMortgage before launching her own successful mortgage company, The Manhattan Mortgage Company, in 1985. As one of the very first independent mortgage brokers, Melissa was able to exponentially grow her business into the #1 residential mortgage broker on the East Coast with more than $5 billion in annual volume. In 2020, she joined William Raveis Mortgage as Regional Vice President and has been the top originator in the company ever since.

    Year after year, Melissa is consistently recognized in the industry for top production. She was named in Crain's 40 Under 40 Class of 1996, Ernst & Young Metropolitan New York 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year for Financial Services, and The 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate, 2009, In 2023 she was recognized by Scotsman Guide for total volume: #50 Top Originator nationwide, #10 Top Women Originator nationwide, and #1 Top Originator in Connecticut.

    She has been on any number of boards including the Child Development Center Of The Hamptons Charter School, Volunteers of America, The Lighthouse for the Blind, and Real Estate Board of New York. She currently sits on two boards, at the The Ellen Hermanson Foundation which supports The Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, and at Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

    As if all her accomplishments weren’t enough, she has also been recognized as a female trailblazer, driving change and personally helping to promote more women into the still male-dominated mortgage field. One of her biggest moments of pride was getting her daughter to join her. Melissa's business comes from word-of-mouth referrals from REALTORS®, attorneys, financial planners, and past clients with whom she has built a relationship over the past four decades. She also seeks new relationships that can offer her clients more options. Her expertise and insights are regularly featured in the press including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, CNBC/Acorns and Mansion Global.

    Achievements

    • #10 Nationwide Total Volume | Scotsman Guide 2023 Top Originator

    • #1 Connecticut Total Volume | Scotsman Guide 2023 Top Originator

    • #50 Nationwide Total Volume | Scotsman Guide 2022 Top Originator

    • #2 Connecticut Total Volume | Scotsman Guide 2022 Top Originator

    • #1 Companywide in both Volume and Units in 2022 | William Raveis Mortgage

    • #10 Nationwide Total Volume | Scotsman Guide 2022 Top Women Originators

    • #1 Connecticut Total Volume | Scotsman Guide 2022 Top Women Originators

    • Top 100 | 2021 National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America

    • The 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate, 2009

    • Ernst & Young Metropolitan New York 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year for Financial Services

    • Crain's 40 Under 40 Class of 1996

Cathy Tweedy

  • Cathy welcomes you into her office, offers you a comfortable chair, and listens to what you have to say. She asks you questions and pays attention to your answers. She works with you to find the perfect property to buy, or the best way to sell your home or land. She makes it easy for you because she takes the time to guide you through the process of obtaining the information necessary for you to be confident in making one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

    A native New Yorker who was raised in Manhattan, she earned a degree in Public Communications from Boston University's School of Communications. For over twenty years she worked in the high-profile worlds of advertising and direct marketing. Working for Ogilvy & Mather, Cathy quickly rose up the ladder to become Director of Client Services for Ogilvy Direct. She went on to open and operate her own successful agency, which she later sold, continuing to work as a consultant before venturing into residential real estate.

    Weekending and summering in the Hamptons since the mid 90's Cathy bought a home in 2001. While her first intention was to vacation there, the East End's beauty and the desire to redirect her professional interests resulted in a permanent move.

    Recently she was elected to the board of directors of HANFRA, the Hamptons and North Fork Real Estate organization. Cathy enjoys taking part in charitable work in her community. In addition to her work on the Board of The Ellen Hermanson Foundation, benefiting breast cancer patients and their families, she was formerly on the Associates Committee for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of New York.

    She loves to visit the beaches on a daily basis, where she walks and basks in the unprecedented beauty with Dixie, her frisky, adorable Goldendoodle. She is also a cook, and enjoys entertaining and travel.

Board Members

Constance M. Chen, MD

  • Dr. Constance M. Chen is a board-certified plastic surgeon with special expertise in the use of innovative natural techniques to optimize medical and cosmetic outcomes for women undergoing breast reconstruction. Dr. Chen received her BA from Harvard College, MD from Stanford University School of Medicine, and MPH from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. After surgical residencies at the University of Washington Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital Cornell-Columbia, she completed fellowships at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and New York University Langone Medical Center Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. She is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery) at Weill Cornell Medical College and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery) at Tulane University School of Medicine. She is also the Chief of Microsurgery at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. 

    Dr. Chen pioneered perforator flap breast reconstruction at Lenox Hill Hospital, and operates at the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai as part of the New York Center for the Advancement of Breast Reconstruction. She was previously principal investigator of a multi-institutional clinical trial investigating autologous lymph node transfer to treat breast cancer patients who have developed chronic upper extremity lymphedema after mastectomy.  

    Dr. Chen is frequently invited to lecture nationally and internationally on new advancements in breast reconstruction and the surgical treatment of lymphedema. She is the author of three books, five book chapters, and fifty journal articles. She has also won numerous awards for her work in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the local, regional, and national levels. Dr. Chen has developed a reputation in the community for the personalized attention that she devotes to her patients. She is committed to aesthetic restoration of the breast and body, and enjoys helping her patients achieve overall well-being. At the end of the day, there is nothing more important to her than the joy she hopes to bring to her patients' lives.

Hugo Moreno

  • Hugo S. Moreno, who was married to Ellen Hermanson, has served as a board member since the Foundation’s beginning. Since 2011, he has served as Editorial Director of Forbes Insights, the thought leadership and strategic research practice of Forbes Media. In 2010, he helped launch the international edition Forbes Middle East in Dubai. Previously, Hugo spent a decade on the editorial side at Forbes, then another decade as Deputy Managing Editor at SmartMoney: The Wall Street Journal Magazine. He is also a co-founder of the thought leadership firm McParlin Partners.

Amanda Star Frazer, JD

  • Amanda is a partner at the law firm of Esseks, Hefter, Angel, Di Talia & Pasca, LLP, with offices in Southampton and Riverhead, New York. Amanda focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, real estate and title litigation, contract and business torts disputes, and civil appellate litigation.  Before joining the firm in 2016, Amanda practiced commercial litigation for nine years in Miami, Florida, last serving as senior counsel at a state-wide firm.

    Amanda was raised in Montauk, graduated with honors from Choate Rosemary Hall (1994), and received her B.A. from Bucknell University (1998). Between college and law school, Amanda served as a senior writer and reporter for The East Hampton Star. Amanda then graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law (2007), where she was a Dean’s Merit Scholar, Dean’s Fellow in the Academic Achievement Program, an editorial board member of the University of Miami Law Review, and an intern for New York State Supreme Court Justice Edward D. Burke, Sr. Amanda speaks conversational Spanish and is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association. From 2013 through 2017, she was named as a “Rising Star” in business litigation by Thompson-West’s “Super Lawyers”.

    Amanda lives in East Hampton with her husband, Brian, and their daughter, Eden.

Dee Rivera

  • Dee Rivera started her career in editorial magazines as a Fashion + Beauty Editor at Modern Bride Magazine, Latina Magazine, Brio, Vibe, and Chaos Magazine. She then rolled up her sleeves in public relations as a publicist at one of New York City's top PR firms, Sandy Blye Media Relations, when she developed a "Nose for News" by pitching editorial stories, segments and tracking breaking news stories. In 2007, Dee started DCG Public Relations, a boutique firm in NYC specializing in beauty and fashion brands. In the last 10 years, her company has successfully grown, working with viable brands, such as IMAN Cosmetics, Vera Moore Cosmetics, Shimmer Med Spa, Rommy Beauty, Glamazon Beauty, Ogilvy & Mather-Latin read, Salud, Luscious Vines, Vanity Drink & many more.

    Her scope of work covers the fields of food, sports, dance, music, health, fitness, charity, and fashion, with media placement seen on The Today Show, The Early Show, FOX News, Fox and Friends, Essence, CBS Sunday Morning, Access Hollywood, Extra, The New York Times, Associated Press, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, Latina Magazine and more.

    DCG Public Relations specializes in Digital Marketing and Advertising for Brands seeking to reach the next level of growth.

Scott Kaufman

  • Scott Kaufman has been a talent agent or talent manager for almost his entire career. He is currently an agent at Buchwald where he’s the Vice President of Alternative working across the areas of Publishing, Personal Appearances, Licensing, Music and Sports. Scott was featured in Business Insider’s 2023 list of the 32 Managers and Agents Helping Athletes Forge Careers in Media and Entertainment. He has also been a guest speaker at Marist University. Scott and his wife Ainslee Schreiber split their time between New York City and Hampton Bays.

Andrea Seiden

  • Andrea G. Seiden has built a consulting practice where she works with law firms to help them find, vet, and retain experts across various fields, including academia, industry, science, and medicine, to support their litigation needs.

    Previously, Andrea was the Managing Partner and Founder of JumpStart Healthcare Communication Consultants, LLC, a woman-owned small business. She was also one of three women to found and manage Accel Healthcare, an Omnicom company, where she created and delivered educational programs for healthcare professionals to enhance their understanding and adoption of evidence-based practices. Andrea has led initiatives for hospitals and federal agencies like SAMHSA, the VA, and USDA’s WIC program, focusing on health-related knowledge transfer.

    Throughout her career, Andrea has been passionate about mentoring women in business, helping them excel at work and maintain a work/life balance by building a supportive culture and accommodating procedures. At Accel, she established one of the first lactation rooms for employees, ensuring a supportive environment for new mothers.

    She lives in Scarsdale, NY, where she actively participates in community politics and volunteer programs. She served a two-year term on the Citizens Nominating Committee, which selects candidates for village offices. She was also chosen to serve on the Scarsdale Bowl Committee, which honors individuals who contribute to the civic welfare of the community. Additionally, Andrea has been deeply involved with her temple, Congregation Kol Ami, where she has chaired numerous events and served as Development Chair, raising over $4 million to renovate the sanctuary.

    Andrea is a lifelong learner. She holds two master’s degrees and continues her education through various programs, including the Melton course and the Hartman Institute. She has a master’s degree in food and nutrition and a Master’s in Public Health from NYU.

    She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing tennis, cooking, reading, and writing. She has completed numerous runs (half and full marathons) for her gratification and on behalf of various organizations, raising money and helping with Achilles’ participants. Andrea is married to Mark Seiden, and they have two sons, Joshua (married to Alli) and Gregory. Recently, she became a grandmother to twins Sawyer and Sabrina, and she is thrilled with her new role as “MiMi.”

    With her experience and deep-rooted commitment to health and women’s issues,  Andrea is excited to contribute as a potential board member ofThe Ellen Hermanson Foundation. Given her professional/strategic background, she can help with educational outreach to highlight the importance of early detection and ensure access to mammography and treatment for medically underserved communities. She believes deeply in the Public Health Oath: " Health is a human right.” She looks forward to meeting exciting women who are dedicated to helping others optimize their health status and improve access to care.

Jim Levin

Sarah (Alvarez) DeFlorio 

  • Sarah (Alvarez) DeFlorio is a Vice President, Mortgage Banking at William Raveis Mortgage. She joined the company in 2020 along with her mother, industry legend Melissa Cohn, as a part of the Melissa Cohn Group. Alvarez is a graduate of Deerfield Academy and Vanderbilt University, and is licensed in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. She resides in East Hampton, New York. Both a mortgage broker and banker, Alvarez works with more than 60 different investors and lenders, offers a wide range of services to all types of borrowers and has access to the best rates and products available. As a team, Alvarez and Cohn have closed more than $870 million in volume since joining WRM as of 12.31.24.

    Previously DeFlorio served as Director of Referrals at NYC real estate brokerage Stribling & Associates where she worked for nearly a decade. Sarah is recognized as an industry expert as a member of Forbes Advisor Mortgage Advisory Board, a panel of experienced, vetted financial professionals who review articles, advise on content and support Forbes Advisor’s mission to help consumers make smarter and less stressful decisions about loans.

In Memoriam

 

Emily H. Levin, Co-Founder
July 11, 1944 – September 18, 2021

Emily Levin co-founded The Ellen Hermanson Foundation with her sister Julie Ratner. During the early years of the foundation, Emily worked behind the scene to develop the foundation's database, financial records keeping, printed materials including the Ellen's Run race application, party invitations, race poster, newspaper advertisements, race t-shirt, and website as well as reading contracts and providing legal advice.

Emily was an attorney, having practiced complex civil litigation in a large law firm for several years, including writing the winning brief for an important matter of first impression in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. After Ellen’s death, Emily became a founding member of an organization within her synagogue that provides outreach and support to members in times of grief and need.

Emily served as a trustee of her synagogue, is past president of her Hadassah group, and for several years served on Hadassah’s regional board. A passionate balletomane, Emily was a member of the Golden Circle Council at American Ballet Theater. Committed to the eradication of breast cancer, Emily was a member of the executive committee for Babes Against Cancer events benefiting the American Cancer Society.

Emily received her B.A. from Clark University (1967), M.S. from Columbia University (1969), and J.D. with honors from Hofstra University (1988).

 

Medical Advisory Board

Louis Avvento, M.D.,
Medical Oncologist, Eastern Long Island Hematology and Oncology

Deborah Axelrod, M.D.,
Director of Clinical Breast Surgery and Community Outreach at NYU Langone Medical Center

Laura Borghardt, MS, MBA, CMD,
Program Director-Medical Dosimetry, Center for Allied Health Education

William Brancaccio, M.D.,
Radiologist at Southampton Hospital

Kathleen Foley, M.D.,
Chair, Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Edna Kapenhas, M.D.,
Medical Director of The Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Southampton Hospital

Larry Norton, M.D.,
Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center & Medical Director, Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center

Karrie Zampini, M.S.W.,
Director of Clinical Programs and Senior Oncology Social Worker at Fighting Chance, Sag Harbor

Staff

Mady J. Schuman

  • A veteran of the nonprofit sector, Mady Schuman comes to the Ellen Hermanson Foundation with over three decades of executive external relations and fundraising experience garnered at respected healthcare, social service, educational, and cultural organizations and institutions. She has spent her career addressing inequities across diverse sectors, combatting many of the greatest societal and medical issues of our time, including cancer, aging and eldercare, women’s and children’s rights and access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities, veterans rights, HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ equality.

    In addition to her roles as senior vice president of campaign and leadership giving at the American Cancer Society and executive director of The Endometriosis Foundation of America, she served on the NARAL New York board and was a founding board member of Miracle House, an organization that provided temporary housing and support services to the out-of-town families and friends of people with HIV/AIDS in New York City. She has held other executive leadership and senior fundraising positions at NYU/Stern School of Business, Planned Parenthood of NYC 92nd Street Y, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, New Jewish Home and LongHouse Reserve. Mady serves on the board of SAGE, the country’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGTQ+ older people, and recently, she was elected to the board of the Stony Hill Stables Foundation in Amagansett, providing scholarships to young equestrians to continue their training.

    Mady holds a BA from Wheaton College (Norton, MA) and earned an MA. and ABD from New York University in theater history. A native New Yorker, she lives with her wife in New York City and Amagansett.

Debbie Allen

  • Debbie is an award-winning Creative Director and Designer with over a decade of experience partnering with non-profits to drive millions in donations, improve donor relations, enhance communications, and execute major fundraising events. Her work with The National WWII Museum has earned her accolades, including Travel Weekly’s Magellan Best in Marketing and Best in Industry awards.

    Debbie began her career at Wunderman Worldwide and rose to Senior Vice President at Bertelsmann Music Group, where she led creative and marketing for brands like BMG Music, Columbia House, and Book of the Month Club, while overseeing mergers and acquisitions. She later led creative and marketing at Minacs Marketing Solutions for brands like Honda and Chrysler, and served as Chief Marketing & Creative Officer at Vantage Travel before founding her own agency, Clip Media Group, in 2012.

    She holds a BA in Advertising from The University of Texas at Austin and attended Harvard’s Executive Education program. She lives with her wife and daughter in Wainscott.

Katherine Persky

  • After a lengthy career in advertising helping develop campaigns for clients such as Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal, and Pfizer, Katherine relocated from New York to East Hampton in 2019. Soon realizing that retirement was not for her, she worked in a variety of administrative positions with several different East End arts organizations. Given her strong personal commitment to health and wellness, she is delighted to join The Ellen Hermanson Foundation. Katherine holds a BA in Classics from Princeton, and  when she’s not at her desk or traveling, you’re likely to find her cycling the backroads of the Hamptons or swimming at the Y.

Laura Borghardt

  • Laura Borghardt started her clinical career in Radiation Oncology over 23 years ago at Stony Brook University Medical Center. Throughout her tenure there she was involved in both the treatment of the patients while also working in academia teaching and training a new generation of oncology health care providers. As she transitioned into a more administrative role, Laura worked closely with the Southampton Hospital leadership to design, develop and initiate the Phillip's Family Cancer Center and oversee the operations and programs there for the last 5 years as the Director of Cancer Services for Stony Brook Southampton Hospital; which also included the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center. Within the first 6 months of moving into this role, Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer.  As a true warrior, Laura took this event as an opportunity to really understand cancer care from a patient's perspective and make real changes at Cancer Center and in the hospital's programs and workflows to better care for her cancer patients.  Her main focus was directed on outreach and support to those patients that are underprivileged, underinsured and/or undocumented. This included working with the Ellen Hermanson Foundation to create a community partnership with local not-for-profits that were also working hard to bridge these gaps. Laura continues to work as the Community Partnership Liaison for the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, expanding the partnership program, and bringing those that have resources to those that need them the most.

Molly Sheppard

  • A lifetime NY resident, Molly Sheppard brings a decade of marketing from various industries to aid in running the Ellen Hermanson Social Media. Currently, Molly resides in upstate New York and is the founder of Wild Coast Studios. 

Fatima Kandri

  • Fatima Kandri is a seasoned CPA, Enrolled Agent, and U.S. Tax Court practitioner who has been with The Ellen Hermanson Foundation since November 2016. In her role, Fatima manages all financial aspects of foundation, from recording donations to paying vendors and coordinating with external professionals for annual filings.

    Passionate about the nonprofit sector, Fatima is an expert in establishing nonprofit organizations with the IRS. She finds great fulfillment in working alongside people whose vision is to help others and make a positive impact on the world.

    Fatima is a dedicated mother to two boys and a baby girl, balancing her professional commitments with the joys of family life.