Coro NY Staff
All staff can be reached at:
Coro New York Leadership Center
42 Broadway, Suite 1827-35
New York, New York 10004
(212) 248-2935 | main phone
(212) 248-2970 | fax
Karen Baddeley, Office Manager
kbaddeley@coronewyork.org (ext. 221)
Karen is a graduate of The College of New Rochelle where she studied English Literature and Women’s Studies, focusing on Modern Irish Literature. Prior to joining Coro, Karen worked at various non-profit organizations including the Visiting Nurses Association in Hartford, CT, and Friends of Firefighters in Brooklyn. Outside of work, Karen enjoys frolicking with her dog, Jasper, in Central Park and reading true crime novels. She has also created her own line of organic bath bombs, which she sells at craft fairs and online. She is currently working on her M.F.A. in Creative Writing at City College.
Aditi Chakravarty, Program Coordinator
achakravarty@coronewyork.org (ext. 303)
Aditi manages the coordination and logistics of internship placements, interviews, and retreats for the Fellows Program, the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program and Exploring Leadership. Aditi is a recent graduate of Barnard College, where she studied socio-cultural anthropology and music and cultivated varied-albeit-converging passions for cultural research, advocacy for music/the performing arts, and work in the public and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining Coro, Aditi worked on media/press relations and events at the Times Square Alliance, serving as the primary contact for all media covering “New Year’s Eve in Times Square” in 2006 and 2007. She began her work at the Times Square Alliance as an Everett Public Service intern in 2005. Outside the office, Aditi is an opera singer who trains regularly and performs as often as she can in New York and elsewhere.
Mona Chun, Director of Outreach and Communication
mchun@coronewyork.org (ext. 305)
Mona is responsible for marketing and recruitment for each of Coro’s programs as well as developing and implementing Coro’s communications activities. Prior to Coro, Mona spent over ten years in the international human rights field. Her human rights work was highlighted by five years as founding Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Human Rights Action, an organization providing capacity-building training to human rights groups and leaders around the world. Mona has lived and worked in Paris, France, and the Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa. She has a B.A. from Hofstra University and an M.P.A. from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.
Jennifer Gibson, Development & Program Associate
jgibson@coronewyork.org (ext. 318)
Jennifer's primary responsibility is to enhance the relationships among Coro and its alumni, in addition to events and donor stewardship. She comes to Coro from B'nai Zion Foundation, where she spent nearly three years working in development. Jennifer studied Literature, Creative Writing, and Anthropology at Ball State University, African-American Studies and Oral History at Columbia University, and Improv Commedy at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She enjoys cooking, baking, and running in New York City parks in daylight.
Seth Hufford, Director of Leadership New York
shufford@coronewyork.org (ext. 304)
Seth facilitates Coro’s Leadership New York program for mid-career professionals. During his tenure at Coro, Seth has filled a variety of roles in mobilizing strategic partnerships. Previously, Seth ran Leadership Development Initiative, a program for young professionals, at Leadership Pittsburgh Inc. in his beloved hometown. He has also put in time with a countywide Chamber of Commerce, a Pennsylvania State Senator, and at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management consulting firm. Seth holds a Masters in Public Policy and Management from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. from Dickinson College.
Anisah Miley, Program Assistant
amiley@coronewyork.org (ext. 324)
Anisah assists in the planning and coordination of activities for the Leadership New York. Prior to joining the staff of Coro, Anisah worked as Program Coordinator for the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, Inc., where she managed the daily operations of the College Quest program and organized national/international service learning projects. Anisah became involved in leadership and public service in NYC as a public school student leader at Global Kids, Global Action Project, and the POSSE Foundation. She holds a B.A. from DePauw University and is currently an M.P.A. candidate at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Scott Millstein, Executive Director
smillstein@coronewyork.org (ext. 306)
Scott has spent the last 10 years in senior positions at Safe Horizon, the country’s leading victim assistance organization. His experience at Safe Horizon encompasses all aspects of financial, fundraising, and programmatic operations during a significant period of growth and expansion. Scott has also served as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner at the New York City Department of Homeless Services as well as at other NYC agencies including the Mayor’s Office and the Parks Department. Scott is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds an M.P.A. from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He serves on the National Advisory Board of the Center for Community Partnerships.
Christopher Neal, Program Facilitator
cneal@coronewyork.org (ext. 321)
J. Christopher Neal is a “native son” of Detroit Michigan. The son of two talented artists, Harold L. Neal, a celebrated painter, and Claire Neal, a classically trained vocalist, Christopher is a painter and began his formal art training at Mumford High School and at the Center (now College) for Creative Studies' Saturday Workshops. He later went on to study Fine Art, African-American Studies, and Women's Studies at Eastern Michigan University. After completing his undergraduate studies he enrolled in Howard University's Master's of Fine Arts program, not quite sure of his prospects but open to the journey. Christopher came to Coro with an Arts Education background, which he began developing shortly after arriving in New York City. He has taught in classrooms across all five Boroughs and Connecticut. He is currently the Program Facilitator for the Exploring Leadership program.
Theresa Newhard, Communications Associate
tnewhard@coronewyork.org (ext. 320)
Theresa supports Coro New York’s social networking and marketing projects. In her second year as an M.P.A. candidate at NYU Wagner, Theresa is pursuing a career in social entrepreneurship as a Catherine B. Reynolds Fellow and is interested in building management capacity in the non-profit sector. Prior to Coro, Theresa was an interactivity producer/editor at the washingtonpost.com and a program manager at Princeton Project 55. She recently completed United Way’s NYC Nonprofit Board Training Program, and she just ran her first marathon with Team in Training. She received a B.A. in Comparative Humanities and Spanish at Bucknell University in her home state of Pennsylvania.
Eve Nunez, Database Administrator
enunez@coronewyork.org
Eve helps Coro achieve its database, research, and analysis needs as the Database Administrator. As an undergrad, she participated in a four-year internship at Green Haven Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Upstate New York, and developed a profound sense of commitment to social issues and the non-profit sector and an appreciation for a liberal arts degree. For the last fourteen years, Eve has been working for CASES, an alternative to incarceration program, first as a case manager, then as the lead database specialist/administrator for the IT department, helping CASES fulfill its mission statement through constant vigilance and analysis of its greatest asset - data. In her free time, Eve enjoys cycling along the Hudson River, playing chess, keeping up with CERN developments, and coming up with reasons why she should get a puppy.
Joy Shigaki, Director of Development
jshigaki@coronewyork.org (ext. 309)
Joy previously worked for the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle as the Capital Campaign Manager, raising $23.2 million for their major museum expansion. Prior to this, she served as a Field Coordinator with the Howard Dean Presidential Campaign in Washington State, nearly five years with King County Executive Ron Sims' Office, two years in Cape Town, South Africa, involved in community development and democracy work with the St. George's Cathedral Foundation, and a few years in the social service sector. Over the years, Joy has been actively involved with various civic rights, social justice organizations.
Eddie Shiomi, Director of the Fellows Program in Public Affairs
eshiomi@coronewyork.org (ext. 302)
Eddie has served as the director of the Fellows Program in Public Affairs at the Coro New York Leadership center since 2004. He is a graduate of the Fellows Program in Los Angeles (1998). After completing the Fellows Program, Eddie served as a Special Assistant to former California State Assembly Speaker Robert M. Hertzberg. He also served as co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Gala Reception for the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Eddie moved to New York City in 2002 and designed/implemented the New York City Public Safety Corps, an AmeriCorps National Service program through the Center for Court Innovation. Eddie holds a B.S. from UCLA.
Laura Shmishkiss, Senior Director of Programs
lshmishkiss@coronewyork.org (ext. 301)
Laura ensures that all of Coro’s programs are designed and implemented at the highest level of quality, in alignment with Coro’s mission. She provides curricular support to Coro’s program directors with the goal of enhancing program development, training, and evaluation. She also founded and directs Exploring Leadership, Coro’s program for NYC high school students. Prior to Coro, Laura served as a “school designer” with NYC Outward Bound, taught in San Francisco, and led service-learning programs for urban youth. Laura currently serves on the Board of Bardoli Global, a non-profit organization that provides international education and leadership development for underserved students. She earned an M.P.A. from Columbia University, a B.A. in Sociology from Colby College, and a teaching certification from San Francisco State University. Laura has traveled around the world, is an avid yogi, a NYC marathoner, and a three-time triathlon finisher.
Marisa Suescun, Assistant Program Director of Exploring Leadership
msuescun@coronewyork.org (ext. 326)
Marisa Suescun serves as Assistant Program Director of Exploring Leadership, where she trains the youth participants, develops curriculum, contributes to grant writing, and runs the youth alumni program. She joined Coro NY Leadership Center in 2006, upon completing the Coro Fellowship in St. Louis. Marisa has dedicated her professional life to education since graduating from Wesleyan University in 2000. She taught elementary school in the Bronx for three years, earned a Masters in Education from City College of NY, and then worked for the NYC Teaching Fellows, coordinating its first professional conference. She has taught SAT preparation, and English in Ecuador. Marisa also writes freelance articles for numerous publications, including NY Family Magazine, Manhattan Movie Magazine, and Education Update.
