Janill Sharma, Board Chair
Alexandra Hochman, Vice Chair
Billie Gastic-Rosado
Elaine Guglielmo
Vasso Gyftopoulos
Natalie Martin
Jonah Rufus William
Camy Sleeman
Vernon Schwartz
Jane Fox
Rochelle Charnin
Liz Maccarone
Suzanne Adam, CEO
Board of Director Bios
Janill Sharma, Board Chair
Janill Sharma has been an integral part of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC) for nine years, including serving on the Board of Directors in various roles for eight years prior to becoming Board Chair. She brings the experience and knowledge of her professional background in law, coupled with a heartfelt dedication to DVCC’s mission to her leadership role.
Outside of DVCC, Janill’s passion for cultural preservation is palpable. She founded the Network of Asian Moms (NETAM) in Stamford, CT, creating a platform for mothers to immerse their children in South Asian traditions and values. Through NETAM, Janill has not only raised significant funds but also fostered a tight-knit community centered on mutual support and respect. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Avon Theatre and is a member of the Indian Culture Center (ICC) of Greenwich.
Janill lives in Stamford where she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, two teenage daughters and their beloved Havanese. She is an avid tennis fan and plays in a women’s league. Janill earned her bachelor’s degree in politics from Ithaca College and her juris doctor from New England School of Law.
Alexandra Hochman, Secretary
Alexandra Hochman brings a wealth of experience in leadership, governance, and advocacy to the DVCC Board of Directors. A licensed attorney with a strong background in both the public and nonprofit sectors, she has held significant leadership roles, including serving as President of the Board of Directors at Temple Sholom of Greenwich, where she guided the organization through strategic priorities and navigated challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. Alexandra has also been Governance Chair at the Stanwich School, overseeing its merger with Greenwich Country Day School, and was a founding member and President of Choices in Childbirth, where she facilitated its merger with Every Mother Counts.
Her legal expertise, honed as a court attorney in NYC Family Court and as a staff attorney for the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, aligns with DVCC’s mission of supporting vulnerable populations. Alexandra’s dedication to collaboration, strategic thinking, and advocacy makes her an invaluable asset to the DVCC Board.
Billie Gastic-Rosado
Billie Gastic Rosado, Ph.D. is the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY. Previously, she served as Associate Dean of Liberal Arts, Languages, & Post-Traditional Undergraduate Studies at the NYU School of Professional Studies. In 2019, Dr. Gastic-Rosado was named as one of 25 Minority-Serving Institutions Aspiring Leaders by the Penn Center for Minority-Serving Institutions. Her areas of publication include Latinx student outcomes, school violence, and educator and school leader preparation. Billie earned a Ph.D. in the Sociology of Education and an M.A. in Sociology from Stanford, an Ed.M. from Harvard, and a B.A. in Economics from Yale.
Elaine Guglielmo
Elaine Guglielmo brings a wealth of experience in human resources and organizational development to the DVCC Board of Directors. As the retired Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Development at Stamford Health Care, she has a strong background in shaping effective teams and fostering a positive workplace culture. Elaine has also been a dedicated volunteer with DVCC’s PeaceWorks program, demonstrating her deep commitment to supporting survivors of domestic violence and promoting community education.
Her extensive experience in HR leadership, coupled with her passion for volunteerism, makes Elaine a valuable asset to the board. She combines strategic insight with a hands-on approach, helping to further DVCC’s mission of empowering individuals and creating safer communities.
Vasso Gyftopoulos
Vasso Gyftopoulos has worked and volunteered as a registered nurse who at the Americares Free Clinic in Norwalk for 13 years. She splits her time now as a part time employee at Americares and also works at the Aesthetic Surgery Center in Darien. Additionally, Vasso serves as a board member for Norwalk Community College as well as alumni boards at Bowdoin College. Vasso is an accomplished triathlete who has completed 10 full Ironman competitions. She enjoys endurance cycling, playing bridge, travel and cooking.
Natalie Martin
Natalie Martin is a seasoned professional with over 15 years in the digital media landscape and a passionate leader with a flair for building client relationships, developing growth strategies and uncovering new opportunities. Currently, she serves as the Director of Retail Media at InMobi, where she is transforming the business landscape by spearheading brand growth across sectors like CPG, Fashion, and Electronics. In her previous role at NBCUniversal Digital Entertainment, she consistently surpassed sales goals, championing strategies that yielded over $90M annually. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola University in Chicago. Natalie is a mother of two daughters, ages 7 and 5. When she is not working you can find her on the tennis courts or reading a good book.
Jonah Rufus William
Jonah Rufus William is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience in business intelligence, financial planning, and data management across various industries. With an MBA in Systems and Marketing and a background in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Jonah has a deep technical and strategic understanding of master data management (MDM), enterprise performance management (EPM), and business intelligence (BI). Currently serving as Vice President of Data Strategy and Management at Mastercard, he has pioneered modern data solutions that streamline operations and support multi-billion-dollar portfolios.
Throughout his career, Jonah has demonstrated a commitment to driving efficiency, innovation, and governance. His expertise spans systems strategy, data stewardship, and organizational leadership, having successfully led multiple high-impact projects that improved business processes and saved millions in costs. Jonah’s dedication to data-driven decision-making and his passion for giving back to society make him a valuable member of the DVCC Board of Directors.
Camy Sleeman
Camy Sleeman serves as Director of Marketing for Stamford Health. Her 30+ year career in Marketing and Communications began in public relations for large scale agencies in NYC, representing multinationals. She then served as VP for a Reuters subsidiary, Instinet Corporation, and from that point went on to be a consultant for NYU Langone and the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, while raising her family. Prior to joining Stamford Health, Camy served as Director of Marketing for UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Care where she was instrumental in rebranding the Tri-State’s three leading physician groups, ProHealth, CareMount Medical and Riverside Medical Group to Optum. Camy graduated from Dartmouth College, cum laude, and continues to be active as an alumni admissions ambassador. She lives in Pound Ridge, NY, and has three children. She enjoys traveling, cooking, music, and cultural activities.
Vernon Schwartz
Vernon brings more than 40 years of executive leadership and expertise in real estate, banking, finance, investment, and development in the United States and internationally. His distinguished career has included serving as Executive Vice President of iStar Inc.; founding partner, Chairman and CEO of Falcon Financial; CEO of Soros Real Estate Advisors; Chairman, President and CEO of Catellus Development Corporation; and senior leadership roles with The Hahn Company and Bank of Montreal. He has also served on the boards of several public real estate companies and currently serves as an Independent Director of BrightSpire Capital, Inc., where he chairs the Compensation Committee. Vernon has a longstanding commitment to nonprofit and community leadership, including service as a Trustee of Greenwich Country Day School and Chair of its Finance Committee, as well as previous leadership roles with The Stanwich School and the Lucas Point Association. He served as Trustee and Vice President of Finance of Temple Sholom. Vernon earned both his Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and brings extensive financial, governance, investment, and strategic leadership experience to the Board.
Jane Fox
Jane brings decades of nonprofit leadership, fundraising, strategic planning, marketing, and community engagement experience to the Board. A longtime New Canaan community leader, she has held board and leadership roles with numerous organizations, including New Canaan Chamber Music, New Canaan Library, New Canaan Community Foundation, Waveny LifeCare Network, Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County, New Canaan CARES, the Young Women’s League of New Canaan, and the Rotary Clubs of New Canaan and Rye. Professionally, she served for 16 years as Vice President of Marketing and Fund Development at The Osborn, a nonprofit senior living community in Rye, where she established its fundraising program and helped launch The Osborn Foundation, raising more than $4 million to support charitable care, memory care, rehabilitation, and other programs. Earlier in her career, she held senior marketing, strategy, and advertising positions working with leading national companies and brands, and was recognized by Advertising Age as one of its Top 100 U.S. Advertising Executives. She holds an MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School and graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College. She brings to the Board a deep commitment to community service and a wealth of experience in nonprofit governance, fundraising, communications, and organizational growth.
Rochelle Charnin
An experienced attorney and nonprofit leader, Rochelle brings a strong background in immigration law, advocacy, community service, and nonprofit program management to the Board. Most recently an Immigration Attorney with Formica, P.C., Rochelle previously served as Immigration Legal Services Program Manager at Building One Community in Stamford, where she helped oversee program growth, strengthen service delivery, and engage board members, volunteers, donors, and community partners. Earlier in her career, she practiced litigation and public policy law with Cummings & Lockwood, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, and Crowell & Moring. Rochelle’s longstanding commitment to service includes leadership and volunteer roles with Trinity Church, Noroton Presbyterian Church, New Canaan Country School, and Noroton Presbyterian Nursery School, where she served as Board Chair. She earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and graduated summa cum laude from Hope College with degrees in French and Political Science.
Liz Maccarone
Liz Maccarone is a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor with a financial services firm, where she works closely with high-net-worth individuals and multigenerational families on developing personalized wealth strategies and long-term financial plans designed to align with their goals, values and objectives.
Liz is particularly passionate about advancing financial literacy for women and girls, helping them build the knowledge, confidence, and independence needed to achieve long-term financial well-being. Alongside her team, she takes an active role in educating the community and broader audiences in financial topics, believing that access to financial education is a powerful tool for expanding opportunities.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from Fairfield University and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ and Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor® designations. She is committed to using her professional experience and community engagement to advance the Domestic Violence Crisis Center’s mission and strengthen its governance, financial stewardship and community impact.