Dr. Lousie Pyant

2014 WATE Women in Counseling Award

Dr. Louise Shalomah Pyant is a Family and Marriage Therapist and has a private practice. She provides counsel to individuals, families and marriages.  She is a graduate of Walden University and holds a Doctorate in Human Services with a Specialization in Family and Marriage Counseling. Dr. Pyant graduated from New York University with a Masters in Reading Psychology, and holds a second Masters in Administration and Supervision. In 1998, Dr. Pyant founded the Higher Steps After-School Tutorial Program and Summer Camp.  The program provided jobs for women and teens in the community, and a safe, social environment for the academic at-risk children that she served. The program enrolled more than sixty students for summers of fun, as well as employed youth from the Summer Youth Program. Dr. Pyant has a strong belief that children need to develop social skills for their success and future. She trained her staff to support the children's social development, as well as provide small group tutoring

Arlise Carson

2015 WATE Women in Education Award

Arlise Carson graduated from Norfolk State University in 1998 with a B.A. in Political Science Pre-Law. In 2002, she received her Master of Professional Studies in Urban Ministry from Nyack College Alliance Theological Seminary in New York. In 2005, she received her Master of Science in Education/Special Education Childhood from Touro College Graduate School of Education and Psychology in New York. In 2008, she fulfilled all requirements for her Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Urban Ministry from Nyack College ATS and she is currently pursuing a Masters in Administration from the College of St. Rose via Center for Integrated Teacher Education in NY. Her career in public education started sixteen years ago. She has worked as an elementary and middle school teacher, dropout prevention specialist, a middle school and elementary assistant principal, dean of students and she presently serves as an elementary principal Brooklyn, NY.

Casandra L. Phifer

2015 WATE Women in Health Award

Born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in Queens, Cassandra Phifer has always been known to give to others wholeheartedly. Cassandra has made record growth and has maintained success by giving back to her community through fitness classes for Rockaway residents and Brooklyn residents, including local councilmen, senators, NYCHA, reputable health insurance companies, members of churches, small businesses and gyms. After finding out about the rapid growth of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease in the Flatbush and other surrounding Brooklyn communities, she paired up with a nonprofit organization, HCC- Haitian-American Community Coalition. They offer free fitness classes to the community called "Fitness For Flatbush". This program and been growing rapidly over the last three years and currently reaches over 300 participants per week. Cassandra also has a skin care line.

Vikki L. Pryor

2015 WATE Women in Philanthropy Award

Vikki L. Pryor is Managing Principal & Founder at Change Create Transform LLC, a mission driven organization that leverages the intellectual capital of an Expert Platform to help businesses succeed and grow. Vikki was President & CEO of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company for 11 years. She was the first African American female CEO of a life insurance company.  Vikki has fostered philanthropic efforts which have included fundraising and volunteerism for many organizations. The Change Create Transform Foundation has funded over $250,000 in scholarships for over 50 students to attend college or professional school. Vikki has served on the National Board of the USA and as Regional CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York. Vikki was twice named by Crain's New York Business, as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in New York, and by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the 75 Most Powerful African American Women in Business.Vikki holds a B.A., magna cum laude, and J.D. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is admitted to practice law in New York and Illinois. She holds an MBA degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the mother of an adult son, Daniel and a granddaughter, Dakota.

Onleilove Alston

2016 WATE Women in Philanthropy Award

Onleilove leads a multi-racial and multi-faith based organizing federation of 70 congregations representing 80,000 New Yorkers who are working to Build the Beloved City-where some not all of God’s children can live in dignity. Onleilove is also a workshop facilitator, speaker, and writer. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and African-American studies from Penn State University, she completed a year of service with AmeriCorps Public Allies New York. She is a contributing writer for Sojourners magazine, The Black Commentator, Huff Post Religion and NPR’s Onbeing blog, as well as other print and online publications. Having experienced poverty and homelessness, she has developed a compassion for people fueled by her passion for justice, and knows that the gospel is truly “good news to the poor.”

Dr. Natalia Cineas

2016 WATE Women in Health Award

Dr. Cineas began her nursing career as a staff nurse in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, then worked as a Quality Management Specialist for the Cardiothoracic Department and became Patient Care Director of Neurosurgery and the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Columbia University Medical Center New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York, NY. Currently, Dr. Cineas is the Senior Director of Nursing at Mount Sinai St. Luke's. She has a Doctorate in Nursing Practice degree from The George Washington University, a Masters of Science in Management and a Bachelors of Science from New York University, and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from Stony Brook University. She has positioned herself in social circles that continues to propel her career because the value of her intellect and her compassion to live by example makes her sought after by many for her expertise.

Vonne Williams

2016 WATE Women in Business Award

A native of Reidsville, North Carolina received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronic Technology from Norfolk State University. Upon graduation, Vonne served her country for six years as a communications officer in the United States Army. At the end of her commitment, she moved to New York City to pursue a course of study in audio engineering and production at The Institute of Audio Research. While working as a sound engineer, she saw a need within the entertainment and professional sports industry where individuals were not using their income wisely and consequently were broke within two years’ time, so she began to study accounting and financial planning. Vonne has been supporting clients in accounting, taxation, and financial advisement for the past eight years and specializes in small business and Not-for-Profit taxation. She also assists clients in financial planning and budgeting through seminars and conferences as well as consulting potential entrepreneurs in start-up business planning. She spends her free time volunteering in her community and she enjoys traveling and eating at nice restaurants. Vonne takes pride in assisting clients maximize on every financial opportunity available to them.

Egypt Ify Ufele

2016 WATE Dream Big Award

A beautiful girl, Egypt Ify Ufele who resides with her Mom Dr. Reba Renee Perry & senior sister Misperri Fashions Sade Perry in Queens, NY was labeled because of her size. She was bullied, called many names, and was even stabbed with a pencil. A child with a heart of gold and the beauty of a queen was made to feel insecure. But instead of letting it get her down, Egypt started hand sewing clothes for her dolls and eventually learned to use a sewing machine to make clothes for all body types. She now has two companies, Bullychasers Anti-bullying & Chubiiline LLC, which create a very busy schedule for an 10 year old girl. Her busy schedule has designed the opportunity for her to be home schooled. She received a Black Girl Magic Award, Believe in a BlackGirl, Danny Glover Achievement Award, Chamber of Commerce, NAACP and numerous others awards because of her achievement and resilience. She has also been featured in Black Enterprise, People Magazine, and other magazines. She is a gem and role model in her community. "Label Jars, Not People!"

Marsha Gadsden

2017 WATE Women in Education Award

Marsha Gadsden was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY to Barbadian parents. arsha attended Georgetown University located in Washington DC and went on to complete her Masters in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government directly afterwards. It was Marsha’s own educational experience that led her to a career in education after having witnessed firsthand many of the disparities in educational opportunities between white students and students of color. After her time at Harvard, Marsha decided to join Teach for America and start her career on the frontlines of education: in the classroom as an English teacher at a charter school in Brooklyn. Soon after, Marsha was recruited into a leadership role at Brooklyn Ascend Middle School, located in Brownsville, Brooklyn, a few minutes away from where she was raised and where she currently resides. In 2015, Marsha was promoted to the role of principal at Brooklyn Ascend Middle School. In this role, Marsha has successfully turned around the student and adult culture of the school and had begun to make a name for herself in the charter industry, by doing away with the punitive, no excuses culture, often found in NYC Charter schools and is leading with love instead of fear.

The Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

2017 WATE Women in Philanthropy  Award

The Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was chartered on March 14, 1949. The new chapter was named the Delta Gamma Sigma Chapter but was not organized until February 11, 1950. The first meeting was held at the Third Avenue Branch of the Brooklyn YWCA. Delta Gamma Sigma Chapter was renamed Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter in 1957.
These twenty committed women organized programs to enhance the educational and cultural life in the Brooklyn Community.

The Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. 

Sheila A. Beverly-Skinner, President 

2017 WATE Women in Philanthropy Award

Over the past 68 years, the Chapter has diligently pursued the development of programs based on Delta's Five-Point Programmatic Thrust, awarding over $300,00.00 in college scholarships, sponsoring Black College Fairs, and annual overnight Teen Lift Tours to historically Black colleges and universities, encouraging reading through School America, fostering science, mathematics, and technology with the SEE program and supporting Black businesses. We have provided support to schoolchildren in Sierra Leone and Ghana and supported other International Awareness projects in Haiti, Central and South America, Grenada, and Ethiopia. The Chapter's Poetry Slam provides a public speaking forum for young people while the Black Book Fair provides local and nationally known authors and publishers the opportunity to bring the written word to our community. Brooklyn's youth are further supported by the EMBODI and GEMS programs for boys and girls, respectively.

Taiia Smart Young