Dan’s Power Women of the East End Shines in Southampton

It was all about honoring the women who make the East End the special place it is, as Southampton’s The Muses was filled with energy, connection, and celebration on Wednesday, September 10, as Schneps Media hosted the 2025 Dan’s Power Women of the East End. The sold-out event honored local leaders whose vision and dedication continue to shape the East End as a thriving place to live, work, and do business.

St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church transformed into a party venue, honoring women from many walks of life, all of whom are significant contributors to the East End. 

The evening paid tribute to women across diverse sectors — business, healthcare, education, government, and philanthropy — recognizing their achievements and the impact they have on the community. 

“I’m very excited for it and I really appreciated this honor,” Aleksandra Kardwell, Entrepreneur of the Year and president of Hamptons Employment agency, who was named an ICON – multiple time winner – said. 

Kardwell is the author of the book “How to Find, Hire and Keep the Right Domestic Professionals: The Household Employer’s Guide to Hiring Great Employees Who Will Stay for Years,” and has another book in the works.

“It’s a guidebook for the clients and people who hire to help them navigate with the process of finding the right person,” Kardwell added.

The celebration underscored Schneps Media’s mission of bringing together extraordinary women to connect, collaborate, and support one another.

“It’s really incredible to be among such incredible women, professionals who are really making a mark in their fields and demonstrating exceptional leadership,” Emily Mataler, chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and honoree, said. “So I’m just really honored to be among such a great group. It’s an incredible time to celebrate strong women who are making such a positive impact.”

The program began with a VIP Power Hour at 5 p.m., where honorees had the chance to meet each other, network with sponsors, and receive their Schneps Media Star Networking pins. Honorees were interviewed by Schneps Media founder and president Victoria Schneps-Yunis.

“Every one of you, each of us, is a queen today,” Schneps-Yunis said in her Power Hour opening remarks. “We are it. We are the power winners. And it’s really a beautiful thing to see all of you gathered together, because this is not the end. This is the beginning.”

Attendees enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while portraits were taken for upcoming features in Schneps Media publications, including Dan’s Papers, Behind the Hedges, and the Long Island Press.

“It’s an honor to be selected with so many other amazing women who are so accomplished in what they do,” Mary Beth Lichtneger, honoree and chief operating officer of Kinexion, said. 

By 6 p.m., doors opened for guests to mingle, enjoy the food and drinks, and celebrate this year’s honorees. 

“I’m very honored,” Ann Ciardullo, honoree and senior global real estate advisor with Sotheby’s International Realty, said. “Anything Vicki Schneps has to do, I am on board with her. When Vicky moved out here and bought Dan’s Papers five years ago, we met her, and we said, ‘Whatever Vicki wants from us, we’re on board.’ We think she’s amazing, a pioneer, and the most impressive woman I know.”

The evening’s centerpiece came at 7:30 p.m. Victoria Schneps led a lively award ceremony. Each honoree was formally recognized as a 2025 Dan’s Power Woman of the East End, receiving warm applause from the crowd. 

“It is an honor to be around strong women, women who support each other, women who lift each other up, and for women to be recognized,” Michelle Rizzo-Berg, honoree and executive director of the Patchogue Center for the Performing Arts, said. “Every woman is a Power Woman, whether they are here being honored or not.”

News 12 anchor Erin Colton, serving as mistress of ceremonies, kept the program flowing with humor and enthusiasm.

“This is one of my favorites, just because I love being in a room surrounded by women who show power,” Colton said. “We’re all powerful, but once you get in a room with powerful women, there’s nothing stopping that. So this is a good one for me. Powerful women are a lot of different things. They are the people that keep going when times get tough and everyone else quits. They’re the people that evoke change. They are the women who put smiles on people’s faces. They’re the women that help dreams come true, and they’re the women that fix other women’s crowns instead of taking them down.”

The celebration was not only about honoring leadership but also about giving back. A raffle, announced at 8:45 p.m., raised funds for ECLI VIBES, a nonprofit that supports and empowers survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and abuse. 

“We are proud to work with survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, child abuse and food insecurity, which is some really heavy stuff, but I like to look at it as we are the light in the dark, and we provide the vital services to survivors, not only just to keep them safe, but also to empower them and help them move towards whatever goal that they have in their future,” Jennifer Hernandez, Power Women honoree and executive director of ECLI VIBES, said. “It feels really good to be able to have a job, literally, like my work is to help people. I almost feel selfish in a way, because I constantly feel fulfilled that there’s so much purpose.”

All proceeds went directly to the organization, underscoring the event’s commitment to community impact.

Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol Toulon was in attendance, and spoke of the importance of events like Power Women to uplifting the community. 

“It’s really a great day, one, weather wise, and two, more importantly, when women who are really making a big difference in Suffolk County and Long Island,” Sheriff Dr. Toulon said. 

But the sheriff was a guest. The honoree he accompanied was Tina Toulon, executive director of the New York Cancer Foundation and multiple-time Power Woman who was named an ICON – who is also the sheriff’s wife. 

“It’s quite an honor to get this amazing designation here with the other Power Women of the East and the New York Cancer Foundation helps cancer patients throughout all of New York, particularly in Suffolk County,” Tina Toulon, four time Power Woman, said. “Because it’s year four, I think that it even means more to me than the prior years, as I’ve seen these incredible women. I meet new friends every time, and to be a part of all these women in leadership across the East End is really powerful.”

Some ICONs, such as Dr. Jessica Rosati, vice president of programs and community services at Long Island Cares Inc. – The Harry Chapin Food Bank, work to bring others into the fold of Power Women as well. 

“I’m humbled to be honored again,” Rosati said. “I’m inspired by Vicki Schneps. I think that she is an incredible woman with an incredible story, and I think she’s given a platform to so many people, and I’m grateful and honored to be among such wonderful talent, and in turn that inspires me to do better, because the people we serve deserve that.”

Rosati nominated Idalia Boczek, director of satellite services at Long Island Cares Inc., to be a Power Woman, and Boczek was at the event as a Rising Star.

“I wouldn’t think of myself as a ‘Power Woman,’” Boczek said with a laugh. “But when I think about it, all the things that I do, and I said, ‘Yes, I guess I am a Power Woman, because I’m in so many places. I’m a master gardener as well. So I managed community gardens, 14 garden beds, and I just, I loved that job. It’s been our tenth year gardening with veterans and children, and I just love the collaboration between a veteran and a young child.”

The night concluded at 9 p.m., but not before many attendees remarked on the connections they had made and the inspiration they were taking home. For past and present honorees alike, the event offered more than recognition—it created space for collaboration and new opportunities.

“I think every woman is a Power Woman,” Bonnie Comley, honoree, Tony Award-winning theater producer, and founder of the BroadwayHD streaming service, said. “Let’s go with that first. But I think what Vicki Schneps is looking for is people that are doing well and doing good. So you are doing well in your profession, in your career, which you’re also there’s a give back element to it, and I think she’s the role model for that. She’s the perfect example of how you have a successful business. You can have a family at the same time, and you can really give back to the community in a meaningful way, and you can live a fulfilling life.”

Over the years, Schneps Media’s Power Women series has expanded across New York, honoring leaders in multiple regions while fostering networks that extend well beyond the stage. The East End edition once again proved to be a highlight, showcasing the strength and vision of the women shaping the future of Long Island.

As Schneps Media often says, when women support women, amazing things happen—and on Wednesday night in Southampton, that message came to life.

Visit the Power Women website for more information.

2025 Power Women of the East End Honorees

Jeena R. Belil, Law Firm Owner/Managing Partner, The Law Office of Jeena R. Belil, PC

Sofia Blair, Assurance Principal, BDO USA, P.C.

ICON: Maggie Bopp, Trial Attorney, Rappaport, Glass, Levine & Zullo

Bonnie M. Cannon, Executive Director, Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center

Cate Carbonaro, Executive Director, The Retreat

Ann Ciardullo, Senior Global Real Estate Advisor, Sotheby’s International Realty

Legacy Award: Bonnie Comley, Co-Founder, BroadwayHD

Legacy Award: Leah Lane, Producer, Theatre Venture, Inc.

Silvia A. Cota, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, Chief Executive Officer, Visiting Nurse Service & Hospice of Suffolk

Onida Coward Mayers, Chief Government Affairs Officer; CEO/President, Oaktree Solutions; Comadre Communications

ICON: Christine Curiale-Steinmuller, Managing Partner, Platinum Capital Financial

Mariah Dempsey, President/Chief Creative Director, Mariah Dempsey Arts

Tijuana Fulford, Executive Director, The Butterfly Effect Project

Lenea Green, President & CEO, With All My Heart Inc.

Sue-Ann Greenfield, CTI Certified Life Coach, Specializing in Life Coaching for Seniors, SAG Life Coaching

Renee Guerrieri, President/Chief Executive Officer, LoDuca Associates, Inc.

Jennifer Hernandez, Executive Director & Co-Founder, ECLI-VIBES

Grace Marie Horan, Owner, Senior Health Plan Specialists Inc.

Gretchen Howe, Sr. Administrator, East Hampton Meals on Wheels

Entrepreneur of the Year/ICON: Aleksandra Kardwell, President, Hamptons Employment Agency, Inc.

Jennifer LaMaina, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Discoveries East End Learning and Mentorship Center and Bright & Early Discoveries Child Care Center, LLC

Kim Lenar-Ehrhardt, Founder, The Hyve Hamptons

Mary Beth Lichtneger, Chief Operating Officer, Kinexion

ICON: Christine Malafi, Esq., Senior Partner, Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP

Sandra Melendez, Founder, SM Law Group

Samantha Morales, Program Manager of East End THRIVE, Family & Children’s Association

Kelly Murphy, Executive Director/CEO, Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency

Gwen O’Shea, President & CEO, Community Development Long Island

Julie Pinkwater, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Douglas Elliman

Martha Reichert, Partner & Co-Chair of the Land Use and Zoning Group, Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo LLP

ICON: Lisa Rispoli, Partner, Trust & Estate Services Leader, Private Client Services Leader, Grassi

ICON: Patricia Rizzi, Owner, East End Lobster Bake

Michele Rizzo-Berg, Executive Director, Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts

ICON: Dr. Jessica Rosati, Vice President of Programs and Community Services, Long Island Cares Inc. – The Harry Chapin Food Bank

RISING: Idalia Boczek, Director of Satellite Services, Long Island Cares Inc. – The Harry Chapin Food Bank

Sara Stanich, CFP®, Founder, Cultivating Wealth

ICON: Tina Toulon, Executive Director, New York Cancer Foundation

Genevieve Villaflor, Executive Director, Sag Harbor Cinema

Leshawn Walker, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, You’re Our Unity

ICON: Angelique Williams, Logistics Specialist, Paws of War

Patty Baker,  Good Productions, President

Victoria Berger, Suffolk County Historical Society Museum, Executive Director

Emily Mastaler, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Chief Administrative Officer

Susan May-McLean, Horizon Land Services of NY, LLC, Managing Principal