President
PATRICK M. PIZZO II, Ed.D., M.B.A.
Education Chair/Executive Board Member, NAACP Hempstead Branch
Committee Member/Education Committee, Special Legislative Task Force to Combat Antisemitism
Education Policy Fellow, EPLP and Fordham University
Throughout over 30 years of public service, Dr. Pizzo has been an advocate for effective solutions related to student health, safety, equity of resources, and equity related to career advancement. Dr. Pizzo has supported the fair treatment of all people for throughout his entire career. This includes supporting diversity initiatives in the New York City Department of Education in the 90's., forging a career dedicated to providing equitable employment opportunities for all populations. Dr. Pizzo’s dissertation examined environmental factors related to student learning and he has also published articles related to leadership, diversity, equity, management, sustainability, and health.
Statement of goals:
Being personally accountable, but publicly silent is no longer acceptable. Through collaboration, tangible, authentic, sustainable change must be achieved with contributions from all segments of society. Let’s build partnerships, through inclusion, to expand our allies, to then contribute to a equitable future together. All well-meaning citizens are affected by inequities and the injustice which results.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Treasurer
ROSS L. SCHILLER, ESQ.
Mr. Schiller runs his own licensed N.Y. State legal practice in East Meadow, Ross L. Schiller & Associates P.C., concentrating on real estate, trust & estate work, asset protection, litigation and entertainment. Previously, Ross was an Associate Director at Standard & Poor’s, and has intimate knowledge of the financial community, having worked with multiple financial firms on a variety of structured transactions and with ISDA documents.
In 2020, Ross was honored as a HomeTown Hero, and was previously awarded the East Meadow Herald's Person of the Year. Ross has served as a three year Member of the Board of Directors for the Nassau County Bar Association ("NCBA") from 2015-2018, Committee Chairperson of the Sports, Entertainment and Media On-Line Committee, and was a recipient of the Access to Justice Champion Award from the NCBA. He also served as a Distinguished Past President of Kiwanis East Meadow, continuing to help children and families in the community and worldwide. Ross is a licensed NY State EMT-B Firemedic for the past 8 years with the East Meadow Fire Department, Rescue Co. 5, and served as a Staff Officer for 5 years. Ross takes great pride in helping those in the Community, serving on a variety of different committees and counsels, and takes pride in collecting and giving out clothing and food at various events.
Importantly, Ross wants to continue helping those who are looking for an opportunity to learn and work, and looks forward to serving on this, the Economic Opportunity for All Youth, where diversity and opportunity come together.
Vice President
CHRISTINE WATERS
Former East Meadow Teacher (1993-2017), Co-President of East Meadow Association of Retired Teachers (2018-2021)
NAACP NYS Conference, Education Chair
Christine Layne- Waters has been an educator for more than 35 years in private and public education. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Brooklyn College, a NY State Education Certification in Birth, Pre K, K- 6th grade, a license in Health Conservation for Special Needs students, an M.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Labor and Civil Rights from SUNY Stony Brook University. Her dissertation was on “The Significance of Rosa Parks in the Civil Rights Movement.” and she subsequently obtained a Masters of Science in Educational Administration from the College of New Rochelle with a certificate in Staff Development.
Mrs. Waters began her career in inner city schools and was an early childhood educator who specialized in creating a sense of community, differentiating instruction, and successfully integrating music, movement, STEAM (Science Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) creative writing, arts and cultural awareness into the curriculum. She was a classroom teacher at Barnum Woods Elementary School in the East Meadow School District from 1993 to 2017, where she mentored many student teachers and parents.
She was a candidate for National Board Certification. She was proud to serve on many committees at Barnum Woods school including the Curriculum, Committee for Preschool Special Education (CPSE), Character Education, and district Center for Human Dignity committees. Mrs. Waters is currently the Co- President East Meadow Association of Retired Teachers.
Mrs. Waters has served as the Education Chair for the NAACP NYS Conference since 2019, which is focuses on the mission of ensuring that every student has equal access to, a challenging, culturally sustained curriculum, equitable funding and access to technology, as well as highly qualified & diverse educators that will prepare them with life skills to be college and career ready. Mrs. Waters looks forward to continuing to assist with guiding students and families, to create partnerships between home, school, and our community as we encourage the advancement and success of children to be ready for college and careers. “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.”
Recording Secretary
LOUIS A. MEDINA, CLTC
“Everybody Deserves Your Best Everyday”
Louis A. Medina, CLTC is a long-term care insurance specialist and is a financial sales professional for the New York Life Insurance Company. He works with individuals and business owners with retirement planning, estate planning, college funding strategies, employee benefits and tax strategies in numerous states.
They say life doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle. But that doesn’t mean you have to handle it alone. These days it’s more important than ever to make sure you have a financial professional by your side; someone who can help evaluate your needs, assess the current economic landscape and recommend a plan of action that will help protect your family’s wealth, lifestyle and dreams for the future.
Lou mentors new agents in their careers at the Long Island General Office. He volunteers for various non-profits and seeks to help the communities he serves. He has a degree in Business Economics from The State University of Oneonta. Lou enjoys time with his family and friends. He has traveled to every state in the USA, sailed throughout the Caribbean and visited many countries and cultures around the world.