Girl Scouts welcome new board members from West Hempstead

Four residents of West Hempstead have been announced as members of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s new board of directors. Tonia Bottoms, Esq., Natalie Borneo, Kevin Boston-Hill, and Anne Marie Spensieri-Fidis have a wide and varied set of experiences that they can bring to their roles.

Tonia Bottoms, Esq., for example, worked towards inclusivity and equality as a Managing Director, Senior Managing Counsel and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate for Bank of New York Mellon, Pershing.

As Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate, Bottoms leads efforts for Pershing to advance diversity as a business imperative and inclusion as an essential leadership skill. She is also a Global Co-Chair of IMPACT, a BNY Mellon Employee Resource Group with 24 chapters and 5,000 members and served as the chair of IMPACT’s Black Leadership Forum (BLF).

Bottoms was a founding member of the D&I Advisory Council, where she implemented measurable and meaningful change in Latinx and Black representation at Pershing, and increased transparency of its DEI goals. These perspectives will no doubt serve her well as she moves onto the GSNC board.

Natalie Borneo rejoins the board for a second term. She is the Senior Director of Program Operations at Dress for Success Worldwide, a global nonprofit that has empowered over 1,2 million women to achieve economic independence by providing them with a network of support, professional attire and development tools so they can thrive in their work and life. Boreno’s background in assisting working-age women naturally translates to helping the young women of the girl scouts.

Borneo joined Dress for Success in 2018 after a thirty-year career as a risk and compliance professional. Borneo is a certified John Maxwell Leadership Trainer, has a Certificate in Leading Change Management from Cornell University and is a graduate of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice Core Leadership Training Program. Borneo obtained her Master’s degree in management from Fordham University and graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in insurance and risk management.

Reflecting on the scouts’ past work, Borneo said, “the past couple of years have been very challenging and our council has responded to the needs of girls across Nassau County, especially those in underserved communities. The pandemic has allowed us to re-examine policies, service delivery options and the general well-being of the wonderful staff that work so diligently.”

She said of the upcoming term, “I am looking forward to supporting new initiatives like our Traveling Trefoil Mobile Unit, which was launched last year.  The unit allow us to bring fun and developmental programs to girls safely so that they continue to be active.”

Kevin Boston-Hill has been an educational leader in New York for over 25 years and currently serves as a public speaking professor. He has taught a variety of subjects and conducts workshops to teachers, schools, and districts. Boston-Hill is an instructional coach to teachers and administrators at various stages of their careers. He is also a voice actor in professional development/training programs and is the host of two radio shows at Nassau Community College: WHPC Sports Talk and Instruction Discussion.

His workshops and seminars on leadership, time management, and communication are quite popular and are informed by his past experiences as a sports official in baseball, softball, basketball, and volleyball. He has worked with companies and individuals in a variety of industries and has spoken to high school and college students across the country.

“As a father of a Girl Scout, I wanted to bring more awareness to the positive benefits of Girl Scouting and why people should support the activities of Girl Scouts of Nassau County,” Boston-Hill said. He previously served on the supporting Board Development Committee.

He is also a leader within Boy Scouts of America, having served as a scoutmaster and den leader. He serves on the Board Development Committee of Girl Scouts of Nassau County and as a Trustee with the Lakeview Public Library.

On his upcoming term, he said, “As a delegate to the upcoming National Convention, as well as a Board Member, I plan to support the vision of the Executive Director and increase the visibility of Girl Scouts of Nassau County and increase the learning opportunities for the young ladies.”

Anne Marie Spensieri-Fidis is the Finance Manager North America for Brussels Airlines. She is a New York State CPA who began her career at Ernst & Young as an auditor. Ms. Spensieri-Fidis has worked as an accountant for over 30 years as an auditor, a sole proprietor, and in the manufacturing, medical, and airline industries.

Spensieri-Fidis lived in West Hempstead most of her life and is a graduate of New York University and West Hempstead High School. She loved being a Girl Scout as a child and is the proud mother of three daughters and a son. All three daughters are Silver Award recipients and her son is an Eagle Scout.

Ms. Spensieri-Fidis is an active volunteer in the community and, in 1996, became a troop leader for her oldest daughter in the West Hempstead Franklin Square Service Unit. “After being a volunteer in the West Hempstead Franklin Square Service Unit and at the council level for so long, I felt that a seat on the board was a good next step,” she said. Spensieri-Fidis also served the WHFS Service Unit as a member organizer, delegate, and delegate chair and served on the GSNC Delegate Communications Committee. She is currently WHFS treasurer and alternate delegate and chair of the GSNC Board Development Committee.

“The Girl Scout motto is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts gives girls a save space to develop the skills they will need to be women of integrity and future leaders. As a board member, I will have influence on the future success of the organization,” she said.