Our Story
For 20 years, six busy working women met monthly and dreamed of the day when they would have the time to marshal their resources and talents to tackle a social problem of mutual concern.
That day is now. Welcome to Ample Table for Everyone.
WE ARE WOMEN, accomplished in our fields, who wish to put our time, expertise, resources, networks, and passion in service to the families of our city who struggle to feed their children. We believe that the ideas are out there, they just need all of us working together to help them come to fruition. We applaud those currently working in the field and look forward to joining your community.
ATE’s Board of Directors
Cindy Gerhard, President, is a retired financial services executive. Her career spanned 30 years at global financial firms where she concentrated in the treasury and asset management businesses, providing global solutions for institutional clients. Ms. Gerhard frequently participated in industry conferences and online forums, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, and published articles in industry journals. Ms. Gerhard is a member of the New York Community Trust Women’s Advisory Board. She divides her time between New York City and Mystic, CT, where she is a member of the Mystic Garden Club.
Helaine Geismar Katz, Past President, is a 35-year veteran of the 92nd Street Y and, as Associate Executive Director until June 2012, was responsible for the development and execution of the internationally known cultural and community center’s roughly 5,000 annual offerings in the arts, education, Jewish culture, early-childhood education and family life, community service, and health and fitness. Before joining the 92nd Street Y, Helaine directed a model program for severely and profoundly developmentally disabled children, led a two-year study on special education in New York City and was a consultant on services for the disabled.
Victoria Roth, Vice President, worked in the classical music field for more than 35 years, principally in the non-profit sector. She directed the program and grants area and worked on development projects at two national organizations: Chamber Music America and New Music-USA. She now divides her time between freelance projects in the music field and teaching Alexander Technique. A former trustee of Yellow Barn, an international center for chamber music study and performance based in Putney, VT, she served as board president from 2006 through 2010.
Blair Soyster Fiore, Vice President, is a retired attorney. She practiced law in Manhattan for over 30 years with the law firm Clifford Chance US LLP where she was a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution group and served as a member of the Executive Committee. Since her retirement, Blair has taught English as a Second Language and engaged in various other volunteer activities. She is on the Board of Directors of the Clifford Chance Foundation and is the President of the Bridgehampton Association, a group that raises money for charitable, cultural, and educational organizations serving the Bridgehampton, N.Y. community.
Carol Raphael, Secretary, has worked in the healthcare field for over 35 years. Currently, she is a Senior Advisor at Manatt Health. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the largest non-profit home health organization in the United States for 22 years. Under her leadership, the organization launched innovative models of care and health plans for complex populations with chronic illness and functional impairments. Prior to joining VNSNY, Carol held executive positions at Mt. Sinai Medical Center and in New York City government. She also served as Board Chair of AARP and on numerous commissions including the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the Bipartisan Commission on Long Term Care and was appointed by Governor Cuomo to the Medicaid Design Team. She is Chair of the Long Term Quality Alliance, Vice-Chair of the Board of Commonwealth Care Alliance and serves on numerous Boards and Advisory Boards including the Scan Foundation, the Kaiser-Permanente School of Medicine, Henry Schein, Inc., the Primary Care Development Corporation, the Medicare Rights Center, the New York eHealth Collaborative, the RAND Health Advisory Board, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Management Executive Council. In addition, she has been an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University and is a member of NYC’s Age Friendly Commission.
Ann B. Diamond, Treasurer, is an independent financial advisor and educator. In addition to counseling private clients, Ann teaches courses and conducts seminars and workshops on personal financial management. She is an author of personal finance books including “No More Fear of Finance” and “The Let’s Get Real Financial Journal” who has appeared on television and radio networks including CNN, Money Talks and The Nightly Business Report. Her contributions to newspapers and magazine articles include The New York Times, USA Today and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine. Through her work with the Financial Women’s Association, Ann developed a financial literacy course taught free-of-charge to women in training programs working to improve their job prospects.
Maitri Butcher, Board Member, is a Senior Vice President at Citi, helping the Markets business prepare and respond to regulatory requirements through project management and innovative solutions. Prior to joining Citi, she held positions at Deutsche Bank in London, UBS in New York and in her early career enjoyed teaching English in Japan. Her passion for women-led solutions lead her to the importance of pleasurable, nourishing food for our communities.
Debbie Mandelker, Board Member, is a Marketing Executive and a Social Impact Finance Advisor. With a Masters Degree in both Business and Education, Debbie has spent the majority of her professional life developing marketing and communications strategies and programs both as Head of Marketing Services at Merrill Lynch where she worked for over 20 years and then as CMO at Arnold & Porter, an international corporate law firm. Prior to going to Wall Street, Debbie focused on the needs of young children starting numerous early learning centers and creating the Parenting Center at the 92nd St Y. Since retiring, Debbie has focused on advising jurisdictions and service providers on the financing option of Social Impact Bonds, including advising the City of Nashville as they explored how to finance the expansion of their pre-k offering. She has also been actively engaged in politics working on several campaigns for state and federal office in New Jersey.
Lori Diamond Nersesian, Board Member, is chief strategy officer at Elinor and Reiss BRAND PARTNERS, a brand strategy and communications firm specializing in the beauty, lifestyle, food and wellness categories. A classically trained PR pro, Lori spent 10 years cultivating start-up and emerging brands at two boutique PR practices, where she was both founder and partner. Her corporate experience includes Artistry, Aveda, Estee Lauder and The Body Shop. Earlier, Lori worked at award-winning PR agencies, Ketchum and Ruder Finn. While advising on marketing & communications efforts for ATE, Lori unearthed her own passion for clean food and the need for more accessible, sustainable food options for all. Lori divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.
Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok, LCSW, Ph.D, Founding Member, passed away in 2020. We wish to recognize her contribution to ATE and significant life accomplishments in the field of education. She had degrees and experience in early childhood education, social work and clinical psychology and devoted her energies to young children from gestation through age 5 and their families. Rebecca was the founding director and board member of the Institute for Infants, Children and Families at JBFCS; founder and board member of the New York Zero-to-Three Network, and founding president of Abraham Joshua Heschel School (a preschool through high school committed to social responsibility).