As we wrap up Season One of "Looped In with Knitt," we can feel good about the impact our diverse group of guests have made on their communities, with each contributing a unique perspective on various industries and community initiatives. The guests included Bo Goliber, current Chief Development and Communications Officer for AIM Services, who has over two decades of experience in communications, fundraising, development, and marketing in both non-profit and corporate industries; Riham LaRussa, who took a leap of faith into entrepreneurism, acquiring Small Packages, an e-commerce gifting company. Her extensive knowledge in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, and Operations is now directed toward streamlining processes and optimizing cost efficiency.

We also welcomed Eric Donovan, who serves as the Community Engagement Director at Death Wish Coffee; Laura Kriegel, a fierce advocate for children who founded Camp Stomping Ground, a nonprofit children's sleep-away camp located at the base of the Adirondack Mountains; Megan Quillinan, Executive Director of the Mechanicville Area Community Services Center (MACS) since 2001; Natasha Pernicka, leading The Food Pantries for the Capital District as Executive Director since 2011 and The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York since 2023; Jeff Vukelic, President and CEO of Saratoga Eagle Sales & Service. Saratoga Eagle is a 4th generation family-owned beverage distribution company located in Saratoga Springs, NY;  Adam Feldman of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga Warren and Washington County; and lastly, Rajat “Raj” Ghoshal, Chief Operating Officer of Polyset, where his primary responsibility is to ensure efficient and effective business operations.

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After two decades in corporate America, Riham LaRussa took a leap of faith into entrepreneurism, acquiring Small Packages, an e-commerce gifting company. Her extensive knowledge in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, and Operations is now directed toward streamlining processes and optimizing cost efficiency. However, Riham's ambitions extend beyond business success. As the daughter of immigrants, she is passionate about using her platform to uplift minority and underrepresented communities. By bringing their companies to the forefront of the mainstream consumer marketplace, Riham aims to level the playing field and foster economic empowerment for marginalized entrepreneurs. 

With a unique blend of business acumen and advocacy, she exemplifies how a successful entrepreneur can drive positive change. Her dedication to diversity and inclusion is not only making her company thrive but also inspiring others to follow suit in creating a more equitable and diverse business landscape. Through her leadership and vision, she is demonstrating the potential of entrepreneurship as a force for social good, leaving a lasting impact on both the industry and the society it serves.

Contact

Riham LaRussa
Website 
LinkedIn

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Megan Quillinan has been the Executive Director of the Mechanicville Area Community Services Center (MACS) since 2001. The incredible team and programs make my decision to stay year after year very easy. I am so grateful for the innovative programs here at MACS and the offered services and resources that support and empower our community. With all the incredible opportunities our agency has to offer, we strive to have a strong impact on relationships within our community. We are consistently showing how things can be done together as a team and with all voices are at the table.

Outside of my profession, I enjoy my time with my fabulous husband, 4 children, 3 bunnies, 1 and 1 dog. I guess you could say it's safe to say my family has quite the love for animals. 

Contact

Megan Quillinan
Website
LinkedIn
Email

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Rajat “Raj” Ghoshal is the Chief Operating Officer of Polyset, where his primary responsibility is to ensure efficient and effective business operations. His day-to-day leadership and vision encourages continuous improvement to help expand Polyset’s product portfolio and market reach. Raj also leads the Advanced Materials business unit synthesizing coatings and adhesives for microelectronic and optical applications. As a family-owned business, Raj has had Polyset in his veins from childhood, from the first lab bench he painted in high school to the experiments he conducted synthesizing epoxy siloxane oligomers and scaling up manufacturing of cationic catalysts while an undergraduate. Raj received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute located in Troy, NY. Raj continues a tradition of community service at Polyset through his participation on boards and in sponsorship of local and international foundations with a focus on human services, arts, and education. 

Contact

Rajat Ghoshal
LinkedIn

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Natasha Pernicka has been leading The Food Pantries for the Capital District as Executive Director since 2011 and The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York since 2023. With more than 20 years in the nonprofit sector, Natasha has developed and implemented new programs, created growth in fund development efforts, and led strategic initiatives throughout her career. She has experience in hunger relief, homelessness/housing, mental health, older adults, and youth development.

Her work with The Food Pantries includes increasing revenue and in-kind support more than 250% over her tenure, increasing programmatic impact for more than 65 food pantries who provide mor than 3 million meals for 69,000 people annually, and leading the Filling the Gap Food Pantry System and Community Needs Assessment and initiatives. Initiatives include: Food as Medicine program; New York State Food Connect Resource database and map; and the creation of the New York State Community Food Assistance Network, now known as The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York.

In addition, Natasha has served as the Chair of the Nonprofit Business Advisory Group of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Food Access, Food Equity, and Food as Medicine workgroups of the New York State Hunger and Food Policy Council, the Albany and Rensselaer County FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Boards, the Steering Committee for the Greater Capital Region Food System Assessment, the New York eHealth Collaborative CBO & VBP Advisory Committee, and has served on the board of Women in Development of Northeastern New York. She is a guest lecturer on hunger, nonprofit leadership, and management and has presented at events such as the New York State Anti-Hunger Conference, on air on WAMC’s Roundtable, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. In addition, she is a graduate of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tech Valley Program.

Contact

Natasha Pernicka
LinkedIn

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Laura Kriegel is a fierce advocate for children. A graduate of Columbia Universities School of Social work, Laura has equipped herself with the tools she needs to build organizations focused on equity, inclusion and social justice. In 2015 Laura founded Camp Stomping Ground , a non-profit children's sleep away camp located at the base of the Adirondack Mountains. Stomping Grounds mission is to inspire the next generation of radically empathetic decision makers. Through her determination she helps fosters a culture based on humble curiosity and restorative-justice, where kids and staff from diverse cultural backgrounds, races, socioeconomic statuses and geographic locations come together to solve problems collaboratively and learn about each other's perspectives on the world.

Contact

Laura Kriegel
LinkedIn
Email
Phone

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Jeff Vukelic serves as President and CEO of Saratoga Eagle Sales & Service.  Saratoga Eagle is a 4th generation family-owned beverage distribution company located in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Jeff oversees an organization the services 21 counties in upstate New York and employs over 300 stakeholders.

Prior to relocating to Saratoga, Vukelic spent 14 years at Try-It Distributing in Buffalo, NY.  Saratoga Eagle is a family-owned subsidiary of Try-It.  While at Try-It, Vukelic served as Warehouse Manager (1991-1993), Sales Representative (1993-1995), VP of Corporate Affairs (1996-1998), Information Systems Manager (1998-2000), VP of Strategic Planning (1999-2001), and most recently Executive Vice President (2001-2005).  Vukelic also spent five years as the District Director and Congressional Aide to Congressman Bill Paxon before joining the family business in 1991.  In 2014, he was named to the Transition Team by newly elected U.S. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

Vukelic attended Canisius High School in Buffalo before graduating from Hobart & William Smith Colleges in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1987, he was the recipient of the Dr. Augustus H. Hillman ’26 Memorial Award, which recognizes the outstanding sportsmanship, leadership, and determination of a member of the Hobart cross-country team.

Over the past 17 years, he has been heavily involved with the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the New York State Beer Wholesalers Association.  For both organizations, Vukelic has been a member of the Board of Directors, Treasurer, and Chairman.

Vukelic has been an active member of the community since 1999.  He was the recipient of the Buffalo’s Business First Forty under 40 award in 2002.  He has served on The Buffalo Renaissance Foundation (1999-2005), The Amherst Chamber of Commerce (2001-2005), The Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo (1998-2005), The Buffalo Police Athletic League (1998-2005), The Mercy Hospital Foundation (2000-2005), The Transitional Services Association (2009-2012), Parish Council for The Church of St. Peter (2011-2013), Saratoga Youth Hockey Assoc. (2009-2012), Saratoga Springs History Museum (2010-2015), Saratoga Springs YMCA (2012-2020), SPAC (2012-2021), and The Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce (2014 to 2017), Vukelic also served as the Chairman of the American Heart Association Start Heart Walk in 2010.

Vukelic currently serves on the Board of Trustees at LeMoyne College, and is Vice Chair of AIM Services Inc.

Vukelic lives in Saratoga Springs, NY with his wife, Elaine and has two adult children, Jeffrey and Olivia.

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Welcome Everyone!

I had a great conversation with my friend Adam Feldman from Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga Warren and Washington Counties for our second Looped In With Knitt podcast  Adam is a powerhouse out-of-the-box thinker which has put Habitat in the forefront of our communities nonprofits! So tune in to hear Adam and I talk about the importance of Community Connections and what Fun Fact he revealed about himself!!

-Lisa

Bio

Adam Feldman is the Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. Adam has a diverse professional background from Math Teacher, to Wall Street Investment Banker to Social Entrepreneur.  He is currently developing strategies to revitalize local communities and support families to find affordable, stable housing opportunities.

Contact Info

Adam Feldman
Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties

LinkedIn

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Looped In is a podcast published monthly that welcomes guests from the nonprofit and donor space to discuss the importance of making connections, the best way to get involved, and the dos and don’ts when it comes to building sustainable relationships. Hosted by Lisa Munter, founder of Knitt – a web-based platform that helps to connect donors and nonprofits and to streamline the process to make giving easy.

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On this very first episode of Looped In, Lisa sits down with Bo Goliber, chief development and communications officer at AIM Services, to talk about the importance of community connectivity to raise awareness of an organization. They also discuss sharing resources with organizations where there is overlap, the importance of employee retention, and understanding what motivates donors to help develop a more sustainable relationship.

Bio

Bo Goliber is the current Chief Development and Communications Officer for AIM Services and has over two decades of experience in communications, fundraising, development, and marketing in both non-profit and corporate industries. She is passionate about building relationships that make our community a better place, and she considers herself very fortunate to have a unique set of skills and insight having been on both sides of philanthropy.

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