Trustees & Founders

Ray Hawkins is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) with Wealth Enhancement Group. As Sr. Vice President of the Financial and Estate Planning division, Ray offers his clients the benefits of problem solving in the areas of wealth strategies, executive compensation plans, tax reduction alternatives, charitable planning, and asset protection alternatives. Previously he worked in investment banking as Managing Director of Institutional Equities Trading for 12 years at JP Morgan and Vice President of Institutional Trading at CS First Boston for 16 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kean University, and is also a member in good standing of the National Financial Planning Association (FPA), FPANJ, National Association of Estate Planners Council (NAEPC). Ray holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®), Certified Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®), Accredited Estate Planner (EAP®), Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA®), and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) professional designations.

Gail Reuther is the Executive Director at Mt. Olive Child Care & Learning Center in Budd Lake, New Jersey. She is responsible for managing a long-standing child care and education Center which is both accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and 4-Star-Rated by Grow NJ Kids: New Jersey’s Quality Rating Improvement System.

Children aged 6 weeks through 13 years and their families are served by the Center. Gail is an active member of the Morris County Child Care Directors Association and currently serves as the President. In addition, she maintains a membership in the Coalition of Infant/Toddler Educators (CITE). Gail serves as the Co-Chair of Preschool Advantage’s School Committee. Formal education includes attending Douglas College (Rutgers University) for her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Correction and Spanish and Kean University for her Teaching Credential and Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.

Mark Cardone, First Senior Vice President for ConnectOne Bank is the Director of the Bank’s Commercial Banking Division. In 2008 Mark created an Independent School Banking Division within the Bank (then Union Center National Bank) that focuses solely on the banking needs of Independent Schools, specifically the financing (taxable and tax-exempt) of capital improvements and effective cash management strategies and structure. Today Mark manages the banking relationships of approximately forty Independent Schools located in New Jersey and New York, as well as relationships with half a dozen Colleges and Universities. Mark is responsible for the creation and delivery of business cash management services at ConnectOne, and also serves on the Bank’s Asset – Liability Committee. ConnectOne Bank is a Corporate Sponsor of the NJAIS and the NYSAIS and Mark is a past presenter at NJAIS Business Officers Conferences. Mark has spent his entire 30-year professional career as a New Jersey Banker, with the last 15 years at ConnectOne Bank/Union Center National Bank. Mark Cardone is a graduate of the American Bankers Associations’ Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

Christina Dorando is the founder and CEO of Cresthill Academy, a Reggio based holistic early childhood education center with two in Hoboken and one each in Lyndhurst, Harrison, and East Hanover. In establishing her business, Christina’s work included developing business plans, securing the necessary state and local licensing and funding, and managing the associated construction projects. She now oversees a large professional staff at the five centers and retains responsibility for all operational, financial, marketing and human resource matters. Christina graduated from Carnegie Melon University with a degree in Policy & Management and International Relations, and received her M.Ed in International Education Policy from Harvard.

Denise Lanza is Assistant Deputy Director, Morris County Park Commission and Executive Director of The Alliance for Morris County Parks, a New Jersey nonprofit supporting programs and facilities of the Morris County Park Commission. She is involved with numerous local notfor-profits and community organizations, including the North Jersey Health Collaborative, New Jersey Healthy Communities Network and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. Other organizations she has worked with in the past have included the Coalition for a Healthy New Jersey, Morris County Human Relations Commission, and the Morris County Tourism Bureau. Denise graduated from Montclair State University with a BS in Recreation and Leisure Studies and received her Masters of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is an adjunct professor at Kean University teaching “Fundraising in Parks and Recreation” and “Programs and Facility Design”

Yvette Long is President of ASPIRE, a Teen/Parent Development Consulting Firm, and Executive Director of Platinum Minds, a not for profit organization. Her focus is helping young men acquire an appreciation of the importance of high academic achievement, make better decisions and the development of leadership skills, self-confidence and an entrepreneur spirit. Yvette stresses the importance of education as a means to a better life, with a firm understanding and appreciation of the challenges young men face in society. Yvette is involved in many community organizations, including the Morristown Unity Methodist Church, the Morris County Human Relations Commission, the NAACP of Morris County, the Morris County Urban League and the Market Street Mission. Yvette attended Linfield College, Thomas Edison College and Montclair State University. She holds a BA in Social Science and is a Certified Teacher and Guidance Counselor, and a certified teacher of Psychology.

Ginger Michaels is a licensed Clinical Social Worker (retired), Ginger practiced for over 25 years as a Board Certified diplomate in clinical social work. Ginger holds a BA from Montclair State University, an MSW from Rutgers and a Certificate in Family Therapy from the New Jersey Center for Family Studies in Millburn, N.J.

Bob Peterson retired in 2001 from his position of school psychologist with the Rochester (New York) City School District as a school psychologist. Bob worked for the school district for 35 years, and for approximately 20 of those years, he worked in and helped develop a preschool program for three- to five-year-old children with learning disabilities. He has also worked professionally with alcoholics and compulsive gamblers. In addition to his work at Preschool Advantage, he is involved with the Parsippany Democratic Committee, the Parsippany Historical Society, the HUB camera club, and the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. Bob holds a BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Masters/New York State certification in school psychology from Alfred University.

Rick Thoeni retired in 2009 from his career as a sales and marketing professional in the IT and Healthcare sectors. He is a former President of the Preschool Advantage Board of Trustees, having led the organization for over four years. He also volunteers for the Jersey Battered Women’s service and for Meals on Wheels. Rick has also volunteered for Cub Scouts and Youth Soccer groups.