Alexandra Awai
Board Chair
Alexandra Awai is the child of immigrants from Trinidad. She is connected by familial, professional and personal ties to a diverse network of women who are immigrants, or whose lives have been touched by the immigrant experience. Immigrant women face significant and complex challenges to success in the workplace, and Alexandra believes that empowering them is a powerful engine for positive societal change.
Alexandra’s work within the Global Office of General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers includes advising on the use and development of technology. Before joining PwC, she was a patent attorney and member of the intellectual property group at a large New York law firm. Her litigation and transactional experience has spanned across technologies and industries, with a particular emphasis on pharmaceuticals and biological products. Alexandra has advocated for women and immigrants through pro bono legal work and professional committees. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from MIT.
Alexandra lives with her young daughter in Brooklyn, New York. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, reading science fiction novels and planning her next trip to visit far flung friends and family.
Joyce Sheena
Board Treasurer
With over 20 years of financial experience, Joyce Sheena began her career working with multinational organizations in both treasury and controlling functions, domestically and internationally. She launched the International Treasury function at Johnson Controls and eventually took on a Regional Divisional Controller position based in Germany then Singapore. Leaving large corporate behind, she went on to work with smaller businesses expanding her responsibilities to include both strategic and general management functions. She has since moved on and is currently a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Halstead Manhattan. Joyce earned her MBA from University of Detroit-Mercy.
A first generation American, Joyce’s parents immigrated from Iraq to Michigan where the largest community of Chaldeans in the United States settled. Having the opportunity to live and work overseas has given her a great appreciation of the various challenges it takes to integrate into a new country and culture. Joining the Board of New Women New Yorkers in the role of Board Treasurer allows Joyce to naturally blend her finance background with her personal experience of living within an immigrant community throughout her youth and her time abroad.
Joyce is a proud mother of a college-aged son and in her spare time you can find her enjoying runs in Central Park, on a nearby tennis court, at various cultural events throughout the city, or trying new recipes at home.
Maria Maldonado
Board Secretary
Maria Maldonado first worked as a Sociology lecturer at the national university of her country, San Marcos University in Lima, and as an officer at the National Institute of Planning of Peru. Her interest in international affairs led her to the United Nations where she served in various capacities on assignments covering Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Maria had an opportunity to serve in the field as Deputy Head of Mission of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala, monitoring the implementation of the peace accords that ended many years of conflict in that country. She has also directed the work of the General Assembly’s sessions working closely with the President of the General Assembly. She has traveled widely and served in official missions and international conferences for the United Nations in Africa, Latin America, South East Asia, and Europe.
Since retiring, Maria has obtained a law degree and an Advanced Certificate in Immigration Law and conducts workshops for new diplomats at the United Nations Institute for Research and Training and volunteers at the City University of New York “Citizenship Now” campaigns to assist immigrants become US citizens. Hobbies include reading and writing, drawing, painting, learning to learn to play the piano and the folk harp and ballroom dancing.
Fabiola Dieudonne Aniton
Board Director
Fabiola Dieudonne Aniton immigrated with her parents from Haiti to the US at the age of 3. She has witnessed immigrant family members and other groups face discrimination and struggle to assimilate, yet their spirit and tenacity have helped them overcome significant barriers. She believes in helping leaders find their potential to impact and influence the world around them.
Fabiola currently serves as the Manager of Organizational Development at the United States Tennis Association. Previously, she held positions supporting diversity and inclusion in the corporate sector, as well as fundraising and board development in the nonprofit sector. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University and a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.
Fabiola is an avid cyclist and self-proclaimed foodie who seeks adventure in international travel.
Kathy Fraser
Board Director
Kathy Fraser is a Senior Manager in Risk Assurance at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Florham Park, NJ, and has spent most of her career in accounting, specifically taxation and now IT audit.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Kathy immigrated to NJ in 2005, to pursue her college education. She graduated (magna cum laude) from Caldwell University with a BS in Accounting and International Business (2009), and an MS in Accounting (2011).
Kathy understands firsthand the struggle in assimilating into a new country and culture, and is thrilled to help support NWNY in giving women access to the resources needed for them to lead a fulfilling life.
Kathy spends most of her spare time cooking up a storm or diving into a great read. A self-professed foodie, she enjoys international travel for the culture, and of course, for the food.
Larissa Marin
Board Director
Born and raised in Ecuador, Larissa decided to move to the US in her teenage years in search for a brighter future.
Larissa brings her unique perspective gained from her many years of experience as a leader in the banking and finance Industry. Currently, she works as Director of Retail Banking at Teachers Federal Credit Union, after working for nearly 8 years at Capital One in various capacities. She has built a reputation for her refreshingly friendly customer care and proven ability to influence and inspire others to think differently and deliver results. She believes that effective listening is an essential component of caring for others and key to creating a trustful work environment. Larissa has a proven track record of utilizing her communication and problem solving skills to lead initiatives around diversity and inclusion, community engagement, and business growth.
In addition, Larissa takes pride in giving back to the community by supporting and volunteering her time to organizations like New Women New Yorkers, Junior Achievement, Back on My Feet, God’s Love to Deliver, and New York Road Runners.
Monica Foote
Board Director
Monica Foote is the Director of Workforce Development at Project Renewal. In this role, she manages a team of job developers, trainers, and educators to help New Yorkers with significant barriers to employment obtain and keep jobs throughout the city. She has volunteered with nonprofits in both California and New York focused on empowering women, especially with access to the workforce.
Monica received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She volunteered at Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco for five years, training volunteers and helping young homeless women find employment. She was previously a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the dependent court system, and spent seven years running Human Resources and Marketing for a small software company.
Monica adores her grandma. She spends her free time walking around NYC, drinking iced coffee, kickboxing, and eating cheese.
Roberta F. Brzezinski
Board Director
As a lifelong investor in emerging markets, Roberta has worked alongside many immigrant professionals and values the global perspectives they bring. And as a woman in finance, she is deeply committed to helping others enter the field.
Roberta is a Managing Partner at Capitalworks Emerging Markets. She has spent 20 years as an emerging markets private equity investor and has worked across the markets of Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Roberta graduated from Harvard College and holds an MBA from Georgetown University. She speaks Russian and French in addition to English.
Traveling is Roberta’s way of life! She divides her time between New York, various emerging markets and Boston’s North Shore, where she lives with her husband and children.
Theophila Lee
Board Director
Theophila is a first generation citizen whose parents immigrated from Singapore. She believes deeply in providing accessible services to all immigrant women in order to help them most successfully transition and achieve their potential in NYC.
Theophila graduated with a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College in 2016 and currently works as a Senior Strategy Specialist at Estee Lauder.
In her spare time, Theophila enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and exploring the city.