2016 Honorees

Ellen Greiper

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Ellen Greiper is a partner at Goldberg Segalla, where she has more than three decades of experience defending multi-party construction and construction defect cases in the state and federal courts of New York.

An appointed arbitrator for the district courts in Nassau County, Ms. Greiper — who also has extensive experience litigating high-exposure premises liability, Labor Law, and personal injury matters that arise from construction site accidents — is a mediator for trial-ready cases in the Supreme Court of Nassau County, New York.

A prolific author and frequent speaker on emerging issues in the construction industry, Ms. Greiper is a member of a number of professional organizations in the construction industry. Those memberships include the Construction Specifications Institute, DRI’s Construction Defect Committee, and Professional Women in Construction, where she serves on the Board of Directors of its New York Chapter, the organization’s founding and largest arm.

In 2013, Ms. Greiper co-authored a comprehensive survey examining a cross-section of construction cases from around the country for Mealey’s Litigation Reports: Construction Defects. She is also the editor of the firm’s Labor Law Update, which examines the latest developments regarding New York’s Labor Law and construction site accidents.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ellen is active within numerous charitable organizations. She is currently involved with Birthday Wishes, a Not For Profit organization dedicated to arranging birthday parties for homeless children in Long Island shelters. Ellen and her family live in Port Washington, New York.


Anu Lamba

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Born and raised in Western India, Anu Lamba comes from a family of healthcare professionals. With credentials in education and child psychology, Ms. Lamba came to the United States in 1979 and devoted 20 years working in prestigious nursing homes in Queens.

Specializing in clinical and psychological services for long-term care residents as well as for those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s, Ms. Lamba ran support groups for her patients and their families. With a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW), and certification as a Clinical Social Worker (CSW), Ms. Lamba graduated from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, and pursued her LNHA, Licensed Nursing Home Administrator credentials.

After many years of diligence and determination, Ms. Lamba acquired her first skilled-care living facility in 2006 with two other partners. She went on to acquire a second, larger facility, along with two medical model satellite programs in 2008. Reflecting on her passion for working with this very special population, Ms. Lamba remarked: “My prayers were heard as my dream came true. As an owner/operator, I am able to make a meaningful impact on the quality of life for my patients and their families.”

Ms. Lamba’s many contributions include:

Member – Department of Health Ethics Committee
Board Member – Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC)
Member – Women Presidents’ Organization
Past President – International Northern Indian Cultural Society
Past President – Queens Coalition of Long-Term Social Workers Directors

Ms. Lamba does not take life for granted: “I consider myself very fortunate. I thank God for my wonderful family, including five beautiful grandchildren – and for a network of friends and colleagues who enrich my life. I know that my mom, who passed away ay the age of 101, is smiling from the heavens, since I believe that I am serving my patients and their families well. I encounter new challenges and opportunities every day of my life, and I embrace them with great enthusiasm.”


Linda Orth

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Linda G. Orth is a Vice President in the Internal Loan Review Division at New York Community Bancorp a position she recently accepted.  Prior to this position, she was a Commercial Lending Relationship Manager with New York Commercial Bank, a subsidiary of New York Community Bank.  Linda has 36 years of experience in the banking industry and has handled a diverse portfolio of middle market commercial loans.  She graduated from St. John’s University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Prior to joining New York Commercial Bank, Ms. Orth was employed by North Fork Bank as a Vice President & Commercial Loan Officer and at European American Bank in the Real Estate Lending Division.  It was during this time that she was accepted into the Bank’s Credit Officer training program in Chicago, Illinois.

As a 14-year member of the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women, Ms. Orth was the Chairwomen of the Community Outreach and Development Committee.   In June 2012, she became President of the Center, for a two year term.  She has remained on the Board as Past President.  Ms. Orth has been involved with many non-profit organizations on Long Island volunteering her time for various fundraising activities with the American Cancer Society/Island Harvest/Suffolk County Coalition against Domestic Violence/Dress for Success/American Heart Association/Walk to End Alzheimer’s, ALS, Marcum Workplace Challenge and Macy’s Thanks for Sharing Program.  Most recently she has become involved with the Wildlife Conservation Society “Run for the Wild” held in the spring at the Bronx Zoo, with other LIC members.


Elizabeth M. Saitta

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Elizabeth Saitta is the Director of New Business Development with Kuttin Wealth Management, a private advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., located in Melville, New York.

Liz has been delivering strategic marketing programs for financial services firms for over a decade. At Kuttin Wealth Management, she is responsible for creating and organizing multi-channel marketing programs for business development including seminars, direct mail, print, television, internet and social media. She is also responsible for pursuing and securing new business opportunities within existing and new market segments through the cultivation of relationships with CPA’s and other Center of Influences.

Kuttin Wealth Management uses the collective knowledge and experience of all its members to serve clients and provide a more complete view of your finances from different perspectives. You can also enjoy the support of the vast resources of Ameriprise Financial, which includes hundreds of specialists in the challenging areas of investment, trusts, tax strategies and more. Together, our local team with the resources of our corporate office can help you plan to reach your financial goals.

Ms. Saitta spends a lot of time giving back to her community in her free time. She sits on the board of directors of Moxxie Mentoring Foundation, volunteers at the local food banks and organizes the firm’s National Days of Service each year. She also participates on the events committee for the WE CARE Fund, and Nassau/Suffolk Law Services. When she is not in the office, you will find her on a field watching her children play sports, playing women’s soccer herself on 2 different leagues. Liz is married and has 5 children.


Victoria Schneps-Yunis

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As founder in 1985 of Schneps Communications, Victoria Schneps is Publisher/CEO of groups of weekly community newspapers, websites, events, and social media in New York City. The group includes the Queens Courier, Brooklyn Home Reporter, Brooklyn Spectator, The Ridgewood Times, and El Correo a Spanish language newspaper.

Schneps Communications also has Super Niche magazines including Queens Business, the Long Island City Courier, North Shore Towers Courier, LeHavre Courier, Lefrak City Courier, Cryder Point Courier, Aspire (a college citywide magazine) and Boro Magazine.

Inspired by the power of the press during her advocacy work on behalf of her daughter Lara, brain damaged at birth, Ms. Schneps pursued her dream of being in the news business. She started The Queens Courier in her Bayside living room, and a $250 investment.

Today, Schneps Communications publishes over 19 newspapers and magazines. The Queens Courier was chosen as one of the top 10 newspapers in New York State and their website as #1 by the New York State Press Association.

Additionally, Life’s WORC, the group she founded in 1971, has grown to serve over 1000 individuals with developmental disabilities and autism and is a 58 million dollar not-for-profit organization. It operates 40 group homes and 19 day programs, including a Family Center for Autism. Ms. Schneps continues to volunteer as a member of the board.

Ms. Schneps is the recipient of numerous awards for her dedicated community service and she is proud to have been chosen to carry the Olympic Torch for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She has received awards as Business Person of the Year by The Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Flushing YMCA, Grand Marshal of the Queens Hispanic Parade, and recognized by the Hindu and Muslim communities as well.

She serves on the boards of the Queens Museum of Art, Life’s WORC, South Boys and Girls Club, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning and Flushing Bank.

She received her BS from New York University and her MS from Brooklyn College. Recently widowed, she is the proud mother of three surviving children, 4 step children and fourteen grandchildren. She is passionate about her family, friends and the community.


Natalie Weinstein

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Natalie Weinstein, Allied ASID, IDS, is an accredited designer, acknowledged business leader, entrepreneur, author, media personality and motivational speaker. Her interior design firm, Natalie Weinstein Design Associates, based in St. James, N.Y. has been creating lifestyle changes in homes and public spaces, decorating for countless clients since 1973. In addition to quality residences, she is also known for her commercial installations, particularly catering facilities, car dealerships and professional offices.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa, Summa cum Laude from Queen’s College, Natalie’s first career at the age of 20, was as educator in the NYC public schools where she was one of three selected to pioneer a non-graded primary program which gained national recognition. She later graduated from and became master teacher and executive director of the Willsey Institute for Art and Interior Design where she remained for over 30 years. In 2001, she established the Natalie Weinstein Home Decorating Club to help Long Islanders live a better life through good design. Today over 15,000 members attend her seminars and her club provides sources, tips and consultations to help “do it yourselfers” throughout the tri-state area and online.

Natalie is actively involved in her community. Her synagogue volunteerism earned her the coveted Ernest L. Rothschild Award from United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. In 2007, the St. James Chamber of Commerce honored Natalie with the first annual Spirit of St. James Award for outstanding community service. She was named Woman of the Year by The Times Beacon Record Papers in 2008 and was a finalist in the NY Enterprise Report – Small Business Award competition. She was elected one of “60 Over 60” Outstanding Long Island Business Leaders in 2008. Her fundraising endeavors for Contractors for Kids, a Long Island based organization which aids the families of children with catastrophic diseases, is ongoing at all her seminars and events, as well as her fund-raising efforts for other local charities Her consignment shop, Uniquely Natalie, routinely donates furniture to Habitat for Humanity and other organizations helping people to return to their homes.

Natalie’s special interest in Long Island’s history and architecture is evidenced in her Long Island Focus feature in HOUSE magazine which has fascinated readers for almost two decades. In 2010, Natalie starred in a national T.V. pledge special for PBS Television entitled, “Change Your Home & Life with Natalie Weinstein.” Presently, she is the interior design expert for WALK Radio 97.5FM, WKJY 98.3 and www.walkradio.com, and design consultant for the Peter Andrews stores in Nassau and Suffolk County.

She has written The Hundred Most Often Asked Interior Design Questions, created a Design Pro on the Go Do-It-Yourself Workbook, and recorded informational DVD’s to provide homeowners with a roadmap to good design. Natalie’s love of children and design prompted her to write a children’s book on decorating, Katrina’s New Room. She is also contributing columnist and design expert for HOUSE Magazine, Our Town Newspaper, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsday’s This Week.

Recently, Natalie’s rug designs, which have been produced and sold locally under the Total Home Collection brand, have attracted the interest of Sherwin Williams Paints. She is now working with them to create coordinated color schemes for her rugs in special Natalie Weinstein Home Collection fan decks. Additionally, Uniquely Natalie, a quality furniture and accessory consignment boutique opened in 2014 to give every shopper an opportunity to create a lovely home no matter what the budget. Natalie’s work in the commercial area has earned her cudo’s, as well. Her professional office space for a Park Slope dentist was displayed by Citibank at the National Dentistry convention this past November. Presently working on attorney’s offices on two floors of the Consulate building in Manhattan, her innovative design is due to be published on completion.

Throughout her career, Natalie’s mission has been to enhance and empower the lives of people through their homes, offices, and public spaces, believing these are an extension of oneself. Natalie is a business leader and educator who has set an example for her peers and those she has mentored. She has proven that hard work, boundless energy and a deep devotion to ones’ craft, along with the ability to give the public what they need with wit and grace, is a timeless and still sought after commodity.

Natalie’s family – Jason, her son, and daughter-in-law, Terry, grandchildren Katrina and Neil, and elder son, David, are the loving support in all her endeavors. They, along, with her husband, Bernie, who passed away in 2010 inspired her to never stop being the best she could be. That inspiration and the loyal support of her extraordinary staff, sources, and clients make every day a new and exciting adventure.

Visit her at www.natalieweinstein.comwww.uniquelynatalie.com and www.nataliesclub.com