Abilities! Announces New Chair, Christopher Pascucci, elected to its Board of Directors
(Albertson, N.Y.) – On June 30, 2009, the Abilities! Board of Directors elected Christopher Pascucci, President of the Duck Pond Corporation, to replace Ralph Palleschi, President & CEO, First Long Island Investors, LLC, as the Chair of its Board of Directors.
Pascucci is the Vice President of WLNY TV 55; a New York-based television station. He previously served as CFO of Oxford Resources Corp. and as President of Centrex Capital Corp., which were publicly listed national consumer finance companies. Pascucci holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
“I am delighted that Chris has agreed to chair the Abilities! Board,” stated Edmund L. Cortez, President & CEO of Abilities!, in making the announcement. “I am confident he will bring a new energy to the mission of Abilities!, which is to create a world in which people with disabilities will live simply as people.”
Pascucci was a trustee and the past Chair of the Board of the Henry Viscardi School, an Abilities! affiliate which provides educational services and on-site medical care to children with severe physical disabilities. He also serves as Vice President and Trustee of Fund for the Poor, a public charity which supports programs that provide social, financial and educational assistance to disadvantaged people worldwide. In addition, he is a trustee of the Grameen Foundation, USA, which is establishing microcredit programs for poor borrowers in Mexico and Central America.
At Harvard University, his alma mater, Pascucci is a member of the Committee on University Resources and a past member of the Financial Aid Task Force and the University Committee on Student Excellence and Opportunity. He is active in the Catholic Church as a Knight of Malta, a trustee of St. Francis Hospital, and a trustee of the Maryknoll Father & Brothers’ Apostolic Trust.
Pascucci is married to Silvana Pascucci. Together they raise four children, Olivia, Nicholas, Isabella and Joseph.
About Abilities!
Founded in 1952, Abilities! is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where people with disabilities receive the same treatment as all other people and have equal access to the benefits society offers. With a staff of more than 400, including experts in education, human resources and technology, Abilities! has grown to become a global leader in the full integration of people with disabilities into everyday life. Abilities! serves individuals living on Long Island, the five boroughs of New York City, and Westchester County. More information about Abilities! and its wide range of services to individuals, organizations and private-sector businesses is available at www.abilitiesonline.org.
###
