Honored Among 20 of Long Island’s top CEOs
Deer Park, NY, May 9th, 2013- At a dinner ceremony marked by the presence of 20 of Long Island’s most accomplished and influential CEOs, Theresa Regnante, President and CEO of United Way of Long Island, received the prestigious Outstanding CEO Award from Long Island Business News. The United Way of Long Island congratulates Theresa for her incredible contribution to the Long Island region and for this outstanding recognition of her achievements. Here is an insightful reprint of the write-up Theresa received from LIBN.
Theresa A. Regnante- United Way of Long Island
Theresa A. Regnante, president and CEO of United Way of Long Island, will tell you that helping people is in her DNA. Growing up in a fundraising family, Regnante went with her father to various places to sell raffle tickets for St. Francis Hospital. Today, she has been a beacon of inspiration as she leads United Way of Long Island and supports its 125 community partners in the development of strategic initiatives that have a measurable and lasting impact on education, income stability and health throughout Nassau and Suffolk. During her four years at the helm, Regnante has had an eye not only for growing the nonprofit organization, but for also seeking out opportunities that empower Long Islanders in need. Under her leadership, the organization has adopted a new approach to community problem-solving. This includes the procurement of $1.5 million in government, corporate and private grants to establish a workforce training center for the unemployed and underemployed. She is currently co-chairing the Long Island Hurricane Sandy Unmet Needs Roundtable, a bi-county fund established to fill the gaps between the needs of disaster victims and available government resources. Regnante is leading a team that, as of January 2013, had raised in excess of $1.5 million to assist Long Islanders in the rebuilding of their homes, neighborhoods and livelihoods. She is a firm believer that good leaders are only as good as those with whom they surround themselves. “Especially for the not-for-profit world, it is always important who is on your team and staff,” Regnante said. “For us, it is our board of directors who we really learn from.”
Everyday interaction with all staff members is equally important, she said. “I think that people at all levels have really good ideas and if you are a really good leader, you are going to implement the ideas that are the best ideas from your entire team,” she said. The one obstacle always facing nonprofits is not having adequate resources on the infrastructure side to really be successful, Regnante said. “A desire to grow and help more people requires a very delicate balancing act of investment and capital to grow, and advancing the common good,” she said. Regnante has been widely honored and recognized regionally for her accomplishments. She received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from St. Joseph’s College in New York in 2012. She was also the recipient of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance’s 2012 Alumna of the Year and was recognized by Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence as the 2012 Woman Achiever of the Year. She is a member of the Long Island Index advisory committee, Adelphi University’s Institute for Social Research & Community Engagement, Vital Signs advisory board and Hofstra University’s Master of Public Health Program advisory committee. She also serves on the boards of the Advancement of Commerce, Industry and Technology and LISTnet. After her long days, she enjoys spending quality time with her 7-year-old daughter, Olivia. “I have a very active little girl,” she said. “It is usually two hours of soccer, throwing the lacrosse ball to her, gymnastics and karate.” Passing along the same compassion to help others that her dad gave her, Regnante is proud to bring Olivia along to help support special causes, including selling T-shirts for United Way of Long Island’s Military Fund.
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