Women

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that promotes opportunity, fairness, and flexibility. By supporting programs that elevate leaders and encourage meaningful dialogue, we reaffirm our dedication to progress and innovation.

WELCOME

Citrin Cooperman and Westfair Business Journal welcome you to the 2026 Women in Power event, bringing together influential women from across our region for a candid conversation on leadership, growth, and impact. Throughout the morning, our panelists will share the experiences, insights, and decisions that have shaped their paths, offering perspective on navigating challenges, breaking barriers, and leading with purpose.

PROGRAM

8:30-9:30 a.m.

Breakfast • Networking

9:30-10:30 a.m.

Panel Discussion

Opening Remarks: Catherine Sabol, Partner, Citrin Cooperman

Panel Moderated by: Chelsea Blancato, Partner, Citrin Cooperman

Panelists:

Lola Gazivoda, Founder and CEO, Bota Consulting Group

Fran Pastore, Founder and CEO, Women’s Business Development Council

Maria Trusa, Founder and CEO, Yo Digo No Mas, Formé Medical Center Urgent Care

PRESENTED BY

CATHERINE SABOL

PARTNER

CITRIN COOPERMAN

CATHERINE SABOL is a partner in Citrin Cooperman’s White Plains office, with 19 years of consulting experience in state and local tax. She has devoted her career to helping clients manage state and local tax burdens by addressing issues related to income and franchise, sales and use, employment, and property taxes.

Sabol has guided both companies and individuals through all stages of complex audits, often resulting in little to no change in tax due. She also assists taxpayers in identifying savings opportunities by conducting diligence reviews of previously filed returns, which frequently result in refund claims.

She has spent her entire career in public accounting, drawn to the client service aspect of the profession. Prior to joining Citrin Cooperman, Sabol was a senior manager in the Northeast state and local tax group at BDO USA. She began her career as an associate in the financial services group within the state and local tax practice at PwC.

CHELSEA BLANCATO

PARTNER

CITRIN COOPERMAN

CHELSEA BLANCATO is an audit partner in Citrin Cooperman’s White Plains office with more than 15 years of experience providing audit and assurance services to clients across a range of industries. She has led and worked on diverse audit engagements, bringing broad industry knowledge and practical insight to her work.

Blancato has extensive audit experience in healthcare, real estate, employee benefit plans, manufacturing and distribution, architecture and engineering, and the advertising industry.

Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong ability to build and maintain client relationships grounded in trust, transparency and value. She takes a proactive, hands-on approach and is known for her strong work ethic, loyalty and commitment to delivering superior client service, with a focus on resolving issues efficiently and effectively.

Blancato has also served as a co-leader of the Women in Power event for more than 10 years, reflecting her commitment to advancing women’s leadership in the workplace and her passion for mentoring and empowering others through shared experiences.

Unlock Your Voice, Transform Your Future.

Unlock Your Voice, Transform Your Future.

Women in Power know that clear and engaging presentations can set individuals apart in competitive environments.

Women in Power know that clear and engaging presentations can set individuals apart in competitive environments.

That strong presentations can lead to being invited to participate in high profile projects or meetings, thus expanding one's professional network.

That strong presentations can lead to being invited to participate in highprofile projects or meetings, thus expanding one's professional network.

That the ability to convey information persuasively often leads to better buy-in from stakeholders and colleagues, which can be crucial for project success and leadership roles.

That the ability to convey information persuasively often leads to better buy-in from stakeholders and colleagues, which can be crucial for project success and leadership roles.

And that increased self-assurance can lead to more opportunities, as confident individuals are more likely to take risks, speak up in meetings, and advocate for themselves and their ideas.

And that increased self-assurance can lead to more opportunities, as confident individuals are more likely to take risks, speak up in meetings, and advocate for themselves and their ideas.

Spend a moment this morning at our table with Christina Dufour and Michael Crystal to learn how they can enable and empower people who want to follow in your footsteps. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WESTFAIR BUSINESS JOURNAL

For further info contact evanlare.myriad@gmail.com

Spend a moment this morning at our table with Christina Dufour and Michael Crystal to learn how they can enable and empower people who want to follow in your footsteps. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WESTFAIR BUSINESS JOURNAL

For further info contact evanlare.myriad@gmail.com

Lola Gazivoda

FOUNDER AND CEO BOTA CONSULTING GROUP

Lola Gazivoda is the founder and CEO of Bota Consulting Group, an offshore recruiting, consulting and management firm connecting U.S. businesses with top talent from Albania while also supporting onshore organizations with revenue growth, project management and strategic consulting. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in banking, having served as a senior vice president and held leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase, Capital One and M&T Bank, where she managed business banking portfolios and led high-performing teams.

Gazivoda also served as loan portfolio manager and empowerment zone director for the City of Yonkers, overseeing federal funds and economic development initiatives. She is a 40 Under 40 Rising Star honoree recognized by the Business Council of Westchester and remains active in the community through board service with the Westchester Medical Center Foundation, the Business Initiative Corporation of New York and the business development bank board of Tompkins Community Bank.

She resides in Bedford, N.Y., with her husband and three children.

Fran Pastore FOUNDER AND CEO

WOMEN’S

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

Fran Pastore is a nationally respected leader in women’s entrepreneurship and a longtime advocate for economic equity, justice and inclusion. She founded the Women’s Business Development Council in 1997 and has grown it into Connecticut’s leading resource for women entrepreneurs, supporting thousands of women in launching, growing and sustaining successful businesses.

Pastore has advised leaders in government and business and served on the National Women’s Business Council. She co-chaired Gov. Ned Lamont’s Jobs and Economy Policy Committee and has contributed to economic development initiatives at the state and local levels. She currently chairs the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority Board and serves on the boards of Hartford HealthCare, the M&T Bank Connecticut Directors’ Advisory Council and the Webster Bank Community Advisory Council.

Her work has had global reach, including engagement with women entrepreneurs in Rwanda, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Turkey. She has also represented the United States at the Women’s Summit and the Global Entrepreneurship Conference in Istanbul. For nearly three decades, Pastore has helped shape policies advancing women’s economic rights, including testimony before Congress and the Connecticut Legislature.

Maria Trusa FOUNDER AND CEO

YO DIGO NO MAS FORMÉ MEDICAL CENTER URGENT CARE

Maria Trusa is an author, entrepreneur and human rights advocate for children, as well as a philanthropist, public speaker and healthcare leader. She is the owner and CEO of Formé Medical Center and Urgent Care in White Plains, where she has focused on creative, entrepreneurial solutions to expand access to quality health care through a medical membership model serving vulnerable Latino communities, including undocumented and uninsured families.

Trusa’s work also centers on guiding women through a step-by-step process of self-actualization, helping them break free from limiting barriers, gain emotional autonomy and empower others to rewrite their stories.

Citrin Cooperman is one of the nation’s largest professional services firms, whether you are an entrepreneur, a middle-market company, or a global publicly-traded conglomerate, we provide access to top-tier professionals who strive to understand a company’s differentiators and goals, specializing in going beyond the core compliance functions to provide valuable insight on key business decisions. Our daily mission is to enhance the businesses and personal lives of our clients through our services, guidance, and enthusiasm for building long-standing relationships. We are dedicated to providing clients with an objective viewpoint and insightful advice on whatever challenges they bring to the table.

Our clients span a diverse array of industry and business sectors and find sustainable growth through utilizing our menu of comprehensive personal and professional services. Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP, a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services and Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC, which provides business advisory and non-attest services, operate as an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law, regulations, and professional standards. For more information, please visit citrincooperman.com.

A privately held company based in Mount Kisco, New York, Westfair Communications Inc. is the home of the Westfair Business Journal, which you can find online and which now integrate content from former publication WAG magazine, providing readers with a greater variety of business news and features. Westfair also publishes the popular News @ Noon e-newsletters, for late-breaking developments, as well as industry-specific newsletters. For more than 60 years, the Business Journals have been the only weekly countywide business publications. They were founded by former Westchester resident David Moore, a grandson of influential New York publisher Joseph Pulitzer, and John Smith, a former Wall Street Journal editor. In keeping with their founders’ principles, the publications focus on the business community in Fairfield, Westchester and the rest of the Hudson Valley with breaking news, trends, tips and behind-the-scenes profiles among the papers’ specialties. (The new content takes you beyond the business world to explore, food, travel, health/wellness and the home, while the entertainment-flavored calendar suggests where you should be and when.) The papers and newsletters have gained credibility and respect in the region for their honest, timely insights. Westfair also sponsors interactive programs for its readers, some of which are joint ventures with other businesses or community organizations. These programs cover a variety of subjects and take different forms, including seminars, expos, conferences, roundtable discussions and debates. For more, visit westfaironline.com or call 914-694-3600.

Manhattanville University (formerly Manhattanville College) is a private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education, and social responsibility. “U.S. News and World Report” ranks Manhattanville among the Top Performers of Social Mobility in Regional Universities North. The university has been recognized among the best colleges in The Princeton Review for close to 20 years. Located 30 miles from New York City on a 100-acre suburban campus in the heart of Westchester County, Manhattanville enables easy access to entertainment offerings, educational resources, and business opportunities for its diverse student body. The university serves more than 1,300 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students from more than 44 countries and 33 states. Founded in 1841, the university offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, education, nursing and health sciences, business, and creative writing, as well as continuing and executive education programs. Graduate students can choose from over 70 graduate and certificate programs. Extracurricular offerings include more than 45 clubs and activities and 23 NCAA Division III teams.