2023 Year in Review: June
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2023 Year in Review: May
Bank of America’s Marc Perez says his free time is well spent volunteering
By Julianne Mosher
Not only is Marc Perez an executive for Bank of America Long Island, but he has been recognized for being an active local leader and community servant striving to help others.
After initially joining the Bank of America team in 2000, Perez was named president of Bank of America Long Island – based out of Melville – in September 2021. As president, he leads initiatives to positivitly impact Long Island communities while aligning volunteer efforts for the more than 1,200 employees across the island.
Photo courtesy Long Island Cares
In addition, he is responsible for delivering access to the capabilities of Bank of America’s eight lines of business to help enhance the well-being of the people, businesses and institutions that call Long Island home. Perez also serves as a market executive for Bank of America Private Bank, delivering responsible growth and client satisfaction.
“Over his 20-year career at Bank of America, Marc has established deep relationships with teammates, clients and the Long Island community,” Brian Moynihan, chief executive officer of Bank of America, previously said in a statement.
As a 20-year resident of Northport, Perez has also dedicated himself to his community – a passion he shares with his family, and that he often combines with his role at Bank of America.
“I have always admired the passion of people who volunteer and who dedicate their career to serve,” Perez said. “Volunteering of your time, effort or expertise is critically important – helping people in need helps empower our communities.”
Perez has served as a board member of Long Island Cares for seven years, but his involvement with this nonprofit dates back more than a decade.
“Along with my wife and two daughters, we have participated in several Long Island Cares volunteer initiatives, including food drives and collections to assist families in need,” he said. “Additionally, in my role as [Bank of America] Long Island president, I have the great opportunity to partner with local nonprofits to advance initiatives like the Power Up! program with the United Way of Long Island and Bold Future Leaders with Girls Inc.”
Perez said that this year, the Bank of America team on Long Island volunteered approximately 9,000 hours and Bank of America was able to provide funding, as well.
“Together, it’s the impact of both that makes me most proud,” he said.
Under Perez’s leadership and connections, his team has consistently supported initiatives in partnership with Long Island Cares, Island Harvest, Girls Inc., Habitat for Humanity and more.
This past year, Perez said he has two special memories of his volunteerism.
“It was an honor to be able to meet and speak to graduates of Island Harvest’s Workforce Skills Development Institute, a program that Bank of America helped to launch,” he said. “Engaging with the graduates, their families and the people involved in the program was inspirational and uplifting knowing that these graduates will go on to prosper in a new career.”
His second favorite memory? When he and his wife, Maryann, helped prepare Thanksgiving meals for Long Islanders in need.
“Not only do these moments keep me coming back to volunteer often but participating in these events helps fulfill a duty we all have to make our communities better for us all,” he said.
But just because 2023 is nearing the end, that doesn’t mean his community service stops, too. This coming spring, under his leadership, Bank of America will be hosting a Clean Up Day in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity in the Riverside community.
“There is no doubt in my mind that volunteering is motivating,” he said. “If you can get involved in volunteer work, I recommend that you find an organization whose mission you support and join their efforts.”
While running a company, managing a team and being a dad to two kids, Perez said that any spare minute of volunteering is 100 percent worth it.
“I realize that time is precious, since people have responsibilities at home and at work. However, every time I volunteer and give back, I am grateful to have contributed to building up our community,” he said. “There’s nothing like the feeling you get after positively impacting the lives of others. To quote Maya Angelou, ‘I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.’”
For his considerable volunteer work, Marc Perez is honored as a TBR News Media 2023 Person of the Year.
Teenager driving an electric motor bike seriously injured in St. James
Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that seriously
injured a teenager driving an electric motor bike in Saint James on Jan. 5.
Matthew McQuillan was driving a 2019 Infiniti QX6 eastbound on Middle Country Road when he attempted to make a left turn into a business and struck a Sur-Ron electric motor bike being operated by Myles Cotten, who was on the shoulder traveling westbound on Middle Country Road at 3:34 p.m.
Cotten, and his passenger Jack Schouten, who were not wearing helmets were thrown from the motor bike. Cotten, 13, of Saint James, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital in serious condition. Schouten, 14, of Smithtown, was also transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. McQuillan, 24, was not injured.
The vehicles were impounded for a safety check. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call
the Fourth Squad at 631-852-8752.
2023 Year in Review: April
2023 Year in Review: March
2023 Year in Review: February
2023 Year in Review: January
Hitting the ground running, Hewett inspires BNL’s staff
By Daniel Dunaief
JoAnne Hewett hit the ground running when she arrived at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
She had no choice.
On her first day, Hewett, who is the first woman to lead the Department of Energy lab in its 76-year history, had to decide how to handle a technical problem at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, a machine that collides heavy beams of ions traveling around a 2.4-mile track.
Hewett, who is a theoretical physicist and had worked as associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research at SLAC at Stanford University, was “able to grasp everything very quickly,” said Haiyan Gao, associate lab director for Nuclear and Particle Physics at BNL.
BNL decided to end its run of experiments on Aug. 4, earlier than the original plan for the end of September. It took some time to determine the root cause of the problem, which, fortunately, turned out to be a singular event and not a failure of the system.
Gao found it “quite refreshing in the sense that [Hewett] was very interested in the experimental, technical part” of the decision and called it “the right call.”
After arriving at BNL in August, Hewett has impressed many of the staff at BNL and is developing plans for the lab that extend into the next decade and beyond.
TBR News Media is pleased to name Hewett, who is a leader, an inspirational role model and a “people person,” as a 2023 Person of the Year.
In an interview, Hewett described an active first few days on the job.
“There’s nothing like a good initiation,” Hewett said. “Because I do have a collider and accelerator background, it was an easy decision to make.”
RHIC is planning to restart in March, which is about a month behind the normal schedule. Hewett expects the ion collider to get a full run for fiscal year 2024.
‘A breath of fresh air’
Having a new leader at the lab who does things differently “gets noticed,” said John Hill, the deputy director for science and technology. “She’s a breath of fresh air.”
Indeed, one of Hewett’s priorities has been to meet with all the technicians at the lab. She schedules group interactions where she talks with about 10 people at a time.
In addition to listening to the perspective of other BNL staff, Hewett wants “people to be enthusiastic here,” said Luisella Lari, project manager for the Electron-Ion Collider and senior scientist at BNL. “She takes time to explain the vision.”
Hewett’s approach, which includes a focus on the work and on the people who make the science possible, “makes me feel sure she is on our side” as an advocate, Lari added.
The new BNL lab director appreciates the pride people take in their work and in the effort to make contributions to everything from basic science to applied research that has the potential to contribute to new technology and to provide solutions for various challenges.
“People love their contribution to the big science mission,” said Hewett. “No matter what their role is, they understand that their contribution is important. We can’t get science out the door without them.”
Hewett wasn’t surprised to hear suggestions for ways to improve the lives of people at BNL. At the top of many people’s lists was reopening the cafeteria, which has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re working very hard to get that open,” said Hewett.
Scientific goals
Top administrators at BNL appreciate Hewett’s long-range focus on improving the science and enhancing the equipment that makes discoveries possible.
Home to the National Synchrotron Lightsource II, which cost about $1 billion to make and was completed in 2015, BNL is focused on opportunities to upgrade a facility that can look at the inner workings of batteries while they are working or explore the interplay between the structure and function of important enzymes.
One of Hewett’s first questions to Hill was “what do you think about an upgrade,” he recalled. Hill said when it was first built, the NSLS-II was the brightest in the world, and now one or two other synchrotrons are brighter. She wanted to upgrade it to “keep its competitive edge.”
Hewett explained that the NSLS-II has the capacity for 60 beamlines. BNL has built 32 and is either constructing or planning another 12 to 15, which leaves room to plan and build 15 additional beamlines.
“Finishing that out is important,” said Hewett.
At the same time, BNL will be holding science workshops to determine which of the accelerator physics options makes sense. Hewett is also focused on enhancing the lab’s computing power.
“All science is data science,” she said. “We work so hard to create the data, we have to make sure we record and process it. If you don’t do that, you might as well not have run the facility.”
BNL just signed a funding request for a series of planned upgrades.
Hill is developing a year-long computational strategy, which includes a focus on the needs for the facility for the next 10 years.
One of the biggest appeals of coming to BNL for Hewett and for other scientists around the country and the world is the Electron-Ion Collider.
BNL won a competition to build the EIC on Long Island, with the help of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator in Virginia. By colliding electrons and protons, the EIC will reveal how the subunits of protons and neutrons in the nucleus — the quarks and gluons — come together to help generate mass in visible matter.
Hewett is “heavily involved in the EIC, making sure we can deliver on that,” said Hill.
Recently, the Department of Energy passed a critical design landmark, which provides a green light to make long lead procurement items. Specifically, BNL received the authority to spend $100 million on items for construction of the collider that will take years to procure.
This, Hewett explained, is the approval before a funding baseline and schedule for the project.
“These take so long to order,” she said. “It’s not like going into a Target and picking something off the shelf. It takes a long time to keep the schedule on track.”
Hewett said she had no doubt the EIC team would pass this milestone.
She described the procurement project group as a rock star team and she had no doubt that they were going to get it.
BNL won’t get the official approval to spend money until January.
An appreciated first
Choosing Hewett to serve in the top role at BNL has inspired some of her fellow scientists and could serve as encouragement to other underrepresented people in scientific fields.
Her experience makes her “the best person for the job,” said Lari. “This is what I’d put before thinking she’s a woman.”
Lari said she is “extremely proud to be a part of her team because [Hewett] is a really competent scientist, person, and the fact that she’s a woman is a plus.”
Having a female lab director helps with recruitment, added Hill.
In dealing with some human resource issues, Hewett asked questions that reflected some of the challenges she faced, Hill said. “That was eye opening to me and will stick with me,” he added.
Personal inspiration
On the personal side, Hewett, who is a Star Trek fan and makes a quick lunch meal of yogurt and berries in her office on the fly, shared some of her personal struggles and decisions.
In a BNL video, she explained that she is a breast cancer survivor who dealt with the dreaded disease 16 years earlier.
“My main message is to increase awareness and the importance of screenings,” said Hewett. “If one more person gets screened because of the video, then that’s a success.”
Gao applauded Hewett’s message, even as she wasn’t sure she or others would be comfortable sharing personal health issues.
As for her move from California, Hewett, who is an only child, brought her 93-year old father Bob across the country with her.
Her father had moved with the family three times when Hewett was two, seven and 14, which created some symmetry for the latest travels.
The senior Hewett was prepared to travel to Long Island to be with his daughter, whom he calls his “best buddy.”
A dedicated daughter and lab director, Hewett comes to work energized by the achievements and warmth of the staff.
“I knew, of course, about the science before I came,” she said. “What I didn’t know was how wonderful all the people are. Everyone is extremely dedicated to the mission in their role and what they do. It’s like family.”
Eye on the Street: People of the Year 2023
By Carolyn Sackstein
The end of the year is a time for reflection.
To round out 2023, TBR News Media took to the local streets throughout our coverage area, asking locals to nominate a Person of the Year. Responses ranged from family members to artists to local and world leaders.
As we all contemplate our lives and look toward the future, we offer the following responses as a starting point for reflection.
— Photos by Carolyn Sackstein
Jason Woreth, Poquott
Woreth said he nominates “my wife, Jessica. She can do everything. She’s a superhero.”
Michael Gravino, Port Jefferson
Gravino nominates his daughter, Amy Louise Gravino. He said, “She has Asperger’s syndrome. When she was in high school, we were told don’t waste your money with college. She has a master’s degree now. She’s a success story.”
Julie Grosjean, France and Setauket
“I nominate my mother, Anne. She is the best woman in the world. She does a lot of things for me.”
Adam Aliberti, Setauket
When asked to nominate some-one as person of the year, Aliberti said, “Steven Englebright,” Suffolk County Legislator-elect for the county’s 5th District. “He was an assemblyman for years. He’s done wonders for the Setauket area.”
Lisa Parker, Coram
Parker was enthusiastic in her support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “He’s doing everything he can for his people,” she said. “He is trying so hard to give his people and country freedom. He deserves it.”
Ileana Toribio, Port Jefferson
Toribio stopped walking her dog to speak of having lost her father, Isaac Toribio, in February. She said, “He passed suddenly, out of nowhere. I was always a daddy’s girl. He has been in my spirit all day, every day this year. I would like to nominate him for his spirit and everything he did to contribute to our family.”
Nancy and Brian Wegenaar, East Setauket
Nancy Wegenaar wished to nominate actor Maurice Benard, who plays the character Sonny Corinthos on “General Hospital.” This was not a matter of simple fandom. Nancy said, “He wrote a book about bipolar disorder, ‘Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital.’ Our son, Travis, suffered and passed away from that at age 34. I read [Benard’s] book, and it helped me very much. He helped me through the loss of my son. He spends a lot of time online soothing people.” Her husband added, “He, Benard, is a big advocate for treatments of bipolar disorder.”
Brian Wegenaar wanted to add Father Frank Pizzarelli to their nomination. Brian said, “Father Frank, Hope House and Little Portion Friary helped us dealing with our son Travis. They gave us a lot of counseling and hope to move on from it and helped us understand the disease. He, Father Frank, has helped our family and the community. Father Frank is a saint.”
Chris Haydon, West Islip
Haydon agreed with Time magazine’s selection of Taylor Swift as Person of the Year. He said, “I followed her career from the early days. She is very talented. She’s a great businesswoman. She is wholesome. She gives back to the community.”
Anthony Tallini, Coram
Tallini nominates his mother as Person of the Year. “She does everything for everyone,” he said. “She’s very helpful. She doesn’t ask for much in return. My mother is taking care of my dad, who’s going through some medical issues.”
Louise Stagg, Port Jefferson
“I nominate my son, Jeffery Stagg. He’s very generous, a real family man. He’s a good provider and a good husband.”
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