Meet the Board of Directors of North Fork Women
Click each name to view their bio:
Meagan Bamberger, LMSW
Meagan was born and raised on the south shore of Long Island. She left the island to attend SUNY New Paltz, where she received her bachelors in Sociology and returned to the island to attend Stony Brook University where she received her Masters in Social Work.
Meagan is currently a licensed social worker who work with adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She is a passionate advocate for vulnerable populations and continues to work towards providing comprehensive and equitable services for the people she works with.
Meagan now lives in Riverhead, where she is very involved with the community and works closely with another nonprofit, Queerli, to create safe spaces for queer people on the East End of Long Island. Meagan is excited to work with North Fork Women and continues the incredible work they already do!
Anjelica Ballo
Anjelica “Aj” Barberine (she/her) was born and raised on the South Fork of Long Island and currently resides in Wading River with her partner Michelle Demetillo.
With a passion to help others, Anjelica has worked in the healthcare industry for several years in both home care and addiction treatment. She currently manages a team at a home care agency that provides in-home care for seniors needing additional assistance.
While she will always have a soft spot for the South Fork, she fell in love with the North Fork and exploring new places after working in Southold. It was during the pandemic that she took a short hiatus from healthcare. Through her time at Port of Egypt Marine, she first found out about the North Fork Women and the incredible work that they have been doing for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Anjelica serves as the Vice President on the Founding Board of Directors of Queerli. This newly federally recognized non-profit organization is working to cultivate more welcoming and safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community in Suffolk County. They will also be offering education to local businesses to help them better understand their LGBTQIA+ patrons and employees, creating a positive environment for all. Queerli has helped Anjelica find a queer community that she did not have when she was younger and it also helped her establish a deeper connection with the North Fork Women.
Anjelica is excited to be a part of such a long-standing institution that has been helping women on the North Fork for so many years. She hopes to bring some new ideas and perspectives that can help continue to grow an already incredible organization.
Maria Fasulo
Maria is from Long Island and has been here her whole life. She has shared her life with Laurie Olson since 1994 and got married in 2011 after the marriage equality law passed in NY. They have a home in East Marion within Gardiners Bay Estates that they bought in 2022 after having a condo at Cleaves Point for 17 years and enjoy both the peace and wonder of the North Fork!
Maria’s passion is to be on the water sailing and boating and taking boat trips all along the northeast coast throughout the summer, along with playing golf (or at least trying!) She spent over 28 years in the pharmaceutical industry, in sales, advertising, and medical education. She is currently devoting herself to nonprofit causes such as the Human Rights Campaign, where she helps raise funds for LBGTQ-equality and elect fair-minded local, state, and federal representatives to work for equality and other progressive causes, along with being on the North Fork Women’s Board over the last few years.
Maria continues to be excited to be part of this wonderful North Fork Women’s group, and passionate about the work that we all do to help our community. She helps lead the NFW Golf Pride event each year bringing together our community, local sponsors, and local partners to help raise funds for those in need. She’s looking forward to helping with many more events and programs that positively affect our community on the North Fork!
Maria Fasulo
Makai Michelle Ballo
Makai (they/them/she/her) was born in Brooklyn, raised on Long Island and resides in Wading River with their wife, Anjelica “Aj” Ballo, and two spoiled cats, Smudge and Luna. As director of Open Door Exchange, a nonprofit furniture bank, Makai leads efforts to provide gently used furniture to families in need at no cost. She brings over a decade of nonprofit development experience to North Fork Women, along with expertise in business management, marketing, and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging), committed to impactful initiatives and fostering community and business partnerships.
Previously, Makai served as Hospitality & Community Manager at North Fork Brewing Company where they launched The Lady Brewsters of the North Fork to elevate women and gender-expansive individuals in the beer industry, which has now expanded to all of Long Island. Their work has been featured in the Northforker, including articles on pivoting business during COVID and tackling discrimination and harassment in hospitality.
As the founder of Queerli, a nonprofit organization creating safer spaces for queer and trans+ communities across eastern Long Island, Makai collaborates with like-minded individuals, volunteers and businesses to promote inclusivity. In their rare spare time, they entertain in theatrical productions and with original music as a singer-songwriter. In 2023, they starred as Joanne Jefferson in RENT at Smithtown Performing Arts Center, earning acclaim from Broadway World.
Makai is incredibly grateful to serve on the board of North Fork Women to support a thriving, longstanding organization.
Makai Michelle Ballo
Kikka Harrison
Kikka grew up in Geneva, Switzerland and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a BBA in International Business, a BA in French Literature and Special Honors.
Her career as a banker was split between Geneva and New York working for banks such as BNP- PARIBAS, Credit Lyonnais and UBS in their commodities department.
Back in Geneva in 2010, Kikka leveraged her experience to become the Chief Risk Officer at an oil trading company and risk manager at another before choosing in late 2018 to live full time in Cutchogue where she’s owned a house since 2001 with her then partner.
She currently works at Roanoke Vineyards.
Kikka has been involved with NFWFWF since 2001 and looks forward to working with the Board to give back to the community what she considers a unique “safety net” that assists women of the North Fork socially and financially when in need.
Kikka Harrison
Bernie Hoban
Bernie retired in 2019 from a 41 year career at New York Life Insurance Company in NYC and now makes Greenport her home. Bernie enjoys spending time with her lovely wife Marianne Kristoff and together enjoy gardening and boating the east end waters of Long Island.
Bernie is an active member of her Brooklyn and Greenport communities. She is past president of the Friends and Neighbors of Owl’s Head Park Community Group in Brooklyn and is an active member and past board member of the Knickerbocker Gay Sailing Association in NYC. She has been a North Fork Women supporter for many
years.
Bernie Hoban
Jennifer Knight
Jen grew up in Macon, Georgia and Weston, Connecticut enjoying many outdoor pursuits but completely oblivious to the beauty of Long Island until she and her partner of 25 years, Chiqui Cartagena, were introduced to Orient in 2010. They rented a wonderful cottage on the Sound for a few years, bought a house in 2014 and have never looked back.
Professionally, Jen spent the large part of her career running textile and apparel manufacturing companies, beginning with her own family’s business which was sold to two private equity firms in 2000. Since then, she has served as CEO and COO of several other private equity owned companies and consulted to family-owned entrepreneurial businesses as an advisor and board member.
In 2022, she was appointed by President Biden as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials at the Department Commerce where she served for two and half years. She departed in June 2024 to enjoy the summer in Orient and embark on her next chapter as an independent board director to privately held companies.
Jen graduated from Brown University with a BA in Religious Studies and holds an MBA from Columbia University. Jen and Chiqui have been active supporters of North Fork Women for many years and Jen looks forward to working with the Board as Treasurer.
Jennifer Knight
Hilary North
Hilary is originally from Long Island and is now a full time resident of Greenport. She shares her home with her spouse, Beth, and two very pampered cats.
Hilary worked as an insurance broker for 25 years with two different companies but she has recently retired. In addition to holding down a corporate job she made time for making art. Hilary is proud to have her artwork in the permanent collections of the National September 11th Memorial and Museum as well as the New York Historical Society.
Hilary is looking forward to reaching out to the artists within our community to encourage their creativity and give them opportunities to shine.
Barbara Novick
Barbara is a proud native Brooklynite, dividing time between Park Slope and the North Fork with her wife Fran as homeowners since 2007, with continually more time out east.
Starting out as an orchestral, chamber music, and solo performance musician, Barbara later began to realize the importance of music education, particularly elementary level music education, which became her passion.
After 28 years of the joys and exhaustion of teaching in the NYCDOE, retirement led to teaching and inspiring future music educators at NYU Steinhardt and CUNY Queens College (AaronCopland School of Music), as well as providing educational programs through the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.
As president of the Music Educators Association NYC one of Barbara’s main objectives was to enlighten students as to the many facets of music’s true power—being “bringers of joy”, understanding the power of ensemble, music’s power to heal, bringing people together beyond barriers, etc. introducing them to organizations such as Musicians Without Borders, Ukulele Kids Club, Music and Memory, among many others. She also organized numerous events bringing colleagues and NYC organizations together in support of their music programs and students.
Barbara is currently a proud member of the steering committee for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine, and principal flutist for the Jackson Heights Symphony.
She looks forward to supporting and moving forward with North Fork Women’s vision and great purpose, and collaborating with the truly amazing and dedicated women of the NFW Executive Board. Barbara is the President of North Fork Women.
Kristen Phelan
Kristen was born and raised on the south shore of Long Island. After starting her career on the west coast Kristen decided to come back to New York and has lived in NYC for the past decade. After spending a lot of time on the North Fork, Kristen and partner Jessica, and their pup Stevie, recently moved to Laurel full-time.
Kristen is a seasoned Casting Director and Development Executive with series credits on every major network. She now runs Watercooler Casting with her partner Jessica. At Watercooler, Kristen is responsible for finding, developing, and pitching talent to various networks and production companies as well as overseeing all contract negotiations on behalf of new talent and Watercooler business development.
Prior to casting Kristen was a voice-over agent in Los Angeles where she handled many voices you hear – from The Simpsons to Family Guy to the infamous movie trailer voices and celebrity commercial campaigns.
Kristen is excited to be a part of the NFW Board and hopes to assist the organization by building a safe and healthy community for women on the North Fork.
Kristen Phelan
Kathy Rittereiser
Kathy was born in Queens, NY moving to Long Island as a child she resides in Ridge with her partner of 32 years Janet LaBella and Frankie the dachshund. Kathy & Janet have been very busy with children and grandchildren recently adding to their family the first great-grandchild Maya. The north fork has always been one of their favorite places to enjoy the beauty of Long Island and its nature. Over the years they both have enjoyed many NFWFW functions and Kathy is pleased and honored to be part of the board.
Kathy’s career over these many years began in retail banking management and life insurance in NYC. With a departure from banking back in 2002 she obtained a few more licenses that resulted in the career she enjoys today. Kathy works presently as the Executive Administrator/Sales Manger at Bay Harbour Insurance Agency located in Patchogue. Working with her sales team and with clients Kathy enjoys assisting both her team and families with the protection they need for their families. It truly is her passion.
Kathy is looking forward to spreading the word and vision of North Fork Women for Women along with collaborating and mentoring with the talented and dedicated women of the board.
Kathy Rittereiser
Felicity Wohltman
Felicity was introduced to the North Fork of Long Island and North Fork Women just over 20 years ago when she met her partner Anne, a long-time visitor and former Southold homeowner. Their dream of becoming homeowners again on the North Fork became reality in 2022; they plan to make their new house in Greenport their permanent home.
Felicity grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and has spent most of her life since college in California. She has a BA in Philosophy from Yale and an MBA from UCLA. She spent her career in software marketing for large companies, including Xerox and Macromedia/Adobe, as well as start-ups, and most recently was the head of Marketing for GuideSpark, Inc. Felicity has been retired since 2020, and spends her time on the water – rowing, paddling and swimming in Pipes Cove – as well as playing Pickleball and volunteering at CAST.
Felicity is thrilled to join the board of North Fork Women, where she has met many of her favorite people, and where she hopes to contribute her skills and experience to the valuable work the organization does.
