Born and raised in Bay Ridge Brooklyn to Irish immigrant parents, Bernie is equally proud of her Irish and Brooklyn roots.

In 1976, Bernie joined New York Life Insurance Company working her way from an entry-level position while attending college at night, to what became an illustrious 41-year career. Moving into the asset management division in the early eighties and later becoming a Regional Pension Service Representative for the Eastern Region, it was in this role Bernie was able to express her passion for helping people and connecting them to the investment solutions best suited for their goals.

In 1998, Bernie advanced within the company to become the Mutual Fund Sales Director for the New York Metro territory. In this role, she visited with hundreds of financial advisors throughout NYC and Long Island at various asset management firms introducing them to the services and investment solutions offered by New York Life Investments.

On September 11, 2001, Bernie was hosting a breakfast meeting across from the WTC when the terrorist attacks occurred. She acted swiftly and managed to get out of the area by maneuvering through streets during the chaos but also filled her car with strangers getting them over the Brooklyn Bridge to safety. She was the second to last car allowed over the bridge before it was shut down to traffic. To this day, she remains friends with one of the women she drove home.

From that tragic event, Bernie was introduced to the power of sailing as a healing agent and has been boating ever since.

In 2008, Bernie was promoted and returned to the main office in NYC to lead the Mutual Fund internal sales desk. In this role, she led a team of 60 young sales professionals in training and development.

When New York Life became more evolved in employee resource groups, Bernie joined NYLPRIDE which was her firm’s LGBTQ group. Eventually, she became the co-chair of the group and secured a gold sponsorship for the NYC Pride Parade. In addition, she submitted a personal testimonial to the firm’s CEO and executive board making the case why the firm should sign the “freedom to marry” amicus brief of 2015. One of her favorite business trips was to be in Washington D.C. to march while the Supreme Court heard the case for marriage equality.

In her final chapter at NYL, Bernie was given the opportunity to build a specialized team to assist financial sales professionals with the complexity of Annuity Contracts. She built a team of experts that received many accolades for solving multiple complex situations. The hardest part of retiring in 2017 was leaving this team she loved and respected so much.

Bernie was always active in her Brooklyn Community. She founded Friends and Neighbors of Owl’s Head Park Association and won a grant to restore the fencing, protecting its green space and helping to bring the 27-acre park back to its original glory. In addition, she and her golden retriever Mollie petitioned the NYC Parks Department and Community Council and secured the first official Dog Park in Bay Ridge.

Bernie and Marianne, her partner of 22 years, were aware of this wonderful women’s community on the east end, and in 2013 they found a home here. They credit the North Fork Women for Women Fund for being a driving force in choosing to live here in retirement. They have met so many wonderful people in their relatively short time and are truly amazed at how this organization connects us while being a force for good in the community.

In 2016 while still a weekender, Bernie was invited to join the NFW board and in 2019 she became President. Bernie is still an active board member and chair of the Grants Committee. She is very passionate about the mission of North Fork Women and believes our work is ever-changing as the needs of our community evolve.