The SUNY Global Center is partnering with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the East Midtown Partnership for an evening of education and networking to forge meaningful connections with members, corporate partners, and non-profit leaders.
Title: Founder & CEO, Good Rebellion
David Belsky is Founder & CEO of the public relations firm Good Rebellion. He offers unique experience in communications strategy for purpose-driven organizations focused on education, healthcare, government, non-profit, social responsibility, and more.
For nearly a decade, David drove integrated marketing at The State University of New York, the largest comprehensive higher education system in the United States. He successfully implemented a new brand across 64 campuses, helping to establish the system and its chancellor as national thought leaders. While at SUNY, David maintained a wide-ranging portfolio including media and government relations, advertising, website and social media, executive speechwriting, crisis communications, alumni engagement, student leadership, and staffing the Board of Trustees.
He then joined The Fund for Public Schools at the NYC Department of Education, where he built a newly created communications department from the ground up. David was responsible for developing and implementing strategies for fundraising, donor engagement, content creation, partner relations, reporting for the Board of Directors, and liaising with City Hall.
Before founding Good Rebellion, David was managing director at a creative agency in downtown Manhattan where he oversaw both client strategy and growth.
David is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, and now living in Brooklyn. He attended NYC public schools, earned his BA in Political Science from Binghamton University, and MPA from the University at Albany.
Title: Executive Director, NYC Pride
Sandra Pérez is a non-profit executive with experience in nonprofit management, resource development and special events. A native New Yorker grounded in the Bronx and Puerto Rico, Sandra brings a wealth of lived experience to the work of NYC Pride. In prior roles, she has served as an advocate for Latino/e arts and culture and has deep roots in the philanthropic sector, serving in multiple development roles for the Ms. Foundation for Women and as a consultant to the public and the private sector. Sandra has also served as a program auditor and grant panelist for a variety of entities in the arts and social justice sectors such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Council on the Humanities. As a volunteer, Sandra brings an intersectional lens to her work and has proudly served on the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle with the Chicago Foundation for Women and the YMCA Young Achievers Program, where her efforts centered support to and training of BIPOC youth and leaders. As she begins her journey as executive director for NYC Pride Sandra looks forward to collaborating creatively with other advocates on the issues confronting our diverse communities and mentoring the next generation of young leaders.
Title: Executive Director, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce New York (nglccNY)
As nglccNY’s Executive Director, Kellie is the leader of our regional LGBTQ economic equality movement.
An award-winning photographer and writer, as well as an insatiable learner, Kellie works tirelessly every day, using her extensive experience in business development and journalism to make our world a better, inclusive, and equal place for all humans, and specifically her rainbow tribe, whom she loves dearly. A puzzle solver, pattern reader, and team builder, Kellie has the ability to see the big picture, understand other viewpoints, and seek new ways and solutions that lead to consensus and action. She has a global perspective and an individual approach. Some of her recent recognitions include Business Equality Network’s National Top 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40, Watermark’s Most Remarkable People, and the inaugural Chamber Leader of the Year Award by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Under her transformative leadership, The Pride Chamber was honored as Chamber of the Year in 2017. Kellie was honored during the 2020 pride month by U.S. Congressman Darren Soto as a distinguished leader in Central Florida. Most recently, she was recognized as a 2021 Social Justice Game Changer by the Orlando Magic. Kellie spearheaded the effort that led the City of Orlando and Orange County to be the first in Florida to embrace and recognize LGBT businesses in their procurement processes. She serves on the Orlando Mayor’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, and the Board of the Central Florida Freethought Community, a non-profit dedicated to the separation of state and church. In the wake of the Pulse Tragedy, she served on the taskforce to formally establish the One Orlando Alliance, a coalition of non-profits unifying Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ community. She believes every moment counts, and that together we can create positive change if we show up, speak out, and act with love, which she strives to do daily for the community at large, and also for her family, where she is a proud and fierce mama bear.
Title: Acting VP for Enrollment Management and Student Success & Associate Dean of Student Academic Support, FIT
Tardis Johnson, EdD, is acting vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success. He is also the associate dean of student academic support, a position he has held since 2015.
Before joining FIT, Johnson was associate dean of academic support services at SUNY Maritime College. He has served as director of student activities and orientation at SUNY Old Westbury and as assistant director of student activities at SUNY Albany. He brings to his FIT position 30 years of experience in student services on SUNY campuses.
Johnson earned a BA in mathematics from the State University of New York at Albany, an MS in higher education from Baruch College, and a Doctor of Education from Northeastern University.
Title: President of SUNY Cobleskill
Dr. Marion A. Terenzio is the president of the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. She has been a champion for the ensuring of dignity and equity, both on campus and across communities, evidenced by her work in expanding SUNY Cobleskill’s role as an economic engine to uplift rural society and her role as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bassett Healthcare Network. She has been recognized by the Society for Community Research and Action as a trailblazer in promoting social well-being.
Dr. Terenzio’s leadership at the college, system, and state levels has advanced transformative vitalization efforts through the formation of new academic pathways in response to community workforce needs. These include nation’s first Bachelor’s Degree program in Canine Training and Management and the first accredited Histotechnician program in the State University of New York system.
Her forward-thinking vision led to the creation of The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill; a model program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and receiving national attention for its unique approach to merging experiential learning with regional development initiatives. She has published and presented at numerous venues, including the United Nations, on the role of effective higher education practices in community and economic sustainability.
Dr. Terenzio continues her work for equity and inclusion as co-chair of SUNY’s Empowering Students with Disabilities Task Force, co-chair of the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council, and vice-chair of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics. She has also served and consulted with national organizations such as the College Board and The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP).
Dr. Terenzio holds a Ph.D. in Community Psychology from Michigan State University, a Master’s Degree in Music Therapy from Texas Women’s University, a second Master’s in Community Psychology from The Sage Colleges, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Vassar College.