Business Heroes of the Year

Melva M. Miller, the Association for a Better New York's first Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for the overall success of the organization through economic development, long-term planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships, and the expansion and evolution of ABNY's membership. Prior to this role, Ms. Miller led the organization's Census initiative for an accurate count of New York where she supported and supplemented the 2020 census efforts by the US Census Bureau, State and City of New York, and in coordination with community-based organizations in an effort to help New York City and State achieve the most accurate census count possible.

A resident of South East Queens, Ms. Miller has dedicated her life to community development through equitable economic growth, creative organizing and inclusive stakeholder participation. Ms. Miller started her community work in 1993 when she began working with children using the arts as a tool to promote civic responsibility while fostering positive imagery of youth in her community. Through this work, Ms. Miller used dance, music and artistic expression as a conduit for community empowerment, collective consciousness and individual pride. She then sought to supplement her tacit community development knowledge with evidenced-based practice and attended the Hunter College School of Social Work where she earned a Master's degree in Community Organization and Planning, and received the school's Dorothy North McNeal Award for achievement in Community Organization.  

Rachel Kellner received her undergraduate and masters degree from New York University's School of Social Work. After graduating in 2008, she spent several years working as a staff therapist at the longstanding outpatient substance abuse clinic, Bridge Back to Life. She left Bridge Back to Life after earning the title Licensed Clinical Social Worker. At that point Rachel began working at Counseling Service of Eastern District New York with their alternative to incarceration program. She founded and implemented an intensive outpatient program at CSEDNY and within a short period of time Rachel became the Director of Intensive Outpatient Services. During her time at CSEDNY,

Rachel completed several post graduate training programs at NYU including Advanced Clinical Practices in Addiction and became licensed as a SIFI (seminar in field instructor).

 In 2013 Rachel enrolled in a three year postgraduate training program at the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training. While Rachel held the title of Assistant Clinical Director, she and her husband, Mark Libertini, took over Aigner Chocolates. Juggling her time between being assistant director, managing the chocolate shop and working toward her post graduate degree, Rachel decided to leave CSEDNY and transition to the shop full time.

Rachel finds it easier to make people happy with a piece of chocolate than months and years of therapy. Rachel is currently a proud member of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce, co-founder of Metro Village of Forest Hills and alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business Program. When she isn't working she enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons, Jacob, Nicholas & Antonio. 

Mark Libertini graduated culinary school in 1992 from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. After working at various restaurants and hotels in the Boston area, including The Ritz Carlton, Davios and The Hasty Pudding Theatre, Mr. Libertini moved from Watertown, Massachusetts to Brooklyn, New York in October 1997.

He was the assistant pastry chef at Gotham Bar & Grill for 3 years, and left the food business to return with the intent of starting his own business.

He was a manager at Buttercup Bakeshop for 2.5 years before opening his own bakery, Little Cupcake Bakeshop in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He opened Little Cupcake in 2005, and enjoyed success until he sold the bakery in 2010. Mark was central to New York "Cupcake Wars" as documented by New York magazine.

After Little Cupcake Bakeshop, he opened Vela Tapas Restaurant where he met his future wife, Rachel Kellner. Mark sold Vela Tapas in 2012 and moved to Bayside, Queens.

He and his fiancée took over Aigner Chocolates in September 2015. Aigner Chocolates is one of the oldest chocolate shops in NYC, manufacturing and retailing handcrafted chocolate and confections for 90 years. Aigner Chocolates was named "best chocolate shop" in New York by Mental Floss in 2019.

Michael A. Peterson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a non-partisan organization dedicated to addressing America's fiscal challenges and building a stronger economic future. The Foundation engages in grant-making, partnerships and research to educate citizens and foster solutions to put America on a sustainable fiscal path. Michael sets the Foundation's policy direction and strategy, shaping its major programs and initiatives.

In the wake of Covid-19, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation joined forces with the Partnership for NYC, NYC Borough Chambers of Commerce, and others to create the NYC Small Business Resource Network​. The Network serves as a one-stop shop to accelerate the recovery and resiliency of small businesses, and in turn strengthen the city's economy. Since its launch in September 2020, more than 6,500 small businesses have participated in the program, nearly 80% of which are minority- or women-owned.

As Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), Jonnel Doris is charged with running a dynamic City agency focused on equity of opportunity, that leads to economic self-sufficiency and mobility for New York City's diverse communities. SBS actively connects New Yorkers to good jobs, creates stronger businesses, and builds a thriving economy in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

Doris previously held the role as the City's first Senior Advisor and Director of the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE). Under Doris' leadership, the City more than doubled its certifications to 9,620, tripled its utilization, and awarded more than $14.6 billion to M/WBEs. His engagement in business communities, City agencies, and both state and city legislatures has also influenced city efforts to pass critical state legislation that expands opportunities for M/WBEs.

Doris previously served as the first Chief Diversity Officer for the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), where he developed and implemented strategic initiatives resulting in increased utilization of state and federal M/WBEs and Section 3 businesses. He created the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights, and developed GOSR's award-winning Local Workforce Opportunities Program.

His professional career includes extensive experience in the energy, utility, government, and business sectors working at Public Service Enterprise Group-Long Island, 

Charles Boyce is the founder and President of Boyce Technologies. Charles is a graduate of New York University where he received first in 1990 a Bachelors with concentrations in Bioelectronics, Computer Science, Network Television Broadcasting. In 1994, also from New York University, he received his Master's Degree in Telecommunications Engineering.

Charles has over 25 years of experience in electronic design and communications construction. Charles stated Boyce Technologies (BTI) about 10 years ago. BTI is known for the MTA systems such as the Help Points kiosks and Access Nodes as well as the recent the pivot to the first available FDA approved bridge ventilator in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Boccia is a longtime Bayside businessman who stands at the forefront of this ever-trending, fast-paced restaurant industry & who continues to make strides in the community. While he has been a fixture in Bayside for over 30 years, Mark first got his feet wet at B.B. Jr's, Bayside then Wellingtons in Centerport, then to his current & constant presence at Austin's Ale House, Kew Gardens, Bourbon Street, Bayside & his newest location One Station Plaza, Bayside.

Born and raised in Flushing, Queens Mark attended St. Andrew Avellino & Archbishop Molloy School. Mark then went on to graduate from St. John's University and accepted a job working on the trading desk at EF Hutton, were he gained the foundation to set a pace for his future.

In addition to restaurants, Mark is currently involved in multiple Commercial & Residential Real Estate developments and holdings. Currently, he is involved in two development projects. The first being residential construction of four- Three Family Homes. The second project involves the development of a commercial space, a community facility & 18 residential units all within his own local neighborhood.

Mark has continued to show his support for the local community by being an active member of many local organizations, including the Flushing Rotary Club and the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, Mark is on the Board of the Bayside BID and the Bayside Business Association; where he awarded "Business Man of the Year" in 2019.

Mark's generosity has also helped local organizations like the St Mary's Hospital for Children and the Samuel Field Y; where he was honored as their "Man of Year" in 2016.

 Nupur Arora, or Chef Nupur, as she's popularly known, didn't come to New York to pursue a degree in culinary arts, in fact she came here 25 years ago to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and was a fashion entrepreneur for many years creating custom clothing for her clients.

 Back in 2016 she stepped away from her custom clothing brand and started diving into food sharing live cooking demos on social media making home style Indian food. Making curry in a kitchen in Queens was really how this brand started.

 Some students from Columbia University reached out to her and wanted her Indian Home-style meals as there weren't too many vegetarian options for them here. She catered those as a hobby from her small kitchen in Queens and really enjoyed it. That's when she started thinking seriously about doing this full-time.

 Several Tiffin box requests later she decided to get some back of the house culinary training that led to the incorporation of Namaste food and Bev Corp in January 2020 to make Indian spice blends for easy Indian cooking.

 The pandemic struck in March and she found herself at a loss as to how to produce the spices from the shared kitchen without any means to travel there anymore. Around the same time a Long Island resident requested her to make food for his aging parents who happen to live in her neighborhood of Rego Park. She agreed immediately as she understood his helplessness of wanting to care for his parents but not being able to do so due to the lockdown.

 One thing led to another and gradually many local families started ordering Home-style meals from the Queens Curry kitchen. In the due course of time she started finding out about affected families and started bringing free food to them till they requested the end of the service. 

Frank Russo, Jr. began his career at a young age, working with his father and uncle at the restaurant, Villa Russo, and Il Palazzo Catering Hall; learning each position from the ground up and gaining the shared knowledge of both successful men. This is where his love for the catering business began. Frank's drive, work ethic and incredible passion for the business led him to turning his dreams into reality.

In 1987, he expanded the business – opening the doors of Russo's On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York. For nearly 25 years, Russo's On The Bay has been a tradition for family and friends celebrating life´s most important moments, from weddings to social gatherings to corporate meetings. Rarely; however, will Russo admit his own role in the success of his business. For an icon, he remains relatively humble, often crediting his staff well before he will consider himself. The truth remains that his strong commitment to his own business and ability to fearlessly lead his team in new directions has catapulted the brand into what it is today. Russo's drive and desire to excel in the hospitality industry still has not changed. It's rare to see business owners with such commitment to their company that they participate in everything, but Russo is hands-on in everything from food and service to business development. He still meets with guests personally and stops into all parties to thank his clients for their patronage. In fact, he's the type of owner that continues to drive into work on the weekends just as inspired and motivated as the very first day. This is exactly why clients continue to entrust their most precious moments to Russo's year after year.

Declan Morrison was born and raised in Fermoy Co Cork Ireland, he moved to NY September 1st 2001 with his now wife Natasha Curtin. Declan grew up in the hospitality business with his Dad who owned several bars in their home town in Ireland. 

After to moving NY in 2001 they fell in love with NYC and decided this was the place for them. He worked in construction and bartended for 6yrs. After saving enough money they were able to open their own place in 2007. Their first bar/restaurant in Forest Hills Metropolitan Ave was named Blackwater Inn (Irish Bar]). In 2009 they opened their second place Tap House (sports bar) on Austin St. in Forest Hills. In 2013 they opened the Flying Pig on Austin St. in Forest Hills later changing the name to Austin Public which he still owns.  When the pandemic hit in 2020, Austin Public was closed for a period of time with the uncertainty of reopening. With Natasha being a teacher in Forest hills High School they decided to feed her students/families that she knew were in need. In addition, they also fed the Frontline workers in Forest Hills hospital and surrounding areas including fire houses and police stations. They got such great feedback from

people that they decided to open Stacked Sandwich Shop.

To this day, Declan tries his best to help out in the neighborhood whenever needed. He is a big supporter of Backpacks for Streets who help feed and cloth the homeless.