Meet the Board
Chair
Peter B. Gudaitis, M.Div.;pgudaitis@nydis.org
Mr. Gudaitis was elected Chair of New York VOAD in May 2017. He has over 30 years of expertise in disaster chaplaincy/spiritual care, emergency medical services, interfaith coalition building, long-term recovery, and religious literacy and competency in crisis settings. Currently, he serves as Executive Director and CEO of New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) and President of the National Disaster Interfaith Network (NDIN). Mr. Gudaitis is a member of the Faith-based Caucus of the International Association of Emergency Managers; Guest Lecturer and Advisory Board member for the Metropolitan College of New York, Emergency and Disaster Management Program; Contributing Fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California; and Adjunct Professor at Hartford Seminary. Mr. Gudaitis resides in New York City.
In 2012, he was appointed to the New York State Respond Commission by Governor Andrew Cuomo. And, in 2015 he was appointed to the New York City Charitable Organization & House of Worship Recovery Task Force by New York City Council Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito. He is the Co-Chair of the NYC Faith Sector Community Preparedness Program Advisory Board of the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and on the Board of Directors of New York City VOAD.
Vice-Chair
*Vanessa Baird-Streeter; vbstreeter@hwcli.com
Vanessa Baird-Streeter is the President and CEO of the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, a network of nonprofit agencies, individuals, and corporations working to find solutions to the issues and challenges affecting Long Island’s at-risk and vulnerable populations.
Prior to her role with the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, she spent more than a decade in Suffolk County government, most recently as deputy county executive, with oversight for a wide variety of county agencies, projects, and initiatives. She served as the Co-chair of the Suffolk County Police Reform and Reinvention Task Force, led the county’s MWBE (Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises)/SDVOB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses) Disparity Study aimed at providing the legal framework to establish MWBE/SDVOB requirements as part of the County’s procurement process. She also played a significant role in the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating hot spot testing sites in underserved and under resourced communities and ensuring equitable distribution of the vaccine.
Ms. Baird-Streeter’s background includes her early career as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. She also served as director of the Ministry to Catholics of African Ancestry, director of communications for the Town of Babylon, and executive director and vice president of communications for the Long Island Power Authority.
Ms. Baird-Streeter has a long history of community involvement and has received numerous awards for her philanthropic, business, and community-based work. She serves as the director of the Venettes Cultural Workshop Inc., a performing arts company that provides technical training and academic motivation through the arts. The organization awards each graduating senior post-secondary scholarships as well as provides scholarships for performing arts classes on the local, regional and nation level.
Ms. Baird-Streeter graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Education.
Treasurer
*Mr. Zack Hodgson; Zachary.Hodgson@USE.SalvationArmy.org
Mr. Hodgson is Director of Emergency Services for The Salvation Army Greater New York Division and has been a member of the Emergency Services staff since 2005, following four years in the United States Navy. In his current role, he oversees emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for The Salvation Army throughout Long Island, New York City, and the Lower Hudson Valley. As such, Zack played a key role in the response and recovery efforts of The Salvation Army for Hurricane Sandy over the last four years. As co-chair of the NYCVOAD Board of Directors since 2014, Zack has also provided leadership to that network during Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts in NYC. Zack has been deployed by The Salvation Army for emergency response outside of the greater New York area including international deployment to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, and domestic deployments including to Oklahoma City following the 2013 tornadoes. Mr. Hodgson resides in West Orange, NJ.
Secretary
Racine “Rae” Droz; RDroz@feedingamercia.org
Racine Lee Droz is the Director of Disaster Services at Feeding America. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on Nonprofit Management from Marist College, an Advanced Certification in Emergency Management from John Jay College, and a BA in Crime, Law, and Justice from Penn State University.
With 15 years at City Harvest, NYC’s largest food rescue organization, Racine served as Sr. Director of Operations and Disaster Response, where she managed a wide range of supply chain functions and disaster relief efforts. She played a key role in distributing over 1 billion pounds of food and led emergency responses for events like Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irma, and the 2018 government shutdown.
Racine co-chairs NYCVOAD and is Secretary of the Board for New York State VOAD. She has pioneered food distribution tracking systems and collaborates with city and government partners to enhance disaster response efficiency. At Feeding America, Racine will spearhead national disaster response strategies, manage resources, and advocate for food security, continuing her impactful work in disaster relief and food policy.
Her contributions have been recognized with Crain’s New York Business Notable in Nonprofit and Philanthropy and Hunter College’s 40 Under 40: The Rising Stars in NYC Food Policy.
Board Member
Robert “Rob” Coughlin; robcough@gmail.com
Mr. Coughlin is an attorney admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1982. He has been honored by Best Lawyers since 2021 for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury. He began his volunteer career with the American Red Cross in 1990 where he served 12 years as a member of the board of directors of two separate Red Cross chapters in the Capital District in New York State. In 2008 an ice storm in the Capital District required the opening of shelters, and Mr. Coughlin became an event-based volunteer. Since then, he has taken hundreds of hours of courses in disaster, serving as a shelter associate, supervisor, and manager at local and on national deployments including hurricanes Florence, (North Carolina) Matthew (North Carolina) and Harvey (Texas) and Superstorm Sandy (Putnam County, New York). He is qualified to work in the New York State Emergency Operations Center and to respond to Mass Casualty Incidents. In 2019 he received the Northeastern New York Region of American Red Cross Heroes Award, the Philly Dake Award, for significant contributions and dedication to the community. He is a former board member and Chair of various organizations including the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, being named Chair of the Year in 1996 and 1999, the Defense Research Institute, and Saratoga Arts, a not-for-profit arts organization. He is a member of the Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue Team. For that organization he served as Vice President, Membership Officer and Finance Officer. He received the President’s Award in in 2017. He was asked by the Red Cross to form a COAD in Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties where he is the COAD chair and part NYVOAD Board since 2021. He is a graduate of Hamilton College, having majored in French, and Albany Law School. He resides with his wife in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Board Member
Ms. Kelly Dodd; doddk@uwnys.org
Ms. Dodd is the Vice President of United Way of New York State and Chief Operating Officer of 2-1-1 New York Inc. She previously served as the Director of 2-1-1 WNY in Buffalo, NY where her work in disaster response began as 211 WNY supported the community response to the crash of Flight 3407 in 2009. Since then, through her work with 211 WNY and now the statewide 211 and United Way networks, Ms. Dodd has responded to the variety of disasters and incidents that affect upstate and WNY, including floods, blizzards, community health issues. Most recently she supported response long term recovery efforts related to COVID-19, the racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Supermarket, and the deadly Buffalo Blizzard in 2022. She is the past co-chair of the WNY COAD and serves as the 211 NY representative to the New York State Disaster Preparedness Commission. She advocates for ensuring people are connected to services in their community, especially those that address economic disparities, in blue skies as an important aspect of community preparedness and resiliency. Originally from Madison County, the geographic center of NYS, she now lives in Buffalo.
Board Member
Mr. Stephen M. Papas; spapas@uwrc.org
Mr. Papas is the President & CEO of the United Way of Rockland County and is the Chair of the Rockland COAD. He grew up in Rockland County, and his passion for community service began early in life when he would help feed the homeless with his church youth group and participate in other volunteer efforts. After graduating from the University at Buffalo in 2007, Mr. Papas began a fulfilling career in government working for a number of legislators, including Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, and State Senator David Carlucci. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Pace University, he moved over to non-profits and began by working at the Legal Aid Society of Rockland County then six years at Meals on Wheels of Rockland. Now at the United Way of Rockland County, Mr. Papas leads their efforts to work collaboratively with non-profits, business, and government to address the pressing needs of the Rockland community.
Board Member
Eric Gaunay; eric.gaunay2@redcross.org
Eric Gaunay is the State Relations Disaster Liaison for the American Red Cross in New York State. He serves as the point of contact for the American Red Cross’ Disaster Cycle Services with New York State agencies involved in the State Disaster Preparedness Commission which includes 30 state agencies and two volunteer organizations, the American Red Cross and 211 NYS. Based out of the New York State Office of Emergency Management, Eric serves to build capacity, communication, and collaboration, for the American Red Cross at the state-level with its government partners to support the response, recovery, and preparedness services of the American Red Cross’ Disaster Cycle Services. Prior to joining the American Red Cross in 2023, he was the emergency manager for the New York State Department of Labor from April 2021 – February 2023 and with the Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator from October 2018 – March 2021. Eric holds a B.A. in Emergency Preparedness from the SUNY University at Albany. He is a native of the Albany, NY area and currently lives in Malta, NY.
Board Member
Pastor Mario Augustave; maugustave@northeastern.org
Mr. Mario Augustave, a leader in every sense, is the current Director of Adventist Community Service and Disaster Response for the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a position he has held since September 2019. His leadership journey began as the lead pastor of the Eden Seventh-day Adventist Church, a small Haitian congregation in New Rochelle, NY. There, Mario developed his love for service and passion for changing lives through community engagement.
He is a graduate of Oakwood University and the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. In April 2021, Pastor Augustave received his PhD in Business Administration from Montemorelos Adventist University in Montemorelos, Mexico. Dr. Augustave is the founder of Voices for Haiti, a 501(c)3 organization that has been providing relief efforts in Haiti and quality education for thousands of children since 2002. Thousands of lives have been saved and improved in Haiti because of the work and ministry of Dr. Augustave and VFH. In 2010, He led several mission trips to Haiti immediately following the earthquake. His organization was among the first to arrive in Jamel, Haiti, a mid-sized city on the southern coast of Haiti that was almost totally demolished in the 2010 earthquake. In 2005, Habitat for Humanity and the Jimmy Carter Center for Freedom honored Dr. for his contribution to building over forty houses in Cabaret, Haiti.
Since being appointed to the leadership of NEC-ACS, the Food Program has been reorganized and restructured. The number of Food pantries has more than doubled. A new senior program was organized, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, several agencies developed special projects pairing young people with seniors in various communities in NY and Massachusetts. His favorite text is Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going”.
Government Partner
Ms. Maggi Daigle; maggi.daigle@dhses.ny.gov
Ms. Daigle is a Program Administrator with New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services in the Recovery, Individual Assistance Section and serves as the State Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL). As the State VAL, Maggi is committed to bridging the gap between government agencies and community organizations by partnering with NYVOAD and FEMA to help build and sustain Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) throughout the state. Maggi empowers nonprofits to collaborate with County Emergency Managers and local government agencies to plan equitable support systems for disaster-affected residents by pre-identifying resources that could augment government aid while minimizing the duplication of efforts. Maggi’s expertise extends to convening Long-Term Recovery Groups post-disaster, providing essential guidance to communities as they navigate the often-challenging path to recovery. With over five years in emergency management, Maggi has responded to various weather events throughout New York and supported recovery efforts in California post ’23 atmospheric rivers. Her civil service tenure since 2012 reflects a deep dedication to public service and community resilience. Maggi holds an associate degree in business administration and is a small business owner and artist residing in Saint Johnsville, NY.
Government Partner
Melissa Axley; melissa.axley@dhses.ny.gov
Ms. Axley is a Program Administrator 2 with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (NYS DHSES) and previously worked for the State Office of Emergency Management for 7 years as a planning specialist. Prior to working with New York State, Ms. Axley worked in the private sector with James Lee Witt Associates as a planning specialist/client executive, responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 as part of the long-term recovery team and with Hagerty Consulting as an emergency management consultant. Ms. Axley served as the case manager for the Imperial Sugar Relief Fund resulting from the 2008 explosion at the Imperial Sugar Refinery in Port Wentworth, GA. She spent 16 years with the American Red Cross in a variety of paid and volunteer roles in Tennessee, Indiana, and Georgia, deploying to multiple large-scale events beginning with Hurricane Frances in 2004, and including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Kentucky/Indiana Tornado outbreak in 2012 among other large-scale responses. Ms. Axley holds a B.A. in University Studies from Middle Tennessee State University and a M.S. in Emergency Management from Jacksonville State University and currently resides in Feura Bush, NY.
Government Partner
Greg Forrester; Gregory.Forrester@fema.dhs.gov
Greg is a Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL) with FEMA Region 2 and assigned to New York State. Greg is a retired New York State Trooper from the central NY area of Cortland, NY. He has over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and began serving in disasters as the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Director (UMVIM) for the Northeastern U.S. In addition to U.S. disasters, he led international teams to 42 different countries. In 2013, Greg became the Executive Director of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and covered the U.S., Caribbean, and Central/South America for disasters and humanitarian aid projects. National VOAD hired Greg as its’ President/CEO in 2016 where he continued to serve until 2020. Prior to being hired by FEMA – Greg was consulting for nonprofits, State VOADs, government contractors, disaster technology companies, and other clients. Greg currently resides in Port Washington on Long Island where he can be found on sailing Manhasset Bay when not activated for disasters.