Long Island Connections
 

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Leadership

Edward Thompson
Vice President for Advancement, Molloy College


Edward Thompson became Vice-President for Advancement at Molloy College in 1998 at the age of 31, making him one of the youngest senior college administrators in the country. In the years since then, Thompson has spearheaded a fundraising and marketing transformation at the College. Significant fundraising accomplishments include the funding of the $1.5 million Center for K-12 Science Education, giving Molloy an important role in the statewide GeNYsis biotechnology initiative; the garnering of an $800,000 student support services grant to help students succeed in college; doubling the number of endowed scholarships at the College and doubling the number of alumni donors to the College.

In addition to creating a culture of philanthropy among the College's alumni and friends, Thompson has led a marketing initiative at Molloy designed to highlight the college's strengths, including its status as a faith based institution. Thompson promotes the college as being "Long Island's Public Square" with a series of lectures, including the endowed Joseph Maher Forum, a yearly event that brings national and international leaders to Molloy and by helping in the creation of Molloy's Center for Business Ethics. Thompson also visioned the new Molloy cable television program, Next Generation, seen on Telecare. Thompson is the chair of the board at the Long Island Neighborhood Network, an island-wide environmental and public policy advocacy organization and has served on the board of Long Island Transportation Management. A co-founder of the Energeia Partnership, he now serves on its advisory board.

Thompson received his B.A. in History and Economics at the College of the Holy Cross, his J.D. from St. John's University School of Law, studied comparative law at the London School of Economics and completed the Institute for Educational Management program at the Harvard University School of Education.

Nancy Engelhardt
Director of The Energeia Partnership


Nancy Engelhardt is currently the Director of The Energeia Partnership, the Academy for Regional Stewardship at Molloy College. This program was launched in 2006 and is dedicated to bringing together proven and ethical leaders across Long Island to provide them with the information, support and the network necessary to help create change. Nancy is responsible for the pedagogy, content and curriculum design and as trained facilitator holds 12 - 15 workshops every year including: Energy, Land Use, Education, Institutional Racism, Health Care, Poverty and Transportation. The program has almost 300 members, (graduates and board members) who represent every sector of the region and sit on over 200 boards and commissions across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Our goal is to be a catalyst for transformation and create a network of practitioners or change agents for the collaborative problem-solving necessary to meet the challenges we face. The Energeia Partnership has embraced the challenge of one of my all time hero's, the late John W. Gardner "no more regionalism for its own sake. We now need pragmatic regionalism with a purpose."

Recent Affiliations:
• The Alliance for Regional Stewardship
• National Community Leadership Association
• Huntington Arts Council NYS Grants Committee
• Steering Committee for the Huntington Community Council
• Huntington Chamber of Commerce

Current Affiliations:
• President of Splashes of Hope, an organization that paints murals on institutional walls of pediatric oncology units, orphanages and domestic shelters.
• Board of Directors for Pal-O-Mine Equestrian (therapeutic riding for people and children at risk and/or with disabilities)
• Council member for Adelphi's Long Island Hunger Summit
• Advisory Board Peakskills Learning Systems

Recent Recognitions:
• 2009 Long Island Business News "50 People Around 50" Making a Difference in the Region.
• 2010 "Distinguished Graduate Award" Leadership Huntington's 15th Year Celebration

Personal Interests and Affiliations:
• Town of Oyster Bay, Sagamore Rowing Club
• Saint Anthony's Crew Team, Board Member
• New Community Cinema Arts Center, Sponsor
• Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Choir member
• Northport Chorale, member
• Manhattan Theatre Club, Patron
• Compassion International, Sponsor
• Chair of the Education Committee for TroCaire at Saint Patrick's Church in Huntington
• Artist, oil and pastels

Background:
1988: Vice President Sales for PMA Industries, Bellport NY
1990: Director of Marketing for Elbow Beach Hotel in Bermuda and the Vice President of Island Resorts Hotels, a top ranking marketing and management company for premier resort properties.
1993: Co-founded Interactive Marketing Services (IMS) a full service direct marketing company, in Hauppauge.
1996: IMS raised venture capital to further develop customer service software for the internet. The company was renamed eShare Technologies and was acquired by a public company in less than two years.
2000 - 2005: Became actively engaged in her local community and named the Executive Director of the Chamber Foundations' Leadership Program. Leadership Huntington is a nationally affiliated program, one of 800 in the country.
2005 - Present: Founding Director of The Energeia Partnership, The Academy of Regional Stewardship at Molloy College.

Nancy grew up on Long Island in Plainview where she graduated from John F Kennedy High School. She then attended Nassau Community College (NCC) where she won the Nationals as a member the Intercollegiate College Equestrian Team. After leaving NCC she studied Art History and Education at SUNY Cortland.

Nancy has a diverse background and a lifelong love of learning, caring and connecting with people using her gifts and talents to be a "servant leader". She lived in Township of Huntington for 25 years, the last 7 years in Centerport. Nancy is now a resident of Lindenhurst in the Town of Babylon a recently appointed alternate to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Nancy is the proud mother of two young adults, Jarrett and Brittany Jean Pagano.

Paul Tonna
Excutive Director for The Energeia Partnership


Paul Tonna serves as Molloy College's Executive Director for The Energeia Partnership, a leadership academy dedicated to identifying and addressing the serious, complex and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region.

Mr. Tonna served from 1994 to 2005 as a Suffolk County Legislator and for three years, 2000, 2001, and 2002, his fellow legislators chose him to lead the Suffolk County Legislature as its Presiding Officer. During Legislator Tonna's 12 years of elected office, he had been a strong advocate for the poor, homeless and marginalized on Long Island, affordable housing, labor organizations and the environment. He sponsored, co-sponsored, and passed numerous laws and/or initiatives including: ground breaking non-smoking legislation; innovative programs focused on eliminating child poverty and homelessness; legislation designed to elevate the standard of living for all Suffolk County residents and innovative Greenways Funds to protect open space, farmlands and parklands.

Paul Tonna is a strong advocate of immigrants working and living on Long Island. The 2003 award-winning film documentary Farmingville chronicled some of those efforts. He has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows including: Lou Dobbs, CNN; The Oxygen Network; LI Telecare; The Rosie O'Donnell Show; News 12 Long Island; NBC News 4 and PBS WLIW 21.

Mr. Tonna is an Adjunct Professor in Theology & Religious Studies at St. John's University. He serves as Vice-Chairman of The Long Island Regional Planning Board; Trustee of the Long Island State Parks & Recreation Commission and Public Trustee of the Stationary Engineer's Industry Stabilization Fund. Mr. Tonna is a board member of: LI Medical Center Foundation, Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center, The Long Island Index and Erase Racism's College of Advisors. Mr. Tonna serves as a founding director of Empire National Bank and a Commissioner of the South Huntington Water District.

Paul Tonna has received many awards and honors including: Molloy College's Caritas Medal; St. John's University St. Vincent De Paul Medal; Suffolk County Human Rights Commission Legislator of the Year; National Association of Social Workers Public Citizen of the Year; Habitat for Humanity Man of the Year; The Nature Conservancy's Conservation Award Recipient; Networking Magazine's David Award and Long Island Business News 50 Around 50 Award.

Mr. Tonna earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from New York University, a Masters of Arts degree in theology from Immaculate Conception Seminary and conducted doctoral studies in systematic theology at Fordham University. Paul Tonna resides in Huntington, New York with his wife Carol and his children: Peter, Paul, John, Grace, Mary, Carolann, Joseph and Lucy.