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Farmingdale SBDC Staff

Lucille Wesnofske, Director

Lucille Wesnofske has over 21 years experience in small business consulting.  She has been the Director of the New York State Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale State since 2001 and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs realize the dream of becoming a business owner.  She specializes in and is most committed to assisting women-owned enterprises and is known statewide for her business expertise in the child care industry.  Her work for the Small Business Development Center has resulted in millions of dollars of economic impact for the Long Island economy.  

In May 2007 Ms. Wesnofske was named one of the "Top Fifty Most Influential Women in Economic Development on Long Island", by Long Island Business News and in April 2007 she was honored by Execuleaders as "Champion of Small Business".  In May 2006 she received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Public Service for the State University of New York. 

Ms. Wesnofske was the first business advisor in New York State to achieve advanced certification from the New York State Small Business Development Center.  She received the "Star Performer Award" from the National Association of Small Business Development Centers.  The Town of Brookhaven Office of Women Services recognized her for her outstanding service to the community in government.  In addition, the software authored by Ms. Wesnofske, "Building Blocks Child Care Business Planner," won LISTNET's LISA award.  Ms. Wesnofske earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts and Masters in Public Policy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and her A.A.S from Farmingdale State University of New York.

 


Lloyd Clarke, Business Advisor

Lloyd has 14 years of experience as an SBDC business advisor specializing in business and marketing plans.  He has conducted many business seminars using motivational techniques that encourage entrepreneurs.

His prior experience as plant manager, director of distribution, and terminal manager for Continental Trailways brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his counseling skills.

Lloyd has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Baruch College and several post graduate Certificates in Communications and Multimedia from N.Y.U.




John Narciso, Business Advisor

Specialties:  Veteran's Assistance

John is a certified business advisor and has 13 years of experience working with the Brooklyn and Farmingdale SBDCs.  Prior to working for the SBDC, John was a consultant/account executive for a Long Island consulting firm where his primary area of expertise was in management training.  John has graduate degrees in Government Management, Educational Leadership, and Human Resources.  John was named 2004 Veteran's Advocate of the Year by the SBA, and 2004 NYS SBDC Star Performer by the ASBDC.  John was recently honored as NYS SBDC's Counselor of the Year 2007, and as one of the top two NYS SBDC Business Advisors in 2006. 

With a 30-year naval career, John is the New York State Small Business Development Center Regional Coordinator for the Veterans Business Outreach Program, whose focus is to help veterans, including disabled veterans, in their business ventures. 

Most recently one of John's clients was named NYS SBDC Veteran's Small Business of the Year (2007).

 


Walter Reid, Business Advisor

Specialties:  Inventions, Import/Export

Walter has been a Business Advisor with SBDC since 1998.  He came to the Farmingdale State College Regional SBDC in 2002.  During that time he has been responsible for assisting over 1330 clients, creating or retaining 758 jobs, and achieving over $32.4 million in economic impact. 

Walter was recently named the 2007 NYS SBDC's Star Performer by the ASBDC and was the 2006 NYS SBDC Counselor of the Year.  In 2000 he was recognized by the Staten Island Advance and the Staten Island Chamber for his role in a project that resulted in amending a federal regulation.  This accomplishment was credited with impacting the continued operation of 32 small businesses and saving 190 jobs along the northeast corridor.  For this effort he recieved the NAMTAC Award for the "Outstanding Project of the Year" in 2000.

Before joining the SBDC, he worked for many years in the toy industry as a retail store buyer.  He has also been a principal partner in three businesses:  New York Business Brokers Inc., R and M Toy Sales, and KWR Seafood.  He received a B.B.A. from Hofstra University in 1972.

 


John Steinhoff, Business Advisor

After a long career in Banking, John joined the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale State.  He currently advises at the Farmingdale SBDC's Satellite Office at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.  John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from New York University and received his bank credit training in the Global Credit Development Program of a major New York Bank.  John has been active for a long time in a number of Long Island's business organizations, including Long Island Association, Long Island Forum for Technology, Long Island Action, and the Long Island Venture Group.

 




Ritu S. Wackett, Business Advisor

Specialties:  Day Care Centers, Women and Minority Owned Businesses

Ritu joined the Farmingdale SBDC in March 2002 with experience in economic development and political community relations.  As well as being a certified Business Advisor, Ritu serves as the Farmingdale SBDC's grant writer and Spanish speaking advisor.  Additionally, she authored both Business Basics and The Business Plan Guide, publications extensively used by the SBDC.  Prior to joining the SBDC, Ritu was most recently employed by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s Manhattan-based Good Jobs New York Project, where she researched corporate retention subsidies and wrote Development Subsidies in New York: A Research Manual for Activists

Ritu has a B.A. in political science and psychology from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in public policy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she also completed two years of doctoral coursework.  Ritu is a founding board member of the United States Women's Chamber of Commerce, New York affiliate.  She currently serves on the boards of the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc. and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's Asian American Advisory Board, and is an active member of the Suffolk County Women's Business Enterprise Coalition. 

 


 

 

Dorothy Harris, Business Advisor

 

Specialties: Government Procurement

 

Dorothy began her career at the Farmingdale SBDC as Office Manager in 2005, and moved on to become the Assistant to the Director. Dorothy left the SBDC in 2008 to work as a Business Assistant for Boys Town New England.  In 2009, she returned to the SBDC as a Business Advisor specializing in Procurement.  During her tenure with the Farmingdale SBDC, she has conducted numerous workshops on small business basics and the importance of a business plan. 

 

Dorothy has a B.A. in Psychology and her M.B.A from Dowling College.   

 


Tony Presti, Coordinator of the Small Business Sustainability Initiative

Tony has seven years experience working with the Brooklyn, Westchester and Farmingdale SBDC. In January of 2009 he became the project coordinator for the SBDC Energy Sustainability Grant Program. Prior to working for the SBDC, Tony was an owner broker of a full service real estate business in Queens, NY.

Tony has a Bachelors degree in European History from the City College of New York and a Masters degree in the History of Ideas from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.


Office Staff

  • Keri Franklin, Assistant to the Director
  • Maria Darrow, Administrative Assistant

"Small Business Assistance is Our Only Business"


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Last modified: 08/30/10