Ana Aguirre, Executive Director
Ana was born in Peru and has a Master’s Degree in Psychology from the University of San Martin de Porres and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Hunter College School of Public Health. She joined UCC in 1994 as a Health Educator/Community Organizer. In 1998, she was appointed Associate Director. In 2004, Ms. Aguirre became the Executive Director of UCC.

Sondra Santoni, Associate Director/Senior Health Educator
Sondra has been working at UCC since 1996. She works as a Senior Health Educator for our Women’s Health and HIV Prevention Programs, and as the Program Manager for our ESL program. Sondra has a BA in History from the College of Wooster.

Sarita Daftary, Project Director, East New York Farms!
Sarita began working at UCC as an Americorps VISTA in 2003. Sarita has a BA in Sociology and Government from Georgetown University.

Pamela Pirthipal, Fiscal Officer
Pamela is a native of Guyana, and the mother of 4 children. She began working at UCC in 1992, and since then has been managing multiple bookkeeping duties.

Lareina Jordan, President
BIO TO COME

Michael Golan, Vice President
Michael has been a UCC volunteer for 37 years. His first involvement in the UCC was as a teen group member. He has a BA degree from Lehman College and also has completed graduate level course work at Columbia University. His work experience includes more than 30 years of management-level experience in higher education facilities operations, including Teachers College-Columbia University and Brooklyn College.

Kim Sanders, Secretary
Kim is a physical education teacher at PS 72 in Brooklyn, and a former school-aged teacher at MLE Learning Center. She is a resident of East New York, and her 2 children attend MLE.

Mel Grizer, Treasurer
Mel was the Executive Director of UCC from 1989 until his retirement in 2003. Mel’s career with the organization goes back to 1967 when he started as a youth worker. Over the years he has worked as teen camp director, senior citizen worker, and community organizer. Mel received a Bachelor’s degree from Temple University in 1960, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1963.

We're looking for new members to join our board, especially professional men and women who can help us locate and secure grants, provide financial advice and services, or provide legal assistance.

Our Board Members bring with them new avenues for UCC to explore, and in exchange, they enjoy the opportunity to make a lasting, positive impact in our neighborhood.

Whether you’re from East New York or somewhere else, your energy and skills can help our organization grow. To find out more about Board Member opportunities, please contact us.