Women of Distinction and Community Partners Gala

April 19, 2023 | 6:00pm - 10:00pm | Eagle Oaks Golf & Country Club, Farmingdale, NJ

On Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore will honor community leaders at our annual gala event hosted
at Eagle Oaks Golf & Country Club in Farmingdale.

Funds raised at this charitable event will support leadership programming and camping services provided by
Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore to our more than 11,000 members in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

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2023 Honorees

Women of Distinction
- Paige E. Baran, Esquire
  - Hiering, Dupignac, Stanzione & Dunn, P.C.
- Shawanda W. Beale
  - New Jersey Department of Education
- Lauren Holman, CPA
  - Holman Frenia Allison, P.C.
- Manpreet K. Kohli M.D., FACS
  - RWJBarnabas Health, Monmouth Medical Center
- Denise Wegeman MSW, LCSW
  - D. Wegeman & Associates, LLC
Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout
- Thomas A. Arnone
  - Monmouth County Commissioner Director
Community Partner
- Red Arrow Technologies

About Our Honorees

Women of Distinction

Paige E. Baran, Esquire

Paige Baran is employed as an attorney with the law firm of Hiering, Dupignac, Stanzione & Dunn, P.C. located in Toms River. She joined the firm in 2009 and focuses her practice on family law, adoptions, and civil and commercial litigation. Paige earned her B.A. in Psychology from Villanova University and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Paige grew up in Lavallette where she currently resides with her husband, Jarrod Grasso, her son, Hunter Grasso and her daughter, Drew Grasso. Growing up, she was a Brownie, Junior, and Cadette Girl Scout. Her time as a Girl Scout instilled in her the importance of community service and involvement, which triggered her desire to become involved with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore as an adult. For the last six years, she has led a multi-level Girl Scout Troop currently comprised of Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts. Paige enjoys all of the organized chaos that goes along with running a large troop, watching the girls push themselves outside of their comfort zone to achieve personal goals, and imparting in the girls the importance of giving back to their community through service.

For the last 13 years, Paige has volunteered with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore by serving on a variety of committees and has also served as co-chair of both the Phenomenal Women Under 40 event and the Women of Distinction and Community Partners Gala. Paige serves as an Operational Delegate for the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. She is also a member of the Lavallette PTO, where she previously served as a Board Member, and is a Trustee of the Andrew T. Baran Scholarship Fund, founded in honor of her late father.

Shawanda W. Beale

Mrs. Shawanda W. Beale is an Assistant Director at the New Jersey Department of Education. Prior to this position, Mrs. Beale has served as a Supervisor of Guidance, school counselor, and Language Arts teacher. Mrs. Beale holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia, Master of Education degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is a Doctor of Education degree candidate in Education Leadership at Seton Hall University.

Mrs. Beale is committed to serving her community and takes pride in her leadership roles. She serves as the chair of the Ocean Township Zoning Board of Adjustment and is a member of the Ocean Township Board of Education. In addition, Mrs. Beale is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Chartering Chapter President of Jersey Shore (NJ) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and Past President of the Jersey Shore Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.

Most importantly, Mrs. Beale is a loving wife and mother. She is passionate about setting an example for her children and instilling in them, you will only possess what you are willing to pursue. Mrs. Beale is the first African American woman to serve on boards in her community and will leave a proud legacy for her children. Mrs. Beale’s motto is, “Keep your heels, head, and standards high.” ~Coco Chanel

Lauren Holman, CPA

Lauren Holman is the lead Partner in the Not-for-Profit and Commercial Audit and Attestation Division of Holman Frenia Allison, P.C. (HFA), a regional public accounting firm of over 60 professionals serving the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania markets. Lauren obtained a B.A degree from Franklin and Marshall College and a Masters of Accountancy from the University of Virginia. She began her career as an Associate Accountant at the global accounting firm Ernst & Young. In 2006, after a number of years in public and private accounting, Lauren joined HFA. Fast forward to 2018, when Lauren became not only the firm’s youngest partner but also the firm’s first female partner.

Over the past twenty years, Lauren has discovered her true passion is helping share her knowledge of accounting and auditing with the not-for-profit community. Lauren is always looking for ways to help her clients spread their mission while ensuring their financial future is secure. Lauren’s focus doesn’t end at simply the financial services she provides, she also believes strongly in giving back in other ways.

At HFA, Lauren leads the volunteer and community service program called “HFA Cares.” Throughout the year, the firm sponsors several events where their employees are empowered to give back to the community. She plans a variety of events ranging from on-site volunteer service, to collection and donation drives. Be it with clients, staff or community, Lauren feels strongly that service at its greatest moment is when the reward is beyond financial measure.

Lauren is the Board Chair of Fulfill (formally the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties). For the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, she is a board member and the chair of the audit committee. Lauren also is a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern and Coastal New Jersey.

Lauren and her husband, and fellow partner, Matt, are proud parents to three children, Lila, 12, Cole, 9 and Luke, 7. Lauren is very active in her kids’ activities, is class mom, Treasurer of Memorial Middle School PTO and Vice-Chair of Ocean Road School PTO.

Manpreet K. Kohli M.D., FACS

Manpreet K. Kohli, MD, FACS is the Director of Breast Surgery for Monmouth Medical Center. Dr. Kohli is the hospital’s Cancer Liaison Physician for the Commission on Cancer. She is credited for creating several programs including the region’s first MagTrace program (allowing for delayed sentinel lymph node biopsy), the first Lymphedema Prevention Program utilizing Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (Sozo) in the state, and Paxman scalp cooling program for chemotherapy-induced alopecia. She was the first in NJ to become certified in “Hidden Scar” breast surgery. She strives to provide the highest level of comprehensive and compassionate breast care to set patients up for a long and successful survivorship.

She created the nonprofit organization “I Pink I Can” in 2021 to help provide equality in breast cancer care regardless of financial status. This has helped remove barriers to care for many women in Monmouth County receiving breast cancer care.

She is a wife and proud mother to Vivienne who is a Girl Scout Daisy. In her free time she enjoys playing with her mini Bernedoodle Bernadette, travelling, and scuba diving.

Education & Training:

Medical School: Kasturba Medical College Manipal, India
Residency: General Surgery, Monmouth Medical Center, NJ
Fellowship: Breast Surgical Oncology, Mount Sinai St Luke’s Roosevelt & Beth Israel Medical Center, New York

Her professional memberships include: The American Society of Breast Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association of Women Surgeons, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Denise Wegeman MSW, LCSW

A lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore, Denise Wegeman grew up in a family where helping others was second nature. After a successful career on Wall Street working as an Investment Broker, Denise felt called to pursue a career in counseling working with children and teens.

Denise attended Monmouth University and received a Masters in Social Work.

In 2009, Denise left her position as a school counselor to focus on the development of her private counseling practice. She quickly became involved in working with the Manasquan community offering assistance and help in addressing the 2^nd largest suicide contagion in the United States that the area was experiencing. Denise consulted at Manasquan High School and provided support thru a federal grant Project SERV to help the school and community recover. She served as one of the founding members of the Monmouth County Suicide Task Force and was instrumental in lobbying the County to fund services to address suicide programming which continues today. In her work with the suicide task force, Denise served as a liaison with NJ Transit. One of her proudest accomplishments was a campaign with NJ Transit that featured resource and support posters that were placed in all trains to address those contemplating suicide.

Denise has had the opportunity to share her expertise and has presented at numerous conferences and panel discussions locally as well as internationally. She continues to work tirelessly in educating others about mental health and suicide. She has been featured on local radio shows and has appeared on CBS Channel 2 News as well as on NJ Classroom Closeup and Jersey Matters. Her work has been featured in numerous newspaper publications.

In 2011 Denise was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year by the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County. She was featured in NJ Monthly magazine as “10 Who are making a Difference.” Denise was also recognized for Outstanding Community Service with the Osprey Award from the Jersey Shore Chamber of Commerce. Denise has served on the Board of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide and the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County. She currently serves on the SRF Suicide Task Force for Monmouth University.

For the past 8 years, Denise has worked with camp counselors at Camp Sacajawea and Camp Amity Acres to help provide education and support to staff in understanding child development. This initiative became extremely important during COVID in addressing the numerous obstacles that campers were presenting and helped staff provide support to their campers.

Denise is currently working in conjunction with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore in addressing the ever-increasing mental health crisis and needs of Girl Scouts. A Mental Health/Mental Wellness campaign is being rolled out to educate staff, Girl Scout leaders, camp counselors and parents about mental health. The goal is to provide information and to empower Girl Scouts to learn ways to increase their knowledge base of mental health and mental wellbeing and to acquire coping strategies to help them. Girl Scouts will be encouraged to learn and share ideas of addressing this important topic and earn a patch. The goal is to empower the next generation to learn how to take care of themselves as well as others as we continue to recover from the pandemic and the ever- increasing mental health crisis that our children/teens are experiencing.

Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

Thomas A. Arnone: Thomas A. Arnone is currently serving his fifth, three-year term, on the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners. In 2023, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as Director of the Board. He also served as Director in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and deputy director in 2012 and 2013. Director Arnone oversees the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering and serves as the liaison to Public Information, Tourism, Economic Development, the Office of Shared Services, the Department of Transportation, Brookdale Community College, the Prosecutors Office, the Environmental Council, the Improvement Authority, and the Shade Tree Commission.

Since being elected as a Commissioner, Director Arnone has been an advocate for shared services between municipalities and counties. He established the Healthy Monmouth Initiative, bringing together students from different socioeconomic backgrounds to learn about good nutritional habits. In addition, Director Arnone started the Grow Monmouth program to help revitalize the County’s business climate, developed a Façade Improvement program and set-up a Tourism Advisory Group to bring mayors and tourism leaders together. Director Arnone also created the annual Made in Monmouth event to exclusively showcase locally made consumer products.

Prior to his election as a Commissioner, Director Arnone served as an elected official in Neptune City. As mayor, from 2004 through 2010, he was instrumental in the acquisition of more than $1.5 million in grants and the successful revitalization of underutilized areas in the community. As a council member from 1997 through 2003, Director Arnone held positions as Police Commissioner, Public Works Commissioner and the Finance committee chairman.

During his tenure in Neptune City, Director Arnone served as the director of the Office of Emergency Management and as a member of the Land Use, Planning and Recreation boards as well as the Shade Tree, Environmental and Community Development Block Grant committees and the Alliance to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Active in statewide organizations, Director Arnone currently represents the County on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. He is a board member of the Salvation Army New Jersey Division and organized the inaugural Pound the Pavement for Purple in 2014 to support pancreatic cancer research. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Monmouth Ocean Foundation for Children. Additionally, Director Arnone served as the 2010 president of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and has been an active member of the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

Director Arnone is currently employed by the PRC Group located in Red Bank where he serves as the Vice President of Business Development and Homeowners Association.

Director Arnone is a graduate of Neptune High School and attended Brookdale Community College. He currently is Vice President of Property Management for PRC Group.

Director Arnone and his wife, reside in Neptune City. They have one daughter.

Community Partner

Red Arrow Technologies: Red Arrow Technologies is committed to cultivating success for our clients through innovative strategies and a bold approach to business. We pride ourselves on not only being on the cutting edge of tech advancements but also working tirelessly to build strong relationships with those we serve. We believe that technology is vital to future success, but also understand the importance of people. More than just an IT firm, we strive to build trust and generate exceptional value for all clients big and small.

Founded in 2011 by Michael McCully, Red Arrow Technologies is an IT Consulting Firm that assists clients in solving problems, improving day-to-day processes, and stimulating business growth. Based out of Eatontown, NJ. we serve clients primarily located in Monmouth and Ocean counties, however, our process has expanded in recent years to support clients with offices nationwide. Whether it is a small local business or a larger national corporation, Red Arrow is committed to becoming a part of the team.

What do we mean by this? Basically, our philosophy is that your business is our business and your success is our success. When we take on a new client, we begin by learning everything there is to learn about their culture, resources, needs, and goals. Once we have the foundation in place, we pour our knowledge, skills, experience, and most of all our dedication into our processes which provide value at every turn. What makes Red Arrow special is that we are a tight-knit team that understands the challenges businesses face as well as the vast opportunity available.

As our team has grown over the years, we have brought in exceptional talent and incredible leadership. Since 2018, Kyle Morgans has brought years of industry experience to his role as Vice President. Together, Michael and Kyle lead a team dedicated to protecting clients from evolving threats, providing education, and providing support for all areas of technology and telephone service. From workstations, servers, and email to camera systems, door access controls, and cloud-based services, we strive to be your one-stop for all tech solutions.

Women of Distinction and Community Partners Gala

April 19, 2023 | 6:00pm - 10:00pm | Eagle Oaks Golf & Country Club, Farmingdale, NJ

2023 Honorees

Women of Distinction

Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

Community Partner

About Our Honorees

Women of Distinction

Paige E. Baran, Esquire

Shawanda W. Beale

Lauren Holman, CPA

Manpreet K. Kohli M.D., FACS

Denise Wegeman MSW, LCSW

Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

Thomas A. Arnone

Community Partner

Red Arrow Technologies

Sponsors

Bronze Sponsor

Aspire

Monmouth Medical Center

Trefoil Sponsor

Holman Frenia Allison P.C.

New Jersey Natural Gas

Badge Sponsor

Dr. Gregory A. Greco, Monmouth Plastic Surgery

Lakeland Bank

Ocean County Business Development & Tourism

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Girl Scout Sponsor

Causeway Family of Dealerships

Community Medical Center

Hiering, Dupignac, Stanzione & Dunn, P.C.

Local Union 400 IBEW

Pine Belt Cars

PNC Institutional Asset Management

SHI

Dessert Underwriter

YMCA of Greater Monmouth County

Entertainment Underwriter

Jersey Shore (NJ) Chapter of Links, Inc.

S'mores Bar Underwriter

Commvault

ENCON

I Pink I Can

OceanFirst Foundation

Flowers by

Narcissus Florals

Dessert by

Coney Waffle

2023 Gala Honorees & GSJS Board Members

2022 Highlights Video

2022 Gala Highlights