Leadership

Betty Garger – President and CEO – Leadership

Ms. Betty Garger serves as the organization's President and Chief Executive Officer. Joining in November 2021, Ms. Garger is honored to be the President and Chief Executive Officer of Junior Achievement of New York, where she will lead a staff of over 30. She knows that now, more than ever, our young people need the skills and knowledge that JA provides and looks forward to working with the volunteers and staff that bring JA to life in New York City, Long Island, and Lower Hudson Valley.

Prior to this Betty Garger served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. She was responsible for the delivery and management of the Girl Scout leadership program to more than 24,000 girls in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and northern Warren Counties of New Jersey with the support of over 12,000 adult volunteers. She oversaw the operation of four regional offices and three camp properties.

Ms. Garger held several other positions within the Girl Scout organization including chief operating officer of Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, and CEO of Girl Scouts: Lenni-Lenape Council (one of three councils that merged to form Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey). In 2016, she was selected to serve on the Girl Scouts of the USA’s Network Alignment Steering Committee whose purpose is to help develop a strategic business model for the Girl Scout Movement. Prior to her career in Girl Scouts, Ms. Garger was a broadcast journalist, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey.

A past president of the Paterson Rotary Club, Ms. Garger has been a member of the Rotary for 17 years, during which she also served as President-elect, Vice President, and Secretary of the club. She is a board member of the Morristown Spring Street Community Development Corporation, serving as chair of the Personnel Committee. A graduate of Bergen LEADs and Leadership Morris, she is also a longtime member of the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Garger can be contacted at bgarger@jany.org

Christopher Malin – Chief Financial Officer – Leadership

Christopher Malin has served as Vice President of Finance & Administration for JA New York since January 2011. In this role, Mr. Malin manages all finance, accounting, human resources and day-to-day operations.

Mr. Malin has over 20 years experience as a senior financial and administrative manager in the not-for-profit, public, and private sectors. For the last 13 years, he has worked at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), a not-for-profit organization that serves as the City of New York's principal economic development and planning arm. During his career at EDC, he served in a series of positions with increasing responsibility and oversight, from Assistant Vice President to Vice President and Treasurer/Controller. Prior to his experience at EDC, he worked for the New York City Department of Finance and for United Parcel Service.

Mr. Malin has a B.B.A. in accounting from Pace University in New York.

Mr. Malin can be contacted at cmalin@jany.org

Steven Sherrick – Senior Vice President, Development and Communications – Leadership

Steven Sherrick joined Junior Achievement of New York in 2012. He currently serves as Senior Vice President for Development and Communications with strategic oversight and management of Resource Development, Fundraising and Marketing and Communications for JA New York's New York City, Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley operations. Previously, Mr. Sherrick served in various positions within JA New York on both the Programs and Development teams, including as Vice President of Program Operations and as Director of Institutional Giving where he was responsible for managing the organization’s corporate, foundation and public sector funding relationships, with key responsibilities for new business strategy and government relations.

Prior to joining JA New York, Mr. Sherrick spent more than 15 years in the financial services industry before receiving his Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from the City University of New York’s Baruch College School of Public Affairs in 2011 (now the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs). He was a semifinalist for the Presidential Management Fellows program, served as a member of the NYC Civic Corps (part of the National Service Corps’ AmeriCorps), and has completed managerial training as part of the Executive Education Program at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. He is a member of the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration and received his B.A. in International Relations from Bucknell University.

Mr. Sherrick can be contacted at ssherrick@jany.org

Adrienne Hadaway – Vice President, Program Operations – Leadership

Adrienne Hadaway joined JA New York in 2022 and serves as Vice President of Program Operations with responsibility for overseeing JA program delivery across New York City, Long island and the Lower Hudson Valley. Prior to joining JA New York, Ms. Hadaway was with the New York City Department of Education where she was the Director, Office of Teacher Leadership, in the Division of Teaching and Learning. Ms. Hadaway worked for the NYC DOE for eight years starting as a Teacher Staffing Support Consultant.

Prior to her work with the NYC DOE, Hadaway served for almost two years in the US Peace Corps, teaching English as a Foreign Language in Bulgaria. She earned a master’s degree in public policy analysis and management at The New School and a bachelor’s degree in education at California State University San Bernardino.

Ms. Hadaway can be contacted at ahadaway@jany.org

Diana Lee – Senior Director, Special Projects – Education

Diana Lee joined JA New York in 2007 as a Programs Manager and has served in various leadership capacities on the Programs team including having oversight for the management of JA's school and volunteer relationships in New York City, directing area project initiatives, and guiding the organization's data management and evaluation measurement efforts.

In her current role she manages various special initiatives including JA Inspire Virtual, JA's exciting career exploration initiative and virtual career expo, and other signature entrepreneurial learning experiences offered by JA New York.

She graduated from Smith College with a major in psychology and elementary teaching certification.

Amber Briggs – Director of Programs for New York City – Education

Amber Briggs spent five years at Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), where she held many roles including College Guidance Counselor, LEDA Policy Project Director, and Director of Public Service Pathways and Strategic Partnerships. She also spent time in the Office of the Chief of Governance, Membership, and Higher Education at College Board and is an alumna of the College Advising Corps, completing her 2 years as an adviser at Alief Elsik High School in Houston, TX.

Amber graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in Sociology, a minor in Africana Studies, and a Certificate in Race and Ethnic Relations. She received her M.A. in Education Policy with a concentration in Higher Education and Law from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Catherine Danyko-Sage – Senior Director of Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley Programs – Education

As the Senior Director of Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley Programs for Junior Achievement of New York, Catherine Danyko-Sage oversees financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship program delivery to K-12 students throughout Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Putnam counties. Additionally, she is responsible for developing and maintaining local business community partnerships in order to secure corporate giving, grant funding and program support and provide employee engagement and volunteer opportunities. Catherine represents and promotes the interests of Junior Achievement of New York through memberships in the Business Council of Westchester and numerous local Chambers of Commerce and sits on the Great Potential Liberty Partnerships Program Advisory Board.

Prior to joining Junior Achievement of New York, Catherine had an extensive career in program management for investment banks, managing and executing large-scale, global projects. Catherine was born and raised in Yonkers, NY and currently lives in Northern Westchester with her husband and two children.