About Us

Lois Penny

Lois Penny is a retired IT Project Manager/Business Analyst.  Lois is the former President of the West Harlem Progressive Democratic Club, a County Committee member, and is actively involved in the West Harlem community.   Lois is a graduate of Smith College. 

Amanda Toliver

Amanda Toliver is a beauty and fashion digital content creator. She works as a self love and style influencer and is apart of the YouTube partner program. She is excited to help lead NYC For Youth to great heights through working closing with the team and executing her treasurer duties. She is a graduate of the University of Buffalo specializing in International Business and World Trade.

Lisa Edmiston

Lisa A. Edmiston is a principal of a high performing public charter school in Astoria, NY. As an educator for over 20 years, Lisa has focused on creating a learning environment that is equitable, culturally responsive and rigorous. Lisa was born to lead and come from a long line of educators. Lisa knowing and understanding the value of a high-quality education has trained and instilled in her staff that every student must feel valued and respected as their true authentic selves.

Alyah Horsford-Sidberry

Mrs. Alyah Horsford-Sidberry received her bachelor’s degree in political science from The City University of New York.  Although Alyah is known throughout Harlem for her work within real estate and for her business ventures in the restaurant and entertainment industry, Cove Lounge, her commitment to political activism and community building cannot be denied. In addition to her professional business pursuits, Alyah is currently a Chief Executive Officer of the Uptown Democratic Club and a duly elected County Committee Member. She also previously served as the president for the West 120th Street Block Association.  In addition she served 12 years as board a member for  Banana Kelly CIA, an organization that serve the residents of the South Bronx, providing services to approximately 6,800 residents. 

Alyah’s dedication to help the people in her community and beyond has never wavered, even after tremendous personal losses in 2017  with the sudden and untimely death of her sister. The loss of her sister spurred the creation of Glocare, Inc., a not for profit whose mission is to transform our current system of postpartum care and create comprehensive services for mothers of the African Diaspora.

Sean Farrow

New York City's Community Board 9

Sean is an associate attorney with the premier law firm, Hamilton Clarke. Sean's practice areas focus primarily on litigation, where he represents clients and businesses in criminal and civil matters as well as resolving disputes as an administrative officer in arbitration hearings.

Prior to joining Hamilton Clarke, LLP, Sean served as a public defender with The Legal Aid Society of New York City (LAS), the largest public-interest law firm in the United States, where, since 2016, he represented thousands of indigent clients charged with serious felonies and misdemeanor matters. During his tenure, Sean litigated several suppression hearings and tried dozens of bench and jury trials to verdict. In his most recent trial, Sean secured the full acquittal of a client charged with attempted murder and weapons possession.

Sean is also a certified arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the largest securities dispute resolution forum in the United States. In this role, Sean is tasked with applying relevant laws, regulations and financial standards to resolving complex financial disputes, as well as facilitating negotiations and dialogue between disputing parties. He has also provided legal counsel to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s hurricane disaster relief loan program.

In addition to his broad legal practice, Sean is a member of New York City’s Community Board 9.
Also, he is a volunteer tutor of reading, writing, English and ESOL with South Bronx United, a nonprofit organization that offers educational, sports coaching and immigration support services to at-risk middle and high school students. 

Marco Shalma

MASC Hospitality Group

Marco Shalma is a NY-based entrepreneur, investor, and producer. Shalma founded Round Seven Media in 2013, quickly becoming a leading NYC creative agency celebrated for launching brands, products, and services with an innovative approach to branding and social media marketing.

In 2017, he founded MASC Hospitality Group, an umbrella company with ownership in NYC's most successful experiences and stakes in various food/beverage/art concepts, most notably the Bronx Night Market, Uptown Night Market, the Brooklyn Night Market, and Harlem Bazaar. 

Shalma's previous titles include four years as an Account Executive at BBDO Worldwide and five years as Chief Operating Officer of Grupo NYT. He is a board member of the New Heritage Theater Group, the West Harlem Arts Alliance, and NYC 4 Youth. Marco serves as a member of community board 6 and on an SBS assigned advisory board.

Marco is passionate about branding, content marketing, the Yankees, and food, not necessarily in that order.

Mariah Meachem-Williams is currently a middle school ELA teacher at a college preparatory school in the South Bronx. She has 5+ years of experience working with youth ranging from elementary to collegiate levels in roles such as mentor, lead teacher, academic advisor, career counselor, and undergraduate admissions recruiter. As a first-generation college graduate and a South Bronx native herself, Mariah is passionate about providing quality educational and extracurricular services to NYC youth to ensure as many students as possible are prepared for a successful transition into higher education and the workforce. She is a graduate of the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, where she majored in business administration and finance.

My name is Danielle Lewis-McLaurin and I am a generational wealth builder. I am originally from Pittsburgh, as blue collar labor town. I moved to New York after college from Atlanta in 1995 and I have been in love with Manhattan ever since. My real estate career started in 2004 as a result of my position moving to Singapore. I began to thrive in my new career my Wall Street financial experience coupled with my vast travels expanded my horizon.

In 2013 I entered into another foreign territory; Harlem HDFCs. I enjoyed helping the Harlem community as they were a reflection of my Pittsburgh community; the common denominator hard working and wanting better for their children. This is why I was educated never to be better but to provide better. People from the “hood” started learning about living trust, 529 education policies and whole life insurance policies and I felt good.

Our community suffered greatly as a result of covid. Mr and Miss Such and such had passed away; our community pillars, and now the torch was passed to me. I have been bestowed the task of, “… opening the door for the people behind me”  Financial literacy are the bricks needed to build generational wealth so it is important to start building young.