Anne M. Janiak
Executive Director

Anne M. Janiak is a founder and Executive Director of the Women's Enterprise Development Center Inc., a nonprofit microenterprise development organization in White Plains, NY that helps women achieve economic self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley. Ms. Janiak has been involved with the organization since its formation in 1997 and has been instrumental in its growth and development, including its designation as a Women's Business Center by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2003. She has been active in women's issues, local government & public policy matters in Westchester County for more than 25 years and serves as part-time Executive Director of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association. She is a former Mayor of the Village of Scarsdale, a former chair of the Westchester County Women's Advisory Board and a former president of the Scarsdale chapter of the League of Women Voters. Ms. Janiak has many community and professional affiliations and is actively involved with both the state and national microenterprise development program associations. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Association of Women's Business Centers (AWBC). Ms. Janiak has a BA in Secondary Education from the Pennsylvania State University and a MA in Women's History from Sarah Lawrence College. She can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext. 12 or ajaniak@westchester.org.

Joy Rosenzweig
Chief Operating Officer

Joy Rosenzweig, WEDC's Chief Operating Officer, came to WEDC with an extensive background in program development, public relations and management. Prior to joining WEDC, she served as President of the League of Women Voters of Westchester (LWVW). She was Director of Community Relations for State Assemblyman Adam Bradley and is the owner of Blue Ink Communications, a communications firm focusing on nonprofit organizations. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College. Ms. Rosenzweig began her association with WEDC as a participant in the 15-Week Entrepreneurial Training Class. During that time she established her business and was hired by WEDC to write its e-newsletter. She joined WEDC full-time in November 2007, because she was impressed by its success in fulfilling its mission to help women become self sufficient through entrepreneurship. She can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext. 11 or jrosenzweig@westchester.org.

Kenya Ajose
Director and Program Manager 

Kenya Ajose, Director and Program Manager, joined WEDC with a strong background in corporate management, client relations, project management and communications. Prior to joining WEDC, she was a client relations manager at Paramount Brands and a project manager at Caligor Medical Supply. In addition, Ms. Ajose serves on the Board of Directors for the IMANI Cultural Academy. She has a BA in Communications and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Iona College. She can be reached at 914-948-6098 ext 10 or kajose@westchester.org.

Persephone Zill
Senior Program Specialist & Business Counselor

Persephone Zill, WEDC's Business Counselor and Program Specialist, consulted for WEDC part-time from 2003-2006 and has now become a member of our staff. Prior to joining WEDC, Ms. Zill served as the Director of Training at the former American Woman's Economic Development Corporation (AWED) in New York City. She devoted more than ten years to coaching women entrepreneurs through her own coaching business in Westchester. In addition, she served as the Co-leader of the Westchester/Rockland International Coaching Federation (ICF) Chapter from 2003-2005. Ms. Zill earned a BA degree from Barnard College in American Studies and has an MBA in Management/Entrepreneurship from Baruch College of the City University of New York. Ms. Zill has an excellent background in program development and business counseling. Her skills and experience in entrepreneurship are a tremendous asset to our organization. Ms. Zill can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext. 13 or pzill@westchester.org.

John Mulqueen
Program Specialist & Business Counselor-English/Spanish

John Mulqueen, WEDC's Program Specialist and Business Counselor, joined WEDC in 2012 with a strong background in entrepreneurial training and small business development.   Prior to joining WEDC, Mr. Mulqueen served as a small business educator and advisor with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua where he promoted entrepreneurship and fostered community development.  Mr. Mulqueen earned his BA in Economics in 2009 from The Catholic University of America where he spent a semester abroad studying Indigenous Mexican Heritage in Cholula, Mexico.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude and was awarded the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s 2009 Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Study of Economics. Mr. Mulqueen can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext.14 or jmulqueen@westchester.org.

Adie Shore
Grants Manager

Adie Shore, WEDC's Grants Manager, joined WEDC in 2011.  Ms. Shore is the owner of Shore Grant Services, a grantwriting company she started while attending WEDC's 15-Week Entrepreneurial Training Program.  She has a strong background in project management and expertise in business, finance and marketing.  Prior to joining WEDC, Ms. Shore worked as a grant writer for the YWCA in White Plains, Secretary/Treasurer  for the League of Women Voters of New York, and President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale.  She has a BS in Mathematics/Spanish from C.W. Post University, and MS in Operations Research at Polytechnic Institute of New York and and MBA in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.  Ms. Shore can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext.17 or ashore@westchester.org.

Maria Guardado
Office & Program Assistant

Maria Guardado, WEDC’s Office and Program Assistant, came to our organization as an intern from the College of Westchester.  She joined WEDC’s staff in December 2009 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration- Project Management.  Ms. Guardado’s computer expertise, bilingual skills, initiative and warmth have made her a welcome addition to the WEDC family.  She can be reached at 914-948-6098 ext 15 or mguardado@westchester.org.


Mid-Hudson Satellite Office

Lea Bishop
Director, Mid-Hudson Satellite

Lea Bishop worked diligently for more than 3 years to bring a WEDC satellite to the Mid-Hudson Valley. Prior to this, she was Director of Small Business Membership and Program Development at the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce where she was responsible for member recruitment and retention, development, and successful execution of small business programs. Lea was also the Project Manager for the Institute for Business Innovation in Poughkeepsie, NY and worked at IBM as both a project manager and computer programmer. Lea is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the House of Hope Domestic Violence Shelter and was also a member of the Access Capital Workgroup, NYS Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council. She received the “New York State Assembly award for volunteer service to Not-for-Profit organizations”. Lea received an MS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from the University of Virginia and a BS in Mathematics from Wilkes University. She can be reached at 845-575-3438 or lbishop@wedcbiz.org.