The Team

Anne M. Janiak
Chief Executive Officer

Anne M. Janiak is a founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Enterprise Development Center Inc., a nonprofit microbusiness 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, and 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@wedcbiz.org.

Barbara Venturi
Chief Operating Officer

Barbara Venturi, WEDC’s Chief Operating Officer, has come to WEDC’s staff having served five years on the Board of Directors; the last three as the President of the Board. Ms. Venturi has extensive  knowledge of entrepreneurship, business finance and banking, management, and operations. Prior to joining WEDC, Ms. Venturi  was a principal in Ambar Realty Group, a commercial real estate firm in White Plains and a Manager in the Treasury Department of The Rockefeller Group in Manhattan. Ms. Venturi has a BA from Bucknell University and a Masters of Business Administration from Hofstra University. She can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext. 11 or at bventuri@wedcbiz.org.

Sylvia Herzog
Program Director

Sylvia Herzog, WEDC’s Program Director, brings many years of experience in providing business, financial and technical advice to small businesses. Ms. Herzog was previously the Chief Operating Officer of The Charcoal Project which supported the development of overseas companies focused on alternative energy. In addition, Ms. Herzog held a number of positions in investment banking and major commercial banks raising capital and managing relationships with institutional investors and global Fortune 1000 companies. She has a BA in Economics and an MBA in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext. 13 or at sherzog@wedcbiz.org.

Veronica Bazan
Program Manager/Especialista de Programas  

Veronica Bazan, WEDC’s  Program Manager for WEDC en Espanol, and Loan and M/WBE certification Counselor, joined WEDC in 2013. She has a background in small business, teaching, and micro lending. Prior to joining WEDC, Ms. Bazan worked as a bilingual analyst at Accion East and Online, a microfinance organization, where she helped small business owners prepare and procure loans. Ms. Bazan earned her BA in Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. She also has a degree in education from the Instituto Superior de Formacion Docente in her home country of Argentina. Ms. Bazan can be contacted at 914-948-6098 ext.14 or vbazan@wedcbiz.org.

Cynthia Marsh-Croll
Program Manager & EAP Director – Mid-Hudson Office

Our Mid-Hudson Valley office is located at 3 Neptune Road in Poughkeepsie.  Cynthia Marsh-Croll is the Program Manager and EAP Director of our Poughkeepsie location.  Ms. Marsh-Croll will has numerous programs that provide services to businesses in Orange, Sullivan, Dutchess, Ulster and Putnam counties.  Ms. Marsh-Croll is the founder of Croll Productive Synergy which has provided operation business consulting and training for over a decade as well as Program Manager for a previous Entrepreneurial Assistance Program center.  She has experience in a variety of industries and working with businesses of all sizes.  As a result, Cynthia has significant experience training and counseling small business owners and entrepreneurs.  Ms. Marsh-Croll has a BS in Management Science as well as a Lean Office Certification through the University of Michigan.  Please contact Cynthia at cmarsh-croll@wedcbiz.org or call 845-363-6432 for more information regarding our MHV programs.

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@wedcbiz.org.

Sabrina Schutzsmith
Program Assistant – Mid-Hudson Office

Sabrina Schutzsmith, is the Mid-Hudson Program Assistant in our Poughkeepsie location. She is the founder of Digital Empire, a digital marketing agency located in Poughkeepsie. She has worked with clients locally, nationally and internationally. She has over 20 years of marketing and community building experience. Most recently building a tech and entrepreneurial community in the Hudson Valley by co-founding Hudson Valley Tech Meetup and Catskills Conf. She is Google Analytics & AdWords Certified. Sabrina graduated from SUNY Oswego with a BA in Spanish, minor in Health Science. Her computer expertise, entrepreneurial skills, initiative, and warmth have made her a welcome addition to the WEDC family.
Ms. Schutzsmith can be reached at 845-363-6428 or sschutzsmith@wedcbiz.org.