Staff

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 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
Associate Director

Joy Rosenzweig, WEDC's Associate Director, comes 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. She was Director of Community Relations for State Assemblyman Adam Bradley and is the owner of Blue Ink Communications, a communications firm which specializes in satisfying the writing needs of nonprofit organizations. Ms.Rosenzweig 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
Office Manager and Program Coordinator

Kenya Ajose, WEDC’s Office Manager/Program Coordinator, joins 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, Mrs. Ajose serves on the Board of Directors for the IMANI Cultural Academy. She has a BA in Communications from Iona College and is currently working on her MBA at Iona College. She can be reached at 914-948-6098 ext 10 or kajose@westchester.org.

Persephone Zill
Business Counselor and Program SpecialistP Specialist

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.

Maria Guardado
Office Assistant

Maria Guardado, WEDC’s Office 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, bi-lingual 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.