Project for Return & Opportunity in Veterans Education (PROVE)

Bronx Community College
2155 University Avenue,
Bronx, NY 10453
John Rosa (Veteran Services Specialist)
veterans@bcc.cuny.edu
(718) 289 – 5447

Borough of Manhattan CC
199 Chambers Street,
New York, NY 10007
Wilfred Cotto (Veteran Services Manager)
vets@bmcc.cuny.edu
(212) 220 – 8000

Hostos Community College
120 East 149th Street, Bronx, NY 10451
Savoy Building, D-101
Ricardo Garcia, Office of Veterans Affairs (HOVA) Coordinator
veterans@hostos.cuny.edu
(718) 319-7955

Hunter College
695 Park Ave,
New York, NY 10065
Leora Shudofsky, LMSW(PROVE Director)
lshudofs@hunter.cuny.edu
(212) 396 – 6383

John Jay College
524 W 59th St,
New York, NY 10019
Richard Pusateri, (Military and Veterans Services Manager)
rpusateri@jjay.cuny.edu
(212) 484 – 1329

LaGuardia Community College
31-10 Thomson Ave,
Queens, NY 11101
Daryl Griffin, (Co-Manager)
dgriffin@lagcc.cuny.edu
(718) 730 – 7587

Queensborough Community College
222-05, 56th Avenue Library
Building, L-421
Bayside, NY 11364
Kendra Mason,Director and SCO
VeteransServices@qcc.cuny.edu
(718) 281-5767

Queens College
65-30 Kissena Blvd,
Flushing, NY 11367
Dennis Torres, (Veterans Outreach Specialist)
dennis.torres@qc.cuny.edu
(718) 368 – 5472

York College
94-20 Guy R Brewer Blvd,
Jamaica, NY 11451
Larry D. Eaton, (Veteran Affairs Manager)
leaton@york.cuny.edu
(718) 262 – 5298

Fordham University
140 West 62nd Street, Room 145,
New York, NY 10023
Matthew Butler, (Director of Military and Veterans Services)
mbutler33@fordham.edu
(212) 636-6433

Leora Shudofsky, LMSW
Director
Phone: (212) 396-7590
Email: Leora.Shudofsky@cuny.edu
lshudofs@hunter.cuny.edu

Leora is the Project Director for Return and Opportunity in Veterans Education (PROVE) at Silberman School of Social Work (SSSW). She started at PROVE in 2008. Ms. Shudofsky received her master’s degree in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work (now Silberman) in 1990 majoring in Group Work. She has been a teaching adjunct at both SSSW and Columbia University School of Social Work since 1999. She developed the curriculum for and has been teaching the “Social Work with Veterans and Service Members” course at SSSW since 2013. In May 2017, she received The Cecile B Insdorf Award for Excellence in Teaching for Part-Time Faculty. In August 2017 Ms. Shudofsky co-authored an article for a special edition of the peer-reviewed Clinical Social Work Journal entitled “PROVE: An Innovative Clinical Social Work Field Education Model.” Working with veterans has become a true passion for her and she plans to continue working with PROVE and training up the new generation of social workers to learn more about working with veterans and service members.

Roger Sherwood, PHD
Founder and Director Emeritus
Phone: (212) 396-7533
Email: rsherwoo@hunter.cuny.edu

Dr. Sherwood joined the faculty in 1979. He was an Associate Professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and has worked with military personnel, veterans, and student veterans for over 30 years. He has published in the areas of veterans and PTSD and was a clinical consultant at the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System-Montrose Campus from 1986 to 2016 where he treated veterans with PTSD. He is the initial organizer for the annual conference on The Hidden Client: Veterans and their Loved Ones, which began in 1983 and was held each year until 2010. He was a social work officer at Fort Polk, LA, from 1971 to 1973 and was in the Army Reserve from 1973 to 1978.

Katharine Bloeser, PHD, MSW
Project Faculty Liaison
Ph: (212) 396-7534
E: kb1568@hunter.cuny.edu

Katharine Bloeser has served veterans for the majority of her career. Before coming to the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, she served as a researcher and clinical social worker at the Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s War Related Illness and Injury Study Center and in the Trauma Services clinic treating posttraumatic stress disorder. Dr. Bloeser’s work there focused on veterans who are members of underserved and underrepresented populations including veterans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender. While at the VA, she received the prestigious Olin E. Teague award for service to disabled veterans and was also named social worker of the year by her peers. Dr. Bloeser is committed to helping veterans lead their communities in social change. She is excited for the opportunity to help PROVE in these efforts.

Nancy Magidson, MA, LMSW
Project Associate Director
Phone: (212) 396 – 7716
Email: nmagidso@hunter.cuny.edu

Nancy Magidson joined PROVE in 2017. She earned her MSW in group work from Hunter College in 2006. Prior to working at PROVE, Nancy worked at Silberman as both a field advisor and an academic advisor. Nancy has worked with older adults and those facing life-threatening illness, providing support to the families as well as providing bereavement counseling. For many years Nancy worked specifically with Holocaust survivors. She received a master’s in U.S. History from San Francisco State University, a bachelor’s in Women’s Studies from UC Santa Cruz, and has a background in film and video. She is also the daughter of a World War Two Navy veteran.

Alyssa Nelson
Administrative Assistant
Phone: (212) 396 – 7599
Email: an588@hunter.cuny.edu

Alyssa Nelson is the current Administrative Assistant and a recent graduate from Queen Community College. She is newly enrolled at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she will pursue her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Alyssa Nelson also manages PROVE social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Rhonda Sherwin, AFC®
PROVE Financial Coach
Email: Rhonda.Sherwin@hunter.cuny.edu

Rhonda Sherwin is the Financial Coach for PROVE. She has an BS and MBA from NYU and is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®).
Rhonda began her financial career as a banking officer with a large Japanese bank based in NYC, continuing on to senior positions with Merrill Lynch, Guardian Life Insurance and Franklin Templeton. Her primary specialty was an expertise in Retirement Plans. While having an active career on “Wall Street”, Rhonda was a volunteer for several organizations that offered free personal finance education to NYC public school students, adults in community centers, and social service organizations helping those in need of financial assistance. Four years ago she took a new turn in her life and became a full time Veterans Financial Coach, representing NYC through a federal program funded by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Through that program, she developed and still maintains strong partnerships with providers throughout NYC servicing veterans and their families.
Currently, Rhonda is a Financial Liaison at Services for the Underserved under a new program to increase housing stability for veterans receiving federal assistance. She is dedicated to passing on her knowledge gained through academic, work and life experiences so all veterans can build confidence to make informed financial decisions.