Three New Members Join Child and Family Services’ Board of Directors
Buffalo, NY – Child and Family Services (C+FS) is excited to welcome Lizarelis Ali, Ellen Burkhardt and Neil Pawlowski to the Agency’s Board of Directors. They join 19 other individuals from various backgrounds including legal, insurance, not-for-profit management, health care, finance, education, compliance, real estate, architecture and more. Our new members join the Board of Directors during a milestone year when Child and Family Services celebrates its 150th anniversary.
Lizarelis Ali is a Spanish One on One Support and Outreach Specialist with the Parent Network of WNY with a focus on helping bilingual students. She has worked for Buffalo Public Schools as a community education leader and teacher assistant for over 20 years. Lizarelis was awarded the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP) Ted Bernstein Award in 2022, an Unsung Heroes Award by the Buffalo Public Schools in 2017, and Community Partnership Award by the Buffalo Urban League in 2009. Her extensive volunteer work includes the University at Buffalo Home Again Initiative, World Refugee Day of WNY, and the Puerto Rico Hurricane & Earthquake Relief Fund. Lizarelis has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Empire State College and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in school psychology at the University at Buffalo. She is also completing a school psychology internship in a bilingual elementary school.
Ellen Burkhardt is Vice President of Administration at Harmac Medical Products, Inc. She has been part of the Harmac team since 1996 and is a main contributor to the company’s growth. Ellen oversees the Finance, Accounting, and IT functions for Harmac’s North American facilities, and the Human Resource team at its Buffalo headquarters. Ellen also serves as Treasurer of the board of the Population Health Collaborative, which works to improve the community’s health throughout Western New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Medaille College and an MBA from the University at Buffalo. She is a Western New York native and lives in Kenmore with her husband.
Neil Pawlowski is a founding partner with the law firm of Duggan & Pawlowski LLP and a real estate attorney who represents clients in both residential and commercial transactions. He was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Star List for Real Estate Law from 2015–2022. Prior to his law career, Neil was a middle school social studies teacher and a Teach for America Corps member in Brooklyn, NY. He received his master’s degree in teaching from Pace University and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Rochester.
Child and Family Services is an experienced leader in human services connecting more than 10,000 individuals each year to safe, quality programs that strengthen and empower individuals and families. For more information on programs offered by Child and Family Services, please visit www.cfsbny.org.
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