Meet the VSC Team
Ana Semedo, Business Development Manager
Ana Semedo is the Business Development Manager for the VSC. Prior to joining the VSC in early 2021, she worked in sales and account management for financial service firms, such Bloomberg. She has also worked for nonprofit organizations, helping tenants organize for safe housing conditions and creating financial strategies for low income co-ops. Ana has a passion for acting and all things baking, although these days, she doesn’t do much baking.
Carmella Chessen, Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
Carmella is the VSC Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator since 2012. She is responsible for recruiting, training and managing the Facilitators who lead classes and also manages the scheduling and other related tasks for the program.
Carmella has a BA in Psychology and has held a variety of jobs including working in media, HR, and performing general administrative functions for a variety of for-profit companies. She started in the field of Volunteer Management at the Lighthouse where she worked for 15 years and became the Director of Volunteers. She knew from the beginning that this was the right field for her.
Carmella was born in Israel and came to the US when she was 4 so holds dual citizenship. Some of her non-work activities that she enjoys is dancing, music, reading, touring the city and anywhere else (some of Europe & Australia), cooking (occasionally!), learning Jewish texts and doing some volunteer work herself!
Christine Mazza, Engagement Coordinator
Christine is the Engagement Coordinator for the Virtual Senior Center. Some of her everyday roles include, creating and scheduling virtual community programs/spaces, assisting individuals with joining the program, and engaging with all of the VSC participants & volunteers. Christine has a passion for working with the older adult population. She desires to fight ageism and reduce social isolation. Christine recently got her Master’s Degree in Social Work at Hunter College. A fun fact about Christine is that she has a twin sister! On her days off, she likes to explore NYC with friends and family. She especially loves seeing Broadway shows & trying out different NYC restaurants. Christine loves to be a part of the VSC family because she has an opportunity to work with both participants & facilitators! The mission of VSC is something she is very passionate about.
Hang Liu, Program Director
Hang Liu serves as the Program Director of the Virtual Senior Center at Selfhelp. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the VSC. She joined Selfhelp Community Services in 2013 after graduating from Columbia University School of Social Work with a concentration in Aging and Social Enterprise Administration. In 2010, Hang Liu worked at Lv-Geng Community Development Association in China. As the Assistant Program Director, she was responsible for programming and planning. She developed asset-building programs to help low-income families who were affected by the 2008 Great Sichuan earthquake to achieve long-term economic stability and success. She organized community activities to preserve the culture of the ethnic minority in the local village. She also developed new methods of fundraising and wrote a proposal that successfully secured funding for the program.
George Li, Technology Support Specialist
George has been working with VSC for almost 6 years now. He came onboard just when the VSC was taking off. Many of you have been setup for the VSC by him. When you need help with the computer, either he or Peter is usually the ones to help out. George really enjoys working with the seniors and making them feel comfortable with the technology.
Halley Cianfarini, MSW Intern (2021-2022)
Halley is a first year Master of Social Work Student on the clinical track at Hunter College. Halley plans to study a field of practice specialization in Gender and Sexuality and is very excited about the upcoming LGBTQ+ space on the VSC. Before going back to school, she worked for 13 years as a professional musical theater performer, and also teaches Pilates and yoga. Halley grew up in Pittsfield, MA, and was named after Halley’s comet (and she pronounces it with a short “a”). She got married in June and loves cats, hiking, movies, and eco-friendly practices.
Jack Curzon, LGBTQ+ Platform Coordinator
Jack is the LGBTQ+ Platform Coordinator at Virtual Senior Center. He is working to build and grow the center’s LGBTQ+ membership by creating new programming designed to serve the queer community. He has a degree in digital media and social entrepreneurship, and has fostered a lifelong passion for service to his communities. Previous to joining the Selfhelp team, he worked in administration for higher education and in various positions for non-profits. Jack loves making a mess in the kitchen, is always listening music, and he is looking forward to meeting and connecting with more of the VSC community!