40. Theresa A. Regnante

After a stellar six-year stint handling capital fund-raising campaigns and other responsibilities for Education & Assistance Corporation, Theresa Regnante came back to United Way of Long Island, where she’d been since 1986 and took the helm of this 45-year-old charity. At a critical time when the social fabric is sorely frayed, no other not-for-profit organization on the Island can match United Way’s ability to advance the common good. Thanks to a $1 million federal earmark from Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills), Regnante recently helped launch United Way’s E3 Career Training Center in Deer Park to train young adults to become part of a growing new “green collar” workforce dedicated to making LI homes more energy-efficient. She’s also partnered with JP Morgan Chase and the Great Neck Arts Council, as well as other organizations, to start an innovative “community school” program in Westbury. In supporting programs to improve education, stabilize household finances and promote social health, Regnante makes a difference in many people’s lives every day.