Board Leadership at The Retreat

Francesca Odell has been a board member since August 2016 and is now one of the Co-Presidents of The Retreat’s Board of Directors. Francesca is a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York City, and does mainly corporate work focused on public company advisory matters and transactions in Latin America. Francesca shares her time between New York City and East Hampton, and has a husband and two daughters. Francesca works with and supports a number of nonprofit organizations. She speaks both Spanish and Portuguese fluently.

Claudia Pilato is the founder and president of Pilato PR + Marketing Consultants, a new firm that brings strategic thinking and smart marketing skills to a diverse group of businesses and non-profit organizations. Formerly, Vice President, Director of Marketing for BNB Bank (BNB) headquartered on the East End of Long Island, she is a tenured marketing professional who has been recognized for creating a strong brand for BNB Bank that helped it grow from a small East End financial institution, to the leading community bank on Long Island. Pilato arrived at BNB in 2004 as a successful marketing professional. Her career began with Burson Marstellar, one of the top Public Relations Firms in New York City. As an account manager in the corporate financial sector, she represented Armco, TRW, and Merrill Lynch among others. A move to Philadelphia saw her start her first firm, Goebel, Kirk & Pilato, an award winning, independent public relations firm focusing on technology, healthcare and financial services. She was involved with opening the first cellular phone market in the country, as well as handling the Senate’s visit to Philadelphia for the Bicentennial of the Constitution. In 1989, she and her husband moved to East Hampton, New York. She continued her career as working with small to mid-size companies, developing strategic marketing plans and implementation. She also served as the Marketing Director for Guild Hall, an arts and theater organization in East Hampton, New York. Pilato is a community activist. In addition to her role as Co-Chair of The Retreat Board of Directors, she is a founding member and Board Chair of All For The East End (AFTEE), an organization that raises funds to support the NPO community of the five east end towns, currently focused on food insecurity and issues related to the pandemic. She is a former board member of the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF), former Chair of the YMCA, East Hampton RECenter, as well as a former board member of the East Hampton School Board and the East Hampton Day Care Center. She was honored in 2018 as a Long Island Power Woman. She and her husband live in East Hampton and New York City. Her two grown children live in New York City and Boston.

Ellie Kurrus has been a board member since September 2016 and is now the Vice President of Development. In 2014, Ellie became a hotline volunteer. Ellie enjoys fundraising and event planning and is a member of AAA soiree committee. Ellie lives in Sag Harbor and NYC and enjoys biking, skiing, boating and art. Ellie chairs the Development Committee.

Before launching YorkBridge Wealth Partners, Andy served as a Managing Director at Lebenthal Wealth Advisors where he provided clients with guidance across many facets of wealth management including portfolio construction, planning strategies and wealth transfer. Prior to joining Lebenthal in 2014, Andy spent 17 years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms. He first worked as an analyst at Smith Barney Asset Management and then rose through the ranks to become, among other roles, Co-Portfolio Manager of a U.S.-based large-cap growth equity portfolio with nearly $1B in assets. Andy received an MBA degree from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University and his undergraduate degree from Emory University. He lives in Amagansett with his wife and three children. Andy coaches youth sports; he and his wife are involved in several local non-profit organizations.

Vivienne moved to the US from Ireland at the age of 23. She spent the majority of her professional career in retail, the last 10 years for a multinational having operational responsibility for their North American stores. Vivienne and her husband founded Simple Works in 2007. It’s mission is to further the wellbeing of children and young adults by supporting healthcare, human rights and education. Simple Works was founded on the principle that helping people doesn’t have to be complicated. She manages the day to day operations of the foundation. She lives in East Hampton, has one son in college and is an avid sculler.

Jalai Duroseau became a board member in 2020. Counselor and Coach at Southampton Intermediate School, Jalai is also a personal trainer and author.

Maritza Guichay graduated from Stony Brook State University, with BA in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting and Operations Management, and an EMBA from the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College. Her interest in management and accounting started at a very young age while helping in the family business. She is currently the Financial Controller for Michael Davis Construction. Maritza’s passion for building stronger communities has led her to take a leadership role in her community. In addition to her membership on The Retreat’s Board, Maritza serves as Chairwoman of the first Latino Advisory Committee of East Hampton Town and Co-President of East End 4 Ecuador, an organization created to provide aid to affected families after the recent earthquake in South America, which affected Ecuador.

Markie Hancock joined The Retreat Board of Directors in 2022. Markie is a founder of Hancock Productions which has produced a wide array of documentaries. From its initial start in the education niche market, Hancock Productions has expanded into producing documentary-style films for nonprofits and businesses. In addition, Hancock Productions has created a collection of independent documentaries and short films that have been shown at festivals worldwide and are currently in distribution. Markie produced the feature film “The Power of Community: How One Small Town Stood Against Domestic Violence” for The Retreat. The film was a documentary feature at the 2022 Hamptons International Film Festival.

Julie Hatfield is co-President of Wright & Company Construction. She has a strong appreciation for integrity of design, having graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Design with a masters in architecture. Julie strives to do the very best for both her clients and her employees by providing a progressive corporate culture. Julie is active in her local community, living in Sag Harbor with her husband and raising her two children in the local public school system.

Ryland Hilbert’s family has been part of the Hamptons community for nearly 400 years, and he is proud to continue that commitment by founding Ryland Life Equipment in Sag Harbor. As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Ryland has curated the most exciting, eclectic, and luxurious experience for consumers on the East End by bringing together the work of diverse designers worldwide with the mission of equipping everyone with whatever life throws at them. Ryland has spent his entire career in fashion in New York, Los Angeles, and now Sag Harbor. Before founding Ryland Life Equipment, he was instrumental in the early success of the pop culture brand Love Shack Fancy, where he orchestrated the opening of their first store in the Hamptons. Ryland also played a pivotal role in the success of the woman’s fashion brand Organic by John Patrick. Before that, he helped expand the apothecary brand Malin + Goetz throughout the New York market. He has also worked for Marder’s in Bridgehampton, New York. In 2019 Ryland decided to parlay his decade-long passion for fashion and retail into his own business by creating a stunning luxury experience for men-Ryland Life Equipment. Founded in a 200-year-old former watchmaker’s store, Ryland launched the brand and quickly expanded to an adjacent iconic building at 155 Main Street in Sag Harbor. Ryland Life Equipment is now a thriving part of the Sag Harbor community and has been acknowledged in Vogue, GQ, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times for its unique curatorial perspective. Ryland has also managed a year-over-year partnership with LVMH’s esteemed atelier Loewe with seasonal residencies inside the store. Ryland is also the Founder of the luxury fashion brand Hank Perfect Cashmere. He leads a team of designers and artisans to create a range of beautiful, hand-made Mongolian cashmere clothing and accessories. Along with his board position at The Retreat, Ryland sits on their marketing committee, thrift shop advisory, and gala committees. Ryland received his Bachelor of Science in Advertising, Marketing, and Communications from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and has lived in Southampton, New York City, Los Angeles, and Bangkok. He resides in Bridgehampton with his partner Brad and their two naughty dogs, Hank and Charlie.

Ayse is a devoted philanthropist, having served on the boards of political, social service, human rights and HIV/AIDS organizations – ranging from Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), The National Aids Memorial, San Francisco Aids Foundation, The S.F. Main Library and a Presidential Appointment to the Board of the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, Continuum HIV Day Services as well as, An Uncommon Legacy Foundation. Ayse was born in Ankara, Turkey and now resides in East Hampton. Ayse has extensive marketing and management experience. She received a BA from Connecticut College and MBA from Stanford University and began her professional career at Condé Nast. Together with the late Robert Kenmore, she founded Equivest Partners Inc., a private merchant-banking firm. Kenmore is an avid art collector with a passion for contemporary photographs, Orientalist and Ottoman art and textiles. Ayse Manyas Kenmore has been a board member since February 2011.