2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Willowtown Association is governed by a dedicated, all volunteer, 13 member Board of Directors, elected each fall to serve during the next calendar year. They work as advocates and championis of Willowtown’s community.

Linda DeRosa, President

Linda is a retired Manhattan-based business owner that designed and promoted American based leather handbags and accessories brands. Raised on Union Street in Brooklyn, she has lived in Brooklyn Heights for more than 30 years and in Willowtown for 20 years. She is currently the Associations liaison to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Advisory Council, and the BQET Coalition working on transformative alternatives for the BQE Cantilever. She serves as the Associations’ President.

Pippa Lord Hale, Vice President

Pippa is the former Photography Director of ELLE magazine and co founder of Table of Contents, a content and creative agency that produces content, brand strategy, and experiences for brands. Today, she primarily acts as an advisor to Christina Tosi and Milk Bar. Aussie born, Pippa has called Brooklyn Heights home for over ten years and lives with husband Marty and their sons Augustus and Martin on Willow Place. She is now serving as the Vice president of the Association.

Tim Hoenig, Treasurer

Tim was born and raised on Long Island, studied in Baltimore, Maryland, and returned to New York City 22 years ago to be with his now wife, Christine. The Hoenig family settled into their apartment on Columbia Place in 2007; 3 children later, they love, now more than ever, their tree-lined streets, bears in the park, and the community that is Willowtown. Tim is a scientist and a teacher; after nearly twenty years working in the pharmaceutical industry, he is now solving civic and private sector problems with software and moxy. He is presently the Treasurer of the Association.

John Dowling, Secretary

John has lived on Columbia Place since 2012, and in June 2022 married his wife Laura Ann Fiery Dowling, who moved down from Orange Street.  They met in the neighborhood!  John grew up in Manhattan’s Yorkville community, similarly near a park, an elevated walk, and the East River.  He’s passionate about NYC history and beautifying its streets and parks. John works as a creative director, currently serving in that role as partner/owner of a Portland, Maine, menswear line. He is the current Association Secretary.

Aysha Ames is an educator and lawyer who teaches writing to law students. Born in Atlanta, GA and raised in Port Norris, NJ, Aysha has lived in Willowtown since 2019 and embraced the community spirit. You can find her in her garden plot in our community garden nurturing everything from her purple hearts to her lemon tree. If you don’t see her there, surely you will find Aysha scooting around Willowtown on her mint green Vespa.

Jeffery Brault is Vice President of Global Public Affairs, Hornblower Group. Jeff develops and leads the public affairs, community engagement, and government relations strategies across Hornblower Group's portfolio of operations spanning a dozen countries and territories and more than 50 U.S. cities, including locally at NYC Ferry and Statue City Cruises. Prior to joining Hornblower in 2020, Jeff served as Director of External Affairs at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce where he led the outreach and public affairs teams supporting thousands of local businesses. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Hofstra University School of Law and an MBA and bachelor’s from Widener University. He is a graduate of CORO NY’s 2023-24 Leadership New York cohort, an appointed member of Brooklyn Community Board 2, and a volunteer mentor with City Tutors. Jeff resides with his wife Chelsey and goldendoodle Oliver in Willowtown, and they can often be found reading and/or playing in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Pam Brown-Inz has lived at 25 Joralemon Street since 1979, and she and her husband Steve, now deceased, brought up 2 daughters here. She is a research specialist at Jackson Lewis law firm, where she has worked for 26 years. She has been active on committees at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue and PS 8 and was co-president of the Friends of the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library for several years and was involved with the Brooklyn Heights House Tour for many years.

Jake Gaba, is the founder of Indifferent Broccoli, a video game server hosting business. Outside of work, Jake has filmed zero gravity VR videos for NASA, photographed portraits for heads of state, and competed on NBC'ss American Ninja Warrior. Jake has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and digital arts from Dartmouth College, a master's degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, where he studied as a Schwarzman Scholar, and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Jake and his wife Azra moved to Willowtown in 2021 and have loved every moment of it.

Andrew Reynolds is a retired computer consultant, programmer who has lived at 37 Joralemon Street for the past 32 years. Former treasurer and board member of The Willowtown Association. Current board member of A. T. White Community Center. Avid bike rider, oldest Willowtown resident who uses a bike as a usual means of transportation. Studies flute with Petr Kotik of the SEM based in AT White Center.

Sabrina Lucia Rezzy is Vice President of George Arzt Communications, a public relations and government affairs firm, where she heads the business development team. She was previously spokesperson for the Brooklyn Democratic Party and a top aide in the New York State Assembly. She has advised campaigns at the federal, state and city levels. Her private sector experience includes work at a multibillion-dollar asset management firm, a TMT-startup (Technology, Media and Telecommunications), and at an activist hedge fund, where she worked on the public relations team. Sabrina graduated from Temple University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and then interned on Capitol Hill. She lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband, Oleg Rezzy, and kids. Sabrina sits on Brooklyn Community Board 2 where she is a member of the Parks Committee, and founded the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Democratic Club, a political club dedicated to electing women and increasing civic engagement in Brooklyn. 

Chris Scarafile has been a Willowtown resident since 2010, when he moved to Willow Place with his wife Clare Brew and newborn daughter Darwin. He has been a consistent presence in the community, often found playing with kids in the street or huddled over a crossword among neighbors on his stoop. Since 2014 he has volunteered for the Willowtown Fair committee, helping organize games, concessions, and entertainment for our annual event. When not on the block, Chris works as a cinematographer and camera operator in television and movies. His credits include Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, Boardwalk Empire, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. His documentary work has taken him from Alaskan peaks to the jungles of Cambodia, Syrian deserts to volcanoes of New Zealand. His commitment to inclusion, social justice, and speaking truth to power is as embedded in him as the cobblestones of Joralemon.

Jeffrey Streem is a Manhattan restaurateur and a Willowtown resident since 2002. Over the years his dedication to our historic community has seen him campaign for the preservation of Belgium block Joralemon Street and reinvigorate the association’s annual spring fair.