Who We Are

Cate Luzio

Founder and CEO, Luminary

Cate Luzio is the Founder and CEO of Luminary, the premier collaboration hub for women who are passionate about professional development and expanding their networks. This 15,000 square foot meeting space in New York City includes a rooftop deck and two floors of open workspace, conference rooms and meeting space, a fitness studio, beauty bar, locker room, lactation room, prayer/meditation room and much more. Luminary is the ultimate career advocate offering members unparalleled programming from office hours with dynamic leaders to a pioneering speaker series. A long-time advocate for empowering women and girls, Cate serves on the National Board for Girls Inc. 

Cate has over twenty years of leadership experience in financial services. Previously, she was the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Multinational Corporate Banking for HSBC managing roughly $2 billion in revenue and teams in 72 countries. Cate also served as a Managing Director and Head of Multinational Corporate Banking at J.P. Morgan. She has received numerous recognitions including being named to the Most Powerful Women in Banking List by American Banker multiple times as well as a two-time recipient of the Financial Times and Heroes Global Diversity Champion in 2017, 2018 as well as Yahoo Finance Heroes Role Model in 2019. Cate was named to Inc.'s 2019 Female Founders 100 List and has also been featured in the Financial Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fast Company, Bloomberg, USA Today, NowThis News, Cheddar, WWD, Robb Report, Women's Health and more. She is a Forbes and Fast Company contributor. 

She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Maryland. She’s a global traveller having visited more than 114 countries. Cate also sits on the Advisory Board of Girls Inc. NYC as well as the National Board of WaterAid.

Luminary: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook: @BeALuminary 

Cate: @CateLuzio (Instagram) / @KTLuzio (Twitter) 

 

 

 

Erica Lerner

Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel

Erica Lerner is an experienced founder in the real estate and health and wellness industries, with a demonstrated history working in project finance, tax and corporate law, international tax, due diligence, and corporate structuring, as well as mergers and acquisitions. After nearly a decade of working in legal and corporate environments, most recently in mergers and acquisitions at Deloitte, Erica sought out new projects to foster her curiosity and develop her strengths and achieve independence.

In 2017 she co-founded Xtend Tribeca, a premier fitness studio and the first Manhattan location for Xtend Barre. Since Xtend Tribeca’s opening, Erica has been on a mission to provide a home for thousands of women looking for creative and effective workouts in a secure, safe, judgement-free setting. Erica is excited to continue her mission in her role as the Chief Operating Officer of Luminary and to develop a new home for thousands of professional women throughout New York City and beyond.

Surabhi Lal

Chief Impact Officer

Surabhi is passionate about developing talent, cultivating good management, and creating cultures where individuals and teams thrive. She is especially interested in understanding the workplace and how it impacts people’s lives. As a skilled career coach and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach she has a natural ability to see someone's unique talents and motivations in people and knows that a career impacts many facets of one's life. She gets great joy from making the unwritten rules of a job search more explicit to create equity and guiding others on their journey to career success.

She spent the last four years sitting at the intersection of conversations with job seekers and employers in the social impact space, as the Director of Career Services at NYU Wagner. Her career has spanned launching an educational site in India from the ground up, working in grant-making, and building capacity with young talent in New York City. Surabhi holds a M.Ed from The University of Vermont and two undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech and has presented at conferences nationally. She is an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Public Service at NYU Wagner.

When she’s not savoring her craft as a coach, manager, mentor, and mother, you can find her feeding her creativity, traveling, exploring food markets, cooking, and (of course) eating.

Chanel Cathey

PR/Comms Strategist

Chanel Cathey is the Founder and CEO of CJC Insights, a strategic communications and public relations consulting agency headquartered in NYC. She counsels businesses on creating and implementing effective communications and brand strategies. She partners with c-suite executives and start-up founders to build their profiles, build consumer loyalty and amplify their overall industry presence.

Previously, Chanel was the Director and Head of Corporate Practice at Hunt & Gather, a boutique marketing and communications agency. She was responsible for managing global client partnerships and fostering an innovative executive communications approach for brands like McKinsey & Company, IBM, Well+Good, iFundWomen, WeWork, Upworthy, IMAX and Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation. She worked closely with clients and specialized in corporate communications, media relations, executive positioning, brand strategy and crisis and reputation management. She has a passion for partnering with foundations, philanthropies and emerging startups.

Chanel was also the Director of Corporate Communications at Viacom. In this role, she managed internal and external communications strategy across an iconic portfolio that includes MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures and more. She led strategic communications for ad sales, integrated marketing, data and insights, innovation and corporate marketing. She translated significant and complex business milestones and announcements into industry-leading press moments and thought leadership opportunities.

With over 10 years of public relations experience, Chanel also spent time as a publicist for ABC News and in media relations at Unilever. She graduated from Fordham University and received her MPA specializing Management and Policy from New York University.

Chanel sits on the Advisory Board for She’s The First, a nonprofit organization that advances educational opportunities for women and girls. She also co-founded ELEVEN, a women’s leadership and empowerment network. Chanel served on the Board of Directors for the AIDS advocacy organization Lifebeat and is an active member of the Jackie Robinson Foundation Alumni Association.

Jen De Leon

Wellness Director

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Jen de Leon moved to New York City to work as a singer and dancer in musical theatre and commercials. In 2012, after moving back to her hometown, Jen kicked off her career in fitness, managing Australia's XTEND BARRE flagship studio in Sydney. Just two years ago, she took her leadership skills back to the Big Apple to manage the city's first XTEND location. Now she serves as Fitness Program Manager for Luminary, a dream job for her as it combines her two greatest passions: spreading the joy of movement and promoting women empowerment.

Christine Cook

Director of Events & Program Strategy

Christine is the Events Manager at Luminary. She has a background in event planning and digital marketing and a passion for making a difference in the community around her. She loves to execute seamless events that create opportunities for women to develop, network, and connect. Christine enjoys working alongside energized and driven colleagues who are just as passionate about empowering women, which makes Luminary a perfect home for her!

Before joining the Luminary team, Christine planned corporate events for a nonprofit consulting company and a New York City charter school. She was born and raised in New York and received her Bachelors degree in Psychology from University of Maryland. In her spare time, Christine likes to try new foods, experience new cultures, and run along the East River. 

Rachel Basoco

Head Of Community Experience

Radha Mantri

Business Development Associate

Radha holds an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and has 4+ years of experience in brand management, business development and strategic planning. After graduating she worked as a Brand Manager with India’s largest retail chain “Future Group” and launched a baby care brand “Puretta”. She independently defined product portfolio, pricing strategy, go-to-market strategy for the brand and launched in 100+ cities. She also served as a Chief of Staff to the CEO and worked on business strategy and sales acceleration projects.  

Radha then moved to an ecommerce furniture market place - “Pepperfry”. During her stint there, she successfully led a team of 8 and developed a robust lead management system and CRM for a new business function. She was also responsible for Data analytics and Category management of Kitchen Appliances and Modular Furniture.

Radha is excited to be part of Luminary and its enthusiastic team which is driven towards the mission of creating a gender equal world.

Radha is a trained classical Kathak dancer and spends her free time learning new dance forms and choreographies. She is a board game enthusiast and loves traveling. 

Rachel Mohler

Director of Strategic Development

Rachel is a catalyst for growth and empowerment. She started her career as a leadership consultant for Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, supporting chapters with 15 to 400 members. She facilitated workshops and coached women on topics such as leadership potential, values-based recruitment, courageous conversations and philanthropy. 

Rachel came to New York City to "settle down" and joined a recruiting firm specializing in hedge funds and private equity firms. She focused on her passion for growing teams, and quickly became a top-performer, engaging clients to understand their needs and empowering candidates to shape their narrative and define their value. However, she also saw the challenges in this space around D&I in hiring and retention strategies, and knew there was work to be done. 

This realization led her to Declare, a leadership accelerator, where she returned to her passion of supporting women’s learning and leadership development. Over her nearly two years with Declare, Rachel focused on building and innovating the member experience, driving engagement, supporting corporate partners and measuring program impact. Rachel was thrilled to expand that impact as Declare joined Luminary, and is excited to think strategically to develop powerful learning opportunities for members. 

Rachel graduated magna cum laude from the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a degree in photojournalism, which has offered her a unique framework for understanding people and their stories. She now volunteers as a Regional Recruitment Supervisor for Gamma Phi Beta, consults with start-ups on their D&I strategies, and is pursuing her MPA in Public & Nonprofit Management & Policy with a Management & Leadership specialization at NYU to further expand her skill set. In her "free time" she loves reading, running and engaging with her community.

Rea Barkat

Director of Corporate Engagement

I learned early on in my career that my strength was having a high level of emotional intelligence. I took that and ran with it and kicked off my sales career as I became one of the first employees at Yelp almost 10 years ago. I've always been on the revenue generating side of the business, and have a deep understanding and love for the art of being a sales woman. Throughout my career I focused on not only sales, but also sales management. Having the ability to directly impact peoples lives, professional careers, and outlook on life is what really piques my interest.

Ryan Duffy

Corporate Engagement Manager

Ryan recently joined Luminary as Corporate Engagement Manager. Previously she was a founding team member of Declare, a mission-driven company focused on advancing and retaining women in leadership positions. At Declare, Ryan helped build and scale Declare with a particular focus on client experience and engagement. She loves learning about members' latest deal wins, or job promotions. Ryan designed and implemented strategic, goal-driven programming and events in alignment with Declare’s mission and member needs. She partnered closely with L&D team to drive programming across key markets. She leveraged Declare's new digital platform to support its community through content, real-time networking, and resource access.

Born and raised on the East End of Long Island, Ryan is a defender of our oceans, bays and beaches. She co-founded Wake-up Wednesday, a weekly beach clean-up from Southampton to Montauk, while promoting local businesses. Ryan has traveled extensively, including a 3 month solo backpacking adventure throughout Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Ryan is a Business Mentor/Advisor for ESchool for Girls, a non-profit focused on equipping high school students with skills that will support them in achieving their greatest potential. She finds balance with SoulCycle, yoga, family and friends. She is an alumna of Ole Miss.

 

Lauren Mcarthur

Community Manager

Lauren McArthur is a Community Associate at Luminary. She is passionate about female empowerment and cultivating diverse and inclusive spaces. She is especially interested in expanding employment opportunities for neurodiverse women. Her strengths include a keen eye for detail, innovative ways of problem-solving, and seeing the best in people.

Born and raised in New Jersey, she has a passion for film, dogs, and helping people. She used those passions when working at Uplift Studios, International Charter School of NY, Bow Tie Cinemas, and volunteering with PAWS NY. She is very excited to be part of Luminary and contribute to the success behind the scenes.

Kelsey Gonsalves

Community and Program Manager

Kelsey is a recent graduate of Seton Hall University where she studied Communication and the Arts. Kelsey decided to study Communications because she believes that it is something that can help us greatly in today's society.  As an early graduate, Kelsey is hoping to get into graduate school to continue her education and broaden her horizons. 

Dani De Boulay

Community Manager

I call myself a “creative committed to public service.” My professional background is in positive youth development, community outreach, and nonprofit management. Currently, I’m the Director of Operations for an all-women strategy consulting firm for urban planning and racial equity projects. In 2020, I launched my side hustle as a freelance Creative Director for influencers and musicians. I will envision and direct the absolute HECK out of a video or photo shoot. I’m also a singer myself. I’m the most extroverted introvert you’ll meet and I’m looking forward to meeting you!

Sarah Belle Esmenda

Community Manager

Hi, I'm Sarah! I am a driven and empathetic Filipino-American woman looking to make a difference in the world. I have a range of experience in property management and dance education and performance, but my main passion is to uplift and aid underrepresented and underprivileged populations. I am looking to find my ikigai -- my calling that combines what I love, what I'm good at, what the world needs, and what I can be paid for.

Sydney Kaplan

Events & Marketing Intern

Branin Ward

Brand Marketing Intern

Hello, my name is Branin Ward and I am completing a bachelor’s degree in Marketing at the University of Maryland with a minor in social innovation and nonprofit leadership. I grew up in a small town in Maryland with my parents, one sister, and two cats. I have always been an indecisive person so coming to college and choosing a major was difficult; however, I have always loved working in a collaborative environment and the business school at UMD had such a great reputation. I went the marketing route, and am very excited to take on this new marketing role with the Luminary team.