SOUTH BRUNSWICK – The Hugs for Brady Foundation has welcomed four new trustees to its board.
Kevin Aspell was a top sales leader at Cisco Systems and worked to create a new go-to-market strategy for the education segment. His work supporting the Cisco Foundation provided expertise in corporate philanthropy and he was awarded the Chairman’s Award for Community Service for his leadership of community based employee volunteer programs, according to a statement released by Hugs for Brady. He also led an Inclusion & Diversity Program at Cisco, supporting a large sales/marketing organization.
Since leaving Cisco, Aspell started a consulting practice focused on employee engagement, onboarding and military recruitment. He most recently led social entrepreneurship programs for Hopeworks N’ Camden as the managing director of Business Development.
He is a now a board member of Community Access Unlimited in Elizabeth and served on the board of City Year-NY. He is a spokesperson for the NJ Sharing Network focused on highlighting the critical need for organ donors, and volunteers in support of US veterans. His work as the chairperson for the Employer Engagement Committee for the VETSWeek 2014 Job Fair resulted in more than 75 companies participating in this hiring event. He has recently has been part of the 2016 class of the LeadNJ Program which brings together a group of leaders from the business and nonprofit segments to spend a year working with the state’s leaders in solving some of the more pressing issues facing residents of New Jersey, according to the statement.
Kevin Fellin was born and raised in New Brunswick, attended St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen and is a graduate of Rutgers College School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. He earned his master’s in Taxation from Seton Hall University in 2002.
He began his career in accounting at Merrill Lynch where he worked as an assistant vice president in the asset management division. He received his certification in public accounting in 1998 and in early 2007 transitioned into the public accounting sector working for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte, according to the statement.
At the big four firms, Kevin performed tax compliance for the investment management group working with large financial institutions. His primary focus was on the hedge fund and the private equity industry, according to the statement.
Fellin also worked at WithumSmith+Brown, focusing on tax compliance for individuals and small businesses, before starting his own practice in 2014. As a sole practitioner, Kevin specializes in accounting and tax preparation for small businesses and individuals.
He is a member of the AICPA and the NJCPA societies. He is the current secretary for the Middlesex/Somerset Chapter of the NJCPA.
Fellin is also a member of the executive board for the Patriot’s Path Council Boy Scouts of America, continuing his commitment to Scouting since becoming an Eagle Scout in 1985.
He sits on the program board for Covenant House New Jersey focusing on Monmouth County and the homeless youth in Asbury Park. He is also a member of the New Brunswick Rotary Club.
Thomas Morris graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in Parks and Recreation Administration. He has been a professional in the field for 35 years. During this time, he worked for the Borough of Leonia, City of Englewood and for the last 29 years as the director of Parks and Recreation for the Township of South Brunswick, according to the statement.
He has served as president of the New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association and many other volunteer roles within the organization, according to the statement.
Laszlo Nyitrai attended Rutgers University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science. He was hired by the South Brunswick Police Department in 1996, and currently holds the rank of lieutenant. During his career, he completed his master’s degree in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University.
Nyitrai responded to World Trade Center after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Barbara and children Samantha and Thomas. In May 2017, Samantha was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to the statement.
“This experience has opened my eyes to many things. For the last few years, I have attended the Hugs for Brady Foundation Winter Gala. I have always been impressed with how well this foundation is organized and how benevolent it is to children fighting cancer, their families and the medical institutions involved in their care. I felt that becoming a part of the Hugs for Brady Foundation was an excellent way to say thank you to those who have helped my daughter, as well as, to be an advocate for those battling childhood cancer,” Nyitrai said in the statement.
The Hugs for Brady Foundation is a non-profit focused on eliminating childhood cancer. Sherrie and Michael Wells founded Hugs for Brady in 2009, shortly after their 13-month-old son, Brady Michael, was diagnosed with non-differentiated acute leukemia, a very rare form of leukemia. In 2010, Brady passed away at 23 months old, after he had battled the disease for 10 months.
For more information on the foundation, its trustees or the upcoming Winter Gala on March 3, visit www.hugsforbrady.org.