our story
Patrick McShane, President
Patrick McShane is an accomplished educator who has an extensive background in volunteering with Camp New Day, a recreational camp for adults with developmental disabilities over the past 15 years. Patrick credits his tenure at Camp New Day with helping him build a solid foundation for his career. Currently working as an English Teacher at Hasbrouck Heights High School, Patrick continually looks for ways to encourage his students to become active within their community. Also known for his devote willingness to make people smile, he assists HANDS of North Arlington, helps run a community outreach club, and has taken on the vital role of portraying Santa Claus at several charity events. Patrick is looking forward to utilizing his diverse knowledge of community service to help Onward Foundation Inc. successfully impact society.
Brian Barbera, VP & Treasurer
Brian Barbera, a Rutgers’s MBA, had been working in corporate finance for over 7 years. Currently Brian works in Debt & Capital Markets at Newell Brands Inc. where he is an active member of the company’s Culture Committee. He is involved in several sustainability efforts throughout the community, including office waste reduction and recycling initiatives. He also has experience helping charity organization budget and plan for fundraising events. He is excited to leverage his finance expertise to help Onward Foundation Inc. carry out the organization’s goals.
Sophia Vallejo, Secretary
Sophia Vallejo is a recent college graduate with an extensive background in volunteering. She has dedicated over 10 years at Camp New Day, a recreational sleepaway camp for adults with developmental disabilities. She has held several vital positions from her first year as a Counselor moving onto Head Counselor and later taking on the position of Activities Director. She has successfully created and executed recreational programs for the past 3 years as Activities Director. Sophia also is an avid volunteer at HANDS of North Arlington, a non-profit that organizes weekly activities for adults with developmental disabilities. Furthermore, she is the Social Media Coordinator for both non-profit communities. As one of the four founders of Onward Foundation Inc. she is excited to utilize the platform to make a greater impact in her community and truly adhere to her personal credo, “Live to Give.”
James Haggerty, Director
James Haggerty is highly-experienced in the IT Industry, to which he has dedicated the past 10 years. Currently James is the IT Operations Manager at Align Communications, Inc. based out of New York City. While service has always been a part of his life, in the past few years James has truly committed a significant amount of his time to volunteering. He has spent just over three years giving his time to the Camp New Day Community (a recreational camp for adults with developmental disabilities) where he became instantly drawn to the community and wanting to do more. Shortly thereafter, he teamed up with HANDS of North Arlington to help on a weekly recurring basis. Within his first year involved with both communities James produced a NYC Bar Benefit that raised over three thousand dollars in its first year. James is looking to help however he can by leveraging his expertise in IT and the service industry to help Onward Foundation Inc. grow and become an integral part of the community.