50th Anniversary Gala

Mark Seiden has been an active force in the Long Island construction industry for over 45 years. After cutting his teeth working for his father’s concrete business, Mark went off on his own and started a small general contracting company in 1987: LMJ Construction. Through perseverance, attention to detail, and the personal touch that only Mark possesses, LMJ has grown into one of the largest commercial contractors on Long Island, responsible for more than 5,000,000 sq. ft. of new construction and thousands of renovations.

Mark is currently the president of Brent Mako Real Estate Group, and, in addition to being a member of the CN Guidance board for 25 years, he is also a board member of the Brookhaven Industrial Group. Mark’s son, Josh, has taken over LMJ Construction, which has grown exponentially under his leadership.

When Mark isn’t walking job sites or negotiating leases, he enjoys wine tasting and spending time with his beautiful wife of 36 years, Rosemarie.

Dr. Hakimi is a highly renowned board-certified Internal Medicine physician with fellowship training in Addiction Medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital -Harvard Medical School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from St. John’s University in New York, with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Dr. Hakimi earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. He specializes in treating patients with severe substance-use disorders and concurrent psychiatric diagnoses, while conducting clinical research to develop novel treatments for these disorders.

As Wellbridge’s Medical Director, Dr. Hakimi’s goal is to provide exceptional care to those with substance-use disorders and wrap-around services, including Medication for Addiction Treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. He also serves as faculty in the department of psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and as an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where he teaches medical students, residents, and addiction medicine fellows about the up-to-date treatment of substance use disorders.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Hakimi dedicates his time to improving the lives of people in recovery or seeking recovery, from substance-use disorder. During his time at CN Guidance and Counseling Services, Dr. Hakimi was instrumental in establishing Nassau County’s first Mobile Addiction Recovery Treatment program. He also serves as the president of the Long Island Recovery Association, a not-for-profit organization that, through education and advocacy, aims to eliminate the negative public perception of addiction and achieve full parity for treatment and recovery support services on demand.

Over the last few years, country singer on the rise, Brooke Eden has carved herself a space in Nashville and has become a force to be reckoned with. Heralded by Billboard as a “fiery country star-in-the-making,” Brooke has used her personal journey to self-acceptance to create music that is both bold and passionate with the message that it is okay to be who you are.

In 2021, Brooke came out as queer with now-wife Hilary Eden Hoover, a 10-year music industry veteran who worked alongside Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

Since making her debut, Brooke has shared stages with country’s biggest stars including Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Kane Brown and Keith Urban. Most recently, she was named “One to Watch” by Nashville Lifestyles, recognized as the “Next Big Thing” by Music Row, and made her NBC TODAY show performance debut. Brooke’s EP, Outlaw Love, out this summer, flexes Brooke’s activism muscle as she tells true stories of her journey out loud.

Together, Brooke and Hilary have been creating space for the LGBTQ+ community within the country music genre. They are passionate about representing their LGBTQ+ community in traditionally conservative spaces, as well as normalizing the acceptance of all types of love. They star together in several of Brooke’s music videos, which are frequently shown on CMT. They strive to continue to give hope to young people struggling to feel acceptance.

Meteorologist Craig Allen is one of the most authoritative weather sources in the New York tri-state area. Craig’s reports are accurate and authoritative, his manner warm and friendly. Craig earned his meteorology degree from the Earth and Space Sciences Department at Stony Brook University in May 1979 and became chief meteorologist for WCBS 880 in the spring of 1981.

At age 12, Craig lugged a chalkboard to the kitchen table each night and pretended to be a TV weatherman, delivering a forecast to his family while they ate dinner. Today, listeners hear his radio reports on 880, “every 10 minutes on the 8’s” each weekday morning from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and evenings from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.  “It is the perfect occupation for someone who loves to watch the forces of nature,” Craig says.

Craig prepares his own forecasts. He scans the tremendous (sometimes overwhelming) amount of atmospheric data and ponders all the possibilities before typing out a forecast which so many people will rely upon.  “If there is severe weather, I’ll try not be overly grim but I’ll make sure to get the sense of urgency across to the listeners and viewers,” he says. Your safety always comes first!

Here are some of Craig’s accomplishments over the years:

>  Meteorologist for WCBS880 since 1981. It is estimated in his  40+ years, he has given over 350,000 weather forecasts!

>  On TV since 1991, part time on CBS2, FOX5 and PIX11 and News12.  Was the national meteorologist on CBS This Morning from 1996-1999.

>  Member of American Meteorological Society. Radio Seal of Approval since 1985; TV Seal of Approval since 1991

>  FOLIO Award for the Blizzard of 2013 and team FOLIO award for Tropical Storm Isaias coverage in 2020 and Ida in 2021.

>  2012 NY Emmy Award with PIX11 for “Sandy: The Making of a Superstorm”

>  Emmy nominee, News12, LI Tornadoes. 2021

>  New York AP Award for Best WeatherCaster in 2016, 2018 & 2021

>  Press Club of Long Island. 1^st place, 2021

>  2017 Marconi Award winner with WCBS-AM/880 for Legendary Station of the Year

> Speaker at many schools, seminars and conferences (including AMS) concerning weather and safety

>  Member of New York Press Club and A.F.T.R.A. Honored with many civic awards.

> Volunteer voiceover and video work for Autism Speaks, Island Harvest, and huge advocate for animals.

What does Craig do in his limited free time?

I cherish it! Sitting outdoors, watching the weather with my family and you’ll almost always find me out there doing all gardening and landscaping around my home. In fact, I’m a member of the South Merrick Civic Association and have adopted several plots of land to garden and beautify the community. In winter, I’m out there with the snow blower, going up and down the block to help neighbors. It’s just who I am! But when warm and dry indoors, I’m a big New York Islanders fan and owner/lover of many different pets.