Board of Directors

Richard was born and raised in Bloomfield, NJ and is a life-long New Jersey resident. Over the course of his career in the restaurant industry, in key roles such as General Manager and Food & Beverage Director, Richard has opened seven new restaurants, coordinating all front-of-house operations in conjunction with each culinary team. His experience in organizing management systems and operations has won recognition from Wine Spectator Awards and consistently high ratings from reviewers such as Zagat, New Jersey Monthly and the NY Times. In 2015 Richard moved to the City of Burlington, his first apartment located on High Street. “Looking out on High Street every morning and seeing the beauty of the historical buildings was so inspirational; I was reminded daily about the unique charm and character of our downtown.” In 2019, Richard decided to play an active role in helping the downtown revitalize. He observed that too many empty storefronts dotted the streets, and current businesses were struggling for foot traffic. He became aware of the Main Street group in town and decided to attend meetings. Shortly afterwards, he became President of Main Street Burlington. “Our goal is to re-introduce the City of Burlington to the County residents and all of South Jersey, and have folks from all over come to visit, work, and live in Burlington. We are fortunate to have the most beautiful view of the Delaware that you’ll find in this part of Jersey, the greatest collection of historic buildings, a charming downtown, and a rich history of importance in the creation and evolution of the United States. With these ingredients, and with the good will and determination of our citizens, we are poised to succeed!”

Sharon is a CPA with a long career in financial services marketing. Sharon is also an entrepreneur; she has been a founder or senior member of several ventures and start-ups, including NextGen Trading, a technology firm that developed unique sell-side software, and Vocal, a community platform that provides storytelling tools for artist, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and brands to get discovered and fund their creativity. In 2018, she leveraged her extensive Foundation and Corporate Citizenship experience to create Kaleidoscope Transformation Development LLC, a company that supports economic transformation in underserved cities that have made a commitment to redevelopment. Kaleidoscope’s first project is The City of Burlington New Jersey, a city with historical significance which is currently undergoing a much-needed transformation. Beyond her career on Wall Street, Sharon is a member of several non-for-profit Boards including: Independent Film Project (IFP), an organization that mentors and supports independent filmmakers and multimedia storytellers; Youth Inc., a non-for-profit organization that supports over 70 youth related charities in the NY area; Congregation Ahavath Torah, a leading US religious Center; Main Street Burlington, dedicated to economic development. Sharon also has served as Executive Advisor to Innovation Africa a non-for-profit organization that brings Israeli innovation including solar energy and water drilling and, to remote villages in Africa. “Being a part of Main Street Burlington allows me to amplify the impact of work I’m passionate about by engaging with the residents, business and property owners through the MSB organization to bring about positive change.”

Born on February 9th, 1953, Assemblyman Kennedy has been a business owner and an economic development advisor throughout the state of New Jersey. He is the Principal of Skye Consulting, which focuses its efforts on community development, world water issues and cultural arts. He is also the former owner of Kennedy Jewelers in Rahway. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly on November 3rd, 2015. Prior to serving in the Assembly, Mr. Kennedy served as mayor of Rahway from 1991 to 2011. He also served as Commissioner on the Rahway Senior Housing Corporation, on the Board of Directors at RWJ University Hospital Rahway, as well as a panelist/delegate to Istanbul, Marseille, and Mexico City for the World Water Forum. Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees for ArtPride NJ. As an Assemblyman he serves as Vice-Chair of the Environment and Solid Waste Committee and Tourism, Gaming and the Arts, as well as a member of the Transportation & Independent Authorities Committee. He and his wife, Lori reside in Rahway.

Hailing from a small town outside of Boston, and having lived for many years in Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley and the Lehigh Valley, Donnamarie Mazzola is thrilled to have crossed the river to make Burlington City her new home. She fell in love with the community spirit, the history and waterfront, and most of all, the sense that the city is on the brink of something big. “I came here eager to be part of the transformation. We have all the right ingredients, and the Main Street approach provides the structure and blueprint for community involvement in revitalizing downtown, by focusing on economic vitality, aesthetics, marketing and organization.” Donnamarie’s career in digital marketing, technology product management and ecommerce operations has spanned decades and industries, from internet music pioneer CDNOW, to ecommerce ventures marketing women’s apparel and pet supplies, to online counseling, employee assistance and psychic advice services. Establishing a brand strategy, tone of voice and digital footprint is one of her favorite professional pursuits. She’s passionate about supporting small business and in 2006 co-founded a Venetian plastering company which provided decorative plaster contracting services to the tri-state area, and yearly classes in Italy. An artist at heart, she enjoys working with mosaics, fiber and fabric.

Born and raised in a small historic town in eastern Monmouth County NJ, Kat Bono loved all things history from an early age, eventually earning a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Monmouth University. In her teen years, Kat also took to the arts, being an organizer of art shows for her high school, and was elected as the president of the National Art Honor Society in 2003. Kat translated her interest in organizing art shows to her career as a restaurant manager; putting together music and fine art events for the companies she worked for. After spending just over 20 years in the restaurant industry, she happened upon an opportunity to be a co-owner of a historic building in downtown Burlington. Soon, with her partners, she opened The Union House, a classic tavern located on E. Union Street in the heart of Burlington. “When I first came to Burlington I knew this was an amazing town with so much to offer. I really look forward to seeing what the future has to bring for this town. Main Street Burlington offers me the opportunity to be truly involved in the community and give back to a place that makes me feel so welcome.”