Mary Sliwa (nicknamed "Gold Card" by the Angels), Executive Director of Guardian Angels and Chief Information Officer of Cyberangels, has had a distinguished background as a media consultant, and a public relations and marketing expert. Although her more immediate career has been media-related, her heart has always been devoted to helping others.

Mary's concern for children began early. Before receiving post-graduate certificates from the Sterling Institute and the Wharton School of Business, she received her undergraduate degree from William Paterson College in Psychology and Special Education for Handicapped Children. She was inducted into the educational honor society, Kappa Delta Pi while receiving her under-graduate degree at William Paterson College.

Using humor and puppet characters to entrance her handicapped students and to help them communicate and interact with each other, Mary was always way ahead of the pack in whatever she did. She uses laughter as her medicine. This special warmth and sense of humor, coupled with her extraordinary communication skills have followed her throughout her career, and have been very important in her work with the Guardian Angels.

Rocky, the Guardian Angel's scruffy sheepdog mascot, has been brought to life by Mary. Rather than just providing a voice for this hand puppet, Mary has given him a personality. Rocky is the bad boy of the Guardian Angels. Yet, you only need to watch the faces of the children and Guardian Angels alike to realize how endearing this rough-talking, wise cracking puppet can be. Even Curtis can't hide a smile when Rocky is snapping at the audience, and insulting him at the same time.

Guardian Angels is not the only charitable organization to benefit from Mary's talents. Mary has served on many organizations that address the needs of children, the handicapped, and others in need, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Make a Wish Foundation, the March of Dimes, the New Jersey Council for Exceptional Children, the Capital Cities Substance Abuse Committee, and the United Neighborhood Centers of America. She has also served as the United Way Chair, and the Board of Directors of the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York. Mary has always realized that the only difference between those of us with physical handicaps and those without is the "handicap" itself. Otherwise, she has always emphasized that we will have the same needs.

While serving as the youngest female radio sales manager in the History of Capital Cities Communications/ABC, Mary became aware of the increasing drug problem. Rather than turn away from the problem, she addressed it head on. As a member of its Substance Abuse Committee, Mary was instrumental in helping Capital Cities recognize the drug problem. As a result of the committee's work, Capital Cities' "Say No To Drugs" program was born.

Mary has always sought to include everyone in her projects. Her inclusion of the too often overlooked ethnic and cultural groups was her trademark throughout her media career, long before it was recognized as a lucrative "market". She was particularly well known for her staff development and coaching skills. This, and her other innovations resulted in her receiving, while WABC's Senior Account Manager, ABC's coveted Circle of Excellence Award.

Mary's managerial, communications and media experience have made her a valuable addition to the Guardian Angels' family. For an organization too busy "doing" to spend their time administering, she has filled an important void. Mary has helped create and maintain a professional infrastructure in the organization. In addition, through her efforts, Guardian Angels has begun to forge invaluable alliances with other public service organizations, corporations and the media. Mary has paired the YMCA with the Junior Angels and Cyberangels. They will work together to develop a program for members of the YMCA and for the New York City public schools to teach youth in New York that there is an alternative to gangs, drugs and violence, and how to get the most out of technology, safely.

A perfect helmsman to lead the Guardian Angels' organization into the next millennium, Mary Sliwa has already paved the way for the next twenty years of our Angels.