Círculo de la Hispanidad's 39th Anniversary Spring Gala Journal

Growing Stronger Toge t her

Growing Stronger Toge t her

M r . N éstor H. C hopin , C pa

PDG R obbie D onno and B arbara

PRESIDENT Néstor H. Chopin, CPA, PLLC.

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR Gift of Life

N PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

R obbie Donno was born in Manhasset, NY. He is a graduate of La Salle Military Academy in Oakdale, Long Island and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He met his wife, Barbara, at Duquesne and they were married in 1969. They have two children, Jacqueline and Matthew and two grandchildren, Emma and James. Robbie was a principal of Donno Company, Inc, from 1970 to 1997. He was Vice President of Eastern Waste of New York from 1997-1999 and is now a principal at Lemcor, Inc. of Newark, NJ. He has been a leader in the solid waste industry for 49 years. He joined Manhasset Rotary in 1971 and became its President in 1975. That was the year that changed his life. There was a plea for help from the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda on behalf of 5-year old Grace Agwaru who was suffering from a congenital heart defect. Grace was brought to St. Francis Hospital where she received her lifesaving surgery and the Gift of Life Program had its start. Since then over 33,000 children from 82 countries have received corrective heart surgery through Gift of Life chapters throughout the world. His leadership in the Gift of Life was noted in the book, “Leadership by Example: The Ten Key Principles of All Great Leaders” written by Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and published in May 2012. Reflecting on Rotary and the Gift of Life, Donno says; “I have been a part of Rotary for 49 years and have seen the heart-felt involvement of thousands of people around the world. Rotary is the platform that has allowed us to make a difference. I am always surrounded by good people, unsung heroes who improve the lives of people that they don’t know, for no other reason than their need. They are always striving to allow people to reach their fullest potential. I am blessed to be in their company.” R CLASSIFICATION: SANITATION TRUCKING

N éstor H. Chopin is a Certified Public Accountant in New York State for over thirty years. In 1969 he graduated from NYU with a BS in Physics. He also holds an MS in Applied Mathematics from NYU, and MBA in Certified Public Accounting from Hofstra University. From 1969 to 1974, he worked for Grumman as a Temperature and Humidity Principal Engineer. He was recognized for his outstanding effort while working on the Lunar Module that first landed on the moon and was the recipient of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo Achievement Award. From 1970 to 1978, he worked with H & R Block. He was first a Tax Preparer and then District Manager (North Hempstead,) and finally a Regional Director of NYC and Long Island in charge of 3,000 employees and 276 offices (Including 76 offices of Citibank) with H&R BLOCK. From 1979 to 1983, he was an Accountant at Deutsch & Deutsch CPA’s & Lewis Income Tax Service. From 1984 to 1993, he was part of the International Tax Department at Manufacturers Hanover Trust / Chemical Bank / JP Morgan Chase. This position required fluency to communicate effectively in Spanish to service the clients in Argentina, Brazil and México. From 1994 to the present time, he has been the sole owner of Nestor Chopin, CPA, PC located in Sea Cliff, NY. During this time, he was also appointed Director of Taxes of the Low-Income Tax Clinic sponsored by the IRS though a grant issues to CÍrculo De La Hispanidad. As one of a very few Hispanic CPA’s, Néstor was an integral part the program which was aimed at including many more taxpayers on the tax rolls by filing W7 and tax returns. Néstor currently resides in Glen Cove, NY. He has three sons, who are also part of his Accounting practice. In his leisure, he enjoys golfing and spending time with his family and friends as a member of the Sea Cliff Yacht Club or the Brookville Country Club. He is an active member in various organizations in his community.

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