The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit Advisory Board Announces Leadership Changes
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (Oct. 12, 2020) — The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit has named Teresa DeBastiani the new chair of the nonprofit’s Advisory Board and Angela Cusmano the new first vice chair.
DeBastiani, senior vice president and program design manager for The Academy at Bank of America, previously served as the Advisory Board’s first vice chair – and Cusmano, founder and managing partner of Dahring | Cusmano and Associates, is expanding her role after her tenure as the second vice chair. Collectively, both women have been involved with The Salvation Army’s Metro Detroit Advisory Board for nearly 25 years, with DeBastiani serving 14 years and Cusmano serving 10 years, respectively.
As chair of The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit’s Advisory Board, DeBastiani’s responsibilities include presiding at all board meetings, including the Executive/Board Development Committee, as well as being an ex-officio member of all committees.
“It’s been my pleasure to serve on The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit’s Advisory Board since 2006 and work alongside so many wonderful community and business leaders,” DeBastiani said. “I look forward to serving this incredible organization as chair for the next year, so we can continue our mission and answer the call of helping our most vulnerable citizens whenever they need us.”
Cusmano supports DeBastiani’s agenda and is responsible for performing her duties in the event of her absence. She also serves as vice chair of the Executive Committee, which meets every month. The Advisory Board meets on a bi-monthly basis.
“This past decade of serving on The Salvation Army’s Advisory Board has been so gratifying and rewarding for me,” said Cusmano. “The constant work this nonprofit does to always make sure metro Detroiters are taken care of, no matter what the circumstance, is second to none – and I know I speak for everyone else on the board when I say that we are so thankful for the community’s support so we can make that happen, every year.”
Cusmano and DeBastiani are joined on the Advisory Board by 45 other local community and business leaders who all share in the vision to transform and restore lives in the city of Detroit and throughout the entire metropolitan area.
DeBastiani is making diversity a top priority during her time as chair by continuing to ensure The Salvation Army’s Advisory Board is reflective of the communities in which it serves. She is also committed to continuing The Salvation Army’s critical and innovative approaches the nonprofit has used to help thousands of people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
A resident of Lake Orion, Michigan, DeBastiani has spent the last 27 years at Bank of America. She has been in her current role of senior vice president and program design manager for The Academy since 2016, overseeing design and operations for the onboarding, coaching, and development programs that serve teammates through the bank’s core financial center channel roles.
Cusmano lives in Northville, Michigan, and is managing partner at Dahring | Cusmano and Associates, an independent investment advisory firm, specializing in corporate retirement plan management and individual investment planning. As a founder and managing partner, her mission is helping people, whether corporate or individual clients, make meaningful changes in their financial lives.
In addition to the appointments of Cusmano and DeBastiani, The Salvation Army has also named John J. Latella of Legacy Fantasy Sports. as the second vice chair for the Metro Detroit Advisory Board.
For more information about The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit’s Advisory Board, please visit https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/emi/advisory-board/.
About The Salvation Army
Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. This past year, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing 2,535,013 meals and 579,920 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.87 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at salmich.org.
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