State Assemblywoman Judy Griffin honors Women of Distinction from Malverne, West Hempstead

Malvernite Maria Casini, CEO of Visual Fuel Design in Malverne, brings over 30 years of award-winning branding and design expertise to her clients and the community. She has applied her visual storytelling to elevate clients that address climate change, fight cancer and help maintain human and animal health in the U.S. and around the world.

As an active member of the community, Casini has used her expertise as first vice president of the Malverne Chamber of Commerce, in which she has helped grow the organization and refresh the Chamber itself both inside and out, engaging many new members and the village. Casini has taken the lead in the village’s annual Art Walk for the past three years, an event that uses art to unite, bringing new people into Malverne and through all of its member shops and services.

Casini is on the committee and has donated time and design services to the empowerment group Girlz Talk, which is designed to empower, inform and inspire young women and girls on Long Island. She has also contributed to the Office of Minority Affairs events, and fundraising for Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, an organization that contributes to the fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of our planet.

Casini has also been recognized with over 150 domestic and international design awards for her work and over 15 awards for her community participation and contributions over the years.

West Hemsptead resident Rachel Fryman lives with her husband and two children. Fryman advocates for children and young adults with learning disabilities and special needs. She is committed to supporting families facing infertility, pregnancy loss, and other transitions. Fryman is a licensed clinical social worker and pursuing a doctorate in social work at Smith College. She currently serves as a clinical social worker in the learning resource program at Adelphi University. She was previously an administrator of a Long Island school, in which she was responsible for coordinating all special education services. Prior to moving to West Hempstead, Rachel was a mental health clinician at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. Fryman serves on the Youth Committee of the Young Israel of West Hempstead and she teaches premarital education classes to Jewish couples and lectures in the community on topics relating to women and mental health. As a result of their personal experience with infertility and pregnancy loss, Fryman and her husband, David, are committed to sharing their experiences with the hope of helping others and advocating for policy changes in New York state.