The Syosset Woodbury Chamber of Commerce named Kenya Zachary the 2024 Businessperson of the Year.
“I think it’s a great honor,” Zachary said. “I definitely have the support of the chamber and I fully support them.”
Zachary has been with Jovia Financial Credit Union for 21 years and has worked at locations across Nassau County. She said she has always prioritized joining the Chamber of Commerce at every location where she has been stationed.
“When I went to the Syosset location as branch manager, I definitely joined the chamber,” she said. “That was one of the first things I did.”
She has been a Syosset Woodbury Chamber member since 2019 and she became a board member in 2023.
“The Syosset Woodbury Chamber is very, very active,” she said.
Unlike other chambers, Zachary said, the Syosset Woodbury Chamber has year-round events.
“It’s been a great way to network and to bring in new membership to Jovia,” she said.
This year Zachary co-chairs the chamber’s Women in Business group and has organized community events like the Syosset Street Fair.
Her role in the Women in Business group is to connect female business-owners with a network of support, she said.
“The biggest thing would be empowerment,” she said.
Zachary said the Women in Business group has five meetings a year.
Each meeting usually draws 17 to 26 attendees and a guest speaker gives a 30-minute presentation.
“I am responsible for helping the other two co-chairs find speakers,” she said.
Previous presentations have touched on networking with LinkedIn and finding a work/life balance, she said.
At each meeting, Zachary said she plans a fun activity as well. The next Women in Business meeting with be a “paint night,” she said.
“I try and seek out things that are going to be fun and also engage women to do different things in business,” she said.
Zachary has always been interested in finance and studied business in college.
“I’ve always wanted to be in banking,” Zachary said.
She said wanted to be in the industry because of “people I looked up to in the banking world.”
Zachary said she started working in banking during college but had taken a break from finance before she started at Jovia. When she returned to finance, she was drawn to Jovia because of its uniqueness.
“The credit union – it’s different than commercial banking and the projects are exceptional,” she said.
Zachary said that with the Businessperson of the Year recognition, she looks forward to continuing her work with the chamber.
“It just makes me want to do the same thing,” Zachary said. She said the recognition will provide “more ways for me to enhance what I’m doing with the chamber.”
“I’m always there to help,” she said.
