Meet The BENAY Team
Dawn Reshen-Doty
Chief Executive Officer
Dawn Reshen-Doty has been managing businesses for over 25 years and during that time has handled the financial affairs of over a dozen corporations, publishing houses, and individuals. Ms. Reshen-Doty joined Benay in 1990, after working several years with the Travelers Relocation Division of General Electric as a relocation specialist for the Asian business community. Prior to that, she worked for the international real estate firm of Julian Studley as Assistant Manager of their Asian Division. She previously managed the New York office of Fujitsu, Ltd.
Dawn became the president of Benay Enterprises, Inc. in 2010 upon the retirement of her business partner and father, Neil Reshen, founder of Benay. She is also the founding partner and publisher of For Beginners, LLC, publisher of the For Beginners series, a graphic non-fiction book line.
Prior to 1985, Ms. Reshen-Doty lived in Japan and worked for the Japanese Ministry of Education as a grammar school teacher, where she was able to expand her knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language.
She holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and was a White House intern to Thomas Beard, Special Assistant to President Jimmy Carter.
Merrilee Warholak
Chief Operating Officer
Merrilee Warholak began her career as Publicity Director for a Danbury, CT-area book publisher. While finishing her English degree at Western CT State University, she joined Benay Enterprises as an intern, which helped her develop a strong knowledge base of both business and publishing.
Over the years, Merrilee has helped Benay expand in many directions as Director of Client Relations—incorporating new companies; royalty preparation for Benay’s publishing clients; negotiating author/publisher contracts; and licensing foreign translation rights including numerous New York Times bestsellers.
While continuing to assist in managing the daily operations of Benay, Merrilee helped Benay’s reach extend into the world of publishing as Editorial Director at For Beginners LLC (formerly Writers and Readers Publishing). Merrilee’s passion for the written word found its realization in overseeing the For Beginners’ publishing process in its entirety.
Merrilee achieved a lifelong dream to live in Maine when she moved to beautiful Gorham with her husband, son, dog, and now, chickens. She is now the Chief Operating Officer of Benay, and runs the Portland branch. In her spare time, she volunteers, hikes, swims, skis – anything to enjoy the beautiful outdoor wonders of Maine.
Teresa Turchiano
Client Manager
Teresa Turchiano has been working in the bookkeeping field for 25 years. Over those years she has gained in-depth knowledge of accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, payroll and financials.
After living in the Bronx for most of her life, she moved to Connecticut for its bucolic setting to raise her son. She started working for Benay Enterprises, Inc. in March 2003, handling accounts payable for all of Benay’s clients.
Today she handles the payroll for all of Benay’s clients, as well as the complete business needs for several of them. She is happy to be working for Benay Enterprises, Inc. doing what she loves to do.
Latesha Burton
Client Manager
Latesha Burton has years of experience in managerial and interpersonal relations, problem solving, and is proficient in accomplishing time-sensitive tasks.
Latesha started her accounting career as a full charge bookkeeper for a family owned business in 1997. Latesha joined Benay in 2010 as a part-time bookkeeper handling three clients. With Eskandar, Benay’s UK client, and their expansion into the US, she is now responsible for six clients.
Prior to 2010, Latesha was an accounts receivable manager for eight years for a fitness equipment retail franchise. She holds an Associate’s degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix. She is a happily married mother of two and a member of the International Churches of Christ.
Anthony Magnano
Client Manager
Anthony Magnano is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business, and a Master of Business Administration. He is currently working on his CPA certification. When he’s not fine-tuning his ninja skills in QuickBooks, Anthony is pursuing his passion of photography. He currently lives in Southbury, Connecticut.
Salvatore (Sal) Valvo
Client Manager
Salvatore (Sal) Valvo was born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Sacred Heart University. Sal has many years’ experience in corporate accounting, working for large companies including: Richemont North America, Inc., Honeywell Consumer Products Group, Siemen’s Business Services, and Addivant North America.
Sal found the transition from the corporate world to private business a breath of fresh air. He enjoys the business relationships he has with his clients and the working relationships with his co-workers.
When Sal is not crunching numbers, he takes pleasure in spending quality time with his wife Kathy and son Marc at home in Naugatuck, CT.
Dominique Tatis
Client Manager
Dominique Tatis was born and raised in Bronx, New York. She and her family moved to Danbury, CT right before she started her college career at Post University. In May 2019, Dominique graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with minors in Art and Management Leadership. Before Benay, Dominque worked at her school as an associate experience assistant where she did HR-related work.
In her free time, Dominique enjoys traveling, painting, exploring different foods, and shopping.
Divya Vudattu
Client Manager
Divya Vudattu was born and raised in India until she moved to the United States in 2009. She currently resides in Brookfield, Connecticut. Divya holds a Master’s degree in science, but has always been interested in bookkeeping and pursued those interests by looking for related jobs in the workforce. This search landed at Benay in 2019. She is very excited to be part of Benay Enterprises family.
During her free time, Divya likes to do meditation. She also enjoys trying new recipes, playing chess, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Kaneisha Alexis
Client Manager
Kaneisha Alexis lives in Ansonia, Connecticut. She grew up in an only-hearing family, but was born deaf. Kaneisha graduated from Gallaudet University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in May of 2018. She is passionate about being an advocate for people who are deaf, and encouraging individuals with disabilities that their goals are attainable and opportunities are limitless. Before Benay, she held internships with various companies.
Kaniesha’s hobbies include watching movies, shopping, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Jigna Trivedi
Client Manager
Jigna Trivedi was born and raised in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. She received a Bachelor of Science in both Accounting and Law. Before Benay, Jigna worked as an accountant for four years at a construction company where she handled the Payroll, A/P, A/R, HR. When on maternity leave, she started going to school to teach Bollywood dance and eventually opened up her own Bollywood Boutique Studio in Monroe, CT. She is very happy to continue putting her degrees to use at Benay.
In her free time, Jigna enjoys listening to music, spending time with her children, baking, and playing board games.
Amitha Shenoy
Client Manager
Amitha Shenoy was born and raised in India before moving to the US in 2009. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting with a minor in Computers. She also holds a Certificate in Business Accounting from Charted Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA, UK) and a Bookkeeper Certification from National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB), USA. Amitha worked as a Risk Manager for a Citi Bank subsidiary while in India. Once in the US, Amitha worked as an Accountant/Analyst for a year for a major Retail Manufacturer/Construction company located in Brookfield, CT before joining Benay.
During her free time Amitha likes to design clothes, experiment with cooking, and spend time with her family. She lives in Bethel with her family.
Rachel Valluzzo
Administrative Assistant
Before joining Benay, Rachel Valluzzo worked part time at the Association of Religious Communities (ARC) as their Office Assistant. Rachel has also been working at Central Christian Church of Danbury as their part time Administrative Assistant for 9 years. She recently also started volunteering for the Friends of the Danbury Library board.
Volunteering for non-profit organizations is something Rachel enjoys doing to contribute to the success of each organization, as well as to give back to the community.
Rachel grew up in Danbury and currently resides in Brookfield, CT. She loves getting together with family and friends.
Hector Vasquez
Client Manager
Hector Vasquez was born in Bronx, NY and is currently living in Jacksonville, Florida with his partner and 3 dogs. With over 10 years of managerial experience with small businesses, he has shifted focus to better understand all aspects of a business.
In May 2021, he received an Associate of Science degree with a focus in Accounting at Dutchess Community College; in addition, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Florida.
Hector spends his free time hiking state preserves or walking with family down the beach with his wife, baby girl, and his dogs.
Candace Telke
Client Manager
Candace Telke is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Human Resources and a Masters in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University. She has over 10 years of accounting experience with manufacturing, real estate and nonprofit companies.
Candace lives in Plymouth, Connecticut with her husband, their four children, one dog, three cats & twelve chickens. In her free time she loves to camp with her family, hike and crochet.
Sidorela Kordalli
Client Manager
Sidorela Kordalli recently moved to the US from Albania – a country which is considered one of the most interesting countries in Europe. She is ready to take the next step in her professional career at Benay as as Assistant Client Manager.
Sidorela is a graduate student and has a Bachelor’s of Finance and a Masters in Accounting and Audit from the University of Tirana, Faculty of Economics. She is currently studying for her ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification and has been devoted to her profession for 5 years.
Joyce LeBlanc
Client Manager
Joyce has 20 years’ experience in the Accounting field. A Connecticut native, she moved to Maine in 2016 with her husband and daughter to enjoy the more rural setting of the Pine Tree state. In her free time Joyce enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and traveling.
Thant Htoo Zaw (Zack)
Client Manager
Thant Htoo Zaw (Zack) was born and raised in Burma and has had a love for numbers since a young age. Arriving in the United States in 2012 with his background in finance, Zack pursued his higher education at Western Connecticut State University to obtain his BS in Accounting. During his third semester, he secured an internship at the Meyers and Company accounting firm in Danbury. After obtaining his certification as an IRS tax preparer in 2014, he volunteered at Danbury VITA and joined the staff of Benay Enterprises. Utilizing his knowledge and experience in both Financial and Tax Accounting, Zack handles the entire business needs of several clients on a daily basis. He truly enjoys working with his colleagues and clients at Benay.
Zack is now married and has one cat named Moonpie and they all live together in Rangoon.
Michelle Cornish - Client Manager
Michelle Cornish was born and raised in Plymouth, CT where she still resides with her husband, son, and dog. Michelle has over 8 years of managerial and HR experience with large businesses. She is currently the finance secretary at her church. In her free time, she runs a small business out of her home and loves to craft. Michelle enjoys camping, spending time with friends and family, and traveling.