Mary Hernandez

CEO, and Founder

CEO and Founder of the Angellyh Yambo Foundation is a dedicated daughter, sister, aunt, and friend who has taken on one of the biggest challenges of her life. After the tragic murder of her niece Angellyh Yambo, Mary began a foundation to commemorate her niece. Her drive to make a change in the community led her to create The Bronx-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Angellyh Yambo Foundation, Inc.

Born and raised in The Bronx to a Puerto Rican Father and an Ecuadorian Mother, Mary has seen the many changes The Bronx has undergone. Tragedy and loss have not deterred her from receiving an M.B.A. in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Managerial Analytics with distinction. After the loss of her beloved father at a crucial age, Mary worked hard to climb up the ranks in the corporate world.

Francesca DiBlasi

Francesca DiBlasi has been working as a School Counselor at University Prep since 2013.  However, she started her career as a Counselor in NYC DOE Transfer Schools back in 2007.  During her 17 years as a counselor, she developed a passion for working with young people, identifying student needs and developing interventions to ensure student success.  Ms. DiBlasi enjoys being an advocate for young people and working with students to empower them and help them find their voice. Ms. DiBlasi had the privilege of being Angellyh Yambo’s counselor during her freshman year at UPrep. She had the opportunity to work closely with Angellyh and developed a strong relationship with her.  She feels blessed to have known her, to have loved her and to continue to pursue justice in Angie’s honor.  Ms. DiBlasi’s favorite words to live by are “You may encounter defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou

Yanely Henriquez

Yanely Henriquez, was born in the Dominican Republic where she lived with her parents and sister. Yanely describes her childhood as wonderful, filled with love, morals, and structure. Yanely’s parents migrated to the USA in 1989. During this trip, Yanely and her sister remained with their maternal grandmother but later came to the US at the age of 9. The family resided in Riverside Drive by the Hudson River with an aunt who allowed the family to stay until they were able to move to Washington Heights. Her daughter, Angellyh was 16 years old when she was tragically taken and while Yanely struggles every day, she knows that she must continue to work towards making sure Angellyh’s legacy lives on. The Angellyh Yambo Foundation will work towards bringing awareness to the community on gun violence and the effects it has on mothers and families. Yanely currently works for Phipps Neighborhoods as a Case Manager. She has been with this company for 14 years working diligently while raising her three children.