Sunny Mike Foundation Board of Directors
Dr. Deb Lubberts, Chief Executive Officer
Deb recently received her doctorate in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher University. She previously earned her MA in English from the University of Rochester. She is currently an instructional coach in a rural school in the Finger Lakes region. Prior to this, she was an English teacher in rural schools for 20 years. She is a dedicated student advocate. This trait is the framework for her transition into veteran advocacy here at the Foundation. She helped her father “Sunny Mike” with many of the issues he faced as a veteran. Deb has several family members who are or were veterans. Their stories of bravery and tenacity are part of their enduring legacy and they hold a special place in her heart.
Beth Bigley, Chief Operating Officer
Beth retired and relocated back to the Rochester area in 2016. The bulk of her work years were in libraries, mostly in public libraries. She wore many hats over the years, gathering experience and knowledge that help her currently run the day to day operations of the Foundation. Her father and brother both served in the different branches of the military. Beth is happiest when she is helping others, whether it is hosting a family dinner, baking hundreds of cookies or helping the veterans who have come to the Foundation for help.
Scott Bigley, Chief Financial Officer
Scott retired and relocated back to the Rochester area in 2016. He worked for the Dept. of Defense for 30 years. During this time, he worked daily with countless active duty military and veterans. This gave him an appreciation of the sacrifices made by those who serve as well as the impact on their families. He knows first hand the need to support our heroes. Scott loves to root for all things Pittsburgh and he does his best to support the local craft beer industry, one beer at a time.
Cassidy Lubberts, Chief Strategy Officer
Cassidy grew up in the Rochester area and he now lives in New York City as a film and video editor. He works on creating ads to engage with and art for people to enjoy. Cassidy helps ideate on the goals and plans of the Foundation. Many of Cassidy’s grandparents served in Vietnam, and he has been fortunate enough to have grown up with them after the conflict was over. Cassidy hopes that the Foundation can honor and serve those who have dedicated themselves to our nation.
Chief Development Officer
Mike grew up in Rochester and joined the United States Air Force in 1991 through 1994. Mike continued his service to the community serving as a volunteer firefighter with the St. Paul Boulevard Fire Department for over twenty year, reaching the rank of Captain. Mike lives in Irondequoit with his wife Rachel and they have two daughters, Victoria and Cecilia.
Lee Begy, Chief Outreach Liaison Officer
Lee grew up here in Rochester and joined the Navy in 1988. After 32 years of honorable service, Lee retired from the Navy in 2020 with a rank of Chief Petty Officer (E-7). Lee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Computer Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and is currently employed as a Systems Engineer with L3Harris Technologies here in Rochester, NY. He lives in Webster with his wife Yanid, and their two sons: Ashton age 18, and James age 16.
Sunny Mike Foundation Coordinators
Nicole Fleming, Graphics Coordinator
Nicole was raised in central New Jersey, before completing her BFA degree in Graphic Design at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She now resides in Brooklyn, NY where she works full time on an in-house brand design team for a tech startup. In her part-time work with Sunny Mike, Nicole is most excited about creating accessible and recognizable design that both expands the reach of the foundation, and serves as a testament to the honorable work of the veterans it serves.
Xíomara Guerrero, Volunteer Coordinator
My name is Xíomara Guerrero, my nick name is ChaCha. I’m a 10 yr Army veteran with one tour in Afghanistan. I’m utilizing my GI Bill to complete my degree in Biochemistry and hopefully apply to a Pharmaceutical program. The Sunny Mike Foundation came to my rescue in Jan. of 2024. They helped me with my vehicle insurance bill during a time I was experiencing financial hardship. Now I’m paying it forward and very excited to do so!! A quote I live by is what Albert Pike once said “What we do for ourselves dies with us; what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”