About

Hillary Needle, President of Hillary Needle Events Inc., has more than 25 years of senior management expertise in event planning. Her experience includes serving as the Director of Development for the American Heart Association and then as an Executive Vice President for eight years at a prominent event planning corporation active in fundraising event management for not-for-profit organizations.

Hillary created Hillary Needle Events Inc. in 2009 to bring her creativity, passion and dedication directly to her clients who value her unique ability to create exciting opportunities to generate revenue and gain recognition for their events.  She brings organizational skills and staffing knowledge for a broad spectrum of special events that include large galas, golf outings, networking receptions, food tastings, fashion shows, art auctions and educational symposiums.  Hillary is successful in developing and implementing strategies that help organizations brand and grow existing events in addition to building an event from concept to celebration.

Relationship building between corporations and not-for profit organizations is an important factor in the overall success of events.  Hillary’s experience in networking and developing good matches ensures business community involvement to support the events.  In fact, she considers it one of the most satisfying parts of the assignment.

Whether it is planning and producing a live or virtual event, creativity is what distinguishes a great event from a good event. Hillary has the professional ability to organize publicity, develop website content, write speeches, newsletter articles and create published materials.  She enjoys her role as a featured correspondent for House Magazine’s video interview series and as a producer for a regional philanthropy podcast. She is often quoted in Long Island Business News and Newsday.

Most recently, Long Island Business News featured Hillary in the inaugural “Power List: Long Island’s Most Powerful Women 2022”.  In 2013 and 2015, Hillary was named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business” by Long Island Business News and in 2019 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  This prestigious award recognizes the significant contributions of women professionals to the region’s economy and to the communities in which we do business. LIBN also featured Hillary in the 2017 & 2018 Who’s Who in Women in Professional Services issues.  In 2015, Hillary was selected as a “Long Island Power Woman in Business” by the Queens Courier Newspaper and Schneps Communications.

Hillary participated an alumni panel career snapshot event presented by the Hofstra University’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communications titled “The Power of Possibility,” where she and a distinguished group of communications alumni offered advice and reflected on their career paths, trials and successes. She has been featured for her experience with virtual events and fundraising in Long Island Business News and in LIBN|NOW, LIBN’s weekly livestream webinar series.  Hillary served as a luncheon panelist for the Mom-mentum Annual Women’s Leadership Conference. She also enjoyed her role as moderator for the Hauppauge Industrial Association’s Executive Breakfast entitled “Women of Influence.”  She has twice presented at the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Long Island Chapter’s Annual Philanthropy Day Conference.   Hillary also served as a presenter and panelist for the Jewish Community Relations Council – LI Leadership Program comprised of representatives from nonprofits and foundations located across Long Island.  

Hillary was featured in Long Island Woman Magazine as the May 2014 “Meet this Long Island Woman.” She is a member of the Nassau County Museum of Art’s Corporate Committee and an active member of the Long Island LPGA Amateur Golf Association. Hillary is member of the 2016 class of Molloy College’s the Energeia Partnership, a leadership academy dedicated to identifying and addressing the serious, complex and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region.

Hillary is a cum laude graduate of Hofstra University with a BA in Communications/Journalism. She serves as Immediate Past President of the Hofstra University Alumni Organization, representing over 140,000 Hofstra graduates around the world. She is Past President, The Lawrence Herbert School of Communications Alumni Association. She also held the following leadership roles as Vice President for Programs, Hofstra University Alumni Organization, Co-Chair for Events on the Executive Board Committee and as Chair of the Hofstra University Women in Leadership (WIL) Campus Connections Committee. In 2014, Hofstra University presented Hillary and her mother, a past alumni organization President, with the Marjorie and James M. Shuart Alumni Family Award honoring a family where two or more members have been active alumni, donors and volunteers in their service to Hofstra. She is also a proud member of the Alpha Theta Beta sorority, Hofstra’s oldest fraternal organization.

She is also an artist whose oil paintings are frequently featured in gallery exhibitions and she is a member of the Art League of Long Island, Huntington Arts Council, Long Island Museum LIMarts and the Mills Pond Gallery/Smithtown Township Arts Council.