Mr. Ron Witt, President
Mr. Witt graduated from State University of New York at Fredonia, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He worked for Johnson & Johnson for thirty-four (34) years as a pharmaceutical sales representative. He has been on a number of boards and is currently on the Vineyard Trail HOA board in Orchard Park, New York.
Mr. Witt has been a lifetime Orchard Park resident and a member of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in West Seneca, New York. His parents, Carl and Elinor Witt, were ‘pioneers’ that moved into Fox Run when it first opened in 2007. Mr. Witt’s parents were both members of the United Church of Christ and were very influential in the development of Fox Run. Mr. Witt feels honored to continue his parent’s vision and hard work serving the Fox Run board as well as being a delegate to the United Church Home Society.
Mr. Craig S. Clark, Vice President
Mr. Craig S. Clark, CFP® is President of Clark & Company Wealth Management, LLC, and a Registered Principal with Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation.
Clark & Company is a boutique wealth management firm specializing in serving the needs of physicians, high net-worth individuals, corporate executives, and businesses. In addition to managing his own client base, Mr. Clark also oversees six other registered representatives within Lincoln Financial Securities.
Mr. Clark holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from Canisius College, and a Master of Economics degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He holds FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 securities licenses, and a NY Life, Accident and Health license, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner.
Mr. Clark is a member of several organizations, including the Financial Planning Association of WNY (Past President) and currently serves on the board of the Financial Counselors of WNY. He also serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Financial Planning and the Practice Management and Risk Management Advisory Committees of Lincoln Financial Securities.
Mr. Clark lives in Elma, NY, with his wife, Laurie. They both enjoy spending time together with their three children.
Mr. Ben Rand
Mr. Benjamin Rand is President of both Insyte Consulting, a non-profit that has been helping Western New York (WNY) manufacturers succeed for over 40 years, and its sister organization, the TDC Foundation. Insyte Consulting is part of the Federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a nationwide network which provides consulting services to make small manufacturers more competitive. Mr. Rand has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing, previously serving as president of Sefar Filtration Inc., the North American subsidiary of a privately-held Swiss company. Before Sefar, he held a variety of senior management positions with USFilter, a Fortune 500 water purification equipment manufacturer.
Mr. Rand currently serves on the boards of the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance and the Northland Workforce Training Center. He is a member of the Founders Council of Buffalo Manufacturing Works, the Advisory Board of Calamar (a for-profit real estate & investment company) and the Operations Committee of Goodwill of WNY. Mr. Rand previously served on the World Trade Center Buffalo-Niagara board and as chair of both the American Small Manufacturers Coalition in Washington, D.C. and the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership’s Manufacturers Council. He is an Adjunct Instructor at the University at Buffalo School of Management.
Mr. Rand holds an Masters in Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelors of arts from Yale University. He is married with three adult children and lives in Buffalo, NY.
Mrs. Theresa Hart, Treasurer
Mrs. Theresa Hart is a Senior Business Development Manager for Thermo Fisher Scientific. Mrs. Hart has proven success in building teams, entering new markets, consistently growing revenue, driving a culture of accountability, and cultivating influential relationships. She possesses strong interpersonal communication, organizational, and analytical skills. As a business development senior leader, Mrs. Hart has extensive experience in life sciences, medical devices, and project management.
Mrs. Hart’s previous positions include Senior Product Manager and Patient Monitoring and Marketing Communications Manager at Curbell Medical, Vice President Account Planner at Travers Collins & Co., and Senior Product Manager of New Product Development at Gaymar Industries Inc..
Mrs. Hart is a Mount Mercy Academy alumna (the Fox Run at Orchard Park leadership team boasts two MMA alumnae). She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Canisius College, prior to earning her Masters of Science in Industrial Technology from SUNY Buffalo State College.
Mrs. Hart resides in Hamburg with her husband Peter and their black lab Murphy. They are members of St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church in Orchard Park, NY, and have three adult children, two living locally. Mrs. Hart enjoys fitness, traveling, cooking, gardening, and is a novice golfer. She also volunteers as a mentor with Say Yes to Education, Buffalo.
Mr. John Sherman, Member
Mr. Sherman received both his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Education degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a retired Biology Professor Emeritus from Erie Community College. Mr. Sherman served as Department Chair for over 20 years and as an Academic Dean. He served as a member of the Middle States College Association; assessing colleges in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
Mr. Sherman is the President of the Erie 1 BOCES Board of Education, and a member of the Community Board of DeGraff Memorial Hospital in Tonawanda, New York. He currently is a member on the Executive Committee of the Niagara Frontier Industry Education Council, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Salem United Church of Christ in Tonawanda. Mr. Sherman is a past member of the City of Tonawanda Boys and Girls Club, past Chairman of the United Church Home Society Board of Trustees, and Former Executive Director of the City of Tonawanda Youth Board.
Mr. Francis R. Vavonese
Mr. Francis Vavonese is a senior partner at Smith Vavonese, LLP, a law practice in Orchard Park, which concentrates on Medicaid crisis planning, wealth preservation planning, and estate and long-term care planning. He works with individuals and families faced with long-term care costs, either in a facility in the community, or at home, in effort to assure wealth can smoothly be passed to loved ones. Frank guides individuals and couples by utilizing irrevocable trusts and other appropriate planning measures. He also helps his clients of all ages with basic estate planning including, Last Wills & Testaments, Powers of Attorney, and Health Care Proxies etc.
Smith Vavonese, LLP, founded in 2016, includes Frank’s wife Jamie M. Smith, an outstanding elder law attorney in her own right, and partner at Smith Vavonese, LLP. Everyday Frank, Jamie and their staff, including their dog Roscoe, help clients from Orchard Park and all-over Western New York navigate various estate and long-term care planning challenges.
Frank graduated from Canisius College, cum laude in 2002. While at Canisius, Frank was Captain of the Rowing Team, President of the Italian club, and the recipient of the Honorable Michael Dillon Pre-Law Scholarship. Continuing on, Frank earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2005 from the State University at Buffalo Law School. Currently, Frank is a member of the Erie County Bar Association and New York State Bar Association’s Elder Law Sections.
Frank resides in Orchard Park with Jamie and their two children, Gia and Nolan. He is on the executive board as treasurer for Orchard Park Little Loop Football and Cheerleading. While Frank is not hard at work, he enjoys spending time with his immediate and extended family, coaching youth football, golfing, hunting and fishing.
Mrs. Terrie Benson Murray
Ms. Terrie Benson Murray graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Fredonia, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School; is a member of the New York State Bar Association, and the Bar Association of Erie County. Terrie is a lifelong resident of Western New York.
Terrie practices in the areas of estate planning, wills, trusts, estate administration and elder law in of counsel status. Terrie was formerly with the UAW Legal Services Plan, a prepaid legal benefit program provided by the nation’s major automakers for union employees. As a manager for two of their local offices for over 17 years, she provided legal representation to hundreds of Western New York autoworkers in the areas of estate planning and estates, and trusts. Ms. Murray also has extensive experience in the areas of guardianship, adoption, and Medicaid planning.
Terrie serves on the Board of Directors for the Family Justice Center of Buffalo and Erie County where she previously served as President of the Board. When the Family Justice Center wished to extend its services beyond the City of Buffalo, she chaired a committee of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church congregation, which founded and funded the creation of the first FJC satellite office in 2010. Terrie coordinated efforts by local churches and community organizations throughout the town to make it happen. She is also a founding member and officer of P.E.O. Chapter CM (Philanthropic Education Organization), a women’s organization dedicated to supporting women who wish to pursue higher education by providing loans and scholarships.
Terrie lives in Colden with her spouse, Jim, and is an active member of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, having served on multiple boards and committees over the years. She also enjoys spending time with her two adult children and spoiling her two grandchildren. She is also a member of the Sanctuary Choir and the Wilson Memorial Hand Bell Choir.
Rev. Dr. Marja L. Coons-Torn, Member
Rev. Dr. Marja Coons-Torn has worked for the United Church of Christ as their Associate Minister of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference for eight (8) years and Minister of the Penn Central Conference for ten (10) years. She has served various congregations in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, New York, and has spent time serving as the Chair of the Council of Ministers Conference. A Buffalo native, she attended the School of Social Work at the State University of New York at Buffalo to attain her undergraduate degree. She continued on to receive her Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts, and her Doctor of Ministry degree from Eden Theological School in St. Louis, Missouri.
Rev. Dr. Coons-Torn has been a trustee of Jamestown Community College, Rocky Mountain College, and Lancaster Theological Seminary. She also enjoyed her role as President of the Knitters Guild of Greater Buffalo. Since her retirement, she has served as President of the Board of the United Church Home Society, and held a temporary position as the Team Leader for the Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization Team of the United Church of Christ. She and her husband Jim have been happily living at Fox Run since 2014. They have a lifelong passion for traveling and are avid readers.
Ms. Gretchen Librock, Member
Ms. Librock graduated from Grove City College, Pennsylvania, with a Business Administration degree. She has 30 years of experience in the banking industry. During her early years of banking she attended school in the evening to obtain her Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance, from Canisius College, Buffalo, NY. Ms. Librock’s banking experience includes 22 years of management in the employee benefit and retirement field, followed by her current position in the finance division.
Coming from a family of long-time Friedens United Church of Christ members, Ms. Librock is currently a member of Salem United Church of Christ in Tonawanda, NY. At Salem UCC, Ms. Librock has served as an Elder, Trustee, Deacon, Board of Programs Committee Member, Search Committee Member, and is currently Chairperson of the Endowment Fund. She also served as Co-Chair of the finance arm of Salem’s Faith in the Future Campaign, which raised over $500,000 in a three year time period.
In her free time, Ms. Librock enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as outdoor activities such as cycling. For many years, Ms. Librock has raised money for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute through its annual Ride for Roswell.
Mr. Robert Hoover, Member
Mr. Robert Hoover was raised in suburban Philadelphia, and graduated from Drexel University with a degree in Business Administration. He has an extensive professional background in Healthcare Information Technology. Mr. Hoover was the Senior Manager for KPMG before moving to Western, New York in 1997 to become the Chief Information Officer for Independent Health. After more than a decade as a CIO, he worked as a consultant and recently retired from Change Healthcare to complete a 38 year career in healthcare systems.
In addition to the Fox Run at Orchard Park Board of Directors, Mr. Hoover has served on the Board of Erie and Niagara Insurance Association for 20 years, and is currently the chairman. Mr. Hoover has recently been elected to the Board of Directors for Friends of Knox Farm State Park. He volunteers for the Ronald MacDonald house of Western New York and at the Erie & Cattaraugus Rail Trail.
Mr. Hoover and his wife Marianne raised six children in Orchard Park, New York, and currently reside in East Aurora, New York with their Golden Retriever, Derry. Marianne is the Executive Director of the Ronald MacDonald House of Western New York. Mr. Hoover is an avid runner and has completed many marathons. He loves to ski and is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors Association. He is also a boys’ lacrosse referee. Mr. Hoover belongs to the East Aurora Country Club and he and Derry are active users of Knox Farm State Park.
Mr. George Herbert, Past President Ex- Officio
Mr. Herbert retired from HSBC Bank USA after eighteen (18) years of service. He had been Senior Vice President, and responsible for management of the Trust Services Group. This group included the Trust Operations, the Retirement Services, and the Fiduciary Tax Services Departments.
Prior to HSBC, Mr. Herbert worked for over twenty-five (25) years at Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Lackawanna, New York. His steel company career was in the area of data processing, and included management of both applications systems development, and computer operations.
A native of York, Pennsylvania, Mr. Herbert holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Science degree from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. Both degrees are in Civil Engineering. He was a member of the U.S. Air Force following his graduation from Penn State.
Mr. Herbert has been a member of the Fox Run at Orchard Park board since 2002, first serving as its Secretary and subsequently as its President. He previously was a board member and Treasurer of the Orchard Park Council of the Arts. He has also served on other not-for-profit boards in the Western New York area.