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Award presentation with interpreter

Board of Directors

Group shot of RSD board members in conference room

 

Officers

black man with dark brown hair and a short beardin a blue collared shit with a tieM. Tim Albert
President
Mr. Albert is currently the Director of the NTID Student Life Team and was elected to the Board of Directors in April 2019. Mr. Albert holds AAS in Imaging Technology from RIT, as well as a BSW and MSW for Gallaudet University.
smiling white woman in a white shirt with long blond hair and glassesLori A. DeWindt
Vice-President
Lori DeWindt was appointed to the Board in October 2014 and is a Class of 1989 RSD alumni. She is a Senior Health Project Coordinator with the National Center for Deaf Health Research at the University of Rochester. She has 25+ years of experience counseling deaf clients in a variety of healthcare settings as a therapist.  Ms. DeWindt earned both her B.A. in Social Work and her M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University.
smiling white man with dark brown hair and a beard in a gray suit jacket with a white shirtJustin Alexander
Treasurer
Mr. Alexander, a partner at Underberg & Kessler LLP, was elected to the Board in October 2021.  Mr. Alexander holds a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School for Law and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.  Justin is also a CODA.
smiling white man with short spiky hair in a light blue open collared shirt
Byron Behm
Secretary
Mr. Behm is a parent of an RSD student, as well as the brother of two RSD alumni.  Mr. Behm holds an M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. from North Central University.  He is currently working as a project coordinator for NTID's Center on Access Technology.  Byron was elected to the Board in October 2021.

Board Members

smiling white bald male with black round-frame glassesMichael J. Doughty, Ed.D
Appointed in January 2023, Dr. Doughty rejoins the Board of Directors after previously serving 10 years.  Currently the Assistant Superintendent for the Northeastern Regional Information Center (NERIC) at the Capital Region BOCES, Dr. Doughty has spent most of his career on the administrative side of education, working in various districts.  Dr. Doughty holds a B.S. in Education from SUNY Geneseo, an M.S. and C.A.S.  in Education Administration from SUNY Brockport, and an Ed.D. in School Leadership from the University of Rochester.  Mike is also the proud parent of two daughters, both of whom attended the ECC and Elementary School at RSD.
smiling white man with light blond hair in a cream suit jacket with a white shirtJohn D'Amanda
Re-appointed to the Board in January 2018, John D'Amanda is General Counsel at Home Leasing, LLC,  and a descendent of Edmond Lyon. Mr. D'Amanda received his bachelor's degree from Washington College and a J/D/ for Whittier College School of Law. John previously served on the Board from 2004 to 2013.
bald Hispanic man in glasses with mustache and goatee in a suitRaymond Giamartino, Jr., Ed.D.
Dr. Giamartino was appointed to the Board of Directors in April 2013. Currently, he is the Assistant Commissioner for the NYS Education Department. Dr. Giamartino earned his B.A. in Political Science from St. John Fisher College, his M.S. in Education from Syracuse University, and his Ed.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Rochester.
smiling white woman with brown hair and glasses earing a blue sweater and gray jacketMelinda (Mindy) J. Hopper, Ph.D.
Elected to the Board in April 2023, Dr. Hopper brings a wide range of experience and expertise in the field of Deaf Education.  She is retired from NTID where she was a professor in both the Liberal Art Studies and Masters of Science of Secondary Education (MSSE) programs for over ten years.  Dr. Hopper holds a B.S. and M.S. in Education from Illinois State University and a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on teaching and curriculum from the University of Rochester.
smiling white man with dark brown hair and some facial hair in a red checked shirtJason D. Listman, Ed.D.
Dr. Listman was appointed to the Board of Directors in April 2019.  He is an Associate professor and a co-director for the BS in Interpreting Program in the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education (ASLIE) at NTID/RIT.  He received an Ed.D. in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College, holds MS in Secondary Education, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, both from RIT.  His research interests include mentoring in undergraduate research, resilience characteristics in the deaf community, signed song translations, and the effectiveness of ASL teaching.  Dr. Listman serves on the Executive Committee and is the chairperson of the Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Committee.
smiling tan white woman in a gold suit jacketSusan Lindsay
Ms. Lindsay earned her BA in Business Administration from RIT and an MBA from St. John Fisher College. She retired from the City of Rochester at the end of 2016. She was elected to the Board of Directors in 2007.
smiling white man with salt-n-pepepr in a gray suit with a blue shirtGary Meyer
A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Accounting and an M.S. in Career and Human Resources Development, Mr. Meyer works for the DHH Insurance/CH Insurance Brokerage, Inc, a company that he founded and later merged with the CH Insurance Company. He is also adjunct faculty at Gallaudet University.  He joined the RSD Board of Directors in 1998.  Mr. Meyer is the chairperson of the Governance and Nominations Committee.
smiling white woman with blond hair in pearls and a black topAnne M. McGinnis, Ph.D.
Anne McGinnis, a Partner at Harris Beach since 2015, was appointed to the Board in June 2018. Dr. McGinnis earned her Bachelor's degree as a double major in Psychology and Music Education from the University of Hartford in 2004, her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in School Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and earned her J.D. from St. John's University of Law in 2014. Dr. McGinnis's aunt is a graduate of RSD.
smiling white man with close-cropped brown hair in a white zipped topAlex Odenbach
Mr. Odenbach, appointed to the Board in October 2013, is General Manager and Vice President of The Links at Greystone, Snow Tubing at Greystone, and Stoney's Pub in Walworth, NY. He earned his B.A. in Economics from Bucknell University in 2009 and is a Certified Financial Planner.
smiling white man with brown hair and a white goatee in a blue shirt and tieMark S. Orlando, Ph.D.
Dr. Orlando joined the Board of Directors in April 2013. Dr. Orlando is the Director of Research and Education in Audiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. When not immersed in research, he is a practicing audiologist. Dr. Orlando earned his B.S. in Communication Disorders from SUNY College at Buffalo, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Audiology from Penn State and the University of Washington, respectively. He further earned an M.S. in Medical Management and an M.B.A. in Business Administration from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester.
young white woman with long brown hair in a red shirt with black blazerTiffany L. Panko, M.D., M.B.A.

Dr. Panko joined the Board in January 2023 and is a Class of 2004 RSD alumni.  Dr. Panko is the Executive Director of NTID’s Deaf Health Care and Biomedical Science Hub.  She also holds the role of Associate Research Professor, Director of the Deaf Health Lab, and is Co-Director of the Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) program Dr. Panko earned her B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences and M.A. in Business Administration from RIT, her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rochester.  She also went on to complete two Postdoctoral Research Fellowships at NTID’s Center on Culture and Language as well as at the University of Rochester through the Rochester Postdoc Program.

smiling white male in a black suit with a white shirtLowell C. Patric
Mr. Patric joined the RSD Board of Directors in 1986 and served as the President from 2002 to 2004. After retiring from his career as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Rochester Community Savings Bank, he worked as the Director of FSB Bancorp.  Mr. Patric is the co-founder and current Board member of Karma Culture, LLC established in 2011, which is a manufacturing and distributing company of vitamin and additive-enriched wellness waters who uses a proprietary dispensing cap.
Blonde white woman with glasses in a blue and white shirtDeborah L. Pearce, Ed.D. & MBA
A member of the RSD Board of Directors since 2001, Dr. Pearce served as Board President from 2007 to 2009 and has remained an active part of the Executive Committee. She is the CEO of LeaJames, Inc. and has held executive and leadership positions with Otis Elevator Corporation/United Technologies, General Electric, and IBM. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree from Harvard University, and her doctorate from St. John Fisher College.  Dr. Pearce is the chairperson of the Strategic Planning Committee.
smiling white man with blonde hair and glasses wearing a blue plaid button down shirtSteven V. Rebholz
Steve Rebholz is a Principal and Chief Operating Officer of SWBR Architects. Mr. Rebholz earned his B.A. in Architecture from the University of Notre Dame in 1985. He joined the Board in June 2018.
white female with short blonde hair in a navy jacket
Allis (Allie) D'Amanda Sacks
Appointed in April 2023, Allie Sacks is part of the 5th generation of one of RSD’s founding families, the Lyon family.  She earned a B.A. in English Literature and an M.B.A. from Bucknell University.  After over 15 years with M&T Bank, Mrs. Sacks switched employers.  Mrs. Sacks is currently a Senior Relationship Manager for Commercial Real Estate with ES&L Federal Credit Union.
 
Smiling white man with grey hair in a gray suit jacket with a white shirt
Gerard C. Walter
Mr. Jerry Walter, appointed to the Board in October 2011, is the son of former Board President Dr. Jerry Walter. Mr. Walter is Executive Vice President at Power Management. He has held management positions with Constellation Energy and Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. Mr. Walter earned his B.S. in Energy Engineering Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology and his M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. Jerry served as Board President from 2021-2023.
 
 
Smiling white woman with long blond hair wearing a navy blue polo shirt
Amy Williams
Mrs. Amy Williams was appointed to the Board of Directors in January 2024.  A recent recipient of the RSD Perkins Founder Award, Amy is the parent of an 2023 RSD graduate and brings her unique point of view and years of fundraising experience to the Board.  Amy is also an Licensed Practical Nurse.
 
Advisory Council Members
Fr. Thomas Erdle
Mr. Charles F. Hertrick
Mr. Samuel T. Hubbard, Jr.
Mrs. Charlotte Landhuis
Mr. Paul Wilkens