Board Chair; board member since 2006
Committee(s): Executive-Chair, Nominating & Governance, Finance, Strategic Planning, COMET Board Representative-Chair

Larry D. Perkins is a management consultant with extensive experience and track record of helping leadership teams sharpen its focus on value creation, achieve winning performance, develop innovative strategies, and build management capabilities to maximize value. Larry’s functional expertise is in areas such as business strategy, operational excellence, financial performance improvement, business model innovation, and supply chain efficiency. Larry also bring prior management experience from firms such as Xerox Corporation and Procter and Gamble.

First Vice-Chair; board member since 2021
Committee(s): Executive, Nominating & Governance

Kate Washington, MBA, is a seasoned entrepreneur and business strategist with experience in driving growth for small to mid-cap businesses. She is the former CEO of OWN Rochester following her role as the Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Rochester and Managing Director of Enterprise Solutions International, a Management Consulting Firm. Kate is an Adjunct Professor at Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester teaching entrepreneurship and experiential learning courses through an equity lens. She currently develops International Experiential Learning opportunities and teaches the immersion course for MBA students in South Africa. She is an artist who enjoys playing music and performing in theater.

Second Vice-Chair;board member since 2016
Committee(s): Executive, Nominating & Governance-Chair, Racial and Social Equity Task Force

Amy V. Kahn holds an MBA and BA in Organizational Communication from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Amy was previously at Action for a Better Community, Inc. as VP of Human Resources, The College at Brockport/State University of New York as Director of Human Resources, Constellation Brands, Inc., FUSION as HR/Talent Lead, and GateHouse Media, Inc. as Director of Human Resources. She was previously a Board Member for Genesee Valley Society for Human Resources Management, Jewish Family Service, Hillel of Rochester Area Colleges, and currently serves on the Human Resources Committee at Temple B’rith Kodesh.

Treasurer; board member since 2023
Committee(s): Executive, Audit, Finance, Social Equity Task Force-Chair

Joseph began his academic career at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA where he majored in the Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory of Business. Thereafter, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY obtaining a degree in Clinical Psychology and Statistics. Upon graduation, Joseph enrolled in the Doctorate program at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, FL. He received his Juris Doctor in 2014, returning to Buffalo, NY to work in the Banking Industry as a Compliance Specialist. Joseph then accepted a position with M&T Bank as Vice President, Wealth Fiduciary Advisor where he worked with individual, corporate, and charitable Trusts. He most recently engaged with a local accounts receivable management company as Chief Compliance Officer while providing consulting services to various nationwide consulting groups on matters ranging from Wealth Administration to Regulatory Compliance. Joseph is the proud uncle of six nieces and nephews and enjoys playing tennis, gardening, and piano in his spare time.

Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester
Secretary; board member since 2016
Committee(s): Executive, Strategic Planning–Co-Chair

Loisa Bennetto is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology at the University of Rochester. She received her BA in Psychology from Yale University in 1988, and her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Denver in 1999. She then joined the faculty at the University of Rochester, where she has served as Director of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program from 2007-2010, and Department Chair since 2010. Dr. Bennetto’s program of research examines the neurocognitive bases of autism spectrum disorder with a particular focus on differences in basic sensory processing and how these differences impact children’s ability to communicate and function effectively in their day-to-day lives. Dr. Bennetto also teaches and mentors students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Immediate Past Chair; board member since 2006
Committee(s): Executive, Nominating & Governance

Dr. James Lewis, III, received his Psy.D. in Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology from Central Michigan University and holds Masters degrees in Psychology and Clinical Psychology from Howard University. Currently, he serves as a Consulting School Psychologist at Brandywine Central School District, Wilmington, DE. Previously, Dr. Lewis worked as Consulting School Psychologist, ProCare Therapy, Santa Rosa City Schools, Santa Rosa, CA and Consulting Director of Youth Programs at Lakeview Neuro-Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Lewis also worked as a consultant for North Star Sports, owner of North Star Neuropsychological, and Transformational Leadership Consultant for Community Action Agencies. In the past, he spent 10 years as the Chief Executive Training Consultant for New Opportunities, Inc. in Waterbury, CT, and seven years as the Chief Operating Officer for the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence at Yale University School of Medicine.

Board member since 2021
Committee(s): Executive, Strategic Planning-Co-Chair

Renu Bora has a Masters in Information Management and Systems (MIMS) from the University of California, Berkeley in Data Science, and an MA in English from Duke University where he studied Cultural Theory while teaching and researching specifically the topic of texture. In addition to designing and delivering data services, he designs, delivers, and integrates software, systems, and solutions, combining multidisciplinary approaches and managing cross-functional teams. He has been an entrepreneur, worked with open-source software communities, and published articles for business, technical, and academic audiences. Clients have included: TreePeople, COPE Health Solutions, RAND Corporation, Stanford University, Alzheimer's Association, New York Power Authority, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Nissan, and Women in Health Administration of Southern California.

Board member since 2022
Committee(s): Development-Chair

Jason Hammer is the Executive Director of LifeResults, an organization in service to people in our community, country, and the world, whose mission is "To create an environment of greater awareness - to teach tools for mindfulness, empowerment, and intentionality so people can live their personal vision – fostering happiness, satisfaction, and excitement for life making positive impact in their world." LifeResults delivers experiential learning courses that inspire personal growth and transformation and develop leadership. Jason has a BSBA with a focus in Management/Psychology Minor from Villanova University, and a variety of professional certificates including Cornell University’s Financial Success for Nonprofits Certificate and Villanova University’s Project Management Certificate. Before LifeResults, Jason, a fifth-generation family member, worked at Hammer Packaging in Rochester NY in a number of positions, understanding every aspect of the business with a ‘people first’ focus. How management decisions impacted the staff at Hammer Packaging was as much a concern for him as bottom-line profits. As VP of Manufacturing, he oversaw all the operations and manufacturing components of Hammer Packaging with a primary focus on leadership and supply chain management. He worked to identify new and innovative plant efficiency and quality solutions, advancing Hammer Packaging in technology and operations. Since leaving the family business in June 2022, his work is now focused on inspiring and helping others learn and grow, and create joy and peace, all based on a foundation of empathy, understanding, and love. He has a Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher Training Certificate from the School of Positive Transformation, New Warrior Training Adventure from the Mankind Project, a Certificate in Energy Medicine from Allegra Learning Solutions, and has participated in LifeResults and Leadership Rochester learning experiences. Outside of work, Jason volunteers with multiple organizations, including serving almost 10 years on the board of advisors for Junior Achievement of Central Upstate New York. His passion and mission are focused on service to organizations that support our community’s children such as Center for Youth, Golisano Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Wilmot Cancer Center, March of Dimes, and Victor Little League. Jason gains balance and joy from spending time with his two amazing kids, hiking, kayaking, meditating, and boating on the Finger Lakes.

Board member since 2021
Committee(s): Executive, Audit-Chair, COMET Board Representative

Victoria Kane is Counsel & Compliance Director for a start-up tech firm responsible for development and implementation of best management practices for risk management and legal compliance. Previously, she held the position of Area Director of Labor Relations and Integration for Portfolio Hotels & Resorts, located in Los Angeles. As both in-house and outside legal counsel, Victoria Kane has represented employers, management, boards of directors, and owners across a variety of industries, focusing on the public marketplace such as: Hospitality, food service, technology, education, political and charitable non-profit group.

Board member since 2020
Committee(s): Executive, Finance-Chair

Jim Sperry is a Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Tompkins Financial Advisors which serves families, executives, and business owners to help them protect and grow their assets, transition their businesses, and secure their legacies. He is responsible for establishing and executing the wealth management strategy for Tompkins Financial in its western New York region. Jim formerly served on the Board of Directors of The Volunteers of America, ultimately serving as its Board Chair. He earned his BA from Williams College; his Ph.D. in engineering from Duke University, and his MBA from the Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester.

Board member since 2022
Committee(s): Audit

Christopher Homan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Rochester Institute of Technology. A native of Jamestown, NY, Dr. Homan received his A.B. in mathematics from Cornell in 1992 and Ph.D. in computer science in 2003 from the University of Rochester, including internships at Compaq Research and Los Alamos National Laboratories. He has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and private sources. He is the author or co-author of over fifty peer-reviewed publications. His research focuses on problems of fairness, bias, and representation in a number of different settings, including theoretical computer science, complex systems, computer-mediated randomized control trials, community-based -participatory research, and machine learning. His earliest work applied complexity theory to ranked-choice voting systems and complex systems. He later collaborated with social psychologists on a system for controlling in the topology of a communication network among study participants in randomized control trials. It was used to study the impact of network topology on rumor formation. He later applied network science to study social networks, which led to new methods for recruiting study participants from hidden, underrepresented populations that are resistant to traditional survey methods, among other things. His current work, which came from a community-based participatory research group that he belonged to for five years, focuses on machine learning problems with multiple solutions, particularly where different subpopulations have distinct preferences for which solutions are best. Such problems are common in settings such as machine translation, offensive language recognition, language complexity recognition, public health surveillance, and many others.

Board member since 2010
Committee(s): Development

Kripal K. Mehta practiced clinical psychology for more than 30 years for the NYS Office of Mental Health, working with emotionally disturbed and developmentally handicapped children at Rochester Psychiatric Center and Newark Development Center. She conducted teaching rounds, workshops for patients’ families, and in-service teaching for the staff in the area of child development, learning and behavior therapies, crisis intervention, and parenting and behavior management techniques. She has served on many committees including education and training, credentials, and privileging for JCAHO. She also was the chairperson of the committee on Special Education. Kripal volunteers with Saathi of Rochester and Compeer Rochester, Inc. Kripal's business interests include serving on the board of directors of Indus Companies.

Board member since 2023
Committee(s): Strategic Planning, Racial and Social Equity Task Force

Amy McDonald is the Director of the Health Promotion Office in University Health Service at the University of Rochester. During the past fifteen years, she has created, developed, implemented, and evaluated health education and health promotion programs for the corporate and higher education sectors. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning and program development, as well as the topics of mental well-being and mindfulness meditation. Amy is passionate about advancing a comprehensive, inclusive, and progressive student well-being model which creates the conditions for students to flourish. Her work moves beyond traditional approaches of influencing individual behavior towards systems level and environmental strategies that influence the well-being of the whole campus culture. Amy has a BA in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester and an MS in Leadership in Healthcare Systems with a focus on Health Promotion and Education from the University of Rochester’s School of Nursing. She is a certified Koru Mindfulness Teacher, Level II Reiki practitioner, completed her College Health and Wellness Professional certificate from the American College Health Association (ACHA), and completed a certificate program for Executive Women in Leadership from Cornell University.

Board member since 2021
Committee(s): Development

Allison Pletzer Willems received her BA from Tulane University where she graduated with a double major in English and Gender Studies. Since 2013, Allison has served as a Senior Director of Educational Resources for ProCare Therapy. In this role, Allison partners with school districts nationwide to address critical shortages of school-based professionals. She works hand in hand with some of the largest districts in the US, providing both onsite and virtual services. Additionally, she serves as a resource and an advocate for the highly qualified school therapists she employs. Allison currently resides in Indianapolis where she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two young daughters.

Board member since 2016
Committee(s): Audit, Strategic Planning, Racial and Social Equity Task Force

Ronald N. Roberts recently retired from the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services where he was the SNAP Program Director. He has held various roles within the Department of Social Services since 1988 including Regional Administrator and Operations Manager. Ron’s community involvement includes President of the Stamford Alumni Kappa Foundation as well as past roles with the United Way of Stamford, Stamford Hospital, and Young Fathers Program Coordinator.