Lebanon Valley College Announces Board of Trustee Changes and Honor

Wesley T. Dellinger ’75, P’05, chair of the Lebanon Valley College Board of Trustees, announced that the board has appointed Michael S. Beyer ’80, Dr. Laura Eldred, and Shilesky Montalvo ’19 to serve effective July 1, 2017. Dellinger also announced that Vidya K. Lala ’17, Dr. Philip Benesch, Terence C. Brown ’78, Gregory Hessinger ’87, and Rev. William S. Shillady ’78 will complete their board duties on June 30, 2017. 

In addition, Samuel A. Willman ’67 was recognized by the board for his extraordinary service to Lebanon Valley College, for which he was unanimously named trustee emeritus, and eight current trustees were elected to serve another term. 

“LVC is extremely grateful to Vidya, Philip, Terence, Gregory, and William for their thoughtful insights and dedicated work toward ensuring LVC’s success on many fronts,” said Dellinger. “The varied experiences and intellect each shared throughout their selfless service is greatly appreciated and I look forward to their continued association with The Valley after they move on from board duties.” 

 

Willman Honored with Emeritus Status

Samuel A. Willman ’67 was appointed to the Lebanon Valley College Board of Trustees in May 1984 and served in various roles for more than three decades. Willman, founder, owner, and president of Delta Packing Inc., received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from LVC and later a master’s degree from the University of Richmond. His wife, Elaine Joy Willman ’68, received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from LVC. 

A star wrestler and golfer as an undergraduate, Samuel Willman was inducted into the LVC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and received an Alumni Citation in 2002. In 1991, his father, Reuben, established The Reuben O. and Barbara P. Willman Scholarship Fund, which is awarded to a student who demonstrates good character, financial need, and academic promise. Samuel and Elaine are also members of the College’s Lifetime Vickroy Society, which recognizes donors whose lifetime giving totals more than $100,000.

“Sam was a distinguished member of the board whose unflagging service and deep affection for his alma mater is unparalleled,” noted Dellinger. “It was our honor to award emeritus status to this generous-spirited member of The Valley family.”

 

New Trustees Elected

Michael S. Beyer ’80 graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a B.S. in economics and was a four-year member of the men’s tennis team. His wife, June Collier Beyer ’80, graduated from LVC with a B.S. in elementary education. 

Today, Michael Beyer is the chief executive officer of Beyer Auto Group, which operates nine locations of Volvo, Kia, Subaru, Mazda, and Volkswagen dealerships in Northern Virginia. He has been an owner in the business since 1982, though it has been in the family since the 1970s. Beyer’s areas of expertise include strategic planning, sales management, and marketing. 

The Beyers are members of the LVC Leadership Council and have supported The Valley Fund. They also have provided leadership gifts to the Shankroff Tennis Center and June Herr Educational Resource Room at The Valley. 

Dr. Laura Eldred, LVC associate professor of English, was elected to serve as a faculty trustee. Since joining the English Department in 2007, she has served in various capacities, including on the Curriculum and Assessment Committee, Colloquium Committee, and Strategic Planning Committee. Dr. Eldred was part of a core group that created the new Common Learning Experience curriculum, and has subsequently been appointed as director of the College’s First-Year Experience program. 

Dr. Eldred graduated cum laude with a B.A. in English from the College of William and Mary and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As part of her LVC scholarship commitment, she established The Valley Humanities Review, an online journal dedicated to the publication of excellent undergraduate research in the fields of the humanities, in 2009. An international journal, published essays have come from a wide variety of colleges, including LVC, Brown, York St. John (United Kingdom), Columbia, Princeton, and Harvard. 

Shilesky Montalvo ’19, an English major with a law and society minor, was elected to a two-year term as student trustee. At LVC, she serves as a Valley Ambassador, president of the Rotaract Club, member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and tutor in Spanish. Montalvo worked with Dr. Ivette Guzman Zavala, associate professor of Spanish, to help plan and direct LVC’s service trip to Puerto Rico this spring.

In 2014, Montalvo served as a translator in the Dominican Republic for low-income patients at a local hospital, helping doctors learn how to best treat these patients. She also worked as a translator at a secondary school in the Dominican Republic, serving as an effective bridge between the teachers and students to help improve literacy within the community. Montalvo plans to attend law school after graduating from LVC, and practicing in New York City as an advocate to ensure that clients’ voices are heard. 

 

Completed Terms

Dr. Philip Benesch completes his three-year term as a faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, where he served on the Finance and Administration Committee. 

Dr. Benesch, associate professor of politics and faculty director of external scholarships and fellowships, advises students who pursue external scholarships and fellowships, resulting in three Fulbright Scholar Finalists, an Eben Tisdale Fellowship, and the College’s first-ever Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship. 

Dr. Benesch also established LVC’s pre-law program and pre-law club. Recent advisees went on to many distinguished law schools, including Villanova, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maine, William & Mary, and Wake Forest. 

Dr. Benesch received his B.A. from the University of London, M.A. from the London School of Economics, and Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. He has also earned a postgraduate certificate in laws, postgraduate diploma in laws, and LL.M., all from the University of London.

Terence C. Brown ’78, president of Brown Technology Group LLC, graduated with a B.S. in political science. He was a star student-athlete in football and track, for which he was inducted into the LVC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. Brown was a member of Phil Lambda Sigma, founded at LVC in 1867, a social organization exclusive to LVC that promotes inclusion, diversity, and excellence within the LVC community and after graduation.

At Brown Technology Group, he leads the development and implementation of corporate strategy to expand the company’s roles and responsibilities as a premier minority owned technology company. Brown, who has more than 25 years of technology experience, began his career with Xerox Corporation and has held a variety of successful leadership and management positions with the Eastman Kodak Company, Unisys Corporation, and Oracle Corporation. 

Brown is an active member of his community, serving on numerous charitable boards and committees. He served in several roles as an LVC trustee, including as chair of the Marketing and Enrollment Committee. His generosity to his alma mater led to the Terence C. Brown Rain Garden outside the Allan W. Mund College Center being named in his honor. 

Gregory Hessinger, Esq., ’87, a partner with Mitchell, Siberberg & Knupp LLP, graduated from LVC with a B.A. in political science before earning his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. At LVC, he was a star student-athlete on the gridiron and baseball diamond, and was inducted into the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. He also received a Young Alumni Award in 2001. 

With Mitchell, Siberberg & Knupp, Hessinger represents a variety of regional and national employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. After working in-house at a major TV network, he served as the National Executive Director of the two largest performers’ unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (since merged), which enables him to offer unique and extensive experience in the representation of clients in the media and entertainment industries. 

Hessinger served the LVC Board of Trustees in a variety of roles, including terms on the Finance and Administration Committee and the Marketing and Enrollment Committee. He also made a lead gift commitment to athletic and recreation complex enhancements, including to Henry and Gladys Arnold Field.

Vidya K. Lala ’17 completes her two-year term as a student representative to the board and graduated in May with a major in biology and minor in chemistry. She will enter the School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in the fall. During her board tenure, Lala served on the Academic/Student Affairs Committee and the Finance and Administration Committee.

In addition to her student-trustee role, Lala served as president of Colleges Against Cancer and participated in LVC’s Student Summit on Inclusive Excellence. She also worked as a 50/50 Peer Helper and volunteer in the Bridge Program, as well as an intern then medical scribe at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Lala received the Dean Rosemary Yuhas Award and The Commonwealth Good Citizenship Scholarship.

The Rev. William S. Shillady ’78, executive director of the United Methodist City Society in New York City, received his undergraduate degree in religion and business administration from LVC, where he was a member of the golf team and Alpha Phi Omega. Before becoming executive director of the United Methodist City Society in 2008, Rev. Shillady served as a pastor for 29 years. 

Over the years, Rev. Shillady has served on a variety of board and committees of the New York Annual Conference, as well as community-based programs and board. Mayor Bill De Blasio appointed him as a member of the Major’s Faith Leaders Advisory Council for the City of New York, and he co-officiated at the Chelsea Clinton-Marc Mesvinsky wedding in July of 2010. Rev. Shillady also led the memorial service for Dorothy Rodham, the mother of Hilary Rodham Clinton and maintains a pastoral relationship with the Clinton family.

Rev. Shillady served the LVC Board of Trustees on the Academic/Student Affairs Committee and the Finance and Administration Committee. 

 

Eight Elected to New Terms

Chair Dellinger also announced that eight current board members were approved for additional terms ending in 2020. These trustees are:

David Cass ’93, chief information security officer, IBM, New York City, N.Y. Cass served on the Academic/Student Affairs Committee, Investment Committee, and Risk Management Subcommittee in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2014. 

Susanne Dombrowski ’83, principal and shareholder of Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz, and chief financial officer, controller, and shareholder of 12:34 Micro Technologies Inc., Lancaster, Pa. Dombrowski served on the Advancement Committee, Audit Committee (vice chair), and Benefits Subcommittee in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2011.

James Glasgow ’81, president of Building and Land Technology, Stamford, Conn., and managing member of Five Mile Capital Partners, New York City, N.Y. Glasgow served on the Advancement Committee, Executive Committee, and Finance and Administration Committee (chair) in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2008.

Wendie DiMatteo Holsinger, chief executive officer of A.S.K. Foods, Inc., Palmyra, Pa. DiMatteo Holsinger served on the Academic/Student Affairs Committee (chair), Executive Committee, and Finance and Administration Committee in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 1993. 

George King ’68, chief financial officer, Energy Intelligence, New York City, N.Y. King served on the Audit Committee, Finance and Administration, and Risk Management Subcommittee in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2005. 

Chet Mosteller ’75, president and founder of Mosteller & Associates, Reading, Pa., and executive vice president of human resources of Meridian Bancorp Inc., Boston, Mass. Mosteller served on the Benefits Subcommittee (chair), Executive Committee, Executive Compensation Subcommittee, and Governance Committee (vice chair) in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2011.  

Elliot Robinson, vice president of administration, Milton Hershey School, Hershey, Pa. Robinson served on the Audit Committee (chair), Executive Committee, and Governance Committee in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2008.

Tracey Smith Stover ’91, partner and U.S. assurance industrial products leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Denver, Colo. Stover was a member of the Advancement Committee (chair), Executive Committee, and Marketing and Enrollment Committee in 2016–2017 and has been a member of the board since 2011.