Board of Directors
The Foundation is governed by a Board of volunteers who are business and community leaders and representatives from the College.
The Board:
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Oversees the Foundation's asset management,
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Develops new donors, and
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Plans and executes special fundraising events.
Board Members
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Vacant - Executive Director, Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc. Institutional Development
Directors Emeriti
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Board Member Bios
Ellenville native Elliott Auerbach’s career traverses the small and corporate business world, the public sector and the not-for profit universe.
In addition to enjoying a series of successes in private industry, he served as the Village of Ellenville Mayor, the Ulster County Comptroller, the New York State Deputy Comptroller and Executive Director of the Rural Economic Area Partnership. Furthermore, Auerbach served on the Board of Directors of RUPCO, as Assistant Chairman and Assistant Secretary of the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency and currently serves as a member of the Ulster Chamber Foundation, the New York Government Finance Officers’ Association and is on the Board of Directors of the Catskill Borscht Belt Museum.
The Ellenville High School alumnus is a graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in Economics-Business and has pursued graduate studies at Long Island University and SUNY New Paltz. Elliott is the father of three, grandfather of seven and resides in Ellenville with his wife Judi, a high school guidance counselor. He is an avid skier, hiker and kayaker and dedicated runner who completed several NYC and Philadelphia Marathons. His simple philosophy is to “bloom where you are planted”.
The Late John Bonavita-Goldman, MD, FACR, of Kingston is a retired board-certified radiologist. Dr. Bonavita-Goldman was most
recently an assistant professor of radiology at New York University School of Medicine,
teaching at NYU Langone Medical Center, and co-director of the NYU Langone Faculty
Radiology Practice. He earlier taught ultrasound to radiology residents, fellows and
rotating medical students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, now
the Perelman School of Medicine. He was additionally the school’s section chief of
emergency radiology.
As well as the Ulster Community College Foundation board, Dr. Bonavita-Goldman also serves on the Ulster County Planning Board, the Kingston Zoning Board of Appeals, the board of directors of HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley and the HealthAlliance Foundation board.
Alejandro Cordova holds an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from Le Moyne College. He is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. Active in the community, he is a Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress Fellow and serves on the executive board of Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, & Ulster. Alejandro currently works as the First Vice President of Human Resources at the Ulster Savings Bank headquarters in Kingston, NY.
Scott Davis, P.E. is a registered Professional Engineer licensed in NY, CT, MA, PA, NJ, NH and WY. Scott has more than 25 years of experience in Structural Design and Analysis, and Civil Engineering. He is active in the Eastern New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Scott’s project experience includes civil/site development design, residential and commercial building design and analysis, forensic structural analysis, and project management. He is experienced with AASHTO, AISC, NYSDOT, and ACI codes.
Rachel Reyes Jackson grew up in Manila, worked in Singapore, completed her graduate degree in Syracuse, and worked at various banks in New York. Rachel believes that education is the great equalizer of society, and therefore she encourages people to get a good education. She supports scholarship funds at her alma maters, Ateneo and SU. She works as an artist rep, promoting several visual artists and selling their work.
Robert R. Jacobsen, Esq. earned his J.D. in 2003 from Western New England University School of Law in Springfield,
MA, his BA in Accounting from State University of New York College at New Paltz, New
Paltz, NY, and his AS in Business Administration from Ulster County Community College,
Stone Ridge, NY. Robert is admitted to practice law in both the states of New York
and Connecticut and is a member of the New York Bar Association and Ulster County
Bar Association. As a sole practitioner, Robert specializes in Real Estate Law with
an office based in historic uptown Kingston, New York. He represents clients throughout
the Hudson Valley primarily with the purchase and sale of residential and commercial
real estate. Along with individual and corporate clients, Robert represents various
local and national lenders in the mortgage closing process. Robert is also a licensed
New York State Title Insurance Agent. He is the owner and president of the Title Service
Company, which is a registered agent with nationally known underwriter Westcor Land
Title Insurance Company. Along with volunteering with the Foundation, Robert is also
a 12-plus-year City of Kingston Planning Board member, having served under three different
administrations. Robert and his wife Carly first met as students at SUNY Ulster, are
President’s Challenge Scholarship sponsors, and were recipients of the 2019 SUNY Ulster
Distinguished Alumni Award. Robert was inducted into the SUNY Ulster Alumni Hall of
Fame in 2020.
Zachary Jarvis Zachary’s depth of knowledge and passion for the Hudson Valley is expansive. He has deep roots and appreciation for the Hudson Valley and its close-knit comminuty. For the past 6 years, Zachary has been working as a top-producing Associate Broker at Berkshire Hathaway Nutshell Realty alongside his close team of 2 other agents successfully serving buyers and sellers throughout the Hudson Valley Region. Zachary has consecutively been placed in the top 2% of Berkshire Hathaway agents nationwide, and in the top 3% of our local regions multiple listing service. Zachary’s involvement in the local community plays a major part in his success as he is a 2018 graduate of SUNY Ulster, Ulster Community College Foundation Board Director, and a current member of the SUNY Ulster Alumni Committee. Additionally he serves on the board of the Rondout Valley Business Association as the secretary and is an active supporter of the Mohonk Preserve and Rondout Valley Education Foundation. In his spare time, Zachary cherishes spending quality time with his friends and family while traveling and exploring new places. Living, working and giving back to the local community is a real lifestyle, and Zachary wouldn't want to do it anywhere else but in the Hudson Valley.
Floyd Lattin retired from the Praedium Group where he was a founder and Chief Investment Officer. Before Praedium, Mr. Lattin was a Director at Credit Suisse First Boston (now UBS) and a Vice President in the Real Estate Group at Bankers Trust Company (now Deutsche Bank) where he chaired the bank's real estate equity effort. Mr Lattin holds a BA from Antioch College, an MA from New York University, and an MBA from Columbia University.
John Markes joined the Board of the Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc. in 1990, serving many roles, including Chairman of the Board, Co-Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee, and a member of the Investment Management Committee. His many hours of service, dedication, and philanthropic contributions to the Foundation have guided us through great growth and expansion during his time.
After attending SUNY Ulster, John went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in both Finance and Economics from SUNY Albany. John is currently the owner of Ohayo Professional Services, providing financial, strategic, and operational mentoring to both existing and startup businesses. John has previously worked as an Executive in the Health Care and Banking Industries.
John's past board and community volunteer participation includes Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ulster County, Hospice of Ulster County, Ulster County Development Corporation, Girl Scouts of Ulster County, and Kingston Area Soccer League (KASL) Coach. John is grateful for his three children, their spouses and his four grandchildren.
Victoria St. John-Gilligan is a tireless worker on behalf of community causes and institutions. She is highly respected for her energy, judgment, and ability to organize and motivate individuals. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for many major regional organizations and is a recognized leader on behalf of the not for profit and educational communities. Her commitment to Ulster County Community College and its mission has been foremost among her interests and activities for almost a decade. Her father, the late attorney Howard C. St. John, was instrumental in the establishment of the College and the family has been strongly associated with it for many decades.
Laurel Sweeney is a lifelong resident of the Hudson Valley, Laurel is currently a top producing
Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nutshell Realty, which she owns with
her husband Tim. A SUNY Dutchess graduate, Laurel's first professional position was
as a critical care nurse at Benedictine Hospital, and other service oriented positions
followed, including medical management of a regional HMO.
In addition to SUNY Ulster's Foundation, Laurel serves on the Board of Directors at the Mohonk Preserve, chairing their annual auction and sitting on the Governance and Development committees. Past volunteer and community involvement includes Women's Studio Workshop, Rondout Valley Business Association, Rondout Valley Food Pantry and Church of Christ the King in the Rondout Valley.
Laurel and her husband Tim were inaugural sponsors of SUNY Ulster Foundation's President's Challenge Scholarship and currently serve as Ambassadors of the program.
Laurel and Tim firmly believe that we are all stewards of the gifts we receive and how we use these gifts are the way we measure our lives.
Kathleen “Katie” Zell is a certified public accountant and graduate of Western New England University.
She also holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Hartford. Katie is the
President of Zell CPA, PC, a public accounting firm in Kingston, NY, specializing
in taxation services for individuals and businesses.
Prior to starting her own firm, she worked for PKHB CPAs PC (formerly Kimball & O’Brien, PC) for 13 years specializing in taxes and not-for-profit accounting, auditing, and taxation. She also worked as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers for three years in their private company services department.
Katie continues to serve as a volunteer giving back to her community, having held leadership positions on many boards throughout Ulster County, including the Junior League of Kingston, People’s Place and the Friends of the Senate House, and most currently, the Ulster Federal Credit Union, Cornell Cooperative Extension – Ulster County, and Ashokan Center.
Katie currently lives in Hurley, NY, with her husband Andrew and their daughter, Peyton, and son, Augustus.
