HAMBURG, N.Y. – Steve Bell, Rhonda Frederick, Richard Hamister, Hon. Craig D. Hannah, and Camille P. Wicher, Ph.D. have been named to the Hilbert College Board of Trustees.
Steve Bell (Buffalo, NY) is the Managing Partner at Steve Bell Communications, LLC. Bell spent 12 years at Mower (previously Eric Mower + Associates) leading the agency’s crisis and reputation management practice. He also served as head of Mower’s 40-person Buffalo office for three years. He worked for 20 years at The Buffalo News, serving as editorial page editor, managing editor, business editor, and city editor. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and Master of Arts from University at Albany.
Rhonda Frederick (Amherst, NY) is President and CEO of People, Inc. Frederick has worked at People, Inc. for nearly 40 years, starting as a program instructor and holding various positions, including program administrator, director of program development, and chief operating officer. She has served at a variety of community organizations, including the Developmental Disabilities Alliance of Western New York, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and Amherst Meals on Wheels. Frederick has been honored multiple times on Buffalo Business First’s lists: “Women of Influence” and “Power Women.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a Master of Public Administration from Canisius College.
Richard Hamister (Orchard Park, NY) is New York Region President at Northwest Bank. He returns to the Hilbert Board for a second stint, after serving as a Hilbert trustee from 2010 to 2016. Hamister is a commercial banking executive and community leader with 35 years of financial services experience in the consumer, commercial, small business, and wealth management segments. Prior to Northwest Bank, he also served in leadership roles at Key Bank (formerly First Niagara Bank), Hamister Group, and M&T Bank. Hamister earned his bachelor’s degree from Thiel College and his MBA from Canisius College.
Honorable Craig D. Hannah (Buffalo, NY) is the presiding Judge of the Buffalo City Court’s Opiate Intervention and Adolescent Diversion Parts. The Opiate Intervention Court is the first of its kind in the nation and is dedicated to treating the needs of the people who first come into contact with the law. He is also the Supervising Judge of the Lackawanna, North Tonawanda and Tonawanda City Courts. Judge Hannah’s honors and achievements are numerous. He was bestowed with the honor of ‘Jurist of the Year’ by the Buffalo Special Police Benevolent Association in 2008, and the Community Service award by the Afro-American Police Association in 2013. Judge Hannah earned his bachelor’s degree from Canisius College and his Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of Law.
Camille P. Wicher, Ph.D., Esq., MSN, RN (Depew, NY) is Vice President for Corporate Ethics, Research Subject Protections & Scientific Integrity at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She has worked at Roswell Park for over 20 years and she is responsible for direct oversight of the corporate program for research, clinical, and scientific ethics. Wicher is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, American Nurses Association, and the Association of American Cancer Institutes. She is involved with various community activities, including the New York State Commission on Quality of Care and the Journal of Cancer Education. Wicher earned her bachelor’s degree, Master of Science, Juris Doctorate, and Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 800 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs in criminal justice administration and public administration, including a track in health administration.