Beryl Katz – Founder and Executive Director
Beryl Katz brings over 20 years experience in community service to Senior Adults for Greater Education. Beryl has a B.S. in Secondary Education and draws on her expertise as a teacher to enhance her effectiveness as spokesperson for Senior Adults for Greater Education. She has incorporated as a non-profit 501 (c) 3 and trade and service marked this volunteer organization so it may expand into multiple school districts. Her effort has positively impacted the student-to-teacher ratios providing services to schools previously unavailable due to budget constraints. In collaboration with the schools and the community, Beryl has created an organization of over 900 senior members that is growing every year.
As a parent volunteer, Beryl expanded the school library, headed the membership drive for the junior high PTA, and served as purchasing agent for one of Council Rock’s elementary schools.
Beryl is an advocate for volunteerism and is affiliated with:
- Temple University Coming of Age Commission
- The Bucks County Area Agency on Aging
- AARP
- The Pennsylvania Association of Volunteerism
- Generations United
- PANO
- Delaware Valley Volunteer Association
- Older Women’s League
- Network Connections, Bucks County
Beryl has been recognized as:
- Citizen of the Month of Northampton Township
- Hometown Hero by the Philadelphia 76ers
- Woman of Worth by OWL – the Older Women’s League
Beryl has a unique ability to engage stakeholders utilizing multimedia and a wide variety of communication channels. She has appeared on Comcast Newsmakers CN8 and has raised awareness of Senior Adults for Greater Education and the benefits of volunteerism through community events, television appearances, a talk show, published articles and monthly newsletters. Beryl has created a powerful image for the program with a recognizable logo, frequent events and an internet site for ease of access.
Recognizing the value of partnerships, Beryl utilizes school district resources for administrative support, access to programs, teacher time, and student time. She has built an effective team through engagement of teacher liaisons in each partner school.
With funding assistance and the continued support of communities interested in Senior Adults for Greater Education, Beryl has taken the effort to a regional audience. Beryl’s vision and passion holds limitless possibilities for the community and the relationship between students and seniors.
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Ed Doherty – Board President
Ed Doherty is president of Doherty Hospitality Group, a consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. For over 25 years, Ed Doherty has honed his skills as one of the Delaware Valley’s leading hospitality visionaries. Ed’s comprehensive insight, culinary acumen, leadership ability, and talent for team development have helped create some of the area’s finest hospitality venues.
Mr. Doherty’s attended Wesley College where he was president of the Student Government Association and received an Associate in Arts degree. His culinary career began in Paris, France, where he studied at Ecole d’Cuisine La Varenne and the Academe du Vin after graduating from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in Education. In 1989, Doherty was inducted into Chef's of America, an honorary culinary society of America's top culinaires. Among his other culinary accomplishments, Mr. Doherty’s received the Governor’s Award for his part in developing the “Jersey Fresh” program, was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City, was named a Gourmet Magazine “Top Chef” and co-authored The Cooking School at La Campagne Cookbook.
Mr. Doherty was the managing partner of the Philadelphia Capital Grille and proprietor of Devon Seafood Grill. In 2005, Ed received the “People Developer of the Year” award from Rare Hospitality International for his ability to build successful teams and help individuals find their potential.
Mr. Doherty is currently developing a steakhouse concept in Center city Philadelphia scheduled to open in the Fall of 2008.
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Lorri Snyder – Board Vice President
Lorri Snyder is currently the owner of the Aesthetic Laser Center in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, which she established in 1998. The Center is a medical-laser business that performs cosmetic skin procedures.
Having graduated the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, Lorri has worked as a Registered Nurse in various fields for 30 years. She has worked in the ICU-CCU, for Upjohn as a Home Health Care Supervisor, an Elder Care Nursing Supervisor, a trained Domestic Violence Counselor for A Woman’s Place, and a business owner.
In 2005, when hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast, she joined the American Red Cross and traveled to Houston to open and staff shelters, provide nursing care and coordinate volunteer services. She currently holds a volunteer position as a National Health Reviewer for her local chapter. Along with her affiliation with the Red Cross, she is a member of the Bucks County Medical Reserve Corps.
Lorri resides in Richboro, PA with her husband Dr. Jerrold Snyder and has two adult children.
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Richard A. Hopkins – Board Treasurer
Richard A. Hopkins BA MBA started his career with Johnson & Johnson in 1975. Before being promoted to Audit Manager in 1983, he worked in the Tax Department, Corporate Accounting and Internal Audit as a Senior Auditor. Mr. Hopkins was Audit Manager from 1983 to 1988. During his tenure as Audit Manager he was responsible for J & J Pharmaceutical companies in over 50 countries around the world. He oversaw numerous acquisition, divestiture and sensitive issue audits during this time.
In 1988 he became Finance Director for Mecron in Berlin, Germany. From 1989 to 1992 he was CFO of Xian Janssen in Xian, China. He was J & J International Finance Controller, Asia/Pacific in Hong Kong from 1993 to 1995. In this position he reported to the J & J International Vice President and was responsible for J & J Consumer Products companies is Asia. In 1993 he was also Financial Director for J & J Baby Products Shanghai and Shanghai Johnson & Johnson (Band-Aid). In 1995 he became Finance and Administration Director for Shanghai J & J Pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Hopkins has a BA in Accounting from Rutgers University and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
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Steve Rodos, Esq. – Board Secretary
Mr. Rodos is a retired Attorney who practiced in Philadelphia. After moving with his wife, into The Villages of Flowers Mill, an over 55 community, he read an article in the Bucks County Courier Times about a woman who had instituted a program in conjunction with the Council Rock School District to enable senior citizens to impart their life experiences by helping out in their schools. The woman was Beryl Katz, the program was Senior Adults for Greater Education.
Mr. Rodos met with Beryl Katz and was impressed with the program. Since he was already attending the meetings of the Neshaminy School Board, he volunteered to present the program to the Board for installation in their district. After many meetings with both school and union representatives the program was approved for the District. It started last year (2006-2007) and has met with great response both from seniors and school teachers.
In addition to his work with Senior Adults for Greater Education, Mr. Rodos is the past president of the Flowers Mill Homeowners Association and also a past president of Shir Ami Synagogue in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
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Theresa M. Blanco – Board Member
Education: B.A. (1990) in Spanish and Latin American Studies from American University, Washington DC (full academic scholarship);. While at American, Ms. Blanco was admitted to the Golden Key National Honor Society and was in the honors program of the School of International Service; J.D. Temple University Law School in 1996 with award for best trial advocacy. Ms. Blanco proudly attended the evening division of Temple Law School while continuing to work full time during the day.
Bar Admissions: State and Federal District Courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland; Third and Fourth Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal; Northern District of Florida.
Experience: Ms. Blanco concentrates her practice in the areas of education/school law and litigation. She has several reported cases involving the federal Rehabilitation Act which plays a major role in many cases involving students with disabilities.
Ms. Blanco also has specialized experience in medical malpractice with a particular interest in pediatric and obstetric cases. She participates in all aspects of litigation from initial client interview through trial. Ms. Blanco has numerous jury trials and other proceedings to her credit at all levels of the civil court system, from justice of the peace through jury trial and appellate advocacy. Ms. Blanco is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) and is a founding member of the Bar Association of the Third Federal Circuit.
She obtained a significant decision governing the rights of plaintiffs to be notified before defense counsel attempt to speak with treating physicians, pursuant to HIPAA the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act. In Law v. Zuckerman, the Maryland Federal District Court held, in a case of first impression, that defendants counsel could not speak to plaintiff’s treating physicians without first applying to the court for an order granting such contact, and only then with prior notification to the plaintiff and her counsel. This is a large step in protecting plaintiffs from back channel communications about their health care and status by defense counsel in any type of litigation.
Ms. Blanco has also worked as a consultant to other attorneys in the area of medical malpractice and Rehabilitation Act litigation, and has traveled all over the country to represent clients and try cases.. She volunteers her time with organizations which serve families of children with heart defects, advising them on insurance coverage and assisting, free of charge, with insurance appeals. Ms. Blanco is chairperson of the of the Helping Hands committee of her local home and school association which is designed to aid local families whenever an urgent need arises, and chairs the Yearbook Committee. She has served as an advisor and team coach with the TEMPLE-LEAP program, which teaches trial advocacy to high school students. Ms. Blanco is an amateur naturalist and photographer and spends her free time with her children exploring the outdoors, collecting specimens for study, and taking photographs.
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Jill Carr – Board Member
Jill Carr is currently President of The Give Something Foundation. The foundation, started by Jill and her husband, Robert Carr, funds scholarships for students of need and select community organizations.
She is also on several community boards, including The Putney School and Heartland Cares Foundation. Jill and her husband have been in the payments business for many years and in 1997 their company, Heartland Payments Systems was founded. The Company went public in 2005.
Jill and her husband purchased the home built by Woodrow and Ellen Wilson. The home was built in 1896 and Jill has been leading the four year renovation which is just being completed.
Jill attended the University of South Florida earning a B.A. in Psychology and further graduate work in counseling. She lives in Princeton, NJ and has three children.
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Stephanie Cayne-Meiskin, Ed.D. – Board Member
Stephanie has a B.A. in Speech, Language and Hearing from Douglass College, an M.A. in Reading from Montclair University, teaching certifications from Kean University, and a doctorate from Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Her experiences both in and out of the classroom have been invaluable to all aspects of her life, from her commitment to family, devotion to her students, and quest for knowledge, to her passion for creating intergenerational partnerships that capture the essence of community and caring.
Stephanie wears many hats. As a parent of four children, educator, and community volunteer, Stephanie realized the value of intergenerational connections, and subsequently established an intergenerational program in her local school district in 2001. While nurturing the program, she pursued her doctorate degree in education, which proved helpful in promoting, implementing, and sustaining the intergenerational programming initiatives in her local public school. Her research examined the impact of school-based intergenerational programs on the seniors’ attitudes toward education and public schools. As a program director and future school administrator, Stephanie is a source of ideas and information regarding intergenerational programming initiatives that are school-based. Stephanie brings to Senior Adults for Greater Education both compassion and understanding of the elder and youth generations, as well as knowledge of business policies and procedures, programming for students, education, and public relations.
She currently teaches special education in a 4-6th grade public elementary school in NJ. In addition to serving as a Board member for Senior Adults for Greater Education, she also is the secretary for the Manalapan Mayor’s Special Needs Council, the Community Liaison for the NJ Council for Exceptional Children, an emergency medical technician (EMT) for Marlboro First Aid Squad, a Board member for The Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, to name a few.
Stephanie is delighted to be a part of the Senior Adults for Greater Education family and truly embraces their mission. As a promoter of intergenerational experiences, Stephanie has seen first hand the benefits such programming has for all the participants. Senior Adults for Greater Education is a gift to all who embrace it.
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Randy Hulings – Board Member
Randy Hulings is currently a Council Rock teacher beginning his 35th year at Wrightstown Elementary where he teaches 6th grade. He has just completed a six year term as Council Rock Education Association President. Through serving in this capacity, he has worked in many arenas with the community. In different roles, he has seen the critical nature of engaging district stakeholders in the educational process. He realizes and believes in the importance of including community in schools and their activities.
Randy has had personal experience with Senior Adults for Greater Education as well. He was fortunate to have a member be a mentor to one of his students who was struggling. Seeing the effect this relationship had on both members of the partnership gave him first hand evidence of the program’s merits. Philosophically he understands the power underlying the concept of Senior Adults for Greater Education. On a practical level he has seen its effects and benefits. Getting seniors into schools helps them to better understand what’s going on with students today both academically and socially. Having students interact with seniors gives the students a chance to participate in unique personal experiences which enrich their lives. The teachers also benefit from the time, expertise, and extra set of hands a senior can provide. As a teaching resource, the potential of including seniors in a school setting is limitless.
Randy is married to a retired Council Rock teacher and between them they have four children. Only one still lives at home and is a rising senior at Central Bucks East. Randy enjoys all kinds of sports as a spectator. He spends his free time golfing and reading when he’s not serving on a committee tied to either CREA or the state organization, Pennsylvania State Education Association, where he is presently filling the position of Mid East Region treasurer.
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Sue Hulings – Board Member
Sue Hulings is a retired teacher from Council Rock. She began at Richboro Middle School in 1972 and remained there throughout her 31 year career in the district. In that time period, she taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade English. Through the course of her career, she became acutely aware of the need for community involvement in the schools. When Sue became a part of the Core Four pilot program introducing teaming to the middle school, she was able to act on her feelings that community and school could act in concert to enrich the learning of her students while including other stakeholders. The Core Four team of teachers was able to create activities which invited parent, sibling and grandparent participation in the evenings. Families were actively engaged in sharing the educational processes their students were experiencing. Inspired by the results of family interaction in the school setting, Sue established the Richboro Middle School Parent Child Book Club which still exists. Here parents and their child read and discuss a particular book in groups comprised of other students, parents and facilitated by teachers.
After having great success with book club, Sue created a similar version during the school day but involving Senior Adults for Greater Education members as partners to the student readers. This was exciting to watch as teens connected with seniors discussing literature of their choosing. The dialog was impressive. As a result of Sue’s awareness of the need for community interactions and the positive outcomes of her experiences, Sue has professional evidence that including the community in schools has a positive impact on all involved.
Sue is married to a Council Rock teacher and together they have four children. Three are grown and living on their own. Their fourth child is a senior in Central Bucks this 2007 school year. Because the facet of her job she misses the most is working with kids and impacting their language arts experience, she tutors students in reading and writing since she has retired. Along with her family, books and libraries are her passion.
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Kevin Kruse – Board Member
Kevin Kruse is the founder and President of AXIOM Professional Health Learning (www.axiom-health.com), a rapidly growing medical education company that was recently named the #4 Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania. In 2006 Kevin was named by PharmaVoice magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Inspiring People in the Lifescience Industry”.
Kevin is the author of Technology-based Training: The Art and Science of Design, Development, Delivery (Jossey-Bass), and contributing author to What Smart Trainers Know (Jossey-Bass), Active Training (John Wiley), and From Great Sales to Training (AXIS). Previously Kevin was the e-learning columnist for Chief Learning Officer magazine and has been interviewed or quoted by dozens of publications including Fortune, Training, HR Magazine, HR Executive, Upside, Corporate University Review, Training & Development and others.
Active politically, Kevin served as one of Patrick Murphy’s speech writers in the 2006 congressional race and Kevin remains a top fundraiser on Congressman Murphy’s finance committee.
Kevin is married with three children and lives in Churchville, Pennsylvania.
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Stephanie Melzer – Board Member
Stephanie graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia with a B.A. in Marketing. While there, she was involved with the American Marketing Association, played club soccer, and had multiple internships. Upon graduating she worked at Hase/Schannen in Princeton, New Jersey in the field department as a project facilitator. After leaving there in October of 2006 she joined TNS as a Research Associate in the Media and Entertainment group. Currently, she works on projects for clients in the TV, Social Networking and Digital Media industries.
Stephanie resides in Montgomery County with her finance and boxer Rocco. She joined Senior Adults for Greater Education’s board in June of 2007 and also sits on the Strategic Marketing committee.
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Christine Moran, Ph.D. – Board Member
Christine Ellis Moran, Ph.D., is currently employed as a full-time Assistant Professor of Education at Immaculata University, where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. Dr. Moran’s course load has included, but is not limited to the following courses: Orientation to Teaching, Reading and Writing Connections, Children’s Literature, Research Methods, and Human Development. Dr. Moran is also a part-time adjunct faculty member at Temple University and teaches a Measurement and Assessment course each semester to prospective teachers. As an instructor at these institutions of higher education, she stays current on educational topics (including national and state educational standards) and the various developments in pedagogical theories and psychological research.
Moran began her teaching career at Abington Senior High School in September 1997, where she taught World Civilizations, American Studies, Psychology and Sociology to 10th, 11th and 12th grade students. There she was a member of various task force teams, including curriculum development, technology infusion, service-learning, PSSA preparation, and the Student Assistance Program (SAP).
Moran recently finished her doctoral work at Temple University (a fully accredited Carnegie Research I University) and obtained a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Her doctoral research examined the impact and effects of service-learning on high school students. Moran also earned both a Master of Arts in Education and a B.A. in Secondary Education/Comprehensive Social Studies from La Salle University. Her years of formal education along with her successful experiences at both the high school and college levels, have allowed her to cultivate a strong theoretical background and research orientation characterized by a continuous interplay between theory and practice. When Dr. Moran is not in the classroom, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and three young children.
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Sheryll Poris – Board Member
Sheryll Poris brings to Senior Adults for Greater Education over 25years of business experience, with a concentration in Human Resources. Prior to entering the business world, Sheryll was a social worker in New York providing counsel to terminally ill patients and their families. She applies the same compassion, problem solving and communication skills necessary to succeed as a social worker to her human resources responsibilities at companies such as Wyeth, Johnson and Johnson, Princeton University, and American Express. She is a team player with extensive knowledge and experience in several aspects of the Human Resources function including compensation, benefits, performance management, diversity, communication, resolution of employee relations issues, training, and policy and program development and implementation. Sheryll is currently Manager, Human Resources at BearingPoint, a global Management and Technology Consulting Company.
Sheryll’s demonstrated ability to build consensus, establish trust, and communicate effectively at all levels helps her effectively resolve employee relations issues, and coach and counsel employees at all levels. Her greatest value, however, is as an employee advocate with a reputation for being able to proactively assess employee needs and propose cost-effective solutions that address both the employee issues and the organization’s business goals. Her colleagues recognize Sheryll as an expert in the proactive identification of areas for improvements and for the design, implementation and communication of these innovative Work/Life programs.
For example, she proposed and secured approval of Wyeth’s first Employee Assistance Program (EAP). She teamed with the EAP provider to initiate a new EAP paradigm, which combined counseling and dependent referral/information service. She persuaded the EAP provider to collaborate with Wyeth to pilot this EAP model. This program was so successful that it quickly became the standard format for EAP services and contributed to the growth and success of Wyeth’s EAP provider.
Sheryll is also credited with pioneering an employee benefit that was cited by Working Mother’s Magazine as the primary factor for initially selecting Wyeth as “One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Women”. Management had asked Sheryll to research the possibility of providing a corporate childcare center at the pharmaceutical headquarters in Radnor, PA. Upon determining it was not feasible, due to the unavailability of real estate, Sheryll proposed an innovative alternative for Wyeth to assist employees’ with dependent care needs using the same funds that would have financed the development and maintenance of a corporate childcare center. By contributing to the high cost of dependent care, Wyeth could enable domestic employees, with varied dependent care expenses, to better afford quality care for their loved ones. Not only would employees with pre-school childcare expenses receive assistance, employees with other dependent care expenses (i.e. before/after school programs, eldercare and care for disabled dependents) would also benefit.
Providing support and assistance to those she comes in contact with, both in her professional and personal lives, motivates Sheryll. Her daily goal is to “make a positive difference in at least one person’s life”. She has proven successful in attaining this goal through a unique combination of problem solving skills, analytical skills, interpersonal skills and great sense of humor!
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Brian Serfass – Board Member
Brian Serfass is a Vice President with Merrill Lynch in the Strategic Marketing and Brand Management group. He currently supports marketing efforts for the Northeast Division of the firm. Prior to his role supporting the Northeast Division, Brian built strategic marketing programs for deployment throughout Merrill Lynch’s Global Wealth Management business. He has been with Merrill Lynch since 2005.
Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Brian worked for Bank of America for over eight years in various strategic marketing and analytical roles. He also worked on integrating the Bank of America/FleetBoston Financial merger.
Brian has a B.S. in Accounting from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA and an M.B.A. in Marketing from La Salle University.
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