Fisher’s Alumni Board of Directors Adds Four New Members

This summer, the St. John Fisher College Alumni Board of Directors added four new members to its team. The Board, which serves to foster alumni engagement, encourage volunteerism, and grow fundraising efforts, is composed of alumni who serve three-year terms.

New members include Jennifer Gervase Benson ’94, Chris Keyes ’10, ’20 (MBA), Garrett Macdonald ’14, ’16 (MBA), and Tashanda Thomas ’11. Led by Chair Dr. Mark Parsons ’10, and Vice Chair Nate Driscoll ’06, the Board’s new members join MarcAnthony Bucci ’15, Libby Craig ’10, Alexandra Danforth ’13 (Pharm.D.), Dan Dixon ’10, ’11 (MBA), Susan Ippoliti Kavanagh ’97, Heather McGrane Minton ’09, Chastity Murray ’06, ’08 (M.S.), ’17 (Ed.D.), Peter Stoller ’05, Danielle Valerino ’08, and Rick Walsh ’75.

Benson graduated from St. John Fisher College with a bachelor of science  in psychology and sociology, and went onto earn a master’s degree in clinical social work from SUNY Buffalo. She spent four years working in mental health at both Crestwood Children’s Center and Strong Memorial Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

For more than two decades, Benson has worked in sales, sales training, leadership development, and corporate training for a variety of pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer goods companies.  She is currently a director, Learning and Development for The Bountiful Company, a subsidiary of Nestle Health Sciences.

Keyes joined Fisher in 2016 as the defensive coordinator for the Fisher football program, and has helped to develop the Cardinals into a solid defensive unit. Prior to his start at Fisher, he served as an assistant coach and special teams coordinator coaching defensive backs and linebackers at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island. There, he also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

An alumnus of the Cardinals’ football program, Keyes was a defensive back for the team and as a student-athlete, earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management and communications/journalism. The Fairport, New York native completed his MBA from the School of Business in 2020. Keyes is an active volunteer for Camp Good Days & Special Times, serves as the co-president of the Gilda’s Club of Rochester Associate Board, and has been part of Fisher’s annual Teddi Dance for Love since 2006.

Since joining three+one® in 2014, Macdonald has partnered with public finance officials, nonprofits, and higher education institutions to generate measurable and sustained public value through enhanced liquidity management. He has worked cooperatively with governing bodies, public officials, and financial institutions to help bring strategic initiatives to the public sector that lowers internal costs and tax levies. Prior to joining three+one®, Macdonald traveled widely, both domestically and internationally, bringing efficiency resource management to non-profits in Singapore, Indonesia, and Great Britain.

Macdonald graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in corporate finance from Fisher. He went on to earn his MBA there with high distinction. While at Fisher, he received recognition for his scholastic accomplishments and community service. He was also invited to join Beta Gamma Sigma, the highest honor a business scholar can receive from an AACSB-accredited institution.

Through the Association of Finance Professionals, Macdonald earned his Certified Treasury Professional® (CTP) and Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis® (FPAC) designations. More recently, he earned a certificate in “Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy” from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Thomas is the chief human resources officer at WXXI. She brings over 10 years of human resources experience to the position, having worked in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She has expertise in building relationships with employees and managers at all levels to support business strategy, resolving communication issues, and motivating individuals to optimal performance. Thomas is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion for all people and cares deeply about the needs of others.

With a strong interest and commitment to community leadership, Thomas works to impact the lives of citizens of the Rochester community through volunteer work and service to the community. She was recognized as one of the Rochester Business Journal’s Forty under 40 honorees in 2018, The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce named her an IGNITE Future Leader Award finalist in 2019, and she was selected as a Ten Under 10 awardee from Fisher in 2020. In 2021, she was given the Making An Impact Award from the Rochester chapter of the National Human Resources Association.

She holds an associate’s degree from Monroe Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Fisher. She obtained her Professional in Human Resources certification from the HR Certification Institute and SHRM-CP certification from the Society for Human Resources Management.

For more information about the Alumni Board of Directors, visit https://www.sjfc.edu/alumni/stay-connected/.