BUFFALO AND SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York is proud to welcome four new members to its Board of Trustees: Angela M. Douglas, LaToya M. Jones, Kevin B. Klotzbach, and Elizabeth L. Mauro. They will join their fellow trustees in providing leadership, oversight and strategic guidance in pursuit of the Health Foundation’s vision of a healthy central and western New York where racial and socioeconomic equity are prioritized and all people can reach their full potential and obtain equitable health outcomes.
Angela M. Douglas is the Co-Executive Director of Vera House, a Syracuse-based victim services agency covering all of Onondaga County. In that role, she leads strategic planning and execution, organizational and leadership development, and change management to increase capacity and deconstruct social norms that maintain sexual assault, domestic violence and oppression, while advocating for systemic change. Ms. Douglas has diverse career experience in education, juvenile justice, alternative dispute resolution, nonprofit leadership and entrepreneurship. She has been designing curricula, training and educational programs for more than 30 years and is a frequent public speaker on these topics.
In addition to the Health Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Ms. Douglas serves on the boards of New Justice Services and CancerConnects, and serves as Board President & CEO of Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse. She resides in Syracuse, NY.
LaToya M. Jones, BS, HSA, LPN is an independent private duty licensed practical nurse with over 23 years’ experience in a variety of health care settings who currently serves as Regional Healthcare Advocate and Organizer for the Healthcare Education Project in Syracuse. At the Healthcare Education Project, Ms. Jones works to protect and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all New Yorkers via education, advocacy and coalition building. In organizing public health fairs, panel discussions and health care forums, she educates her communities about the plight of the uninsured and implements processes to better understand the urgent health care issues facing the community.
Ms. Jones’s community involvement has included Central New York Community Foundation’s Leadership Classroom; 2017 American Sexual Health Association Ambassador; Gifford Foundation’s Nourishing Tomorrow’s Leaders; the Onondaga County Health Equity Coalition; and the Onondaga County Heath Immunization Coalition, and the Central New York Health Equity Taskforce. In addition to the Health Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Ms. Jones serves on the boards of David’s Refuge and Syracuse Onondaga Food Systems Alliance, and serves as First Vice President of The NAACP of Syracuse and Onondaga County. She resides in Clay, NY.
Kevin B. Klotzbach retired in 2020 as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at Five Star Bank in western New York. He brings to the Board of Trustees his vast experience in the banking industry spanning more than four decades. Previously, he was Chief Investment Officer at Greater Buffalo Savings Bank, Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Merrill Lynch Asset Assessment, and Administrative Vice President and Portfolio Manager at KeyBank/Empire Federal Savings Bank.
Active in his community, Mr. Klotzbach’s volunteer involvement includes participation with Neighborhood Housing Services, FeedMore WNY, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, the New York State Banking Pension Board, the D’Youville College Board of Trustees, and membership on a number of finance committees. He resides in Elma, NY and Bonita Springs, FL.
Elizabeth L. Mauro was appointed to her current position as Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor Health in 2007. Since her appointment, Ms. Mauro has led the growth and expansion of the organization from Erie County into Niagara, Orleans, Genesee and Monroe Counties. She is the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Social Workers, NYS Western Division. She serves on the Board of Directors of People Inc., a not-for-profit health and human services agency.
Ms. Mauro is a founding partner, Treasurer and Advisory Board member of Value Network IPA, LLC. She is the Advisory Board Chair for the Oishei Healthy Kids Children’s Health Home Care Management Committee along with serving on the Utilization Management and Quality Management Behavioral Health subcommittees for Your Care Health Plan, Beacon Health Options. She resides in Hamburg, NY.
“We are so honored to have these outstanding leaders join our Board of Trustees,” says Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD, President of the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York. “The wealth of knowledge they bring in their respective areas of expertise will make a significant impact on the Health Foundation’s efforts to advance health equity and improve the health of people in western and central New York.”
“The Health Foundation is pleased and grateful to welcome our new trustees,” said Cheryl Smith Fisher, Chair, Board of Trustees. “In a time of great challenges for community health, having these four leaders at the table will contribute greatly to our ability to address the most urgent needs of the people we serve in western and central New York.”
The Board of Trustees also announced that Smith Fisher was re-elected Chair; Ann Sedore was re-elected Vice Chair; Marybeth McCall, MD, was re-elected Secretary; and Carrie Frank was elected Treasurer. David Milling, MD, also was elected to the board’s executive committee.
The terms of three long-time Health Foundation trustees ended in the first quarter of 2021: Lisa D. Alford, Joseph J. Cozzo, and Vincent J. Mancuso.
Lisa D. Alford became a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2012, and was named Vice Chair in 2019. Ms. Alford is the commissioner of the Onondaga County Department of Adult and Long Term Care Services in Syracuse, NY.
Joseph J. Cozzo joined the Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2010, and served as chair from 2016 through 2019. Mr. Cozzo is president and CEO of Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center.
Vincent J. Mancuso became a Health Foundation trustee in 2011 and was elected as treasurer in 2013, a role he served until his retirement from the board in 2021. Mr. Mancuso retired as Senior Executive Vice President, Group Audit North America, at HSBC Bank in Buffalo in 2006.
“We share our immense gratitude with Lisa, Joe and Vince as their terms with the Health Foundation Board of Trustees come to an end,” said Smith Fisher. “The contributions of these three dynamic leaders—not only to the Health Foundation, but in their respective communities—is immeasurable. The impact of their work will be felt in the regions we serve for years to come.”
ABOUT THE HEALTH FOUNDATION FOR WESTERN & CENTRAL NEW YORK
The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York is an independent private foundation that advocates for continuous improvement in health and health care for the people and communities of Western and Central New York. For more information, please visit www.hfwcny.org.
