Frank S. Venezia

Frank Venezia is a CPA with over 30 years of public accounting experience, which include the last 24 with Marvin and Company. He became a Director of the firm in 1985 and was appointed Director of Accounting and Auditing Services in October 1995. Since 1985 he has been the director in charge of the audits, management advisory and other services to a number of organizations providing services to the developmentally disabled, and other not-for-profit organizations. Various for-profit organizations in a variety of different industries are also among his clients. A frequent lecturer and seminar instructor, Mr. Venezia has conducted various presentations on business and other issues throughout New York State.

Mr. Venezia graduated, with honors, from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1976 with a BS degree in Accounting and from the College of St. Rose in 1992 with an MS degree in Accounting. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the board of directors of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, serves as treasurer for the New York State Museum Institute, board member of the Town of Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency.

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Robert B. Ward

Robert Ward is deputy director and director of fiscal studies of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public-policy research arm of the State University of New York.

Mr. Ward has written extensively on state and local government in New York, and how government policies can promote the growth of businesses and jobs in the state.

He is author of the leading text on New York State government for students and citizens, New York State Government: Second Edition, published by the Rockefeller Press.

Mr. Ward previously worked on the staff of the New York State Assembly, where he served as a researcher and writer for the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Before that, he was a reporter and editor with The Knickerbocker News in Albany. An Albany native, he is a graduate of Syracuse University.

He serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of Peter Young Housing, Industry and Treatment, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to "create taxpayers" by helping former prison inmates and homeless individuals recover from substance addiction and find employment.

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Joseph P. Richardson
 

Joseph P. Richardson is an Operating Director for DeltaPoint Capital Management, LLC, a private equity fund for change of control transactions.  He retired from Berkshire Bank on September 30, 2009 as the New York Regional Executive.  He joined the Bank on November 28, 2005 after a brief time as Director of Economic Development for the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce.  Before that he worked for forty-two years in corporate banking.  His banking career began in 1963 with the State Bank of Albany, which has become the Bank of America, where he became a Senior Corporate Lender and Senior Vice President responsible for the statewide Specialized Lending group.  In 1993, Mr. Richardson joined ALBANK as the Senior Vice President responsible for Commercial Banking, which Bank was later acquired by Charter One Bank and further acquired by Citizens Bank.  He retired from Citizen Bank on February 18, 2005.

A 1963 graduate of St. Lawrence University, Mr. Richardson is also a June, 1978 graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University where his thesis entitled, "The Employee Stock Ownership Plan:  It's Applicability, Validity and Utility as a Method of Bank Lending" was accepted for the library and published.  He holds several Graduate Diplomas from the University of Oklahoma National Commercial Lending School and is a Certified Commercial Lender as designated by the American Bankers Association. 

Mr. Richardson has been an active member of many community organizations and recently was the former Chair of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Vice Chair, Town of Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency; member, New York Business Development Corporation Capital District/Champlain Regional Loan and Advisory Committee; former President of the Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter of The Leukemia Society; a former President of the Empire Chapter of Robert Morris Associates; former Race Director for the Hudson-Mohawk Road Runners annual Delmar Dash and a founding Director and first President of the Capital Affordable Housing Partnership.

Currently, Mr. Richardson is a Trustee at St. Lawrence University and a Director and Treasurer of the Terramere Homeowners Association; Event Treasurer for the annual GHI Workforce Team Challenge Road Race and was elected Board Chair at WMHT in June, 2009.  He was re-elected to the Town of Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency on July 12, 2006.  Mr. Richardson is a member of the Tech Valley Angel Network and a member of the Fort Orange Club since 1980.  When not volunteering, you can find Joe hiking, canoeing, biking or perhaps even running a marathon!

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Sam NeJame
 

Sam NeJame is a Partner in the Albany office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP.  His practice focuses on corporate and government-related matters.

Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to New York's largest and most successful lobbying firm.  Prior to joining Wilson Elser, he spent six years as a Senior Government Affairs Specialist helping to build an upstart lobbying firm to a top tier company.  Prior to that, Sam served under Mayor Roy Bernardi (now Deputy Secretary of HUD) in the Office of Corporation Counsel for the City of Syracuse.

Sam has in-depth knowledge in various areas, including municipal government, the private health care industry, economic development and racing and wagering.  He has served a wide-range of clients and issues over the past six years including various municipal governments; the home health care industry; the ambulance industry; several hospitals, nursing homes and hospices; OTB, VLT and racing operators; the energy industry; as well as architects, engineers and developers.  He has experience in State, New York City and Federal government lobbying.

Additionally, Sam is a guest lecturer at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs.  He, also, has considerable political and campaign experience at both the State and local level.

Sam has resided in the Town of Bethlehem for the last 8 years.  During that time he has been involved in various community activities including coaching his daughter in the Bethlehem Soccer Club.

Admissions

New York State Bar

Massachusetts State Bar

U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York

Education

Syracuse University - Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, B.A.

Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1998

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Brian T. Stenson
 

Brian Stenson is a management consultant working with the U. S. Treasury Department, the International City/County Management Association, and other national, state, and local public and non-profit clients.  Previously, he was a Director with RBC Capital Markets, an investment banking firm and before that Deputy Director of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, where he concentrated on state and local government fiscal issues. He has written numerous reports on state government finances and has addressed groups of state government leaders in New York and other states.

Brian has also served as Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business for the State University of New York, where he oversaw the finances of the SUNY system, including the operating budget, financial management and reporting, internal controls, human resources, other business functions, and capital planning and financing for residence halls. He had previously served in the New York State Division of the Budget, most recently as Deputy for Fiscal Planning, Management and Authorities. In that capacity, he was responsible for the development of the State's financial plan including projections of receipts and disbursements, the State's borrowing and capital financing plan, public authorities and local government relations. Brian received his bachelor’s degree in political science and master's in public administration from the University at Albany. He and his family have lived in Delmar since 1988.

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Victoria Stanton Sweeney

Victoria Stanton Sweeney has lived in the Town of Bethlehem since 1989. She uses her maiden name, Victoria Stanton, professionally.

Victoria M. Stanton currently serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Farm Family group of insurance companies. Since joining Farm Family in 1991, she has held various officer positions with responsibility for the legal, corporate secretary and human resources functions at Farm Family. Prior to joining Farm Family, Ms. Stanton was an attorney with Rogers & Wells (now known as Clifford Chance) in New York City and McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams in Albany, New York. She also managed an independent insurance agency prior to becoming an attorney.

Ms. Stanton received a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester, a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Albany Law School and a Masters of Law (LL.M.) in taxation from the New York University School of Law. She also has earned the insurance designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). Ms. Stanton is admitted to practice law in New York.

Ms. Stanton has served on the Board of Trustees of Albany Law School since 2000 and the Board of Directors of each of the Farm Family insurance companies since 2004.

Ms. Stanton is active in industry and community organizations including the Life Insurance Council of New York and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York Bar Association, the Albany County Bar Association, the American Society of Corporate Governance Professionals and the Society for Human Resource Management.

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Mark Hennessey

Mark Hennessey is a Town Councilman serving on the Bethlehem Town Board.  He is the town board designated Bethlehem Town Government representative on the Bethlehem IDA.

In addition to this, Mark is also an Assistant Medicaid Inspector General with the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.  Prior to this he worked for the New York State Assembly for 11 years.  Through his work Mark has advanced over twenty State laws and written numerous legislative reports.  He specialized in Technology and Local Government Law.

Mark received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University at Albany.

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The majority of his time is spent working with the Economic Development & Planning staff reviewing projects that require Town Board or Planning Board approval.  He is responsible for oversight of the Development Planning Committee (DPC), which was created in an effort to streamline and improve early communication between developers and the Town during the review and approval process.

Mr. Ritz was appointed to serve as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency on February 6, 2009.

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Suzanne Traylor


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Ms. Kitchen is active member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church where she previously served as a member of the Board of Christian Education and superintendent of the Sunday school program from 2002 to 2007.  She also served as a member of the Board of Youth from 2007 to 2009.

Prior to her position with the Town, Ms. Kitchen worked as a consultant for Bitwise Designs, Inc. providing software training throughout NYS for organizations that were using the company's paperless filing system.   She also served as Customer Service Representative for the Government Services Division of Chemical Bank and Assistant to the Director of the International Development Program of the Graduate School of Public Affairs for SUNY-Albany.

Ms. Kleinke-Kitchen is a life-long resident of the Town; a graduate of Bethlehem Central High School (serving one term as President of the Future Business Leaders of America); and a former member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Elsmere Fire Company A.

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