New Members of the Board of Trustees

HILBERT COLLEGE WELCOMES NEW MEMBERSTO BOARDOF TRUSTEES

Hilbert College is pleased to announce six new members to the College’s Board of Trustees . Ericka Bennett,

Anthony J. Billittier IV, MD, William Brinson ’97, Terrance Heard ’94, Lisa Ressman ’99 and Elizabeth Woike-

Ganga, LCSW-R, each will serve a three-year term. Additionally, Lamont Williams, who has served on the Hilbert Board of Trustees since 2017, was elected Vice Chair. Williams joins the existing officers – Laurie Boreanaz Carra

’81 (Chair) and Jill Meyer (Secretary).

Bennett is Assistant Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center . She has been an active member of the New York State Bar Association, the Bar Association of Erie County, and the Minority Bar Association of Western New York . Bennett was also a member of the Business First “40 Under 40” class of 2014 .

Dr . Billittier is Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Independent Health in Buffalo. He is also clinical associate professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and School of Public Health and Health Professions, and for nearly 30 years he has been an emergency physician with the University at Buffalo Emergency Medicine Residency at Erie County Medical Center . Previously, Dr . Billittier was founding dean of the D’Youville College of Health Professions and also served for 11 years as Erie County Health Commissioner .

Brinson, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Business from Hilbert College in 1997, is Academic Coach and Multicultural Student Support Services Coordinator at Niagara Community College . He is known for mentoring students and for developing partnerships between several schools and NCCC to create connections with graduating seniors . He serves on the College’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is advisor to the Black Student Union . Brinson is a member of the Hilbert College Athletic Hall of Fame and served on the Hilbert 2025 Advisory Council .

Heard, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Hilbert in 1994, is an Assistant Team Leader at the General Motors Tonawanda Engine Plant and an AtLarge elected member of the Buffalo Public School Board of Education . In his prior career as an educator for the City of Buffalo, his teaching included History and Electrical Shop, he was an assistant high school coach for basketball, football, softball, and soccer programs, and managed the conflict resolution program at Seneca Vocational High School . Outside of education, Heard has served as a correctional officer for the State of Georgia, filling a number of key roles throughout the system . As a Hilbert student, he was a member of the basketball team, served as President of the Black Student Union, and was the first African-American graduate of the College. He also served as a member of the Hilbert 2025 Advisory Council .

Ressman, who earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Hilbert College in 1999, is a CPA and currently serves as Vice President of Finance, Revenue and Budget at Person-Centered Services, LLC. She has 20 years of corporate accounting and financial analysis experience and previously served as vice president at Independent Health in Buffalo . At Hilbert, Ressman was a dual major in Accounting and Business Administration .

Woike-Ganga, a Fulbright Scholar and former Peace Corps volunteer, is President and CEO of BestSelf Behavioral Health in Buffalo. She was previously Chief Operating Officer for the not-for-profit agency and had been instrumental in realizing the 2019 merger between Child and Adolescent Treatment Services and Lake Shore Behavioral Health that formed BestSelf . In 2018, Woike-Ganga was named a Woman of Influence by Buffalo Business First, and in 2020 was a recipient of the newspaper’s C-Level Executives Award.