Suzette D. Benson, Kurt Eimiller, Kathleen (Katie) Geise, Paul Hedin, Greg Jones, Kevin Saff, Steven S. Swanson, and Meme Krahe Yanetsko have been appointed to the Jamestown Community College Foundation board of directors.

Benson is retired as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES. Prior to her retirement, she was actively involved as a board member for the Arts Council of Chautauqua County. She is a 1988 JCC alumna and continued her education at SUNY Fredonia where she received her bachelor’s and Masters’s of English. Benson later received her New York State SAS/SDA certification in education administration. She and her husband, Thomas, have three grown daughters and five grandchildren.

Eimiller, a long-time Jamestown native, is a 1988 graduate of Jamestown High School. He attended Allegheny College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics. Eimiller is the president of Slone Melhuish Insurance in Jamestown, N.Y. He and his wife, Kym, have four children.

Geise has been the executive director of the Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board since June 2012. She was a magna cum laude graduate of the State University at Buffalo with a B.A. in political science. She lives in Fredonia with her husband, Mark Geise. They have three children.

Hedin is a graduate of Southwestern High School. He received his bachelor of science degree in structural engineering with honors from Princeton University. He continued his education at Syracuse University, receiving his bachelor of science in architecture, graduating cum laude. Hedin is semi-retired, working as a consultant for Clark Patterson Lee. He and his wife, Anne, have two grown children.

Jones is a retired optometrist and founding partner of Spectrum Eyecare in Jamestown, N.Y. He received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, then served three years active duty in the United States Army, obtaining the rank of captain. Returning to Jamestown in 1969, he attended JCC for one year and continued on to Illinois College of Optometry receiving a B.S. in vision science in 1972 and doctor of optometry degree in 1974, graduating cum laude. He and his wife, Susan, have two grown children and two granddaughters.

Saff, director of senior housing and community services at Lutheran Jamestown, is a 1985 JCC alumnus. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s degree at Roberts Wesleyan College.

He served as captain in the United States Army. Prior to joining Lutheran in 2014, Saff served 11 years as executive director of Jamestown Area Medical Associates. JCC presented him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2011. He lives in Jamestown with his wife Lisa. They have four grown children.

Swanson is an alumnus of JCC, receiving his associate’s degree in 1992. He continued his education at SUNY Fredonia, where he received a B.A. in economics. Swanson serves as vice president of commercial lending for the Jamestown market at Northwest Bank. He resides in Kennedy with his wife Dawn. They have three children and two granddaughters.

Yanetsko is a graduate of Olean High School and 1988 alumna of JCC. She continued to receive her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Brockport. She joined the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce in 1991 as the coordinator of the state-funded On-The-Job Training Program. She is currently the chief operating officer for the chamber. Yanetsko is on the JCC Alumni Association Board of Cattaraugus County and was honored by JCC with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Yanetsko and her husband Thomas Yanetsko, Jr., have four children.

The JCC Foundation is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1983 to manage contributions made on behalf of JCC and to allocate the funds to JCC programs or events, which are not included in the college’s operating expense budget. JCC’s foundation funds are used to support scholarships, faculty development, cultural events, the acquisition of instructional resources, and special programs for students, faculty, and community.