Martin J. Berardi ’71 became the new chair of the Canisius University Board of Trustees on July 1, 2021. Berardi is chief executive officer of Bengal Machine’s Schutte Hammermill LLC, which is a leader in the design and manufacturing of quality size-reduction equipment.
Berardi joined the Board of Trustees in 2015 and most recently served as chair of its Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management committees. Prior to his tenure as a trustee, he served on the Canisius University Board of Regents, an advisory group to President John J. Hurley and the Board of Trustees. Berardi held many committee positions on the Board of Regents, including two terms as chair of the Regents Scholarship Ball, which was the principal fundraiser for the Board of Regents Scholarship Fund.
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of Canisius University. In addition to Berardi’s elevation to chair, the Board appointed nine new members to fill outgoing positions. Each will serve a three-year term. Those new Board of Trustees members are:
JERRY G. CANADA JR. ’86
President,
Harris Healthcare Group
Niagara Falls, NY
NORA EBERL PLIZGA ’92
Co-Owner/Chief Executive Officer,
Eberl Iron Works Inc.
Buffalo, NY
REV. GERALD THOMAS KRETTEK, SJ
Visiting Associate Professor,
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL
CINDY L. ODOM ’90
Chief Community Impact Officer,
Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
MARGARET W. PAROSKI ’76, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Catholic Medical Partners
Buffalo, NY
VINCENT GILBERT ROUX ’90
Global Head of Corporate Development,
Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc.
Lake Success, NY
CYNTHIA L. SKRZYCKI ’76
Senior Lecturer, English Department,
University of Pittsburgh (Emerita)
Pittsburgh, PA
ANTHONY B. SPADA JR. ’80, MBA ’87
President-Chief Executive Officer,
AAA Western & Central New York
Williamsville, NY
JOYSON C. THOMAS ’03
Chief Financial Officer,
WhiteHorse Finance Inc.
New Hyde Park, NY
