Organization

Rochester Education Foundation is focused on raising resources to help city school students succeed. We are independent and non-partisan. We also are legally and functionally independent of the Rochester City School District. REF is a 501(c)(3) corporation; all contributions are tax deductible to the full extent provided by law.

REF is governed by a board of directors drawn from the community. Day-to-day activities of the organization are overseen by the Executive Director.

Leadership

Donald Bergmann, Board President

Nancy Pappal, Vice President
Felix Aponte, Treasurer
Dina Markowitz , Secretary

Patricia Braus, Executive Director

Karen Guidarelli, Kidbridge Project

Board of Directors

Felix Aponte

Chief Engineer, Consumer Imaging, Output System Development

Eastman Kodak Company

Donald Bergmann

Advisor and Former Chairman

Bergmann Associates

H. Todd Bullard

Partner

Harris Beach

Ed Cavalier

Retired Principal, East High School

Executive Director of Association of Supervisors and Administrator of Rochester (ASAR)

Adjunct Lecturer at SUNY Brockport and St. John Fisher College

Rodric Cox-Cooper

Financial Advisor

Merrill Lynch Global Private Client Group

Jeannine E. Dingus, Ph.D

Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher and Curriculum, Margaret Warner School of Education

University of Rochester

Christine Goodheart

Arts Consultant

Dennis Kessler

Kessler Group, Inc.

Kessler Family LLC

Allana M. Lazeroff

Genesee Regional Bank.

Dina G. Markowitz, Ph.D

Director, University of Rochester Center for Science Education and Outreach

Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine

University of Rochester

Nancy Pappal

Attorney

Forsyth, Howe, O'Dwyer, Kalb and Murphy, P.C.

Marvin Stepherson

Sergeant

Rochester Police Department

Adam Urbanski

President Rochester Teachers Association

Gaynelle Wethers

Director, Multicultural Affairs

Nazareth College

Heidi Zimmer-Meyer

President

Rochester Downtown Development Corporation