BEAVER, Pa., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Heritage Valley Health System announces new leadership to its Board of Directors. Effective January 1, 2005, Tim Merrill of Sewickley will serve as the Chairperson; Laura Vassamillet of Bell Acres is Vice Chair; Joe Becherer of Beaver is the Secretary; and Frank Papa of Beaver is the Treasurer.
Currently serving as Vice President and General Manager of NRG Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Tim Merrill (Chairman) is also the former founder of the Industrial Energy Services Company (IESCO), one of the country’s first gas marketing companies. Merrill has been a key figure in the deregulation and restructuring of gas and power as a consultant for gas and power marketing companies. Early in his career, Merrill worked for J & L Steel in Aliquippa.
He has served on Governor Thornburgh’s Governor’s Energy Council and has led various energy trade associations such as the Industrial Energy Group and the Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania.
A graduate of Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Merrill also received an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a former board member and chairman of the Sewickley Valley YMCA, a former member of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce board and a trustee of the Friends of Quaker Valley Schools. Merrill has served on the Heritage Valley board since 1999 and the Sewickley Valley Hospital Board of Directors since December of 1992.
Laura Vassamillet (Vice Chair) is a Vice President and Trust Administrative Officer with National City Bank’s Charitable Trusts and Foundations Group. Prior to joining National City Bank, she was an associate with the corporate finance group of Tucker Arensberg, P.C. -- a law firm based in Pittsburgh -- and served in various positions with PNC Bank.
Vassamillet graduated from Smith College and earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Allegheny County Bar Association, and Women’s Bar Association as well as the Pennsylvania Bankers’ Association. She is also a member of The Estate Planning Council of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council. She has served on the Heritage Valley board since 2004.
Joe Becherer (Secretary) retired from the Eaton Corporation as a Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cutler Hammer business in 1997. Prior to Eaton, Becherer had been a Vice President of Westinghouse Electric and General Manager of the Distribution and Control Business Unit. He currently serves as a director of Powell Industries, Inc. of Houston, TX and is a member of the Advisory Board of C3 Controls. He is a former member of IEEE and NEMA.
Becherer received a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has served on the Heritage Valley board since 2002.
Frank G. Papa (Treasurer) is the owner of the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and is actively involved in real estate development. Papa is an active member of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, the Penn Ohio Regional Health Care Alliance, the American Institute of CPA’s, the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s, the National Restaurant Association, and the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association. He also serves on the advisory board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
He graduated from Geneva College with a bachelor of science/bachelor of arts in accounting. He has served on the Heritage Valley board since 1999 and the Sewickley Valley Hospital Board of Directors since December of 1991.
Heritage Valley Health System provides comprehensive health care for residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties, in Pennsylvania; eastern Ohio; and the panhandle of West Virginia. In partnership with more than 500 physicians, Heritage Valley offers a broad range of medical, surgical and diagnostic services at its two hospitals, The Medical Center, Beaver, and Sewickley Valley Hospital; in physician offices; and in community satellite facilities. Additional information about Heritage Valley Health System is available online at http://www.heritagevalley.org/ .
Heritage Valley Health System
CONTACT: Scott Monit of Heritage Valley Health System, +1-724-773-2046
Web site: http://www.heritagevalley.org/