Dr. Goldfarb, the Chairman of the Board of Veterans Place, is a graduate of The Chicago Medical School and completed a surgical residency at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has served as the Director of the hospital’s Burn Center and as the Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery. He has held numerous administrative positions including, serving as the Chief Medical Officer at both The Western Pennsylvania Hospital and Allegheny General Hospital. Dr. Goldfarb served in the U.S. Army at the rank of Major. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health.
Stephen Crary graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and received a Masters in Business Administration from Colorado Christian University. He is currently the Director of Strategic Analytics at Highmark Health Network where he uses analytics to detect fraud and abuse. He served in the U.S. Army as a Team Leader in the Medical Corps. Steve is the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Veterans Place.
James Moyer graduated from Slippery Rock University with a Master’s in Business Administration and received an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Duquesne University. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ Practitioner and Investment Relationship Manager with Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors. He served in the Air National Guard for seven years, working in Communications Cable and Antenna Systems, earning the award of Outstanding Airmen of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania. James is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Veterans Place.
Harry Evans graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1969. He served on active duty at the Air Force Human Resources Lab in San Antonio and at the Pentagon for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He joined the Air Force reserves while earning a Ph.D. in accounting from Carnegie Mellon University. Harry is now the Alumni Professor of Accounting at the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He was previously the treasurer for Veterans Place and is currently a member of the Finance Committee.
Bill Aronson has been involved with the Veterans Place for over twenty years, including as a member of the founding Board of Directors. He graduated from Pittsburgh’s Robert Morris University with a degree in Management and retired as an Administrative Professional from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. At one time, he worked as a resident manager at Veterans Place. Bill received, among others, an Army Commendation, a Bronze Star medal, and a Purple Heart medal for his service in the United States Army in Vietnam.
In September 2016, Hank Beukema retired as a thirty-seven-year western Pennsylvania grant maker, having spent more than 12 years with the Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation as a Program Officer, and 24+ years at McCune Foundation as Executive Director. Since January 2000, he had also been Executive Director of the Pitcairn-Crabbe Foundation, a philanthropy associated with Shadyside Presbyterian Church. After graduating from Yale in 1968, and receiving a reserve commission from the Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, he served as Gunnery and Missile Officer on the guided missile light cruiser USS Leahy. After two at-sea tours on the Leahy, Hank taught military history and naval science at Vanderbilt University’s Naval ROTC unit, before leaving naval service in 1975. In addition to his position as a board member of Veterans Place, Hank’s volunteer work includes Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Winchester Thurston School, and Eye and Ear Foundation.
Marva L Brown, CPA, is a native Pittsburgher, having graduated from Duquesne University with a degree in accounting. Prior to attending university, Marva was a Sergeant in the US Marine Corps for six years. She currently works at PNC Bank, as a Risk and Control Advisor and prior to that spent 18 years in Corporate Risk and Compliance at BNY Mellon. Marva has served on several boards in Pittsburgh, including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and is a past President of the National Association of Black Accountants. She is currently a mentor in the Reading is Fundamental program.
Michael is a Pittsburgh native. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army for two years, including one year in Viet Nam. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, and the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, with a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning. After graduate school, he worked at the Pittsburgh Department of City Planning for 13 years as a principal planner. He then joined the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh as senior development manager. He retired in 2017. He joined the board in 2015 and has served as past vice-president and president.
Kevin L. Jenkins is currently the President & CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation (MBC) and has over thirty years of management experience in community development, nonprofit and philanthropic direction, and human service. Prior to joining MBC, Kevin was named Vice President for Public Policy and Civic Leadership at The Pittsburgh Foundation. Kevin holds a B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University and a MSW from the University of Pittsburgh. He also holds a Certificate of Labor and Industry, is a Certified Trainer in Cultural Competency.
In addition to his professional background, Kevin currently sits on the board of the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE), the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics Board of Fellows, and the Duquesne University School of Education Advisory Board.
Chris Jordheim graduated from the University of Maryland. His career was spent in the United States Air Force, where he served in active duty, as a civil engineer and as a Russian and Arabic linguist. Chris served in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, while in the Air Force. After leaving the US Air Force in 2004, Chris worked at PNC Wealth Management as a Team Director. He is currently a Resident Manager with Stratos Wealth Partners and a Program Manager for NexTier Wealth Management. Chris was a member of the Leadership Pittsburgh Class of XXXI. Along with Veterans Place, Chris also serves on the boards of Teutonia Mannerchor and Lutheran SeniorLife.
Dr. Kabazie is a graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and is also the Program Director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship at Allegheny Health Network. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Pain Society. Along with a specialty in Anesthesiology, Dr. Kabazie holds a sub-specialty in Addiction Medicine. He served in the United States Special Forces (Green Berets) with several Special Qualifications.
Drew Keys is a graduate of St. Vincents College, having also completed graduate-level courses at Duquesne University. He has spent the past fourteen years of his career in a variety of key management positions at Allegheny Health Network, most recently as the Vice President of Development. Drew is currently the founder and principal of Performance Consulting Services. He brings a tremendous amount of fundraising and strategic planning experience to Veterans Place as its current Development Chair of the Board of Directors.
Mark Wechsler graduated from Duke University with a degree in Computer Science. He is currently Vice President of Advisory Services and Vertical Industries at ConvergeOne (formerly Arrow Electronics).
J. B. Wilcox graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in aerospace engineering, and from the U.S. Navy Flight School as a naval aviator. He is currently the Pittsburgh Region Director/General Manager of Breakthrough Performance Group to drive business opportunities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. J.B. retired from the military as a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps. He continues to assist and counsel candidates interested in pursuing an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Veterans Place, J.B. is the President of the Peters Township High School Girls Lacrosse League.
Robert (Rob) Hamilton, Executive Director of Veterans Place, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Public Service and is currently completing a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) in Public Policy and Management. Prior to attending Pitt, Rob served in the United States Army National Guard as a military police officer, where he worked in crime prevention and emergency response throughout the state of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Supervisor/Manager Certificate from Penn State University and a Non-Profit Management Certificate from the University of Pittsburgh. Rob is currently a board member of South Hills Pet Rescue and is an elected official of the Lower Burrell City Council in the Public Works Department. He is the Co-Chair of the leadership portion of the Allegheny County/Pittsburgh Veteran Homeless Boot Camp Committee. Rob received the 2018 prestigious Salute Our Heroes Recognition from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Who’s Next 2019: Community Leaders & Activists Award from the Under 40 and Making a Difference: The Incline Award. In 2019 Rob received the VA Challenge Certificate of Appreciation.