BHS Announces New, Retiring Board of Trustees Members

December 12, 2007 - (BUTLER, PA) - The Board of Trustees for Butler Health System recently appointed two new members to the Board – Robert M. Smith, Ph.D. and Patti-Ann Kanterman – who will bring unique leadership skills to the growing healthcare system.

In addition, the Board thanked retiring Board of Trustee members for their years of service. Retiring from the BHS Board of Trustees at the end of 2007 are Board Chairman William D. Bessor, Joseph F. Huth and Donald S. Shamey.

Elected to a one-year term as Board Chairman to replace Mr. Bessor is current Board of Trustee member Fred Y. Bennitt.

“We are pleased to add additional expertise to our Board as we prepare to begin the largest construction project our community hospital has ever undergone,” says William D. Bessor, Chairman of the BHS Board of Trustees. “Both of these new members have impressive credentials and join a very dedicated Board that is committed to building the best facility to provide care for generations to come.”

Mr. Bennitt is the Secretary/Treasurer, Sylvan Inc., a Kittanning-based producer and distributor of products for the mushroom industry. He holds a juris doctorate from Temple University; an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hobart College.
 
New Trustee Dr. Smith is currently the 15th president of Slippery Rock University and has lived in Butler County since 1999, when he came here to Slippery Rock to serve as provost and vice president for academic affairs. He has focused his career on improving the learning environment for students. Last year, he was named one of the 10 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates by the University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience in Transition. He has also received two national awards for teaching excellence, was named the Outstanding College Communication Teacher in Kansas and has been inducted into four national academic honor societies.

Dr. Smith is a nationally recognized specialist in executive leadership development. In 1999, the Community Leadership Association awarded him their Preceptor award, and the governor of Tennessee presented him Tennessee’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his work in community revitalization. That same year, he was honored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for his commitment to rural economic development.

Active as a community volunteer, Dr. Smith is the Board Chair of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., past president of the Butler Rotary Club, and a member of the executive committee of Slippery Rock Economic Development Inc. and the Butler County Community Development Corporation. He resides in Slippery Rock with his wife, Ramona, and they have two grown children: a son in Tennessee and a daughter in South Carolina.

Ms. Kanterman is the Controller of Associated Ceramics. She originally joined her family business in 1991 as Director of Information Systems after graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University and LaRoche College. She then obtained her CPA.  Prior to returning to her family business, she had experience as a computer consultant for Coopers & Lybrand.

Ms. Kanterman grew up in Saxonburg and attended Knoch High School. She is a teacher for Junior Achievement and serves on the Board of Directors for the VNA-Hospice and Alle-Kiski Medical Center Foundation. She is an Elder and Clerk of Session for the Jefferson Center Presbyterian Church. She also serves as secretary for The Endowment for Butler County and as permanent Alumni Secretary – Kappa Alpha Theta.  Ms. Kanterman has worked with Butler Hospital on its fund raising efforts. She is married and has two daughters.

Bessor has served as a board member for Butler Health System since 1984.

“Mr. Bessor has given countless hours of time and guidance leading our healthcare system through some of its most significant accomplishments since it was created in 1898,” says Ken DeFurio, President and CEO of BHS. “We are grateful for his guidance and for his dedication to health care in our community.”

Huth has served as a board member since 1993, lending his expertise in economics, marketing and business leadership. He is retired from Magnetics, a division of Spang, where he was employed for 41 years, finishing his career as vice president.

Shamey, CEO of NexTier Bank, has been on the Board of Trustees since 1986 and provided financial guidance as Butler Health System has grown to be one of the most financially successful independent community hospitals in Western Pennsylvania.

“We are in the largest growth phase this facility has ever seen, and we would not have reached this point without the dedication of these three men and their commitment to providing the best services for the people of this region,” says DeFurio.