HU Leadership
Guided by our leadership in administration, faculty, and staff, Harrisburg University excels as a leader in STEM education, bringing our mission to life.
President’s Cabinet
The President’s Cabinet brings together experienced leaders from across the institution, each contributing deep expertise and distinct perspectives to advance our mission and support the president’s vision for Harrisburg University’s future.
Board of Trustees
As a private non-profit institution, Harrisburg University is governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees delegates authority for day-to-day operations to senior management.
Board Officers
Mr. Fiaschetti is the retired founder, President, and CEO of MPC Insurance Group, an insurance and advisory services firm focused on Medicare coverage and ancillary health products. The firm was founded in 2017 and is committed to making the Medicare insurance buying experience easy for Medicare-eligible individuals and companies that want to offer a value-added service for their retiring employees. The firm is also focused on differentiated services after the sale.
Prior to founding MPC Insurance Group, Mr. Fiaschetti was the founder, President, and CEO of Vibra Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage insurance company offering private Medicare insurance through a PPO platform. Vibra was sold to Capital Blue Cross in 2017.
Prior to founding Vibra, Mr. Fiaschetti spent almost 20 years with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Mr. Fiaschetti was the President of Health Markets, responsible for Highmark’s group insurance business in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware.
Prior to joining Highmark, Mr. Fiaschetti worked in several different organizations, including serving as President for HealthAmerica in Central Pennsylvania, COO of Keystone Health Plan, and spent several years in public accounting with KPMG.
Mr. Fiaschetti is a CPA, holds an MBA from Penn State Harrisburg, and has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Dayton. Mr. Fiaschetti is in the Beta Gamma Sigma Society of Penn State for outstanding academic achievement and is an alumni fellow at Penn State. Mr. Fiaschetti is a member of the AICPA and PICPA.
Dolly Lalvani is a CPA and tax and transaction advisor with more than 30 years of public accounting experience, including serving as a tax director in PwC US Tax LLP’s Private practice. Throughout her career, she has advised privately held and middle-market companies and their owners on tax planning, transaction structuring and cash flow. Today, she continues to advise privately owned businesses and their owners through her independent tax advisory practice.
Dolly serves as Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy and has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as well as on several NASBA committees, including Audit, Administration and Finance, and other governance committees. She is also a chapter leader with Financial Executives International’s Central Pennsylvania Chapter. In 2024, she was recognized as a City & State Pennsylvania Above & Beyond Award honoree.
A resident of Central Pennsylvania for more than 30 years, Dolly lives with her husband, Rocky. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration in Accounting from Texas A&M International University and is a licensed CPA in Pennsylvania.
Mayur Patel is the co-founder and a principal of Laughner Patel Developers. Laughner Patel Developers provides real estate development consulting and specializes in the design, development, and construction of healthcare facilities. Before founding LPD, Mayur served as general counsel to Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT), a publicly traded hospitality REIT with properties throughout the United States. Prior to joining Hersha Hospitality, Mayur was the Executive Director for the Central Southeastern Democratic Caucus for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In this role, he oversaw legislative activities, member services, and general governmental processes throughout a large area of Pennsylvania.
Mayur graduated from Randolph Macon College in Ashland, VA, with BA’s in International Relations and Political Science. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law and is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania.
Mayur was a Commissioner with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and serves on the Boards of Old Dominion National Bank, Harrisburg University, and AAA Central Pennsylvania.
Jeannine Dorsey Peterson is a healthcare consultant who has dedicated her professional career to improving access to healthcare and health outcomes for our most vulnerable citizens. Her professional career has included executive positions in state government, for-profit, and not-for-profit organizations, including serving as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Health, overseeing the state’s drug and alcohol system, family health, and preventative and communicable diseases. She also worked for a federal contractor assisting states around the country on Medicaid-managed care issues. Ms. Peterson recently retired as the President and CEO of Hamilton Health Center, a federally qualified health center located in
Harrisburg, whose mission is to provide quality health and human services to low-income south-central PA families.
Ms. Peterson has served on local, statewide, and national Boards of Directors and has received numerous awards for her public/community health service.
Ms. Peterson earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, her Master of Public Administration degree from Penn State University, and her Certification from UCLA’s Johnson & Johnson Executive Management Program.
Board Members
Justin Bloom is currently the President of Millennium Circuits Limited (MCL), a leading PCB supplier based in Harrisburg, PA, specializing in custom circuit boards. MCL was recognized by the CPBJ as a top 50 fastest-growing company in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Prior to his current role, he was an experienced accounting, finance, and sales professional for multiple companies, including HydroWorx International, Inc., playing a role in the successful sale of the company to private equity in 2016. Justin is currently on the Board of Directors for Aurelius, a non-profit clinic on a mission to accelerate the healing process for chronic Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), Depression, and Anxiety, located at Harrisburg University.
Justin received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Shippensburg University. He currently resides in Lancaster, PA, with his wife and two young children.
Dr. Bennett Chotiner was the founder and long term Medical Directorr of Memorial Eye Institute. A noted Innovator, in 1977, he established his clinical practice, the Pennsylvania Eye Associates. In 1984, he established the Pennsylvania Eye Surgery Center, Pennsylvania’s first fully approved freetanding ophthalmic surgery center. He pioneered outpatient ophthalmic surgery in Pennsylvania and is a recognized leader in this field.
Dr. Chotiner is widely recognized as the pioneering LASIK surgeon in Central Pennsylvania. He began performing refractive surgery in 1981. In 1994, he established the Laser Vision Center at Memorial Eye Institute, where he performed the first refractive laser procedure in Central Pennsylvania.
Dr, Chotiner first performed LASIK in 1996 and was selected as a clinical investigator for several national LASIK studies.
His scientific articles and papers have appeared in numerous professional medical publications. He is an avid film and video enthusiast and has produced and directed several documentary films and videos.
Dr. Chotiner is a Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and remains active in both the medical and ophthalmic surgery specialty communities:
- American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology
- American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
- International Society of Refractive Surgery
- American College of Surgeons
- American College of Eye Surgeons
- Society for Excellence in Eye Care
- Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society
- Dauphin County Medical Society
- Pennsylvania Medical Society
- American Medical Association
- Pennsylvania Ambulatory Surgery Association
Dr. Chotiner is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American College of Surgeons. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Kenyon College. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey. He completed his residency and fellowship in Ophthalmology at the Eye and Ear Hospital in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hospitals, where he was a Clinical Instructor in Ophthqwalmology. Dr. Chotiner and his wife reside in Harrisburg and have three grown children.
Katie Clarke is President and CEO of LeTort Trust, a privately owned Trust Company providing 401(k) retirement plan design and management for closely held businesses and wealth management and trust services for multi-generational families. She is a co-founder of the LeTort Trust Foundation, a graduate of James Madison University, and a 2007 graduate of the LHA program. Katie is dedicated to giving back to the community, currently serving on the Boards of Harrisburg University, Foundation for Free Enterprise Education (Executive Committee), YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, and CREDC ( Past Chair). She previously served on the Boards of Junior Achievement of South-Central PA, Goodwill Keystone Area and the United Way Foundation.
Carmen Finestra was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1947. His parents emigrated from Italy. His father was a bricklayer and his mother a seamstress. He is a graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg and Penn State University.
Finestra is best known as the supervising producer for five-and-a-half seasons of “The Cosby Show,” and as the co-creator and Executive Producer of “Home Improvement,” starring Tim Allen. He also co-created and executive-produced “Thunder Alley,” starring Ed Asner, and “Soul Man,” starring Dan Aykroyd.
In film, Finestra executive-produced “Firelight,” written and directed by “Shadowlands” author Bill Nicholson; “Where The Heart Is,” starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd; and “What Women Want,” starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. He has also co-written with Jack Handey the comedy “Harv the Barbarian.”
During his career, Finestra has won three Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on two Steve Martin specials and for “Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special.” He was nominated for three Emmy Awards and a Humanities Prize for “Cosby,” and in 1987 shared a Peabody Award with the other “Cosby” writers for outstanding achievement in television writing. He has also been nominated for three Emmys and two Golden Globes for “Home Improvement,” which he co-created with Matt Williams and David McFadzean.
Mr. Flake is the founder and CEO of TEAM Aurelius, a venture focused on investing in and creating mental health and human performance solutions. He previously co-founded a sports medicine and healthcare manufacturing company, HydroWorx, in 1993, serving as Chief Executive Officer from 1997 through 2016, when HydroWorx was acquired by a private equity firm. Mr. Flake received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Washburn University School of Law and a Pennsylvania law license. He teaches entrepreneurship at Trinity High School
(Camp Hill, Pa.), serves on the Board of Directors of Linkbancorp (Camp Hill, Pa), and is an active angel investor and startup advisor. Mr. Flake is a founding donor and Fellow board member of Harrisburg University’s Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Patricia Higgins is Senior Vice President of Healthcare Delivery for Capital Blue Cross. She is responsible for overseeing all clinical management services, pharmacy, special investigations, payment integrity, cost analytics, and network management.
Ms. Higgins is a registered nurse and began her career in the acute and critical care settings and taught nursing at the collegiate level. She began working at Capital Blue Cross in 2002 on special projects in support of sales and marketing. She has more than 24 years’ experience at Capital Blue Cross, working in a variety of roles including project management, operations, commercial group sales, strategy, planning, audit, and compliance.
She currently participates on the board for Valley Youth House, central region, as past board chair and is a Trustee on the board of Harrisburg University. She is an active volunteer for Leadership Harrisburg Area, Choices Healthcare and her church.
Patricia received her bachelor’s degree from Albright College and a master’s degree from Villanova University. She continues to retain an active registered nurse license and insurance producer license in accident, health, & fixed annuities.
She leads a Women’s Impact Network (WIN) at Capital Blue Cross, an employee led resource group, focused on mentorship, authenticity, and service to other women and the community.
Kelly Hollinger is an experienced healthcare executive and technologist with over two decades of leadership at the intersection of clinical innovation and operational strategy. He currently serves as Chief of Staff at Vibra Healthcare, where he oversees multiple corporate support departments, including enterprise information systems, market analysis, and business intelligence. In this role, he works closely with executive leadership to drive cross-functional alignment and enterprise performance across Vibra’s national hospital network. Since joining Vibra in 2004, Kelly has played a key role in leading digital transformation and operational improvement initiatives during a period of substantial growth and complexity.
Kelly is also the co-founder of T2, a telemetry telemonitoring company pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to enhance real-time clinical alerting and event recognition. By fusing AI with frontline care, T2 is reshaping how health systems manage critical care environments, improve patient outcomes, and optimize clinical workflows.
He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Anand Jagannath is a board-certified diagnostic and interventional radiologist who has served the Central Pennsylvania community for more than 35 years. A graduate of SUNY Stony Brook and Weill Cornell Medical College, he has practiced with Quantum Imaging and Therapeutic Associates since 1989 and continues to work part-time while staying engaged with advancements in medical imaging.
Throughout his career, Dr. Jagannath has held numerous leadership roles, including Chairman of Radiology at Holy Spirit Hospital, President of the Medical Staff, and Medical Director of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program at Harrisburg Area Community College, where he has helped educate future healthcare professionals for more than two decades.
Beyond medicine, he is an active supporter of the arts, serving as President of the Peter G. Bullough Foundation for the Arts and joining the Board of Mansion Concerts this year. He and his wife, Dr. Wendy Schaenen, have two adult children and share a passion for lifelong learning, travel, and community engagement.
Dr. Jagannath is honored to join the Harrisburg University Board of Trustees and looks forward to supporting the University’s mission and helping shape its future.
Brad serves as President and CEO of Harristown Enterprises, Inc., a multi-faceted downtown real estate development company with a mission to revitalize Harrisburg. He oversees the ownership and management of nearly 3 million square feet of downtown real estate, including commercial office/retail and residential projects. He leads a staff of over 150 employees and a growing development portfolio of new residential apartment projects. Since its inception in 1974, Harristown has been involved in over $500 million of mixed-use projects in downtown Harrisburg, and signature projects include Strawberry Square, 333 Market Street, Chestnut Street, and 5th Street Parking garages, the Hilton Harrisburg, the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, the International House Harrisburg, the Messiah Harrisburg Institute branch campus downtown, and many new offices to apartment complex conversion projects.
Brad has served in multiple positions with Harristown for the last 19 years before becoming President in 2015. Brad is past Chair of the Capital Region Economic Development Corporation, past President of Harrisburg Young Professionals, past Chair of the Modern Transit Partnership, a former board member of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, and past Chair and still currently serves on the board for the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. He is a longtime member of the Urban Land Institute Philadelphia Chapter and lives in Camp Hill with his wife Robin and family. Brad enjoys fitness, bicycling, guitar, reading, traveling, and kayaking in his spare time.
Tommy Kirchhoff serves as the Rental Growth Manager for Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company. He graduated from The Smeal College of Business at Penn State University with a Business Management degree in 2022. Joining Cleveland Brothers shortly after graduation, he has held 4 positions within the construction equipment sales and rental divisions of the company. Tommy grew up in Lemoyne, PA, and currently resides in Mechanicsburg, PA. He is an active member of the Transportation Construction Industries PAC board, the Pennsylvania Asphalt and Concrete Association board, and serves as the chair for Sageworth’s external Segue committee.
His family has been avid supporters of ALS and Melanoma research. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and pickleball, watching football, and competing in triathlons. Tommy is committed to contributing to the community that has supported his family for generations.
Jessica E. Meyers is the founder and CEO of JEM Group, a Pennsylvania-based commercial construction firm serving corporate, health care, education, government, affordable housing, and retail markets. Jessica is a strong advocate for collaboration and innovation in construction, with a particular interest in advancing opportunities for women in the industry.
In addition to leading JEM Group, she actively supports the community through board service and volunteer leadership. She has served on the boards of AAA Central Penn, Metro Bank, and Centric Bank, and currently serves with the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, Harrisburg University and Penn State Health, West Shore Region. A resident of Central Pennsylvania for more than 40 years, she lives in Camp Hill with her husband, daughter, and dog Lulu.
Bryan Ortenzio was born and raised on the West Shore before completing his undergraduate degree at UPenn, where he captained the wrestling team his senior season. Shortly after graduating, Bryan started his own craft beverage business while simultaneously completing his MBA at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business, where he concentrated in entrepreneurial finance. Upon graduating from that program, Bryan returned to the Harrisburg Area, where he now works as a private investment consultant for family office clients at Select Capital Corporation in Mechanicsburg. Since returning, Bryan has been actively involved in the Harrisburg community, serving as a volunteer wrestling coach and administrator at Bishop McDevitt High School as well as on the Board of Fellows for HU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Bryan and his wife, Cassie, reside in Etters and are proud parents of four-year-old Emilia and two-year-old Liliana Ortenzio. The family is expecting a third in December of this year.
David A. Schankweiler is a foundational figure in Harrisburg University’s history. He served as Chair of the Development Board from 1999 to 2001 and as Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2007, guiding the institution’s initial vision and launch. He later returned as Interim President of the university from 2024 to 2026, advancing the university’s mission to deliver high-impact, technology-driven education to empower the next generation of students.
Beyond his contributions to higher education, Schankweiler is an accomplished media entrepreneur. From 1984 to 2016, he served as Founder and CEO of Journal Multimedia, expanding the publishing company into a multi-platform leader with premier publications, including the Central Penn Business Journal, Lehigh Valley Business, and NJBIZ. Under his leadership, the company grew across print, digital, video, research, and events. He also established the Best Places to Work research program, which expanded into national and international scope.
Throughout his career, Schankweiler has served and continues to be active with numerous executive and board leadership roles across for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
He holds a B.S. in Accounting from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. David and his wife Donna reside in the City of Harrisburg and are the proud parents of three adult children, their spouses and two grandchildren.
Rick Seitz is the former President of Alexander Building Construction Co. and has more than 44 years of experience in the construction industry. As vice president and then president, he provided executive management oversight for the company’s operations in Central Pennsylvania.
Rick worked for 43 years for the companies that ultimately became part of The Butz Family of Companies, working for R. M. Shoemaker Co. of Philadelphia, PA (now Shoemaker Construction Co.) from 1980–1996 and for Alexander in Central Pennsylvania from 1996 through 2023.
Mr. Seitz provided leadership on over 200 construction projects and has a keen understanding of what it takes to put together a successful building program from start to completion.
Rick is a native of Johnstown, PA. He graduated from Bishop McCort High School in 1975 (where he met his wife, Sue) and completed his B.S. in Civil Engineering at Penn State in 1979. Rick and Sue have been married for 45 years and have three daughters and six grandchildren.
Dr. Lindsey Surace is a board-certified gastroenterologist and medical director with a robust background in clinical practice, academic medicine, and pharmaceutical research.
After graduating cum laude from Franklin & Marshall College with a degree in Biology and a minor in American History, Dr. Surace earned her medical degree from Penn State College of Medicine. She then completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Dr. Surace currently serves as Medical Director in Gastrointestinal Immunology at Johnson & Johnson. Previously, she was a practicing gastroenterologist and partner at Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology in Harrisburg, PA, where she also led more than a dozen clinical trials as a principal investigator in collaboration with major pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Her work spans clinical care, research leadership, advisory roles, medical writing, and peer review. She is actively engaged in professional organizations, including the American Gastroenterological Association and the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation.
Dr. Surace has received numerous honors, including the Top 40 Under 40 Award from the Pennsylvania Medical Society and Best Doctor recognition from Harrisburg Magazine.
Mr. Weston is a Senior Of Counsel with the global law firm, K&L Gates LLP, with a practice focused on environmental counseling and litigation, energy development, natural resources management, and related administrative and legislative issues. He serves as a member of the firm’s Environmental, Land, and Natural Resources and Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practice groups. With 50+ years of experience, he has handled a broad range of complex project development, transactional, regulatory, and environmental litigation matters.
Prior to joining K&L Gates, Mr. Weston served for eight years as Assistant Attorney General for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, providing counsel for a wide range of natural resource and environmental protection programs, including the Pennsylvania State Water Plan and water resource management activities. From 1979 to 1987, Mr. Weston served as Associate Deputy Secretary for Resources Management in the Department of Environmental Resources, and as Commissioner on the Delaware and Susquehanna River Basin Commissions. During his tenure with DER, Mr. Weston was actively involved in the development of significant environmental legislation. Mr. Weston has published numerous law review articles in the field of environmental regulation and natural resource management.
A nationally recognized practitioner in the field of environmental and natural resources management, Mr. Weston has been honored with a Rank of Senior Statesman listing in the Chambers USA Directory of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for his work in the environmental area in Pennsylvania. In 2019, he was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for his work and contributions in the field of environmental and natural resources law.
Bob is currently the CEO of HB Global, LLC. Before joining HB Global, Bob worked in various positions and companies in the employee benefits space. Starting in 1997, Bob started his own employee benefits consulting business, which he sold to Mercer in 2002. Additionally, Bob held various positions with Mercer over a 5-year period. Bob joined the HB Global family in 2008 as the first non-family member CEO of its legacy organization- HB McClure Company in Harrisburg, PA, which was established in 1914. Since then, HB Global has grown to be an ESOP holding company of Commercial and Residential mechanical service and contracting businesses, with operations in Harrisburg, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Wildwood, FL, Phoenix, AZ, Tamarac, FL, Rochester, NY, and Salt Lake City, UT. Bob has a BS in Agricultural Economics and an MBA from Cornell University and an MS in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
