JOHNSTOWN — Administrator returns to St. Vincent College

Richard S. Williams has been named vice president for finance and administration at St. Vincent College.  

Williams will be the chief financial officer and serve as a member of the president’s cabinet with responsibility for supervising the budget, financial planning, business operations, facility management, financial aid, auxiliary services and related areas.

He returns to St. Vincent after having held the same position there from 2001 to 2007. During a career spanning more than 30 years, he also has worked for Armco Inc., Synetar LLC, Hy-Tech Machine Inc., Geneva College and, most recently, AK Steel Corp.

Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with highest honors from the Ohio State University and a master’s degree in accounting from St. Vincent College.

He and his wife, Chris, will relocate to the area from Cincinnati. They have two children.



Kotzan CPA employee passes CPA exam

Kotzan CPA and Associates P.C. has announced that Sarah M. Sernell has passed the certified public accountant exam.

Sernell is a 2006 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in accounting. She began her public accounting career in 2006 with Dennis P. Kotzan, CPA.

She specializes in local government auditing including school districts and municipalities. She provides auditing and tax return preparation services to nonprofit organizations as well as tax return preparation services for individuals and businesses.

Sernell is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA).



Blair Orthopedics hires physician assistant

Vanessa Meiser is the newest physician assistant to join the team at Blair Orthopedics.

A recent graduate of the physician associate program at Yale University, Meiser will assist Dr. Jonathan Van Kleunen in the office and the operating room.

As a physician assistant, Meiser is able to take medical histories, examine patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and imaging studies such as X-rays and MRIs, diagnose patients, prescribe medications, treat minor injuries and assist in orthopedic surgeries.

She is a summa cum laude graduate of Pitt-Johnstown and completed a series of specialized clinical rotations at several Connecticut hospitals, including Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn., and Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn.

She earned a master’s degree in medical science through the physician associate program at Yale University.

Meiser also is an active member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants.



C&G Savings Bank workers raise $2,504 for charity

C&G Savings Bank employees raised a total of $2,504 for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania.

Deb Olewine, Chris Nagle and John Biesinger of C&G Savings presented Lindsey Herzing, Matt Evey and Pam Miller, representatives from Make-A-Wish, with the check.



Accounting students attend leadership event

The Catanese Group and Ronald Vickroy hosted students from four area colleges in a Leadership Training Day.

Students on hand were selected by accounting professors at their respective universities to attend. Participating universities were Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Mount Aloysius College and St. Francis University.

The conference sessions included presentations on the benefits of working for a regional high performance accounting firm and an exercise in the differences between individual and group decision-making.

Among the featured speakers were Samuel Catanese, CPA, leading partner; Joseph DeYulis, CPA, tax partner; Kathleen Wallace, CPA, audit partner; Peter Shrift, CPA, tax partner; Carl Vulcan, CPA, CFE, tax partner. They are all of the Catanese Group.

Vickroy, associate professor of management emeritus of Pitt-Johnstown also was a featured speaker.

In addition to the conference sessions, students were provided the opportunity to network with current employees of the Catanese Group to obtain first-hand information on the transition from being a college student to entering the workforce as staff accountants. Staff members participating from the Catanese Group were Mark Luther, CPA, senior staff accountant, and Nathan Pearce and Andrew Hutsky, staff accountants.



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