For Immediate Release
September 2, 2007

BUFFALO, NY ­– New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer has named Michael L. Joseph, MBA, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation and R. Buford Sears to a three-year term on the Board. Mr. Joseph has served on the board since 2004 and succeeds David M. Zebro, a Principal of Strategic Investments & Holdings, Inc., Buffalo, who chaired the board since 2004. Mr. Sears has served previously as a Trustee and Chair of the Finance Committee for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Alliance Foundation.

Donald L. Trump, MD, President and CEO of Roswell Park, said Mr. Joseph’s appointment ensures continuity of leadership and further progress toward the Institute’s goal of becoming one of the nation’s top 10 cancer centers. “We are deeply grateful to both Mr. Joseph and Mr. Zebro for their willingness to take on the challenges and responsibilities of this vital role,” Dr. Trump said.

Mr. Joseph is President of Clover Construction Management, Inc., a full-service real estate company that specializes in multi-family housing. He also serves on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo, Buffalo Seminary, University at Buffalo Foundation and the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a Masters of Business Administration from Boston University.

Dr. Trump thanked Mr. Zebro for his many dedicated years of service and advocacy for the Institute, noting Mr. Zebro co-chaired the Institute’s successful Horizons of Hope capital campaign, which raised $21 million for the Center for Genetics and Pharmacology. “That historic effort enabled the Institute to build a facility that is critical to our long-term vision for Roswell Park,” Trump said.

Mr. Sears manages the Health Care, Government and Not-for-Profit Banking Segments and Commercial Marketing and Support for M&T. Dr. Trump continued, “We are fortunate that we can continue to rely on the leadership and expertise of Mr. Sears. His service on behalf of Roswell Park reflects his long-standing commitment to the advancement of cancer care in Western New York.”

Mr. Sears is past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Hospice Buffalo, a former trustee of the Niagara Health Quality Coalition and past gubernatorial appointee to the New York Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21^st Century. He is the current Chair of the Finance Committee of the Nichols School and a Trustee of the National Investment Center for the Senior Housing and Care Industry.

Mr. Sears holds a BA in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University.

Seven of the 15 directors of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation, including the chair, are appointed by the Governor.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@rpswellpark.org.

 

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