Archives: Board Members

Rebecca H. Bradbeer

Chair

A Board Member since 2004, Becky has proudly used her life experience as a woman with Cerebral Palsy to assist in the governance of HMS. She was a committee member during the 2007 Capital Campaign to renovate and expand Harris Hall, the student residence at HMS. Becky is also a Board Member of Art Reach and Citizen Advocacy of Chester County, and enjoys this work immensely.

Becky is passionate about the arts and culture both in her local community and the global community at large.

Tom Hipp

Immediate Past Chair

Tom is Director of Institutional Sales and Client Service for Nantucket Multi Managers, LLC, a boutique alternative investment firm based in Michigan.

Prior to joining the firm, he worked at Attalus Capital in Philadelphia, where he was Director of Institutional Sales and Client Service responsible for client service and marketing to public and private pension plans, endowments and foundations. Previously, he worked with The Haverford Trust Company and Oak Associates, LLC. Tom also serves on the Board of Trustees at the ALS Association of Greater Philadelphia. Additionally, he is the Senior Warden at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Wayne, Pennsylvania. He attended Denison University, where he graduated with a BA in Economics and met his wife Libby. They now live in Devon, Pennsylvania with their twins.

Woodward W. Corkran, III

Treasurer

Skip has been a senior member of the Institutional Client Services group at Delaware Investments since 2012. Prior to joining the firm, he worked at BlackRock Investment Management from 2001 to 2011, where he most recently was a managing director in the global client group responsible for client service and marketing for public and private pension plans, endowments and foundations. Previously, he worked at Unisys where he was responsible for researching, implementing, and monitoring the investment strategy for its defined benefit pension plan and 401(k) plan portfolios. He began his career with SEI as team leader for high yield and municipal finance.

Skip attended Bucknell University, where he double-major in economics and political science. He earned his MBA in finance from Columbia University.

Nora Vizzachero

Secretary

Nora Vizzachero of Wyndmoor, PA, is the Lead Advanced Practice Nurse at the outpatient Women’s and Children’s Institute at Cooper University Hospital. Prior to that, Nora was a pediatric nurse practitioner in Cooper’s Division of Pediatric Neurology and Development, where she cared for patients living with disorders including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, among others.

Steven Bachrach, M.D.

Steve is a general pediatrician, who is board-certified in neurodevelopmental disabilities, and he has spent his career working in both these areas. He began his career at the Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia where he was first the Director of Pediatrics and then the Medical Director. He then became the Chief of General Pediatrics and the Co-Director of the Cerebral Palsy program at the AI duPont Hospital for Children. In 1986 he first became involved with HMS, serving as the Associate Medical Director under Dr Milton Sarshik. After Dr Sarshik’s retirement in 1987, he became the Medical Director of HMS, and continued in that role until 2016, when he retired from clinical work. He is very excited to be able to continue his association with HMS by joining the board, and hopes to help the school continue to meet its mission.

Steve and his wife Pearl Elias have four children, and eleven grandchildren, and when not in Philadelphia, can usually be found visiting one or more of them.

Thomas P. Drake, M.D.

Tom is a specialist in pediatric rehabilitation. He has worked with people living with disabilities since he began his medical training in Philadelphia. He first came to the HMS School during a clinical rotation in his medical residency, and has remained dedicated to the organization ever since.

He contributes a clinical perspective to the board and often expresses enthusiasm for the uniqueness of this school. “I am truly impressed with what the staff at HMS does, and I feel there is not another school like it.”

Before becoming a doctor, Tom was an elementary school science teacher. When not practicing medicine or watching one of his three sons play sports, he can be found outdoors skiing, cycling or running.

Gerald Kitzhoffer

An experienced educator with expertise in the field of blindness, visual impairment and multiple disabilities, Gerald Kitzhoffer is the former Executive Director and CEO of Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he served as Chief School Administrator at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Jerry’s background also includes leadership positions with a national accrediting body for organizations serving persons with visual impairments. A resident of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, he has also held graduate-level faculty appointments in Special Education.

Marilyn B. Long

Marilyn Long is a process improvement professional with expertise in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. She is a continuous improvement black belt in the IT Organization at Air Products in Allentown, PA, and a previous owner of BrightStar Care of Lehigh Valley, a private duty homecare/medical staffing agency in Bethlehem, PA. Marylin is the mother of four grown children (one, a former HMS student) and lives in Center Valley, PA, with her husband, Jim.

Charles F. Pilkington

For 19 years, Charlie has worked as a Real Estate Professional focused on the management and operations of Commercial Office Buildings. At present, he is Property Manager for Brandywine Realty Trust, publicly traded REIT, BDN on the NYSE, and is responsible for the management and operations of 1900 Market Street, a 546,000 square-foot office building. Prior to his current position, Charlie co-managed a 22 office building portfolio in the Pennsylvania suburbs for Brandywine.

Charlie and his wife Katherine have three children, Sophie, Michael and Eliza. In his free time, he enjoys running and participating in a variety of sports.

Diane P. Talarek

For over 40 years, Diane has worked as a nurse, and now is the Chief Nursing Officer of Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Delaware. She provides guidance on nursing issues related to individuals with disabilities, as well as the parent perspective of a special needs adult.

Her connection with HMS School started when her daughter, Carla became a student in 1995. Carla spent five years at HMS where the staff helped Carla perfect her assistive technology usage so she might advocate for herself and others and live independently.

Christine Wechsler

Christine has more than 20 years of experience navigating complex legal issues for government clients and businesses. Before joining SG, she was a partner with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, a law firm with offices in Philadelphia. Prior to this, she served as Executive Deputy General Counsel to the Governor in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of General Counsel. She also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for 10 years.

Christine holds a Juris Doctor degree from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Christine joins a team of government affairs, public policy, and advocacy professionals to support Scientific Games’ global business growth and further establish the company as the partner of choice for government-regulated lotteries to help drive maximum proceeds for lottery beneficiary funding.

Board

Board Members

Rebecca H. Bradbeer

Tom Hipp

Woodward W. Corkran, III

Nora Vizzachero

Steven Bachrach, M.D.

Thomas P. Drake, M.D.

Gerald Kitzhoffer

Marilyn B. Long

Charles F. Pilkington

Diane P. Talarek

Christine Wechsler

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Rebecca H. Bradbeer

Tom Hipp

Woodward W. Corkran, III

Nora Vizzachero

Steven Bachrach, M.D.

Thomas P. Drake, M.D.

Gerald Kitzhoffer

Marilyn B. Long

Charles F. Pilkington

Diane P. Talarek

Christine Wechsler