Meet the people who guide and support The Sun behind the scenes
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
In our last print issue, we introduced readers to three of the board members for The Catholic Sun. Below is Q&A with the remaining members.
Bob Vertucci is a regional commercial banking manager at NBT Bank, covering the Central NY and Mohawk Valley regions.
CS: What inspired you to join the board for The Catholic Sun?
BV: I was asked to join several years ago when they were revamping the board and felt a calling to serve.
CS: What knowledge or experience do you bring with you to the board?
BV: Being in banking, I have a lot of experience in analyzing financial metrics and I am able to help The Sun’s staff detect areas that can improve or change from a financial perspective to help the paper run as efficiently as possible.
CS: What do you enjoy most about the paper?
BV: Since the Diocese is so large geographically, it’s always nice to see what is going on in other regions such as Binghamton or Utica.
Jody Frawley is a performance consultant & trainer for Dale Carnegie of CNY. When she started on the board, she was working in advertising with newspaper and digital marketing.
CS: What inspired you to join the board for The Catholic Sun?
JF: [Editor emeritus Deacon] Tom Cuskey knew I had a great deal of experience (23 years) in digital marketing and asked if I could help in this area. Also, I recently converted to Catholicism (last six years) after attending St. Stephen’s Church in Phoenix for 20-plus years, so I’m very active with youth, right to life, music ministry, and evangelism in general — from the protestant perspective.
CS: What knowledge or experience do you bring with you to the board?
JF: Business and marketing, in a variety of industries. I’m also the leader of Team Awesomeness Youth Group at St. Stephen’s, so I can share with the team what I’m hearing and seeing with our seventh- and eighth-graders.
CS: What do you enjoy most about the paper?
JF: Reading about encounters and relationships with Jesus — especially with our youth.
Pat Dooher is a partner at FustCharles LLP, a CPA firm in Syracuse. Since retiring from full-time employment, he is acting as a senior advisor to the firm, assisting in various ways as he moves to full-time retirement in a few years.
CS: What inspired you to join the board for The Catholic Sun?
PD: I have been active on several boards over the years and the current president, John Brogan, asked me to join the board and assume the role of the treasurer. As a regular Catholic Sun subscriber over the years, I was excited to get more involved with my Catholic faith.
CS: What knowledge or experience do you bring with you to the board?
PD: I have over 40 years of experience as an audit partner in a CPA firm and have an expertise in not-for-profit organizations. I also serve on the audit committee of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse and finance committee of Bishop Ludden-Grimes Jr/Sr High School.
CS: What do you enjoy most about the paper?
PD: I enjoy reading the articles regarding the local Catholic issues and news. The national news I can read on several websites such as the National Catholic Register, so news and articles with respect to what is going on in our diocese keeps me informed.
Amy Bleier Long is the managing editor of This is CNY (thisiscny.com), a partnership between Advance Media New York (AMNY) and CenterState CEO. The website celebrates good news and initiatives happening in CNY to help locals feel civic pride and excitement about our area, while also serving as a talent attraction tool that employers can use to help introduce life in Central New York to job candidates from outside the region.
CS: What inspired you to join the board for The Catholic Sun?
ABL: I first started working with the board two to three years ago as an editorial consultant to help launch the new SOLIS magazine as a Catholic Sun publication. Board member Jody Frawley and I knew each other from her time at AMNY. At the time plans for SOLIS were developing, I was running Central New York Magazine. The idea of helping to conceptualize and launch a magazine from scratch was too exciting to pass up. I am also a very involved member of my parish, Immaculate Conception in Fayetteville. I have spent a lot of time thinking about communication, the problem of fewer people in the pews, and how we can engage younger families at church. SOLIS and The Catholic Sun are a part of how we can connect with individuals and families in our diocese.
CS: What knowledge or experience do you bring with you to the board?
ABL: Although the bulk of my work experience is in print magazines, I do work for a newspaper/media company and have 20 years of experience in publishing. I also have some social media and marketing background so I’m able to give my thoughts about the logistics of publishing, the state of the industry, and potential direction, both businesswise and editorially.
CS: What do you enjoy most about the paper?
ABL: I enjoy seeing how other Catholics share their faith and express Christ’s love through their words and deeds. It’s nice to see what other people and parishes around the Diocese are doing, and sometimes it gives me an idea for another story.
Note: Although Amy Bleier Long is not an official member of the board of directors, she is a regular consultant for The Catholic Sun and has provided valuable guidance in recent years.
Credit: Source link
