Officers

Michael H. Schoen
Chairman
Michael H. Schoen is the Chief of Staff to the CEO of BeiGene, a globally-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to becoming a leader in the discovery and development of innovative, molecularly targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer. Prior to this he was Managing Director & Head of Latin America & Caribbean Debt Capital Markets for Scotiabank. Michael also worked at Credit Suisse, DLJ, and J.P. Morgan in their respective Emerging Markets groups. Michael graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Management from the Sloan School of Management.

Richard E. Powers, MD
Vice Chairman
Richard E. Powers, M.D. is a geriatric psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. He was trained in pathology at the University of Kentucky as well as psychiatry and neuropathology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is board certified in general psychiatry, and general pathology. Dr. Powers is Medical Director for Behavioral Health at VIVA Inc, the UAB health insurance entity; he is also Adjunct Professor of Pathology, Department of Pathology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Rev. Eric J. Hall
President & CEO
Rev. Eric J. Hall, DTh, APBCC is president and CEO of HealthCare Chaplaincy Network™ (HCCN) and its affiliate, Spiritual Care Association. HCCN was founded in 1961 and is a global nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the integration of spiritual care in health care to increase patient satisfaction and help people faced with illness and grief find comfort and meaning—whoever they are, whatever they believe, wherever they are. HCCN is a leader in clinical pastoral education and spiritual care research, and provides professional chaplaincy services at major health care institutions in New York, including Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Lifespan, Rhode Island.
Since Rev. Hall joined the New York-based HCCN in August 2013, the organization has been making important advances in clinical pastoral education, research into the evidence of the value of chaplaincy interventions, and alliances with like-minded organizations. He has also led the organization’s expansion beyond traditional hospital bedside chaplaincy by innovating a suite a cost-effective, technology-driven programs and services to provide spiritual support to individuals and their families throughout the health care continuum—whether in hospital or outpatient settings, hospice, long-term residences, or at home. Other groundbreaking developments under his leadership include an annual global spiritual care conference,
Caring for the Human Spirit®
; a
spiritual care magazine for chaplains and other professionals
;
HCCN-TV™
, spiritual-themed programming for use in hospital, clinic and residential settings; and palliative care and spiritual care
telehealth
modules.
Rev. Hall is the visionary behind the
Spiritual Care Association
; a multidisciplinary organization including First Responder Chaplaincy and Parish Nursing. Now with 18 offices in 17 countries this is the first ever membership association for spiritual care providers that establishes evidence-based quality indicators, scope of practice, and a knowledge base for spiritual care in health care. SCA’s components include an online learning center, certification and credentialing of chaplains, and advocacy.
Rev. Hall also serves as the minister of Eastchester Community Church in Eastchester, N.Y., a position he has held since 2002. He is also managing partner of ACS (Alzheimer’s Care Specialists) LLC, a New York-licensed home care services agency servicing Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Westchester Counties.
Before joining HCCN, Rev. Hall was founder, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of care for individuals and their families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. During a decade of leadership, he united 1,600+ organizations from coast-to-coast to speak with one voice to advocate for optimal care and enhanced local support services, and created nationally-recognized education and care-related products and services.
Rev. Hall has served on the National Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s disease, working with the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and other national experts to develop and implement the nation’s first plan to address this disease. A strong believer in the power and potential of collaboration, in 2010, he co-founded LEAD (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease), the nation’s first Alzheimer’s-related coalition that now consists of 87 companies and nonprofit organizations. He is a member of the board of Project Lifesaver, a non-profit organization that provides law enforcement, fire/rescue, other first responders and caregivers, with technology and training to protect, and when necessary, quickly locate individuals with cognitive disorders who have wandered.
Prior to establishing AFA, Rev. Hall was CEO of a local grassroots Alzheimer’s organization on Long Island, N.Y. He also served as treasurer for the New Jersey branch of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars, an international religious order, where his many accomplishments included establishing and directing the creation of a multi-million dollar living facility for mature adults in the Bronx, N.Y.
He has presented at numerous national and international conferences, and has been interviewed by major print, radio and TV outlets. Rev. Hall holds a DTh from University of Theology & Spirituality, an MDiv and an MA from Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J. He is a resident of Glen Cove, N.Y.

Steven C. Moersdorf, CPA
Treasurer
Steven C. Moersdorf is a certified public accountant and a principal at Withum Smith & Brown, PC, in Whippany, N.J., providing accounting services, financial analysis, and tax planning and preparation to clients in health care, retail consumer goods, professional services, real estate development, and other industries. He is a trustee and the current President of the Hemophilia Association of New Jersey; a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants where he previously served as chairman of the Political Action Committee. He is also a member of the Chester Township Environmental Commission.

Brian J. Buttigieg
Secretary
Brian J. Buttigieg
Brian J. Buttigieg is the Chief Financial Officer at Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., one of the largest privately owned travel management companies in the U.S. Brian has held positions of increasing responsibility for legal, operational and financial matters throughout his nine years at the company. Presently he is responsible for the company's financial matters and provides leadership guidance for VWT's technology and administrative operations.
Having started his career as a lawyer, Brian built an impressive resume prior to joining VWT in 2007, serving at a number of companies as a senior executive with broad functional experience in operations, finance/M&A, legal and business strategy. Having begun his career as an associate in the corporate department at the New York office of Chadbourne & Parke LLP, he later served as in-house counsel to Fortune Brands, Inc., which at the time was a Fortune 500 consumer products company. Following Fortune Brands’ relocation to the Chicago area, Brian spent several years working with various startups, helping them to raise capital and structure their organizations for growth.
Mr. Buttigieg received his B.A. from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and graduated from Brooklyn Law School, magna cum laude. Brian has been actively involved in several aspects of the Bronxville community, including serving as an Elder and past chairman of the Administration Council of the Reformed Church in Bronxville. He is married to Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg. They and their son reside in Bronxville, New York.
Chairman Emeritus

Lawrence J. Toal
Former Chairman, President & CEO
Lawrence J. Toal
Lawrence J. Toal served as board chair from 2000 to 2008 and as a trustee from 1997. He was chairman, president & CEO of The Dime Savings Bank of New York, FSB, and president and CEO of its parent, Dime Bancorp, Inc., before retiring in 2002. Prior to Dime, he was president of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, following a 26-year career in various executive capacities with Chase Manhattan Bank. He is a trustee of TD Asset Management USA Funds Inc. Active in community affairs throughout his career, Larry has served as an officer or trustee of several New York organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the American Red Cross, Pratt Institute, Marymount College, The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Housing Development Corporation, and the Economic Development Task Force of the NYC Partnership.
Directors

Edith C. Bjornson
New Media Consultant

Edith C. Bjornson
New Media Consultant
Edith Bjornson, a life trustee of HCCN, is a new media expert and runs a video oral history company. She has been a senior consultant to Liberty Concepts, an Internet design and development company in Alston, Mass., and to the Independent Production Fund in New York City, a nonprofit producer of TV programming. Bjornson produced a public affairs television program, “The Open Mind,” and developed a searchable digital internet archive of its more than 1,000 interviews with some of the more prominent thinkers of the 20th century. She is a board member emerita of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting and sits on the education advisory committee of THIRTEEN, New York City’s public television station, and the advisory board of Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York.
Frederick J. Feuerbach, MD
Assistant Attending Physician
Frederick J. Feuerbach, MD
Assistant Attending Physician
Assistant Attending Physician
Clinical Instructor of Medicine
New York-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medical Center
Consulting Cardiologist
Hospital for Special Surgery

The Rev. David P. Marcotte, SJ, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology Fordham University

The Rev. David P. Marcotte, SJ, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology Fordham University
David Marcotte, S.J., Ph.D. is a Jesuit Priest and Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Clinical Training at Fordham University. His research interests focus on the psychology of well-being, including the role of internalized identity for health-related behavior. He has developed Spiritual Self Schema Therapy, an empirically supported intervention to increase self-determination and reduce substance use for injection and non-injection drug users. Fr. Marcotte is also a member of the Psychology Coalition of NGOs at the United Nations where he represents the Institute for Multicultural Counseling and Educational Services and works on projects related to health and well-being (Sustainable Development Goal No. 3).

Prema Mathai-Davis, EdD
Independent Board Director, Invesco Funds

Prema Mathai-Davis, EdD
Independent Board Director, Invesco Funds
Since 1998, Prema is an Independent Board Director for Invesco Funds where she has Board oversight for portfolio assets that exceed $429 Billion. She has been in leadership roles since 2003 and was Chair of the Valuation Distribution & Proxy Oversight Committee for the past eight years. Previously, she was Vice Chair of the Governance Committee and the Investment Committee, and a Member of the Audit Committee; she is currently a member of the Compliance and Investment Committees. She has advised leaders of Fortune 500 companies and worked with the Legislative and Executive branches of the US Government on policy development and legislation. Because of her ability in building public-private partnerships to create positive change, she is the recipient of numerous leadership and humanitarian awards. In addition, Prema was a Partner and Co-Founder of Quantalytics Research, LLC., a FinTech AI quantitative investment research firm for the non-institutional market. The firm was acquired by Forbes Global Media Holdings, LLC., in October 2019. Previously she also served as CEO of the YWCA of the USA and was a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Prior to that, she also served as Commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging.

Imam Salahuddin M. Muhammad, DMin
President Association of Muslim Chaplains

Imam Salahuddin M. Muhammad, DMin
President Association of Muslim Chaplains
Imam Dr. Salahuddin M. Muhammad is a retired Chaplain having served at Fishkill Correctional Facility (Beacon, NY) for 28 years, as Senior Imam of Masjid Al Ikhlas, (Newburgh, NY) for 26 years and as a Contract-Chaplain at Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY) for 17 years. Presently he serves as President of the Alumni Council and an Executive Board member of Hartford Seminary, President of the Association of Muslim Chaplains, and an Associate Imam of As Salaam Islamic Center in Raleigh, NC. Additionally he is an Adjunct Professor at Wake Tech Community College, Raleigh, NC, where he is also the Adjunct Advisor for The Muslim Student Union (MSU). Imam Muhammad is member of Muslims for Social Justice (MSJ), and also a member of the Muslim American Public Affairs Council (MAPAC). His areas of expertise include: Islam, general Islamic studies, Islamic theology, Motivational Speaker, Christian/Muslim relations, criminal justice issues, and inmate advocacy. In addition to his work, he is a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather and brings this sensitivity to his work. He received his Masters of Professional Studies degree in Theology and Counseling from New York Theological Seminary and BA in the Social Sciences from SUNY at New Paltz. Imam Muhammad holds a D.Min. in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary as well as a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy.

Alan V. Schwartz
Former President & CEO Bernard Hodes Group

Alan V. Schwartz
Former President & CEO Bernard Hodes Group
Alan V. Schwartz is the former President and CEO of Bernard Hodes Group, a global provider of integrated talent solutions and a subsidiary of Omnicom Group Inc. At Hodes, he oversaw more than 30 company offices located throughout the world. A CPA, Alan began his career at Price Waterhouse and went on to hold a senior financial position at Doyle Dane Bernbach. He joined Bernard Hodes Group in 1981 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, responsible for all financial, administrative and operational aspects of the company. Alan also currently serves as President of the Northeast region and a Vice President of the Board of the Bnai Zion Foundation.

Leah Gogel Pope, PhD
Assistant Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry

Leah Gogel Pope, PhD
Assistant Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry
Leah G. Pope is an anthropologist and an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Behavioral Health Services and Policy Research at the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Pope conducts mixed methods research in the fields of public mental health and criminal justice and her current work is focused on alternatives to police response for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Dr. Pope holds an A.B.from Harvard College and a Ph.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University.