Meet the Community Advisors
Kendy Alvarez
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The Honorable Kendy Alvarez serves as the Mayor for the Borough of Lewisburg. A 2006 English major, her commitment to Bucknell continues in collaborations with the Office of Civic Engagement and President Emeritus of the Black Alumni Association. She is a Board member of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership and Lewisburg Neighborhoods as well as a volunteer with CommUnity Zone, Union-Snyder Hunger Coalition, Penn State Extension Ag Council, Evangelical Community Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council, and the PA Outdoor Recreation Engagement Coalition.
Julie Barna
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Julie Ann Barna, DMD, MAGD is a 1976 graduate of Penn State university and a 1980 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Barna recently retired from private practice after 43 years; she was owner of 2 Dental Divas and was an assistant surgeon in maxillofacial surgery at Evangelical Community Hospital. She is a retired life member of both the ADA and AGD; she is the current secretary/treasurer of the Sixth District Dental Society for the PDA. Dr Barna is a past president of the Evangelical Community Hospital Board of Directors and still serves on the Major Gifts Development Committee. She is a member of the Miller Center Board of Directors, as well as the Wellspan Evangelical Community Hospital Foundation Board. Julie is married to Mark Veraguth, head winemaker for Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyards.
Tom Becker
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Tom is a native of the Susquehanna Valley and served as a campus minister at Bucknell from 1985-1995. He then earned his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in 1999, concentrating on the intersection of Christianity and contemporary culture. In 2010 he founded The Row House, Inc. in the city of Lancaster, PA where he’s hosted over a hundred public forums, socials, and community events aimed at the common good. He writes regularly for Lancaster Newspapers, and his Town Character Substack column addresses three of his passions: Towns, characters, and curiosities. He and his wife Becky live adjacent to F&M College and share five grown children.
Michael Binney
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Michael Binney, Major, USMC (Ret.), is the head coach of Bucknell men's golf team. Mike was an attack helicopter pilot during his two-decade tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of major. A 1986 graduate of Boston College, Binney received a master's degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2003. He also attended Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia in 1996 and Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 2000. His overseas deployments included service in Somalia, Bosnia, and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was recognized for his actions with the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
Chris Bingaman
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Chris Bingaman is the CEO of Bingaman & Son Lumber with locations in Kreamer, Clarendon, St. Marys, Nicktown, and Millhall. Chris attended Messiah College and is past chair of the Parents Council. He is an elder at Sunbury City Church. Chris and his wife Heidi live in Kreamer, Pa.
Matt Gabler
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Matt is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and serves as Secretary of the General Staff for the 28th Infantry Division in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Matt spent 12 years as a Pennsylvania state representative for the 75th District in Elk and Clearfield Counties. He served six terms in office before announcing he would not seek re-election in 2020. Matt graduated from Bucknell in 2006 and he and his wife, Lisa, have two children.
Alison Hall
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Alison Hall is a Bucknell alumna and longtime resident of Hughesville, PA, where she lives with her husband, Marshall, who is also a Bucknell alum. They have two daughters and a lovable dog named Teddy. An entrepreneur at heart, Alison owned and operated The UPS Store in Lewisburg from 2007 to 2023 and now brings that same dedication to her work as a Realtor with RE/MAX Bridges. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Central PA Chamber of Commerce and is active in her local church, Hughesville Friends Church. Alison is passionate about supporting local businesses and community-focused initiatives and loves connecting people!
Fred Keller
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Fred was elected to the 116th Congress in 2019 in a special election and reelected in 2020. A Republican, Fred was a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the House Education and Labor Committee, and the House Energy Action Team. Fred represented Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, which was the largest congressional district in the Commonwealth, spanning 15 counties across central and northeast Pennsylvania, including Union Co., home to Bucknell. Prior to serving as a Congressman, Fred was a Pennsylvania state representative from 2010-2019.
Harry Lewis
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A resident of Northumberland, Harry is a professional parliamentarian, rare book collector, and insolvency and bankruptcy litigator in the U.S. courts. Harry's grandfather graduated from Bucknell in 1910, and his aunt in1948. Harry is the immediate past vice president of the Joseph Priestley House Museum. Current concentration is 18th century colonial American and English political and scientific history; 18th century history of English and French support for republican government; Benjamin Franklin’s propaganda and espionage campaign in support of the American cause; Federalist attacks on the First Amendment in the early American Republic; and Gilbert Stuart’s portraits of early American and British subjects. He is a graduate of Dickinson College and Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Abhi Samuel
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Abhi was born and raised in India. He moved to America in 2005 and is a graduate of Grove City College. He became a proud American citizen in 2018. Abhi serves as the director of entrepreneur engagement at Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs. He resides in Camp Hill with his wife and three children.
H.W. "Skip" Wieder
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Skip Wieder is a 1958 graduate of Bucknell, receiving both B.S. and M.B.A. degrees. He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss, TX, and later achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. He and his wife Linda have two daughters and three grandchildren. Skip retired from the Geisinger Health System after serving as Senior Vice President and later as Senior Vice President Emeritus and Senior Consultant. He is former Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Northeastern PA Public Broadcasting (WVIA). He has served as the Chair of The Forum for PA's Heartland, a former Board member of the Chesapeake Conservancy, Chair and longtime Board member of the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, and Board member of both the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation and the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership. He served as the Founder and Chair of the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies and on the Board of the Foundation for PA Watersheds, and for 20 years as an advisor to The 1994 Charles B. Degenstein Foundation.
Peter Swift
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Peter is the executive director of Camp Susque, a non-denominational Christian camp in the mountains of north-central Pennsylvania. Peter earned a degree in philosophy and an MBA from Grove City College and previously worked in sales, marketing, and operations for an outdoor gear distributor. When he isn’t helping to lead Susque’s ministries, he can be found watching college basketball with his wife Lindsey, twin daughters Audrey and Nora, son Isaac, and dog Sawyer.
