Alfred University welcomes two new members to Board of Trustees
Alfred University announces the appointments of William Rice ’78 and Dwight Gertz to the Board of Trustees, effective July 1. The Board approved their appointments at its May meeting and will welcome them as new members during its meeting in October.
The University also recognizes three trustees who are leaving the Board, effective July 1: Charlie Joyce ’22 HD, MaryJo Finocchiaro ’86, and Rich Wuerthele ’83.
Bill Rice earned a bachelor’s degree in ceramic engineering from Alfred University in 1978. He is currently the chief operating officer of Borla Performance Industries, a leading manufacturer of high-performance automotive exhaust systems, located in Johnson City, TN.
Prior to joining Borla, Rice served more than 30 years in several executive positions with Alcoa, Inc., retiring in 2012 as vice president of Mining, Alcoa World Alumina. In that role, he led the development and implementation of Alcoa's long term bauxite strategy.
He has since served as lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Haslam School of Business and as president and chief executive officer of CerX LLC, a private company that he founded which produces and commercializes high temperature ceramic fiber filters. In 2018, he became the president and chief executive officer of First Bauxite Corporation, a natural resource company based in New Orleans, LA, and engaged in the exploration and development of bauxite deposits in Guyana, South America.
Rice was the co-chair of the St. Patrick’s Day Board while a student at Alfred University. He has served as a reunion coordinator and as a member of the College of Business and Inamori School of Engineering advisory councils. He will be a member of our Board’s Advancement and Student Experience committees.
Dwight Gertz attended Alfred University while in high school, earning six credits during the 1968-69 academic year before earning his undergraduate degree from Yale University and later his MBA from Harvard University. He grew up around Alfred and Alfred University. His father was Fred Gertz, emeritus professor of English ’82 HD and senior administrator at Alfred University. His mother, Elinor Gertz, taught in Alfred University’s nursing school and served as a consulting dietician to area hospitals and nursing homes.
Gertz is an associate professor of practice at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, teaching courses on strategy, leadership, and executive decision making in the undergraduate, MBA, and executive education programs. He also serves as faculty co-director of Babson’s Office of Experiential Learning.
Prior to joining the Babson College faculty, Gertz was a member of the executive management team of Celerant Consulting. As president of Celerant Americas, he was responsible for the firm’s global human resources, leadership development, and executive education functions. His career in management consulting included serving as a partner of Bain & Company, head of the Boston office of Mercer Management Consulting, and chief executive officer of Symmetrix, Inc.
Gertz’s 1995 book Grow to be Great: Breaking the Downsizing Cycle was published by Simon & Schuster and released in fourteen printings in six languages. He served as an active and reserve officer in the U.S. Navy, where he retired with the rank of captain.
He has served on Alfred University’s College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and as a trustee will serve on the Board’s Academic Affairs and Audit committees.
Joyce is former president and CEO of Otis Eastern Service Inc., one of the energy industry’s leaders in the construction of pipelines transporting oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. He joined the Board in 2001 and over the years provided philanthropic support for a number of important projects, including the Joyce and Walton Center and Joyce and Walton Conditioning Center. He helped underwrite the hiring of a consulting firm to help Alfred University develop a residence life master plan, invested in the University’s Student Experience unit and leadership program, and gave $2 million toward enhancing Alfred University’s athletic facilities on Saxon Hill. In 2022, the University awarded Charlie a Doctor of Commerce honorary degree.
Finocchiaro, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Alfred University in 1986, joined the Board of Trustees in 2020. She is founder and president of InnFACT Advisors, a hospitality real estate advisory firm based in Boca Raton, Florida, specializing in investment management, financial services, and data analytics.
Wuerthele, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alfred University in 1983, joined our Board in 2021. He is president and chief executive officer of Crayola, LLC, a global leader in children’s creative expression products, including the iconic Crayola Crayon.