Board of Trustees
Hanif Abdul-Wahid- Chair, Executive Committee
Hanif Abdul-Wahid is a life-long resident of Rochester. Educated in the Rochester public school system. Mr. Abdul-Wahid’s civic and public service in Rochester spans well over 25 years.
Currently, Mr. Abdul-Wahid serves the Islamic and general Community of Rochester in many capacities as Imam. He is employed with Monroe County Department of Planning and Development’s Workforce Development Division as Community Liaison.
Mr. Abdul-Wahid is an active and founding member of R.A.I.N., President of Marketview Heights Association Board, Secretary of the Board Sector 4 Community Development Corporation, Board Vice-Chair of the Community Foundation and serves as a Commissioner on the Rochester/Monroe County Freedom Trail Commission. He is an alumnus of Leadership Rochester, Class of 1995.
His efforts for and with the Rochester community have resulted in the creation of citizen-run organizations and collaborations between city residents and public officials. Mr. Abdul-Wahid’s commitment to service is manifest in the long hours and hands-on attitude he approaches on each committee, board and collaboration with which he is affiliated. This passion and commitment is evident as Vice-Chair of the UCCS Board.
Sidney Moore- Vice-Chair, Governance Committee, Personnel Committee
Sidney Moore is a Senior Employee Relations Consultant with HSBC North America and based in Rochester, NY. Consistent with his extensive background as a Human Resource (HR) Manager and professional, he provides both strategic and tactical consultative HR services to business leaders and employees across HSBC’s Eastern Division.
Since joining the UCCS Board in June 2009, Mr. Moore has assumed roles on both the Governance and Personnel Committees. He holds an M.A. in HR Management from the University of Houston-CL and a B.B.A. in Management from Texas Southern University. Mr. Moore also holds Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute in partnership with The Society for Human Resource Management.
Sidney is married and the proud father of three young children, which drives both his enthusiasm and passion for education and early childhood development.
Spiro Ziogas- Treasurer, Executive Committee
Spiro Ziogas has been in banking for 16 years, currently with HSBC as a Vice President & Branch Manager at the Westgate Branch on Chili Avenue.
Mr. Ziogas's parents emigrated from Greece when he was 11 months old, and Rochester has been his home ever since. A graduate of Rochester’s public school system—namely John Walton Spencer School, #16 and Madison High School—he received a B.S. from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from R.I.T.
He has served on the UCCS Board for 2 years now and presently holds the office of Treasurer. Mr. Ziogas says he is proud to serve the school, and even more proud, and excited, to be a parent of a kindergarten student at UCCS.
Thomas Felton, Jr.- Parent, Governance Committee Chair
Thomas Felton Jr. attended Brockport Schools, St. Monica’s and Rush-Henrietta High School. He holds a B.S. in Business and Marketing from R.I.T., an E-Business Certificate, an M.S. in Business and Marketing Education K-12, and is a New York State-certified Work-Study Coordinator.
He is co-owner of Beauty by LaCassa, LLC, a beauty salon and retailer of cosmetics and hair care products. Mr. Felton is also a business, marketing and technology teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School with a passion for urban education and transition planning that focuses on strong parent, student, teacher and community relationships. He is currently preparing to enroll in the Ph.D. program in Social and Philosophical Foundations at The University at Buffalo. Mr. Felton's responsibilities on the UCCS Board include: Chair of the Governance Committee, personnel committee member, and general board trustee.
Mr. Felton is married to LaCassa D. Felton and the parent of four children, three of whom attend UCCS.
Susan Fox-
Susan Fox’s eldest child began kindergarten at Urban Choice the day the school opened its doors in September 2005. An at-home mom since 2002, Mrs. Fox immediately saw the potential for success at Urban Choice and got more involved, initially joining the Board in 2006 and becoming Board Chair shortly after. Her son began kindergarten in 2007.
Since joining the emerging Board of a young organization, Mrs. Fox has been instrumental in developing processes and protocols consistent with more mature functioning Boards. She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Texas and a B.A. from Smith College and worked in marketing at a mid-size manufacturing company prior to 2002. She is currently representing UCCS in Leadership Rochester, a year-long program for emerging leaders in the area.
Edward Cavalier-
A native of Fulton, NY, Ed Cavalier came to Rochester to attend St. John Fisher College, graduating with a B.A. in Mathematics. He has advanced degrees in Secondary Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration from SUNY Brockport.
Mr. Cavalier began teaching Mathematics in the Rochester City School District at Wilson Magnet High School, was Coordinator of Special Education at Wilson, Vice Principal at Madison and East, and principal of Charlotte before moving to East as principal, before retiring in 2002.
He has been an adjunct lecturer in Educational Administration at SUNY Brockport and a supervisor of interns in the Educational Leadership Program at St. John Fisher. He also served as a substitute elementary principal and vice principal, and was interim principal of East from February until August 2009. Mr. Cavalier has been married for 39 years to Margaret Grady Cavalier, and they have two children, both East High graduates. A city resident for 41 years, he currently lives in the neighborhood close to the Urban Choice Charter School.
Lisa Richards-
Lisa Richards is an Assistant Vice President & Senior Credit Analyst with HSBC Bank and based in Rochester, NY. Ms. Richards has been in the banking industry for 19 years.
A native of Detroit, MI, Ms. Richards moved to Rochester in 2005 to continue her career in banking. She holds a B.A. from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. from Medaille College.
Since joining the UCCS Board, Ms. Richards has assumed a role on the Finance Committee. Ms. Richards says she is genuinely concerned about the success of today’s youth and young adults, as they are the future leaders in our communities. She believes her involvement with UCCS’s Board will provide her with an opportunity to contribute to that success.
Frank Rossi-
Although a native of Pittsburgh PA, Frank Rossi has lived in the Rochester area for the past 40 years. He attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he earned a B.S. in Education with a concentration in Spanish. He received his M.S. in Education from SUNY Geneseo and has Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from SUNY Brockport. Additionally, he was enrolled in a doctoral program focusing on educational leadership at Nova Southeastern University.
Mr. Rossi taught Spanish in the Penfield and Rush-Henrietta school districts for 15 years. He was employed in the Rochester City School District at East High School as a Department Head and Coordinator of Instruction for Foreign Language and Social Studies, and later as Program Administrator. Additionally, he was the district Director of Foreign Languages and the Major Achievement Program, before retiring in 2002.
Mr. Rossi has been an adjunct at both Nazareth College and SUNY Brockport, where he taught courses in Spanish. He is currently a lecturer at SUNY Brockport where he teaches foreign language and bilingual education, diversity and multiculturalism. He was also employed by The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. as the Director of Youth Development for a number of years. Additionally, he has worked as a diversity trainer providing workshops in businesses, the medical field, schools, and government agencies.
Mr. Rossi has three grown children, two of whom attended city schools. He was a city resident while his children were in school living in the neighborhood close to the Urban Choice Charter School. He currently lives in Penfield.
- John Bliss
- Chief Executive Officer, Ex-Officio
