Wilkes University recently welcomed four new members to the Board of Trustees, which oversees and evaluates the University’s operations including fiscal affairs and academic program quality.
Susan Davis ’85
Susan Davis graduated from Wilkes University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Davis is currently a senior vice president of asset management for Cascade Capital Group and oversees a large portfolio of health care facilities in multiple states. She is also certified in Rehabilitation Nursing (CRRN). Davis’s nursing career encompassed leadership roles as senior vice president of clinical operations and as chief nurse executive before she transitioned into operations and health care real estate. Today, Davis acts as primary asset management, operations and clinical oversight liaison to the owners of SMV Management Company and the properties they own or finance, as well as other health care properties owned by Cascade.
She has been actively involved as a mentor to both nursing and business students at Wilkes since 2011. She has taught a class in Personal and Professional Development 101 for several semesters. She joined the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership in 2017 and chaired the Board from 2018-2022. Davis joined the Board of Trustees in 2022 and currently chairs the Marketing, Communications, Branding and Engagement Committee.
Heather McRay
Heather McRay is an attorney who began her career in Wilkes-Barre as a law clerk on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Max Rosenn. She then practiced law in New York City at Davis Polk & Wardwell. Since retiring from Davis Polk, she has helped lead several prominent cultural and civic institutions, including NYCIFF, the country’s preeminent children’s film festival, Citizens’ Committee for Children and the Wilkes University Judge Rosenn Lecture Series. Since 2021, she has run The Vital Kitchen, a home cooking consulting business. McRay received a bachelors in history from Cornell University, a J.D. from the University of Michigan and an LL.M. from New York University. She is also a 2021 graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education.
Joanne Schoonover ’72
Joanne Schoonover graduated from Wilkes University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She has 15 years of experience as an educator and administrator in higher education and retired as the vice president of Defense Acquisition University. Previously, she served 26 years in the United States Air Force. She initially served as a flightline aircraft maintenance officer and later ran several major space programs, including the Inertial Upper Stage and the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System. Schoonover holds a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering and was also a fellow at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government for Senior Executives.
J. Bruce Weinstock ’74
J. Bruce Weinstock graduated from Wilkes University in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance. In 1974, Weinstock began his distinguished career in the financial services industry. He specializes in the public education market assisting many members of the Pennsylvania State Education Association to find solutions to their savings and retirement needs. Bruce is a registered representative of GWN Securities, Inc., an independent registered broker-dealer. He has served on the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, is an active volunteer in his local community of Kingston, and serves on several boards of directors for nonprofit organizations. Weinstock continues to be and has been an active basketball and soccer official for many decades.
