Outgoing board members Geralyn Gough and Jennie Thwing thanked for years of service
From Alfred State College,
The Educational Foundation of Alfred, Inc., a private foundation representing faculty, staff, and friends of Alfred State College (ASC), recently added Molly Cole, Erica Matteson, and Michael Ronan to their board.
Cole, ’20, a Registered Representative and Owner of Gem Wealth Planning Group, LLC, will serve on the public relations and scholarship committees.
Molly earned a bachelor’s degree in financial planning from Alfred State. She was a graduate of the 2023-24 Leadership Allegany Cohort and participated in the Oasic Wealth, Inc. Jump Start Financial Planning program.
Molly Cole is a member of Wellsville Elks Lodge #1495, Wellsville American Legion #70, serves as the secretary of the Wellsville Development Corporation, and is a board member of Alfred Housing, Inc.
Erica Matteson, ’03, an Assistant Professor and Director of the Health Information Technology program, will serve on the audit & finance and public relations committees. She recently (May 2025) was the recipient of the ASC Excellence in Online Teaching award.
Erica is the current president of the Whitesville Central School Board of Education, is a member of the WCS Blue Jay Boosters, the Carl E. Hyde Post #963 American Legion Auxiliary, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the New York Health Information Management Association (NYHIMA), and the Rochester Regional Health Information Management Association (RRHIMA).
She earned her associate degree in health information technology, her bachelor’s degree in health information management from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and her master’s in biomedical and health informatics from SUNY Oswego.
Michael Ronan, a Professor Emeritus at Alfred State, will serve on the audit & finance and by-laws committees. Ronan has taught classes in the automotive trades program for the past forty years and the recipient of both the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in University Service (2004) and in Teaching (1996).
Ronan has served on countless committees, served as Faculty Senate chair (1999 – 2001), and has been the coordinator of the Skills USA Region I Conference since 1989. He has also been a textbook author and reviewer for over twenty years.
Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from SUNY Fredonia. Prior to teaching at Alfred State, he was the lead technician at Four Car Garage in Burlingame, CA, and a technician/owner of Tri County Transmission in Yorkshire, NY.
The Educational Foundation would also like to recognize the commitment and service of two longstanding members of the organization, Geralyn Gough and Jennie Thwing. Gough was a member of the board for almost twenty years serving on the audit & finance and by-law committees while Thwing served for the last five years in both the public relations and scholarship committees.
The Educational Foundation of Alfred, Inc. is dedicated to improving the college community through support of educational programs. The Foundation provides monetary support to enhance learning opportunities for students through scholarships and academic club and curriculum activities.
Congrats Molly and thank you Geralyn from your team at Gem Wealth Planning Group!!
