Meet Our Board and Staff
B.E.S.T. is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors.
(*) indicates Neighborhood Resident
Meet Our Board:
Father Steve Simon* - Chairperson
Pastor, Russian Orthodox Old Rite Church of the Nativity
Professor, Mercyhurst University
John Bonnett - Vice Chair
Stephen Murdock - Treasurer
Katie Bool Shafer – Secretary
UPMC Health Plan
Corey Cook
Erie Downtown Development Corporation
Jacqueline George*
Alan Hilling
Hilling Pfeffer Insurance
Bill Hoderny*
B.J. Lechner
Decision Associates
Nicholas Leofsky
Garrett Shames
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, Glowacki Management Company
Jeff Williams
Frontier Lumber
Meet Our Staff:
Marcia K. Farrell, Ph.D.
Executive Director
P: 814-456-7062 ext. 4
E: mfarrell@besterie.org
Marcia graduated from Mercyhurst University in 1998, completing her education with a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tulsa in 2005. She returned to Erie in 2017 after a full career as a tenured English professor. She began working at B.E.S.T. in 2022 as the Grants Director and began serving as Executive Director in 2025. When she isn't working to improve the neighborhood where her father grew up, Marcia loves to read, bake, write, sew, knit, sketch, and garden.
Douglass Stanton
Director of Operations
P: 814-456-7062 ext. 2
E: dstanton@besterie.org
Kevin O'Connell
Neighborhood Assistance Intern
P: 814-456-7062 ext. 1
E: koconnell@besterie.org
Kevin is currently a senior at Mercyhurst University where he is majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice. He began interning at B.E.S.T earlier this year and has been excited for the opportunity to help the community and learn from them too. He takes care of assisting neighbors with the Renaissance Block Grants, running the social media, and addressing community questions. When Kevin isn't working to help out our neighbors, he loves to play volleyball, go on walks, and hang out with his friends.
Megan Richter
Accountant
