Three Named to Lebanon Valley College Board of Trustees

Related Media

Dr. Philip Benesch

• David Cass
• Gregory J. Hessinger, Esq.

ANNVILLE, PA (02/19/2014)(readMedia)-- Wesley T. Dellinger '75, P'05, chair of the Lebanon Valley College Board of Trustees, announced that Dr. Philip Benesch, David Cass '93, and Gregory J. Hessinger, Esq., '87 have been appointed to serve on the College's Board effective at its spring meeting on May 2-3.

"We are delighted to have such accomplished and eminent people join our Board of Trustees," Dellinger said. "Their willingness to serve is an indication of the high regard they have for Lebanon Valley College."

Dr. Philip Benesch, LVC associate professor of political science and director of the College's law and society program, completed undergraduate and graduate studies at University College London and the London School of Economics, respectively. He joined the LVC faculty in 2005 after completing a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Delaware. Dr. Benesch has since received a postgraduate certificate in laws and a postgraduate diploma in laws from the University of London.

The author of "The Viennese Socrates: Karl Popper and the Reconstruction of Progressive Politics (Peter Lang, New York, 2012), Dr. Benesch has also been published in Vital Speeches of the Day, White House Studies, Philosophy in the Contemporary World, and the Law & Politics Book Review. He has attended law-related and prelaw professional meetings in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., as well as at the Drexel, Duke, and Villanova law schools.

Dr. Benesch has presented his political science research around the world (Cardiff, Wales; Prague, Czech Republic; London, England; Toronto, Canada) and throughout the United States (Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Providence). At LVC, he teaches constitutional law, political philosophy, law and legal philosophy, and multi-disciplinary seminars, in addition to serving as prelaw advisor.

With Dr. Diane Johnson, chair of history and political science, Dr. Benesch initiated LVC's participation in the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium in 2008. The European Simulation provides students with a high-impact program that gives students experience with political and diplomatic negotiations and institutional policy making at an annual Washington, D.C. conference. He has mentored dozens of students placed at law offices, politicians' offices and campaigns, with lobbyists, museums, archives, interest groups, media organizations, and in prestigious and paid fellowships at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

David A. Cass '93 earned a B.S. in biology at Lebanon Valley College. He is the senior vice president and chief information security officer at Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services. He leads a global team of legal, regulatory compliance, risk, and security professionals responsible for information security, data protection, privacy, and regulatory compliance. Mr. Cass has extensive experience in information technology security, risk assessment, risk management, risk mitigation, business continuity and disaster recovery, and developing security policies and procedures.

Cass is a proven business leader with more than 15 years of senior management experience in the Risk and Resiliency field. He has conducted risk assessment and management, and IT security for JP Morgan Chase, PwC, and Max Blau & Sons Inc. Cass co-led the Wharton School of Business team at the University of Pennsylvania that developed intellectual property in the field of resiliency for the financial sector and has a background in international business and international compliance regulations.

In addition to presenting at an international symposium in Prague, Czech Republic, Cass has been the keynote speaker for seminars in Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. He has presented at the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank and at conferences in Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Scottsdale. He has published on "IT Security for Global Business"; "Developing Metrics That Matter"; "Creating and Capturing Value Through Effective Governance, Risk, and Compliance"; and "Integrating Cloud Computing Into Your Data Security Program".

Cass is an adjunct faculty member at Drexel University where he has taught IT Risk Management, Audit, Assurance, and Information Security. Prior to Elsevier, he held positions as the senior director of InfoSec Risk and Governance at Freddie Mac, vice president and director at JP Morgan Chase, and senior manager/area leader at Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

Cass has earned numerous professional certifications and graduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Sloan School of Management (MBA) and the University of Pennsylvania (MSE). He has pursued additional post-graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania-Wharton School of Business and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Cass was a Lazin Resident at LVC in 2012. He is married to Julia Wonderly Cass '94, and is the father of Samantha Cass.

Gregory J. Hessinger, Esq., '87 earned a B.S. in political science at Lebanon Valley College. He is a partner with the law firm of Curley, Hessinger & Johnsrud LLP where he represents a variety of regional and national employers in collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, National Labor Relations Board proceedings, and employment-related litigation. Hessinger regularly counsels clients on a host of employment issues, including employment contracts, severance agreements, reductions-in-force, terminations, employee discipline, restrictive covenants, discrimination, and union organizing.

Prior to returning to private practice in 2006, Hessinger served as national executive director and chief executive officer of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), after having previously served for five years as the national executive director of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). He is the only person to separately lead both SAG and AFTRA, then two largest performers' unions in the world, before merging to create SAG-AFTRA. Prior to those experiences, Hessinger also worked in-house for several years as the director of labor relations for CBS Inc.

Hessinger represents a diverse group of clients in the advertising, entertainment, and media industries, including movie studios, television networks, talent agencies, advertisers, advertising agencies, and major record labels. He served for many years as a trustee on the SAG and AFTRA pension and health plans and is an expert in navigating clients through the audit procedures of those plans. In addition to SAG and AFTRA, Hessinger deals regularly with the Directors Guild, Writers Guild, IATSE, NABET, and the American Federation of Musicians.

Hessinger is a 1990 graduate of the St. John's University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. He was a standout linebacker at LVC and remains the second-leading all-time tackler. A two-time team MVP, Hessinger is the only student-athlete to win the Chuck Maston, John Zola, and Scott Wallace awards. He was inducted into the Lebanon Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. He and his wife, Paula, are the parents of Sierra, Derek, and Chloe.