Index of the Board of Directors
    Scott M. Schmidt
    Blanche A. Borzell
    Robert E. Cole
    John Cooley
    Kenneth V. Lederhouse
    Margaret Luck
    Gregory S. Oakes
    John C. Prindle
    Warren H. Riles
    Michael J. Speer
    Gordon R. Terry
    Dianne Vertes
    Robert Waltman

Scott M. Schmidt, CFSP Training Officer-HHS/NDMS/DMORT II President-NYSACCME       Scott was born in Buffalo, New York and moved to the canal town of Middleport shortly after the Blizzard of ’77. A graduate of Royalton –Hartland Central School he went on to attend and graduate from the State University of New York Canton College of Technology where he received his A.A.S. degree in Mortuary Science. He received the designation of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner in 2006 from The Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. Spending his entire Funeral Service Career in Albion, NY he was elected Orleans County Coroner in 1990. The Orleans County Legislature appointed him Chief Coroner in March 2007. Through his affiliation with the New York State Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners, (an organization which he is now President of,) Scott became familiar with DMORT, joining the organization in 1996. He has been deployed as a Mortuary Officer to the Egypt Air 990 Crash in Rhode Island, the WTC attack on 9/11/01, to Gulfport, MS and St. Gabriel, LA following Hurricane Katrina and most recently to Buffalo, NY following the crash of Continental Flight 3407 in February 2009. He was appointed Training Officer of DMORT Region 2 in 2003 and is responsible for assuring preparedness of the team via annual team didactic training and requisite on-line training. Both training styles are designed to keep the members of the team in a constant state of readiness for future deployment. Scott has presented numerous programs about DMORT operations around the State of New York as well as Southern Ontario and has been an active participant in the Mass Fatality Workshops along with the New York State Emergency Management Office, New York State Police, New York State Department of Health, and the New York State Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners. He is also an Accredited Medico-Legal Death Investigator. Mr. Schmidt is a full-time Funeral Director as well as a Church Organist. He is a member of numerous community and civic organizations and lives in Albion, New York with his wife Aleka and daughters Hayley and Danielle.

Warren H. Riles, C.F.S.P. - 1st Vice President      Warren was born in Canonsburg, Penna. and moved to Palmyra, New York in 1956.  He is a graduate of Palmyra-Macedon Central School and the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science.  In 1970 he purchased a funeral home in Forestville, New York re-naming it Riles Funeral Home.  It operated under that name until October 2002 at which time Riles & Woolley, Inc. was formed. Warren serves as the president of the corporation which operates Riles & Woolley Funeral Home and Riles & Woolley Monuments. Warren was first appointed a Chautauqua County Coroner in 1975 and today serves as Chief Coroner.  He is a member and current President of the Chautauqua County Funeral Director’s Association and director of the New York State Funeral Director’s Association where he serves on the Family Assistance Commission, the Budget and Finance Committee and the Supervisory Committee for the Director’s Choice Credit Union.  In addition Warren is a member of the National Funeral Director’s Association.  He belongs to many fraternal organizations and has served on many local committees.  An accomplished church organist, Warren has served many local churches.

Blanche A. Borzell, M.D. - 2nd Vice President      Blanche is a family physician who has practiced in Watkins Glen, New York for more than 32 years. She graduated from Cornell University, Upstate Medical Center and completed a residency in Family Medicine at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, New York. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Upstate Medical University. Dr. Borzell has been a coroner for Schuyler County for more than 30 years and has served as Chief Coroner for more than 20 years. She is interested in promoting quality forensic investigation throughout the state of New York.

Michael J. Speer - Treasurer • Board Member at Large • Resides: White Sulphur Springs, NY • Married 35 yrs. to Debbie Morelli Speer • Son, Ryan and daughter, Carly • Graduated from Monticello High School, class of 1972 • Currently working for New Hope Community, Inc, Loch Sheldrake,   New York as the of Director of Facilities Management • Former 1st Vice President of First Nationwide Bank, former Chief   Financial Officer of at bottled Spring Water Company • Coroner of Sullivan County since 1997 • Past Chief, White Sulphur Springs Fire Department • Past Exalted Ruler of Monticello Elks Lodge #1544 • Past Treasurer of the White Sulphur Springs Fire District • Past Treasurer of the Monticello Fire Department • Honorary Member of the Monticello Fire Department

Dianne Vertes, Ph.D., M.D. - Executive Secretary      Dr. Vertes, a board-certified forensic pathologist, is the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner at the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office (ECMEO) in Buffalo, New York. The ECMEO offers its services to coroners in adjacent Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Dr. Vertes is a relative newcomer to New York state, moving to Buffalo in 2003 from the Bay area in California where she practiced in both coroner's and medical examiner's offices. Here in New York, Dr. Vertes quickly became involved with NYSACCME and is happy to serve as the Executive Secretary; she has also hosted a meeting and spoken at several conferences. Dr. Vertes is an active participant of numerous committees and organizations at the county and regional level involved with mass fatality preparedness, forensics and ethics and child death review. She collaborates with Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania in forensic anthropology projects. Dr. Vertes is an adjunct faculty member at the University of New York at Buffalo and enjoys teaching in the classroom and around the autopsy 'table'.

John H. Cooley, MD      Dr. Cooley is a family physician from Dundee, NY. He practices part time in his own community and in several other locations as needed, including an urgent care center in Rochester and a family medicine office in Canandaigua. He has served as an elected county coroner for Yates County since 2006, and is also school physician in Dundee and health officer for Dundee and the town of Starkey. He is board certified in family medicine and in pediatrics, with residency training in Philadelphia and Rochester. He grew up in western North Carolina, attended Davidson College and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. In 1969-72 he served in the US Public Health Service at the Alaska Native Health Hospital in Kanakanak, near Dillingham, AK. In Rochester he worked at Westside Health Services, Thurston Road Family Medicine (which he founded) and at St. Mary's Hospital and Strong Memorial Hospital. He is a member of the Rochester Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the New York State Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners.

Kenneth V. Lederhouse      NYSCCME President 1999-2007      NYSCCME Vice President 1993-1999      Niagara County Coroner since 1986      A.O.S. degree, SUNY at Alfred 1973      Lifelong resident of Lockport      Married to Laurie Dieter Lederhouse for 33 years

Margaret E. Luck, D-ABMDI/Coroner     Lifeline Coordinator Nathan Littauer Hospital 1980-present     Autopsy Assistant 2000-present     Resides in Gloversville NY, Fulton County     Elected, Fulton County Coroner 1981-present     Education: Graduated Johnstown High School 1978        Graduated with an Associate in Arts degree        from Fulton Montgomery Community College        Emergency Medical Technician Since 1978-present         Diplomat American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigations – (St.Lewis         University School of Medicine. 2005-present.     Boards and Committee: Board Member of NYSACCME since 2005- present          NYSACCME member since 1982-present          Fulton County Traffic Safety Board –1995-present          Fulton County Emergency Medical Service Board 1999-present          Fulton County Sexual Abuse Investigation Team 1999-present          Hamilton, Fulton, Montgomery County Critical Incident Debriefing Team.         1999-present     Community Service: Active member of the Business of Professional Women for         Fulton County         Active member of the St. Monica Chapter of the Eastern Star         Active member and 1st vice of the Republican Women of Fulton County         Member of the Loyal of the Moose         Taught Advance First Aide & Water Safety Instruction for 10 years.         YMCA Teen Center director from 1990-2002

Gregory S. Oakes is First Assistant District Attorney and a Deputy Coroner for Oswego County, and started his service as NYSACCME legal counsel this year.   He has been a full-time Assistant District Attorney since 2001.  He has been responsible for numerous homicide prosecutions and has successfully tried two murder cases before juries.  He is a graduate of Boston College Law School

John C. Prindle, M.D., At-Large Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, Graduated 1966 Wilson Memorial Hospital, Johnson City, NY, Rotating Intern 1967 U.S. Army Medical Corp., Vietnam 8th Field Hospital, ER Physician in Charge 4th Artillery Group, Group Surgeon        Fort Bragg, NC, General Medical Officer, Captain 1967-1969 Lisle Medical Office, Lisle, NY, Family Practice 1969-1972 Wilson Memorial Hospital, Johnson City, NY, Emergency Medicine 1972-1978 Chenango Bridge Medical Group, Binghamton, NY, Family Practice 1978-1997        Chair of Medical Group, 1995-1997 Guthrie Clinic Inc., Binghamton, NY, Family Practice & Regional Medical    Director, 1997-2000 United Medical Assoc., Johnson City, NY, Family Practice 2000-Present Broome County, Binghamton, NY, Coroner 1985-Present N.Y.S. Medical Society, Broome County Medical Society, Member 1966-Present MedNet Ltd, Binghamton, NY, Member & CEO 1992-1999 DMORT (Disaster Response Team under NDMS), Physician/Member    1995-Present

Robert F. Waltman      Robert is a life long resident of Dansville, NY, a graduate of Dansville Central School, Herkimer County Community College with an A.A.S. Degree, and Simmons School of Mortuary Science in Syracuse, NY. Rob has been a licensed Funeral Director since October 1983. In 1993 he sought the position of Livingston County Coroner and has been serving since January 1, 1994. Rob is a self-employed funeral director working in numerous funeral homes in the area. He is very active in the community. He has been an active member of the Union Hose Co No.1 of the Dansville Fire Department for 28 years, having served in numerous positions including Department Fire Chief, in 2003-2005, and as a former Emergency Medical Technician. He is a member and has served as Deacon for the Dansville Presbyterian Church. Robert just completed 3 years of serving as the Commander of the Sons of the American Legion Squadron # 87of the Daniel Goho American Legion Post #87 in Dansville.