Rich Howard

President

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After graduating from Etna High School, Rich was enrolled in Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Bachelor of Arts in Music Education Program.  He spent 38 years in the men’s retail clothing business, the last 22 years as owner of Zeiden’s Men’s Clothing and Formal Wear.

In 2001, Rich became a member of the Board of Directors for Passavant Memorial Homes, a non-profit human service organization. In 2004, he was the Founding Chairman of the Board for Life Enrichment Trust, Inc., a Passavant-related corporation.  He served on the boards of two other Passavant-related corporations, Accessible Dental Services, Inc., and Passavant Development Corporation, Inc., parent to PDC Pharmacy.  Howard joined Passavant’s Corporate Management Team in 2008 and held various responsibilities, most noteworthy, as Relationship Manager for Life Enrichment Trust, Inc., as well as Director of Sales and Marketing for the entire Passavant Memorial Homes Family of Services.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Rich has provided leadership to the communities in which he has lived by serving on many public boards as well as local service clubs.   Since its incorporation in July of 2016, he has been honored to be President of River Communities Fiduciary Services, Inc.

Eric M. O’Connor, CMP™, NCG

Executive Vice President

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Eric is a native of Beaver County who graduated from Beaver High School.  He attended Robert Morris University, completing degrees in Human Resources and Business Management.  Eric’s background includes working with Business Owners to produce positive financial outcomes.  He has also served as a Trust Officer for Life Enrichment Trust, Inc.  Mr. O’Connor holds FINRA Series 7, Series 66, and Series 6 qualifications, is a Circle of Wealth Advisor, and is an Authorized Practitioner of the Nelson Nash Institute.  He is currently the acting Chairman of the Board for the Beaver County Children and Youth Services Advisory Board.  In 2017, Mr. O’Connor received certification as a National Certified Guardian (NCG).  In 2019, he was selected to participate in a committee that will oversee changes and enhancements to the Pennsylvania Guardianship Tracking System that was implemented by the Commonwealth in 2018.

Betty Nalesnik

Vice President of Operations

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As Operations Supervisor for Rivers Communities Fiduciary Services, Betty is responsible for the day to day activities required to successfully manage the complete needs of the organization.  She joined River Communities in March 2018 bringing with her 13 years of experience at Beaver Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a skilled nursing facility in Beaver County. While at Beaver Valley, Betty oversaw Medicare and Medicaid related issues as well as Social Security Procedures. Additionally, she managed resident’s financial accounts and provided payroll services for the facility’s union and non-union staff and employees.  A graduate of Rochester Area School District, she is a member of Faith Community United Methodist Church, and a life-long resident of Beaver County.

Earlier in her career, Betty was a member of the management team for Passavant Memorial Homes at their Rochester, Pennsylvania campus.  During her 12 years’ experience at Passavant, she enjoyed serving and supporting individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Working with local churches, community service clubs and lodges, and local and neighboring school districts, she was instrumental in organizing the Lunch with a Friend Program and she planned many outings and social events for the individuals entrusted to the organization’s care.  Betty provided leadership in various fundraising events while with Passavant, including the Annual Golf Outing and several monthly programs that raised money to make the everyday lives of special needs individuals more enjoyable.

Betty is a past member of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Human Service Forum, and the Rochester Volunteer Fire Department.

Susan Sobona

Vice President of

Asset Management

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Susan Sobona obtained her Batchelor of Arts (BA) in Music Management from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut in 1990.  Since graduation, she has had an extensive work history in multiple fields of business.  In addition to 13 years of retail management experience, and 8 years in Life Settlements, Susan has 15 years of experience in bank management.  During her work in the banking industry, for more than 10 years, Susan was a registered mortgage originator, licensed under the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS).   For the past 19 years, she has been, and is currently, a Notary Public for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Susan is the assistant bookkeeper for Christ Anglican Church in New Brighton, PA, and she sings in the church choir.  She is also a Level 3 USA hockey coach, and she volunteers her time to teach kids to skate and play hockey.

Sandy Southwick

Operations Supervisor

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A graduate of Freedom High School in Beaver County, PA, Sandy continued her education by attending classes at the Pitt Dental School of Radiology and the Beaver County Hospital School of Radiology.  As a result, she holds certification allowing her to perform Dental Xray procedures in Pennsylvania.  She also completed instruction in Electro Cardiology at Beaver County Community College, granting her Pennsylvania certification in Electrocardiogram Procedures and testing.  Immediately prior to joining RCFS February 2020, beginning in 2011, Sandy was the Clinical Coordinator for Accessible Dental Services, Inc., a non-profit corporation that provides complete dental services for individuals with disabilities.  Additionally, as the 30-year owner of Sandy Southwick’s Home and Office Cleaning Services, as well as having been Co-Owner with her husband of Southbend Gulf Gas Station and Auto Repair, Sandy brings a strong background in customer relations and personal service to RCFS.

Serving in several elected offices for White Township, Beaver County, PA, Mrs. Southwick was Township Wage Tax Collector, and she also served on the Township’s Board of Auditors as well being Secretary of the Board.  Additional service was provided to the Township while she was employed as the Township Secretary.

Andrea Rivera

National Certified Guardian

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Andrea Rivera is a National Certified Guardian, who graduated from Carlynton High School in Carnegie, PA.  She continued her education by attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), having completed a Batchelor of Arts (BA) in Political Sciences and Anthropology with concentrations in Global Health and Cultural Competencies.   During her time at IUP, Andrea also focused on not-for-profit work, partnering with the Honduras Child Alliance, The Mid-Atlantic Research and Training Institute for Community and Behavioral Health (MARTI), and the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission as a research assistant.  A trained anthropologist practitioner, she has focused on working with organizations that aid vulnerable populations and she has continued this work by joining the River Communities Team in May 2021 and she currently supports incapacitated individuals under court-ordered guardianships with RCFS in greater Pittsburgh and throughout many other Western Pennsylvania counties.

Meet Our Team

Our experienced and compassionate team will help you preserve and manage your assets or find the Human Services and supports of which you may not be aware. We have extensive experience in trust administration, social services and government benefits. Call for a free consultation.