New Trustee Class Began Term Oct. 1

Chautauqua Institution’s Board of Trustees elected Laurie Branch to a four-year term of service at the final meeting of the body’s 2021–22 cycle on Aug. 27. Additionally, members of the Chautauqua Corporation elected Sara Ponkow Falvo as the newest of the four trustees selected by Chautauqua property owners at the Corporation’s annual meeting on Aug. 19. The new trustee class officially began its term on Oct. 1.

Branch, of Longboat Key, Florida, and originally of Olean, New York, is CEO and President of Iroquois Group, Inc., one of the oldest and largest networks of independent property and casualty (P&C) agencies in the country. Holding three master’s degrees and a Ph.D., she also teaches at the undergraduate and graduate level at St. Bonaventure University. Branch is a fourth-generation Chautauquan and a lifelong summer resident of the Institution grounds.

Falvo, of East Amherst, New York, is an emergency medicine physician and owner/proprietor of the Dragonfly Inn at Chautauqua Institution. In addition to being an on-grounds small business owner, she is a multiple-generation Chautauquan who attended Boys’ and Girls’ Club and worked at Chautauqua as a teen, and served area hospitals as a resident physician. Her two children are also lifelong Chautauquans.

“We are honored to welcome these two esteemed individuals to our trustee table, with gratitude for their lifelong commitment to Chautauqua Institution’s mission and values,” said Candace Maxwell, chair of the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees. “The voices of our new trustees will be critical in helping us to achieve the ambitious business objectives of our strategic plan, 150 Forward, while always keeping our history and community front of mind.”