NIAGARA FALLS BRIDGE COMMISSION ELECTS 2023 OFFICERS

LEWISTON, NEW YORK – The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (NFBC), the bi-national entity that owns and operates the Rainbow, Whirlpool Rapids and Lewiston-Queenston Bridges between Canada and the United States, recently elected its 2023 slate of officers. Harry R. Palladino of the State of New York was elected Chairperson, and Barton J. M. Maves of the Province of Ontario was elected Vice-Chairperson. In addition, Kathleen L. Neville of the State of New York was elected Secretary, and Murna L. Dalton of the Province of Ontario was elected Treasurer. Francis A. Soda of the State of New York and K. Geoffrey Topping of the Province of Ontario comprise the other members of the NFBC Board.

U.S. Commissioners serve at the pleasure of the Governor of the State of New York, and Canadian Commissioners serve at the pleasure of the Premier of the Province of Ontario. All officers hold their respective office for one-year until the next Annual Meeting, unless the Commission deems a change is necessary.

A member of the Commission since March 2014, Harry R. Palladino, a resident of Gasport, New York, currently serves as the Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 91, and has served in various positions throughout his extensive career with the organization. He is also the owner/operator of Palladino Paving and Construction.

Barton (Bart) Maves was appointed to the Commission in January 2019, and is the owner and Chief Operating Officer at Sterlingbridge. He is a former Regional Councillor at the Regional Municipality of Niagara (November 2010 to November 2018) and was a Member of Provincial Parliament for Niagara Falls from June 1995 to October 2003. Community involvement includes extensive coaching roles and board membership for various local organizations. Mr. Maves has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Carleton University and a Master of Arts from the University of Alberta.

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and now a resident of Guelph, Commissioner Murna Dalton is retired following a 40+ year career in telecommunications at Bell Canada and Rogers Communications, as Vice President Sales to the Ontario Public Sector. She is also a past Chair of the Ontario Information Technology Association of Canada and Smart Toronto. Ms. Dalton is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.

Appointed to the Commission in March 2012, Kathleen Neville, a resident of Wilson, New York, is a public relations and brand management professional. Commissioner Neville previously served as senior vice president at Hill and Knowlton Public Relations International in New York City and as a senior consultant at Ketchum Public Relations in Washington, D.C. She is a former director of Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo and the author of non-fiction books and articles on gender issues and conduct in today’s workplaces, schools and sports. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Organization. She also serves on Niagara University’s Board of Trustees, the Board of Selectors for the National Jefferson Awards Foundation and is president and a trustee of the Wilson Community Library. Formerly serving as Vice Chair of Humanities New York, she is also a past Commissioner of the New York State Women’s Suffrage Commission. A former television and radio broadcaster, Commissioner Neville obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Niagara University.

Appointed to the Commission in March 2012, Frank Soda retired in 2010 after a 41-year teaching career. He resides in Niagara Falls, New York, and holds a BA and MA from Niagara University and an MS from Buffalo State College. He taught at Niagara Falls High School for 23 years and is also an adjunct at Erie Community College and Niagara University. A former Niagara Falls City Council member, twice, he also served on the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency.

A resident of Guelph, Ontario, Geoff Topping was appointed to the Commission in March 2020. He is the Vice President of People & Culture at Challenger Motor Freight Inc., and has over 30 years of progressive Operations and Human Resources experience. As an active member of his community and industry, Commissioner Topping is the Past Chairman of the Recruiting, Retention and Human Resources Committee of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), a Board Member of Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP), as well as a past Board Member and Carrier Committee Chairman for the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO). In 2018, Commissioner Topping was awarded Top Fleet Employers’ Senior HR Leader of the year award.

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