The Peru Gazette

Kara Stark Elliot

Alex Edwards

Alex Edwards and Kara Stark Elliot bring expertise and community focus to board

CVPH News Release PLATTSBURGH, NY (01/30/2025) – Chairman of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) Board of Trustees Joseph Donnery, DPM welcomed new Trustees Alex Edwards and Kara Stark Elliott at the board’s first meeting of the new year.

“Alex and Kara, with their backgrounds in finance, promise to be great additions to the Board and are most welcome.  Alex has past CVPH Board experience and Kara joins the Board with enthusiasm and pertinent community connections.  We look forward to their participation and contributions to our discussions and decision-making,” he said.

Edwards is filling a seat vacated by Tom Recny who served 9 years as trustee, the maximum allowed by the Board’s bylaws. With the addition of Stark Elliott, the Board membership increases from 12 to 13 members. Board bylaws provide for up to 15 trustees.

“This Board will miss Tom, a member for many years who was a trusted voice in matters coming before the Board.  He brought his valuable experience in local industry to the table for our benefit with ever-insightful input.  Tom will be missed as a Board member but remains as a friend,” said Dr. Donnery.

CVPH President Michelle LeBeau offered, “Our success in delivering the care our community needs is directly tied to the work of our Board of Trustees. The people who dedicate their time and expertise to this organization ensure that the community’s needs are well represented and the teams of professionals delivering high-quality care are supported in meaningful ways.”

Community Dedication and Professional Expertise
Edwards is the secretary/treasurer of Alexander Edwards and Company, CPAs, and P.C. He holds two bachelor’s degrees and an associate’s degree.  Edwards was a member of CVPH’s corporation board and eventually its Board of Directors, where he served as chairman of the audit, finance, and pension committees, hospital Treasurer, and member of the executive committee.  He has also served on the University of Vermont Health Network audit (vice chair), investment, defined contribution investment (president pro tem) and compensation committees.

Edwards previously served twelve years on the Board of Trustees of the Plattsburgh Public Library. He was a 33-year member of the National Ski Patrol, holding local and regional leadership roles. That organization honored him with a National Appointment #10678 and a Meritorious Service award #298.

Stark Elliott is a certified public accountant and manager at The Hoffman Eells Group CPAs, P.C. in Plattsburgh. She oversees a diverse portfolio of clients, specializing in business consulting, tax compliance, and not-for-profit auditing. Before transitioning to public accounting, she built a distinguished 10-year career in financial management roles within the Department of Defense, culminating as deputy chief financial officer of the Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants at the Washington Navy Yard.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Bentley University and a master’s degree in accounting from Keller Graduate School of Management.

A proud Plattsburgh native, Stark Elliott returned to her hometown with her husband, Dan, to raise their three energetic sons in the heart of the North Country. She is deeply committed to her community and serves on the boards of Behavioral Health Services North and Pine Harbour Assisted Living.

Both Edwards and Stark Elliott began their three-year terms in January, joining the 13-member board focused on aligning the hospital’s mission with the community’s health care needs. In addition to Chairman Donnery, they join Vice Chair Elizabeth Goerlitz-Coryer, Treasurer Graham Niles, Secretary Linda Bourgeois, Members at Large Neil Fesette and John McAuliffe, MD, Immediate Past Chair Betsy Vicencio and Trustees Kelly Donoghue, Richelle Gregory, Molly Ryan, and Richard Webber, MD, PhD.