Board Members
Executive Committee
Bonnie O'Neill - President
Board Member
St. Denis Parish
Bonnie O’Neill joins the Board as a community resident, philanthropist and activist. Bonnie and her husband John divide their time between Brielle,
New Jersey and Florida as well as family and friends.
Jon Eckert - Vice President
Board Member
Mark Beriault - Treasurer
Board Member
Executive Vice President, Manasquan Bank
Mark Beriault, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer oversees all residential and business loans for the Bank. Mark joined the Bank of Manasquan in 2004 to expand its lending operations.
Cathy Carlson - Secretary
Board Member
Cathy Carlson graduated from Rowan University in December 1975. As a former Special Education teacher of 32 years, she has always had a passion for helping children realize their potential. Cathy volunteered for and supported Special Olympics for many years.
Cathy is currently a member of the Manasquan Presbyterian Church, where she is active with several groups. Locally, she participates philanthropically with Just Us Girls and Holiday Express.
After living in the Manasquan/Wall area most of her life, Cathy now resides in Brick. Her family; daughter Suzanne, son in law Ryan and grandchildren Davis andLizzie reside in Manasquan.
Cathy is looking forward to serving on the Board of Directors and giving back to the community where she grew up.
Susan Tellone, MSN, CSN, BSN, RN - Executive Director
Board Member
Susan Tellone is a highly accomplished Certified School Nurse and health educator with over four decades dedicated to psychiatric nursing, particularly in suicide prevention. She began her career as one of the first Psychiatric Emergency Suicide Screeners (PESS) at Monmouth Medical and taught for years at the University of Medicine and Dentistry on New Jersey’s psychiatric screening law.
Emeritae
Ruth C. Harms
Presbyterian Church of Manasquan
Ruth Harms is a premier community advocate and is looked to for leadership, guidance and support in a broad spectrum of areas. She is a long-time member and leader of the Manasquan Presbyterian Church. She is an ordained deacon and elder and gives tireless leadership in countless ways and on multiple committees.
Ruth has also been a volunteer and a true ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s Jersey Shore Region. She has served on the Board of Advisors, was Vice President of the Division Board, an Excalibur member and received the National
St. George award. She was also instrumental in bringing Relay for Life to the Jersey Shore Regions.
Ruth also has served on the Board of Directors of the Ocean Medical Center, the Brielle Education Foundation, the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties; the original Board of Trustees for the Algonquin Theater and a Trustee for the Manasquan Bank Charitable Foundation. Ruth is also a co-founder, trustee and emeritus of the Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore.
A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Ruth and her husband George are the proud parents of three children, Rob and his wife Judy have three sons; ages 18, 16 and 15. Kevin and his wife Carolyn have three daughters; ages 17, 16 and 14 and a son 10. Lauren and Mike Kreug have one daughter age 5. Ruth and George are very proud of their entire family.
Advisory Committee and is a tireless contributor to the development committee of the Center. She began serving as President of the Board January 1, 2017.
Linda Cancro
Presbyterian Church of Manasquan
Linda Cancro lives in Sea Girt, New Jersey and is a lifetime philanthropist. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees for the past four years. She is a continuous advocate for educational programs and community development; and is a graduate student at Monmouth University.
Directors
Dara Brown
Board Member
Steven P. Jacobus
Board Member
Wall Street Executive, Retired
Guy Iacono
Board Member
Guy Iacono is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and lifelong advocate for mental health, shaped in part by years of living through the devastating impact of mental health crises and suicide loss in the Jersey Shore community. That experience gave him an enduring personal commitment to the kind of accessible, compassionate care the Samaritan Center provides.
Guy is the founder of his own private therapy practice specializing in mental health care for men and boys and spent nine years as a Regional Director for a mental health education organization – building mental health education programs across schools, businesses, and community organizations throughout New Jersey and Florida and beyond. He brings clinical depth, strategic experience, and deep local roots to his board service.
Guy is honored to support the Samaritan Center’s mission of fostering hope and resilience at the Jersey Shore
Historian
John C. Weaver
Historian
John C. Weaver is a community leader who has lived a lifetime of service. John grew up in the church, a son of a minister. A lifelong learner who values education, he received his B.A. degree from Gettysburg College and his M.A. degree from Columbia University. He has attended Seton Hall University and received mediation training from the Rutgers School of Labor Relations.
John served the Wall Township Public Schools, as a teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. John has a deep commitment to students and families and has often found himself in the role of counselor and guide. He has an abiding commitment to providing resources for the health and wellbeing of the community.
A member of the Manasquan Presbyterian Church since 1964, John has served as Elder; as Chairperson of the Long-Range Planning Committee, John shared the dream for developing a counseling center that offers hope, healing and health for the families of the community. The Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore is the realization of his long-time dream
John’s wife Judy is also a leader in her community and church. Together they have two grown daughters.
Ambassadors
The Samaritan Center Ambassadors are the Volunteer arm of the Board of Directors. The are responsible for the planning, organizing and implementing of Fund Raising Events as authorized by the Board and the Executive Director.
They share with the Board of Directors the passion for the Samaritan Center mission, to provide Individuals, Couples, and Families in the community with Professional Counseling or Clinical Social Work services regardless of their ability to pay. The planning for the events gives the Ambassadors an opportunity to reach out to local businesses, professionals, and other philanthropic organizations and raise their awareness of mental health intervention through education and the counseling available at the Center.
Denise Bertolami – Spring Lake
*Dara Brown – Allenwood
Debbie Byrne – Manasquan
Dodi Clark – Spring Lake
*Cathy Carlson – Brick
Jen Cozzarelli – Spring Lake
Kiernan DiFeo – Spring Lake
Mary Elliott – Sea Girt
Evie Haas – Pt. Pleasant
Christy Langella – Manasquan
MaryAnn Lehrer – Manasquan
Grace Martis – Brielle
*Bonnie O’Neill – Brielle
Betsy Orner – Manasquan
Kerry Patterson – Spring Lake
Chrissy Rice – Manasquan
Debbie Ruckert – Brielle
Cindy Tufts – Sea Girt
Ellen Visceglia – Brielle
Janice Visceglia – Brielle
*Also serve on the Board of Directors