Melva D. Visher

Melva Visher is currently an Adjunct Professor in Community and School Health at Canisius College and in the Business Department at Daemen College. She has also served as a part-time instructor at Erie Community College.

Ms. Visher’s professional experience includes 38 years at Kaleida Health, from which she retired in January 2012 as Vice President of Community Health. She led the planning and development of community health education, outreach, and community-based outpatient services. During her tenure at Kaleida, she administered school-based health clinics and school nursing services in collaboration with the Buffalo Public School District, serving 40,000 students attending public and non-public schools in the City of Buffalo. She also led and administered early intervention, preschool special education, and pediatric rehabilitation services, with a team of 120 nurses, social workers, therapists, physicians, and other professionals. Ms. Visher is a successful grant writer, having generated more than $45 million in local, state and nation grant funding over the course of 10 years in support of community health programs at Kaleida.

Ms. Visher earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration (1983) and a Master of Arts Degree in Business and Policy Studies (1996) from SUNY Empire State College. She completed a two-year post-baccalaureate certification in medical record administration at Daemen College (1988). She is a Registered Health Information Administrator. Ms. Visher also completed an 18-month Health Leadership Fellowship Program of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York (2008).

She serves on the Board of Trustees of several non-profit organizations, including the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, Health Sciences Charter School, Independent Health Foundation, and the SUNY Empire State College Alumni Federation.