Looking Out For The Community’s Best Interests.

Pleased with the past, planning for the future.

The officers and members of the Board of Directors of the Westminster-Canterbury Foundation have faith in our mission, pride in our success, and confidence in our future. 

Mrs. Helen Bernd

Helen received her BS and MS degrees in nursing from Old Dominion University as well as completing training as a Nurse Practitioner.  Work experiences were at the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters, Norfolk General School of Nursing as an instructor and finally as a nurse practitioner for the Navy.

As a mother of three, Helen was very active in her children’s PTA’s at all levels.  Other volunteer work included The American Heart Association and Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters.  At CHKD she was on the hospital board and also chaired the Norfolk City Union of the Kings Daughters which was the founding organization of the hospital.  Helen was on the Old Dominion University Development Board and started the visiting health nurse program at her church.    

Mr. Tom Barton – Secretary/Treasurer

Tom is the President of Beach Ford, Inc. He and his wife, PJ, have been married for 26 years and have an 22-year old son, Tommy, IV.  They live in Virginia Beach. Tom is heavily involved in wonderful nonprofit organizations throughout Hampton Roads community including, The Virginia Beach Rescue Squad and The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.

Mr. Craig Bisek

Craig Bisek has lived in Virginia Beach all of his life.  After High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve Training Program and later went on active duty, taking college courses at the same time.  After completing his active duty, Craig studied Business Entrepreneurship Specialization and Marketing Specialization at ODU and Virginia Wesleyan College.

In 1972 Craig joined Bisek & Company, Inc., Military Food Brokers, which his father had founded in 1965.  The company represented manufacturers to the worldwide Exchange System. The company implemented product purchasing, transportation, warehousing, just-in-time delivery to military outlets, and did promotional advertising to increase sales.  Bisek & Company handled payables and receivables accounting for manufacturers and reduced their costs.  With volume discounted prices, the company then offered lower prices to military shoppers, which increase sales and beat the competition.  Craig turned over the responsibility of President & CEO to his daughter before retiring after forty years in the business. 

Mr. Craig Cope

Craig serves as Executive Vice President at Harvey Lindsay. Prior to that he was with Commonwealth Commercial where he was responsible for overseeing property management, leasing and new business development. Prior to his tenure with Commonwealth Commercial, Craig was Vice President and Regional Manager at Liberty Property Trust where he was responsible for overseeing the Commercial Real Estate operations in Virginia. Craig also served as Vice President at CBRE where he provided commercial real estate brokerage services for companies located in suburban Philadelphia. At Harvey Lindsay, Craig oversees all income producing divisions, including sales and leasing, property management, asset management, and development. Craig also coordinates all new business development activities. 

Craig was awarded the Commercial Real Estate Council’s Person of the Year in 2004 and the Cape Henry District Boy Scout Leader of the Year in 2011. He is currently active in Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate (HRACRE), Scouting, Lynnhaven River Now, and The Greater Norfolk Corporation.

Ms. Leslie Doyle

Leslie E. Doyle is a Managing Director and Private Client Advisor with Bank of America Private Bank in Norfolk, Virginia.

As the leader of a client’s team, Leslie helps guide productive decision-making and provides financial strategies for institutions and families. Since 1998, Leslie has worked with clients who have complex needs, including non-profit endowment committees and family foundations; as well as entrepreneurs, business owners and senior executives.

Leslie directs initiatives across multiple disciplines, drawing on her own extensive experience and the detailed knowledge of Bank of America Private Bank specialists in investment management, institutional and philanthropic services, trust and estate planning services, credit and banking. She is skilled in anticipating issues, unifying goals, and charting and communicating a clear path of action.

Leslie began her career in the financial services industry in 1998 with Merrill. Leslie joined Bank of America Private Bank (formerly, U.S. Trust) in 2002 and became a Private Client Advisor in Hampton Roads in 2005. Leslie graduated from the University of Virginia and received her M.B.A. from The College of William and Mary.

Leslie is active in the community and serves on the Boards for the Virginia Arts Festival and the Sandler Center Foundation. She is also a member of Virginia Beach Vision and a volunteer for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughter.

Dr. George Franklin

Dr. George Franklin received his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree (D.D.S.) from Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington, D.C. He completed an Orthodontic Residency and received a Certificate in Orthodontics from the same school.

Dr. Franklin taught and practiced Orthodontics for 44 years. He enjoys playing golf, croquet, Sjoelbak, reading, traveling and spending time with his family and friends. Dr. Franklin previously served as a Foundation Director before moving to Maryland during the pandemic. Dr. Franklin returned to WC last July and he is excited to rejoin our Board.

Mrs. Laura Fulton, Vice-Chair

Laura earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of Mary Washington and went on to receive her Masters Degree in Health Sciences in Gerontology at George Mason University. Before taking time off to raise a family, Laura enjoyed a successful career in senior living working at two different assisted living communities in Northern Virginia as the Activities Director. Laura also worked for Hospices of the National Capitol Region as well as the Agency on Aging in both Fairfax ans Richmond, VA. 

Since moving to Virginia Beach, Laura has focused on raising her daughters and has worked part time for Junior Achievement as a Volunteer Coordinator. She is an active member of the community and volunteers with CHKD and her children’s elementary school. Married to Justin Fulton (Investment Advisor with Merrill Lynch). Laura and her family are active members of First Presbyterian Church where she currently serves on the Stewardship Committee.

Mrs. Lillie Gilbert

Lillie and her husband Joe became a resident of Westminster-Canterbury in 2020. She has a BA in English and Literature from Queens University of Charlotte and a Master’s degree in Education from College of William and Mary. Lillie taught school in Virginia Beach for 17 years and is the past owner of Wild River Outfitters retail store. She is the author of five books — four are travel guides. Lillie has volunteered for many non-profits, including Lynnhaven River NOW, Historical Society, Brock Environmental Center, Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation, VB Parks and Recreation Foundation, Tidewater Women’s Investment Group, Whitehurst Buffington Foundation. She is currently the Chair of the WC F&J Committee as well.

Mrs. Diane Kesterson

Diane has been married to Joseph W. Kesterson for 42 years and they have one daughter (Lisa Kohler) and a Maltese dog. The Kestersons are members of WC Early Advantage program and plan to move to WC in the future. Diane is a retired elementary school teacher. She spent  32 years between the Lynchburg and Virginia Beach City Public Schools. She studied at VA Commonwealth, Norfolk State, and Old Dominion Universities (Multi-interdisciplinary studies). After retiring, Diane spent time as a Guest Services volunteer at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital. She is an active member of Thalia United Methodist Church and has served in a leadership role (Lay Leader) for the past 6 years. She and her husband are active in Thalia Shores neighborhood and she enjoys world traveling and boating at Smith Mountain Lake.

Rev. Richard “Dick” Keever

Although a relatively new resident of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, Dick Keever has known about the mission and ministry of WC since he came to Virginia Beach in 1982 as pastor of Bayside Presbyterian Church. 

A native of Lincolnton, NC, Dick has served on the Board of Trustees (Chair 2003-2005) and as Senior Chaplain (2008-2013) at Westminster-Canterbury. In the wider church community, he has served as Moderator of the Presbytery of Appomattox and the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia, and a Moderator of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic in the Presbyterian denomination. 

Dick is married to Evelyn (Evie) Keever, a United Methodist Clergy, who is now retired as Chaplain (35 years) from Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk. They have two married sons and enjoy life, travels, and their five grandchildren.

Jennifer Kreiser, RN, BSN, MSHM, NEC-BC

Jennifer Kreiser serves as a Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. Her operational responsibilities include oversight for the Level 1 Trauma Center, Emergency Services, Family Maternity Center, Acute and Critical Care Services, Patient Experience, Employee Engagement and Quality and Safety. She serves as the Sentara Health System CNO Lead for Enterprise Patient Experience; she is currently serving as the (Virginia Healthcare & Hospitals Association) VHHA state chair for Patient Experience and is past President of the Virginia State Chapter Organization of Nurse Executives.

Prior to SNGH, Ms. Kreiser served a CNO at Sentara Leigh Hospital and received 3 Magnet designations (2015, 2019, 2024 including 17 exemplars),10-year straight A’s Leapfrog, 7 times IBM Watson/Truven 100 Top Hospitals and 2 years Top 10 Everest award. Sentara Leigh has won the Cipher Outstanding Team Award under her leadership and ranks in the top 10% of the CMS HCAHPS performance. She chaired the Sentara Leigh Expansion Foundation campaign in 2013, raising dollars for the Music & Medicine program, artwork, employee gymnasium and employee gardens.

Ms. Kreiser held numerous leadership positions including Director of Patient Care Services at Sentara Princess Anne, Sentara Bayside Hospital and Manager of Critical Care and Emergency Service. Ms. Kreiser served as a board member for the Virginia Beach Healthcare Advisory Board, Chair for United Way at Sentara Norfolk General, member of the United Way Funding Council and holds the membership chair for The Women in Network (WIN), a mentoring program at Old Dominion University, pairing local business women with first generation college students.

Ms. Kreiser received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and her Master of Science in Healthcare Management from Troy University. Additionally, Ms. Kreiser completed an Executive Leadership Internship through the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina and received the Patient Experience Certification at the Medline Patient Experience Institute.

Mr. George “Skip” Roberts

George “Skip” Roberts moved to Westminster-Canterbury from the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia with his wife, Kay, and black Labrador.  He still practices law from his office in their apartment. 

Beginning his practice in 1971 with a prestigious firm, Skip provided legal services to some of the Valley’s largest businesses, financial institutions and wealthiest families. From 1991 to 1998, he became the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the VMI Foundation, running one of the largest college endowments in Virginia as well as helping to guide VMI through its litigation over its all-male admissions policy. In 1998 he joined a major Richmond law firm as co-head of its business practice group, then was named the Managing Director and General Counsel for a New York based investment firm, overseeing the business, legal, charitable, investment and tax affairs of a leading Wall Street investment banker and private equity firm founder.  

Skip’s extensive nonprofit experience includes acting as the Interim President of the George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia, and serving as President of the Stonewall Jackson Foundation and as a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of VMI Investment Holdings, LLC.  The latter oversees the VMI endowments in excess of $500,000,000, one of the largest endowments on a per student basis of any public college or university in America.

Mr. James (Jim) Russell

Jim is a retired Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, and major shareholder in an investor/manager group which controlled and operated several manufacturing companies throughout the country. He is a current resident of WC and serves as Chairman of the Resident Finance Committee. 

Rev. Joe Varner

Joe is an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. He attended Randolph-Macon College and Duke Divinity School. Currently, Joe has been serving as the pastor of Thalia United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach since 2016.  He is also the President of the Board for the Foundation 4 Orphans, which lifts communities through service to orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. He and his wife Morgan have two young daughters and they love spending time with family and friends.

Mr. Les Watson

Les is a resident of Virginia Beach and Partner at Wolcott Rivers Gates law firm in Virginia Beach. He has served on boards such as YMCA of South Hampton Roads, Meals on Wheels and Virginia Beach SPCA.

Mrs. Shirley Wharton

Shirley retired as Sr. Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Sentara Healthcare. She was employed by Sentara Healthcare for 40 years. She has served on several community boards including Optima Health Plan, Tidewater Aids Crisis Taskforce and the Children’s Aids Network Designed for Interfaith Involvement. She has been an active resident at Westminster-Canterbury since 2010.  She has served on the Resident Relations Committee, Health and Wellness Committee, and the Finance Committee.

Mr. Forrest Williams, Chair

Forrest E. Williams, Jr. serves as Managing Partner for The Opus Group and has been in the financial services industry since 1993.

Forrest is an Investment Advisor Representative with MML Investors Services Inc. and is also registered with the State of Virginia as an Insurance Consultant. He works primarily in the areas of asset management and corporate retirement plans.

Forrest received his Bachelor’s Degree from Old Dominion University in 1983 and remains an ardent supporter of Old Dominion University athletics.  He currently holds the CLTC (Certified in Long Term Care), CFBS (Certified Family Business Specialist) and CFS (Certified Fund Specialist) designations and has appeared on WTKR-TV and WVEC-TV commenting on investment strategy during trying times. He also holds his Series 6, 7, 24 and 65 investment licenses.

Forrest is very active in the community. He served as Past President of the oldest and largest Kiwanis Club in Hampton Roads – The Kiwanis Club of Norfolk and remains currently active in his Kiwanis Club. He also served as President of the Norfolk Kiwanis Foundation.  He is a 1999 alumnus of Leadership Hampton Roads and has served on the Board of Directors of the Old Dominion University Alumni Association, Greenbrier Country Club, Kinloch Golf Club and is currently a member of Bayville Golf Club. He is also a member of the Golf Digest Panelist Board-where he performs ratings of premier golf courses all over the country.  Forrest has also been very active with numerous athletic associations that his children are involved in as a coach and mentor.