PRESIDENT

Dr. Oliver Griffin was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. He earned his bachelor’s in history at Yale University and his PHD from Harvard University. Currently, Dr. Griffin is a history professor at St John Fisher University where he teaches course in contemporary European history.

Within the United Nations Association of Rochester, Dr. Oliver Griffin is the organization’s President, a role that he is honored to hold. International topics of interest to him include peacekeeping and international human rights. Dr. Griffin enjoys teaching history to his students while keeping them engaged with the best impressions of historical figures and pop culture icons of any professor in Rochester (and arguably the country!)

VICE PRESIDENT

Richard has spent many years in the Rochester, New York area. He has served on the board of directors of UNAR since 2005 where he has been a Board chair, Model UN chair member and has sat on the finance committee. Richard is well versed in international affairs as he has traveled to over 70 countries and has experiences in a variety of cultures.

He also has a plethora of experience in community relationship building through his work at Howard Hanna Realtors, as a broker associate for over 30 years. Richard’s work with UNAR has helped raise people’s awareness in the Monroe County area through our various programs that have helped educated the public on the United Nations mission.

SECRETARY

Jim, a retired reporter and senior editor at the Democrat and Chronicle and a journalism instructor at the University of Rochester, writes a weekly column for the Democrat, which, among other things, focuses on the connections between Rochester’s past and present. And, for more than 12 years, he’s been compiling a list of Remarkable Rochesterians, people who done this area proud.

A native of Little Valley, N.Y., and a graduate of Hamilton College and the University of Minnesota, Memmott taught English at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., before joining the Times-Union in Rochester in 1980 as a reporter. He went on to be a general assignment reporter, executive city editor and managing editor at the Times-Union and later managing editor and senior editor at the Democrat. He has taught at the University of Rochester since 1995. He lives in Geneseo with his wife, Cindy.

VP OF PROGRAMS

Margaret believes that individuals, families and communities must be empowered in all areas of their lives. “As people learn to care for themselves, they prevent serious illness and gain self-respect.” A former SUNY Faculty Member in Health Sciences and Human Services Ms. Corbin has developed and published articles, books and curriculum on chemical abuse, communications, Family Court of NYS, human development, children with special needs, parenting skills, training interns and volunteers.

Margaret has an international family background. She lived one year in Great Britain, training and lecturing medical staff. Ms. Corbin is currently working with international programs for youth and adults. She has represented the Rochester Sister Cities at an International women’s conference in Wurzburg, Germany, World Affairs Councils of America as a Citizen Diplomat in Taiwan and with SUNY Brockport in Japan, on an Arts and Culture tour. She has visited, worked in and enjoyed 28 countries.

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM BOARD LIAISON

Larry DeBellis LCSW-R, MPA is an experienced School Social Worker with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Strong community and social services professional skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Crisis Intervention, Interventions, Anger Management, and Applied Behavior Analysis.

Within the United Nations Association of Rochester, Larry has been a Board Member of UNAR since 2016 serving as Board Member and Liaison to UNAR Internship Director, supporting UNAR’s successful Internship Program.

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

Colin Witman is originally from Buffalo, New York. He moved to Rochester, New York when he attended St. John Fisher as an undergraduate student. While at St. John Fisher, Colin majored in International Studies and History, while minoring in English Professional Writing. 

At the United Nations Association of Rochester, Colin started as an intern working on membership outreach communications, and other administrative activities. He now works on the Internship Program team recruiting and placing interns with UNAR in the community.

One international topic that interests him is global development and how the developed world could mitigate security threats by working with underdeveloped regions to enhance their well-being. So far, he has been able to travel to many countries around western and central Europe, but his favorite experience was a study abroad opportunity in the Czech Republic!

BUSINESS DIRECTOR

Lia joined UNAR as its business director in January 2024. Born and raised in Rochester, Lia is excited to bring her experience to the organization to help it thrive. Lia got her bachelor’s in Politics from Ithaca College where she was a Martin Luther King Scholar. This program allowed her to travel to multiple countries doing comparative research on domestic violence. She was able to visit the United Kingdom, Ghana, and live abroad in Sydney, Australia interning at a local nonprofit, The Sydney Story Factory.

After receiving her Master’s in Higher Education Administration from SUNY University at Buffalo, Lia worked at various higher education institutions in New York and New Hampshire before relocating back to Rochester to work as a college counselor at a local high school. She has always been passionate about social justice and DEI work and after transitioning away from working in education, is excited to continue her work now in this new role with UNAR.

MODEL UN COORDINATOR

Erin is a Special Education Teacher at a Monroe County school district. She has been a teacher for six years. Erin has a Master of Science – MS, Literacy Education, and a Bachelor degree from State University of New York at Fredonia. She began her Model United Nations journey when working at Hilton School District and assisting with Hilton’s Model United Nations Conference. Her first UNAR MUN Conference was in 2020. She thoroughly enjoys working closely with UNAR, the students and school advisors.

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN

My name is Roisin Meyer and I am pursuing a degree in International Relations and Economics at the University of Rochester. I am passionate about conflict resolution and global governance, and I plan on working at an intergovernmental or supranational organization in the future that facilitates diplomatic ties between nations and addresses worldwide challenges. For the past two years, I have worked as a research assistant for the University of Rochester’s Political Science Department, identifying and analyzing map border shifts in South America overtime. I have studied both French and German, and recently completed a study abroad program in Germany, which placed a heavy focus and study on the European Union. I am excited to make an impact through the United Nations Association Internship, to help promote the mission of the United Nations