Meet Our Expert Team

Jane Balander serves as Director of Human Resources at the Fund. She attended Hudson Valley Community College and earned an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts. In 1996, Jane started her career in the Marketing Department as the Administrative Assistant. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Albany with a degree in Human Resource Management in 2014. She earned a MS degree in Fitness and Wellness from SUNY Plattsburgh. Jane is an avid cyclist and a wellness enthusiast.

Bill Howard serves as the Director of the CSEA EBF. He came to the Fund in June 2008 following more than 20 years in New York State government. Bill graduated from Manhattanville College in 1983 and was a Herbert H. Lehman Fellow at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs where he received a MA in 1984. In 1997, he received a certificate from the Program for Senior Executives in State & Local Government from Harvard University’s JFK School. He also completed the MBA Essentials Program at the London School of Economics. Bill worked as a policy analyst for the NYS Legislature from 1984 to 1995 working for both the NYS State Senate and the NYS Assembly. His area of specialty was civil service, benefits and pension issues. In 1995, he served as an Assistant Director of State Operations in the Office of the Governor. He was later promoted to Deputy Director of State Operations before being named First Deputy Secretary to the Governor in 2002. He served as Acting Chief of Staff to the Governor from 2004 to 2006 and later, as Chief of Staff to the NYS Office of Homeland Security.

Geoff Switts serves as the EBF’s Director of Marketing. He began his career at the Employee Benefit Fund as a State Benefits Specialist for CSEA Regions 1-4. He also served Regions 3 and 4 as a Senior Benefits Specialist. Geoff has a Bachelor of Science in Education from SUNY Oneonta and a Master of Science in Education from The College of Saint Rose. In addition to prior work in college administration for SUNY, he has also served as an elementary school teacher in kindergarten and fourth grade. Geoff brings a wealth of experience to the EBF.

Cassandra John serves as the Director of Finance. She graduated from Siena College with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Accounting. After college, Cassandra began her career in public accounting and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. She joined the Fund in 2018 as a Senior Accountant and was promoted to Accounting Supervisor in 2021.