Jason Markiewitz – President

Jason is the President of The Rohna Survivors Memorial Association and is the grandson of HMT Rohna survivor Sgt. Louis R. Markiewitz of the 853rd Engineer Aviation Battalion.

He joined the association in 2010 and was elected President in 2017. He is a Colonel in the United States Air Force and has served in Italy, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Korea and various locations in the United States, presently serving on the 9th Air Force Staff at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

When not in uniform, he wears various costumes as a stage, film, and voice actor, directs and produces full-cast audio dramas of classic fiction, and is an award-winning audiobook narrator with titles on Audible, Amazon, iTunes, and other major retailers. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Diana, and together they share three wonderful children, Victoria, Andrew, and Nicholas.

Deborah Sanchez – Vice President

Deborah has been a Rohna Board member since 2006, and became Vice President in 2008. In 2012 she donned another hat in The Rohna Memorial Survivors Association, becoming a co-producer of the reunions along with her sister, Cynthi Stefenoni.

She attended her first Rohna reunion in 1999 with her father, deceased Rohna survivor, Alfred Stefenoni and her sister. Deborah was born and raised in Sebastopol, CA. She worked 19 years at the Pacific Telephone Co., in Santa Rosa, CA, then after moving to San Jose, CA, another 20+ years in senior administrative positions for various companies. She currently lives in San Jose with her husband Dennis, and is the step-mother of three sons and grandmother of eight.

Janice Pumelia – Secretary

Janice, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, is the proud daughter of deceased Rohna survivor, Anthony Pumelia, fortunate enough to have attended two reunions with him in 2003 and 2004.

After teaching English in the NYC school system for 40 years and serving as an Assistant Principal of English for 12 of those years she retired in 2014. At that time, she was asked to serve as a board member and in 2017 was appointed to the position of secretary. She is currently teaching English education at Brooklyn College, guiding students into the world of teaching English in grades 7-12.

She monitors TRSMA guest book answering questions about the Rohna and providing information for further research. She strongly encourages teachers and educational administrators to write to her through the guestbook to discuss implementation of lesson plans on the Rohna for 20th century American history classes.

Janet Delude – Treasurer

Janet attended her first Rohna reunion in San Antonio, TX in 2000. In 2001 she was elected to the Rohna board as Secretary/Treasurer until 2017 when she became the Treasurer, only. Her father was a Rohna survivor.

As a young child Janet remembers her father talking about being on a ship that was bombed and that he was in the water for 10 hours before being rescued. Seventeen years after her father’s death she was watching a war movie and saw a ship being bombed. She knew she had to find out what happened to her dad. Thanks to the internet it was easy to find.

She attended her first reunion and found six men who remembered her father, including his Lieutenant, Gus Gikas. A retired Manicurist, Janet and her husband Jim have been married for 54 years. They have three kids and five grandchildren.

Michael Walsh – Past President

Michael is a retired video producer and photographer. He holds a BFA from the University of RI, and a MS in Instructional Technology from RI College. Michael joined the Board in 2005 and served as President for 10 reunions (2008-2017).

He is the author of “Rohna Memories I & II” and is working on the documentary, “Rohna Classified” with Jack Ballo of Ultravision films. The documentary features many interviews Michael recorded with survivors and others over the past 20 years. Michael’s step-father, Don Dupre, was aboard one of the Convoy KMF-26 rescue ships, the USS Pioneer.

He lives in Newport, Rhode Island, with his wife, Danette. They have two married children, Mary and Tim and two grandchildren, Arthur and Charlie.

Jim Canney – Board Member

Jim, son of deceased survivor John P. Canney, has been a board member since 2006. He worked for the Madison County Board of Developmental Disabilities, retiring after 40 years. Jim’s first three years with the board were as a school age instructor. The next nine as the Adult Services Director and the final twenty-eight as the County Board Superintendent. He has two degrees: Bachelor’s degree in Education from Urbana University and a Master’s degree in Administration from Ohio University.

Jim and his wife, Melissa, who works in a local school district as their Student Support Specialist, live in London, Ohio. They are parents to six children and have thirteen grandchildren.

James Canney, Jr. – Board Member

James joined the Rohna board in June, 2017. He is the grandson of deceased survivor, John P. Canney and reunion co-founder, Ruth Canney.

He attended Columbus State Community College and Wright State University before settling into a career as an Electrician. He is an Operations Manager for Lane Valente Industries. He lives in London, OH with his “Life Partner”, Melody Jordan and 3 children. Together they enjoy a multitude of the kid’s sporting and academic endeavors.

“My affinity towards the Rohna was cultivated from a very young age, with stories of heroism, tragedy, and determination that truly captured my imagination. As one of the newest members on the board I look forward to helping with the ongoing progress of the association, as it aims to keep its goals in sight while furthering its mission”.

Cynthi Stefenoni – Board Member

A native of Sebastopol, CA, Cynthi has had a 30+ year career as an Assistant Director and Producer in the Television and Film industries, is a member of the Directors Guild of America, and currently teaches at Film School SF. She was an Assistant Director for Paramount, Warner Bros and Nickelodeon and has also been on the production team of such socially relevant projects as Live Aid, Hands Across America, Aids Quilt Los Angeles and the End Hunger Network.

Currently, Cynthi produces the internationally acclaimed Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival and has been Assistant Producer of the Rohna Survivors Memorial Association Reunions since 2012. She has served on TRSMA’s Board of Directors since 2011.

She is the proud ‘Nonni’ of 5 grandchildren and proud daughter of Rohna deceased survivor Alfred Stefenoni.

Ellen Weber – Board Member

Ellen, board member since 2017, is the daughter of deceased survivor, Aaron Weber, and has been attending Rohna reunions since 2005.

After receiving a Bachelors degree in Sociology and Masters degree in teaching ESL from Temple University, she taught English to immigrants and refugees for over 30 years.

Ellen lives in suburban Philadelphia where she enjoys Israeli folk dancing, playing Mah Jongg, and is currently serving as president of her Hadassah group.

Stan More – Board Member

I attended my first Rohna reunion in 2008 with my father, Russ, who was a Rohna survivor. I joined the Board in 2023. My father shared his story with me including his WWII experiences before and after the Rohna. I presented his story at the Philadelphia reunion at 2011. I’m originally from Syracuse, NY, but moved to Portland, OR in 2020 after my father died at age 98 and expect to remain here.

I lived in NYC for 20 years and worked at Columbia University for most of that time. I also worked for two years in the World Trade Center for an export business when I first moved there. My company used to take clients up to Windows on the World restaurant on the 102nd floor. It was quite a shock to see the videos of those towers falling on 9/11. My last career move was back to Syracuse University as Budget Director for the College of Arts and Sciences. I have continued to work other jobs after retirement, and currently work for Portland State University.

I earned my bachelor’s degree at Syracuse Univ and my MBA in finance from Fordham Univ. I enjoy running, skiing, and swimming. I also enjoy music and have sung with many choral groups over the years.