Bishop Richard J. Malone has named former New York State Regent Chancellor  Robert M. Bennett to the Diocese of Buffalo's Catholic School Advisory Council, the panel which advises the bishop on matters related to Catholic education.

A resident of Tonawanda, Bennett was elected to the New York State Board of Regents in 1995. In 2002, he was elected chancellor by his fellow regents.  He stepped down as chancellor in 2009 and was unanimously appointed chancellor emeritus.

"Bob is highly respected and brings an enormous amount of experience and expertise to the council," Bishop Malone said.  "I am sure he will make significant contributions to our efforts to build up the Catholic identity and strong academic foundation of our Catholic schools."

Bennett served as president and CEO of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County from 1985 until his retirement in 2000.  During his tenure, $240 million was raised and allocated for community services.  He graduated with a Bachelor of  Arts . in English from the University of Notre Dame, and received a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also completed the leadership program for not-for-profit CEOs at Harvard and the University of Michigan.

He currently serves as a distinguished lecturer in Policy and Politics in Education at Niagara University and Canisius College, is a trustee of the Statler Foundation and the John R. Oishei Foundation.

In 2005, Bennett was appointed by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec as a member of the diocesan Strategic Planning Commission.  He serves on the board of directors of Catholic Charities of Buffalo and is a Eucharistic minister for St. Christopher Parish, Tonawanda. Bennett has an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Niagara University and Doctor of Humane Letters from Canisius and D'Youville Colleges.

Bennett has two children, Maurine and Andrew, and four grandchildren, Clare, Alice, Adelaide and Robert.