Munson welcomes Ronald Cuccaro to board of trustees
Friday, Sept. 4, 2026
Utica, N.Y. — Munson has welcomed Ronald Cuccaro to its Board of Trustees, effective in August.
A Utica native, Cuccaro brings a deep commitment to Munson and the Mohawk Valley. As a teenager, Ron followed the construction of the Museum of Art, impressed by the building methods that were extraordinary for their time. While a student at Utica College, he took painting courses from Easton Pribble and John Loy at the Munson School of Art and returned in his 30s for evening sculpture classes with Jim McDermid and John Von Bergen. “They were very enjoyable,” he says, “and provided a positive, therapeutic break from my busy work life.”
More than 40 years ago, he brought together the finest public adjusting firms in the country to form Adjusters International (AI), building an organization that responded to large-scale disasters anywhere. Cuccaro is now the retired Executive Chairman of Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporation, Adjusters International (AI) and Tidal Basin Group, the nation’s leaders in disaster preparedness and recovery. Under his leadership, these organizations provided recovery assistance in the aftermath of major earthquakes, the Oklahoma City bombing, and every hurricane to strike the United States and Caribbean since 1985.
Cuccaro also coordinated AI’s role as consultants to the Government of Kuwait for its United Nation’s war reparation claims and led AI’s teams that assisted the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey following both the 1993 and the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. For his work to secure FEMA grant funding following the Sept. 11th attacks, Cuccaro received the James G. Hellmuth Unit Citation "for invaluable contribution to the World Trade Center Loss Recovery Team." Cuccaro is one of only two people from outside the Port Authority who were ever bestowed the honor.
Cuccaro also served as the publisher of Adjusting Today and Disaster Recovery Today, technical periodicals distributed to nearly 50,000 disaster preparedness and recovery professionals
Closer to home, he has provided decades of leadership to the organizations that shape this region—among them The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Mohawk Valley EDGE, Utica University, and The Arc. In 2023, he and his wife, Sheila, received The Community Foundation's Rosamond Childs Award for Community Philanthropy.
Ron and Sheila have been active members and supporters of Munson for decades, drawn by a shared belief that the arts are central to education and a vibrant community. That commitment continues today, as the couple serve as co-chairs of the Munson For All capital campaign, helping to lead this pivotal moment in Munson's history.
“At this time of my life, it will be rewarding to help enhance Munson's extraordinary offerings to others in our community, especially young people, through proactive community engagement initiatives that will foster the same love of the arts; making our organization ‘Munson for All.’”
