At the June 25, 2020 Foundation for Pottstown Education Board of Directors’ meeting, three existing board members were nominated for an additional term and three new members were elected to serve their first term.  Elected to a third term were John Armato and Scott Detar while Alan Mitchell was elected to a second term.  Joining them as new board members are Leticia Santiago, Alison Scott and Frank Strunk.

Board Development and Governance Chair, Judy Green presented the motion to accept the nominees at the meeting.  All six were elected unanimously.

Armato is the Director of Community Relations for the Pottstown School District and serves on the Foundation’s Marketing Committee. Detar is a retired partner now consultant for Maille LLP and serves as the Foundation Treasurer.  Mitchell is the Pottstown Hospital-Tower Health’s Director of Materials Management and served on the Annual Support Campaigns.

Leticia Santiago is the Associate Management Consultant for Travelers.  A Pottstown High School Class of 1990 graduate, Santiago attended Howard University where she majored in Political Sciences.  She continued her education at Howard University School of Law and received her Juris Doctor Degree. She lives in Pottstown where her son is a student in the district.  When asked what interested her in serving on the Foundation Board, she replied “I have deep interest in the mission of the Foundation.  Having been born and raised in the district, I know that there is often a financial gap that can result in a child being left behind and not fulfilling his/her full potential.  I want to do my part to fill that gap and working with and for the Foundation is a way for me to do that.” Leticia was a 2019 inductee to the Pottstown High School Alumni Honor Roll.

Alison Scott is owner/designer/photographer of Once Upon A Story which makes handmade tee-shirts for children.  She and her husband have two children and live in Pottstown.  Her oldest, Tanner is a 2020 Pottstown High School graduate and her younger child, Brighton is a Pottstown Middle School student.  After graduating from North Penn High, she studied photography at Antonelli Institute of Art and Photography.  When asked what qualifications she feels that she can bring to the Foundation Board, she replied “I have strong pride in the community, a positive attitude, am organized, reliable and responsible.”  She has certainly shown this through her various volunteer activities including President of the Franklin Elementary PTA.

While Frank Strunk is not a native of Pottstown, he has spent more than 45 years in our community.  He recently retired as the Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager for Tompkins VIST Bank after 48 years in banking.  Strunk is a graduate of Ashland (PA) High School and the University of Oklahoma. He proudly served four years in the United States Air Force, serving in Viet Nam from 1966-1967.  He and his wife, Pam recently celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary.  They have three children and six grandchildren. Strunk has served on numerous community organizations including the Pottstown Rotary, Viet Nam Veterans Chapter 565, Pottstown Area Veterans Memorial, the VFW, Pottsgrove American Legion and the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors,.  Frank was also the 2018/19 Chairman of the Foundation for Pottstown Education’s Annual Support Campaign.

“We are excited about how far our Foundation has come and where we are going.  Our Board of Directors is instrumental in this journey.”  stated Joe Rusiewicz, Executive Director of the Foundation for Pottstown Education.  “The three returning members have been working hard to see that we met our mission.  I am looking forward to continuing to work with them as well as our newest Board members.  Leticia, Alison and Frank all have great skills that will be an asset to our organization as we work to level the educational playing field for the Pottstown School District.”

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR POTTSTOWN EDUCATION:  The mission of the Foundation for Pottstown Education is to raise funds for and support life-changing educational opportunities for the students and teachers in the Pottstown School District promoting the enhancement of our community.  For further information on our Foundation, please visit our website at www.foundationpottstowned.org or contact Joe Rusiewicz at jrusiewicz@pottstownk12.org