Members at Large
Joanne M. Bankos (York) is the President of Collens-Wagner Agency Inc. She has 40 years’ experience in the insurance industry. She started at Collens-Wagner in 1977 and became the owner and President in 2007.
Joanne has spent the last 25 years working with the Girl Scouts. Recently she volunteered on the 100th Anniversary Committee. She also serves on the Salvation Army Advisory Board, and is a member of the York East Rotary Club and served on several committees. She is a past president and member of Insurance Women of York and volunteer on the Cultural Alliance Annual Campaign.
Karen Best (Lemoyne) has been a Girl Scout, Troop Leader and a Troop Cookie Chairman. She served as a member of the first Board of Directors for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2011. Currently, she is a member of the GSHPA Fund Development, 100th Anniversary and Planned Giving Committees.
Karen is very active in the Harrisburg region. A past president of the Junior League of Harrisburg, she is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the United Methodist Home for Children. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of The Civic Club of Harrisburg and is a member of the Education and Fund Development Committees of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.
Now retired, Karen has 28 years of higher education administration experience. She is a graduate of Dickinson College and Penn State-Harrisburg with a master’s degree in public administration. A widow, she has two children and five grandchildren including her youngest granddaughter who is a fourth generation Brownie Girl Scout.
Bonnie Burke (Danville) is a community leader from Danville, Pennsylvania, who has been active in Girl Scouting and other organizations for many years. She worked in administrative positions in two law firms – Malcolm & Riley in West Chester and Koch & Foust in Milton – before her 26-career at Bloomsburg University where most recently she was Teacher Certification Coordinator. She retired in January 2011.
Bonnie is Past President for her local Business Professional Women chapter and of the Spins and Needles Fiber Guild. She has been a board member of the Montour Delong Fair Association and of the Sunnybrook Park Association, as well as Vice President of Fishing Creek Herb Guild.
Currently the Service Unit Manager for Danville, Elysburg and Riverside, Bonnie will be retiring from that position following the annual meeting. As a girl she went through Cadettes. She has been an adult Girl Scout for 12 years.
Bonnie is the mother of four children, grandmother of six grandchildren, stepmother of two children, and step-grandmother of two grandchildren. She graduated with a B.S.B.A. in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University.
Bonnie serves on the Board Development Committee of GSHPA.
Peggy “Peg” Chown, JD (York) moved to York in 2013 when her husband, Dave, became Chancellor at Penn State York. She has served several universities as faculty and administrator. She taught law in undergraduate and graduate Criminal Justice and Public Safety programs, and has significant experience in adult education and online education. She was a JAG Officer in the Minnesota Air National Guard, as well as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Minnesota. She has worked with high school students as coach and judge in Mock Trial competitions, and was a coach for Odyssey of the Mind, a nationwide problem-solving competition for young students. She currently serves as a Board Member for the York County Literacy Council and for the York Symphony.
Richard “Rich” Frerichs, M.Ed., Ed.D (Millersville) Rich, the 2014 Pennsylvania School Boards Association President, is a Millersville University of Pennsylvania Professor Emeritus and has been involved in education for over 40 years. A Master School Board Member, he has served on the Penn Manor School District Board of Directors (Lancaster County) since 1997. He is currently a member of the Council of Trustees of Millersville University. He has also served as president of the Penn Manor School Board, Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit Board, Millersville University Alumni Association, and the local chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, and as a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators, the Lancaster County Campaign Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and various legislator education advisory task forces. He was the Chair of Millersville University’s Athletic Fundraising Committee from 2008 to 2013, and received the Association of Fundraising Professionals “Spirit of Philanthropy Award” in 2008.
Melinda C. Ghilardi, Esq. (Dunmore) is the First Assistant Federal Defender for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. She serves as the manager of the Scranton Office. Prior to joining the Federal Defender’s staff in 1987, she was an Assistant District Attorney in Lackawanna County. She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas, and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Melinda is a member of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Board of Governors. She previously served as co-chair of the PBA’s Commission on Women in the Profession, and she has served as Secretary of the National Association of Federal Defenders as well as the Commission on Women in the Profession. She is a past President of the Lackawanna Bar Association and the Treasurer of the Association of Women Lawyers of Lackawanna County.
She is a member of the Geisinger Health System’s Women’s Health Volunteer Leadership Council and the Advisory Council at Geisinger Community Medical Center, as well as the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Board Development Committee. She was a 2000 recipient of the Women of Distinction Award presented annually by the former Scranton Pocono Council, and was the chair of the 2006 Women of Distinction Awards program. In 2005, she received the Lynette Norton Award presented by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. That same year, she received the inaugural Athena Award presented by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
Melinda has served on the Lackawanna County Commission for Women, the Friendship House Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the Scranton Division of the American Heart Association, and the Board of Directors of the former Community Medical Center Healthcare System, where she was co-chair. She has volunteered as the National Sponsor Chair for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Race for the Cure and for Scranton Tomorrow’s Marking the Millennium/First Night Celebration. She is a past Chair of the Board of Family Service of Lackawanna County.
Melinda served on The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, where she chaired the Student Life and Presidential Search Committees. The University honored her by establishing an Ignatian Scholarship in her name, and in 2000, presented her with the Frank J. O’Hara Alumni Award for outstanding achievement in the field of law. She is a member of The University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies Board of Visitors.
She is a 1976 graduate of Scranton Preparatory School and a 1980 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Scranton, where she received the Departmental Award for Public Administration. In 1983, she was awarded a juris doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
She is a twenty-eight year member of the Peckville Business and Professional Women Club, and was named Woman of the Year in 1999. She is the wife of attorney Sidney J. Prejean, Dunmore, and the daughter of Eleanor D. Ghilardi, Peckville, and the late Joseph P. Ghilardi.
Melinda was a Junior and then a Cadette Scout. Her fondest Girl Scout memories are of selling cookies every February and working on badges. She loved working on badges. She now realizes how much that experience helped her to become goal-oriented and driven to succeed. Thank you, Girl Scouts!!
Melinda serves on the Board Development Committee of GSHPA.
Rogette Harris, MPA, MBA (Harrisburg) Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, Rogette has over a decade of research and policy experience, and currently works for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where she researches important issues and writes legislation. Rogette is a research and policy expert on local, state, and urban issues. Educationally, she has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, dual master’s degrees in Public Administration and Business Administration from Strayer University (Washington D.C. campus), and was one of 55 women throughout the U.S. and abroad to be accepted into the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University in 2007.
Rogette’s passion has always been to help others through public service and to create policies that help people’s lives for the better. As the first African-American woman elected State President of the National Women’s Political Caucus in Pennsylvania, Rogette has worked tirelessly on gender equality issues such as pay equity, healthcare costs, domestic violence and sexual assault, and flex time/maternity leave rights. Furthermore, Rogette is Political Vice Chair of the Dauphin County Democratic Committee and Chair of the Lower Paxton Township Greenway Committee.
As a freelance writer, Rogette is a community columnist for Central Pennsylvania’s regional paper, The Patriot News/PennLive, and has had research published entitled: “Long-Term Government Funded Problems: A Study of Their Impact on Poverty in the United States.” In addition to being published, the research is showcased in Strayer University’s (Washington D.C.) library. Rogette has considerable political experience having organized and worked on bi-partisan and partisan events. She has worked on campaigns on all three levels of government in addition to researching policy issues and drafting legislation based on her research.
Rogette is a former Girl Scout, and her honors include being selected as a “40 Under 40” by the Central Penn Business Journal in 2010. In addition, she was selected a “HOT 100 Women” winner in 2006. The women selected for this honor were nationally chosen, and are women working for change on economic, political, and academic matters. Former Governor Edward G. Rendell nominated Rogette to participate in the American Council of Young Political Leaders, International Political Exchange Program.
Tony Hernandez (Lancaster) Born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Antonio graduated from J. P. McCaskey in 1992. He gained early admissions to Millersville University as an Elementary Education major. Two years into the Elementary Education program, Antonio decided to dual major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood with a concentration in Urban Education. He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Elementary and Early childhood Education. Antonio soon gained employment as the first male Kindergarten teacher in the School District of Lancaster and worked for the district for twelve years. For the last four years, Antonio has been working for Lancaster Country Day School where he works as a Pre-Kindergarten lead teacher. He recently obtained a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Human Development from George Washington University.
On a personal note, Antonio and his wife, Linda, have been married for ten years. Linda is an Art teacher in the School District of Lancaster. They have two daughters. Elena is nine years old and attends Resurrection Catholic School. Sara is five years old. They also have an adopted son named Josh. Linda and Antonio adopted him four years ago at the age of 16. Josh currently is enlisted in the Marines and stationed on a naval base in Washington State. They have also hosted foreign exchange students so their daughters have a chance to meet people from different backgrounds. They have had exchange students from Egypt, Morocco, and Israel.
Elizabeth "Billie" Ingraham (Danville) is the Director of Programming and a Fitness Trainer at the Danville Area Community Center. Before joining the Center, she was the Director of Youth Ministry at St. Joseph Church in Danville; Kitchen Manager at St. Joseph School; President of the Home and School Association; Chair Person of the Diocesan Catholic Committee for Girl Scouting; and a 20-year Cub and Boy Scout Leader.
Elizabeth was a Girl Scout for six years, a Girl Scout leader for 16 years and the area Service Unit Manager for seven years. As a Girl Scout leader she received the Diocesan and National Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards.
Billie received her Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Lafayette College in 1980, her Master’s in Geochemistry from Temple University in 1983 and her Master’s in Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania in 2012. She has had work experience in accounting and management. She has been married to her husband Herb for 27 years, and together they have three children: Herbert, 26, Caitlin 22 and Megan, 19. Herbert received his Eagle Award, Caitlin her GSUSA Gold Award and Megan her GSUSA Silver Award.
Billie’s hobbies include knitting, sewing, rock climbing and hiking.
|
| Betsy Keefer (York) On February 4, 2013, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve Betsy Keefer fill the unexpired term of Katie McGinty.
Betsy’s professional involvement and dedication to the Girl Scout organization can be traced back almost 35 years. She was the Executive Director of the Hemlock Girl Scout Council from 1979 to 1988; the National Director of Council Services at Girl Scouts of the USA from 1989 to 1993; the Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut from 1994 to 2001; and the Chief Executive Officer at the Penn Laurel Girl Scout Council from 2001 to 2007. She has also held Interim CEO positions from 2010 to 2011 in Jackson, Mississippi; Madison, Wisconsin; and Boston, Massachusetts.
Other York community volunteer involvement includes President of the Osher Life Long Learning Center at Penn State York, board member of the York Symphony, board member of Leadership York and member of the Hahn Home Fund board at the York Community Foundation. She is also a member of the Standards Committee for the PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations. (PANO)
Other interests include taking classes at the Life Long Learning Center and travel. Travel has included trips to all seven continents.
Education includes a BA in sociology/social science from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and an MEd from Kent State University. Betsy has also taken many courses in nonprofit management from, among other places, Harvard University and Claremont.
Betsy currently serves as co-chair on GSHPA’s 100th Anniversary Steering Committee and is a member of the Fund Development Committee.
Stacy Klann (Mechanicsburg) is a Business Banking Consultant within Susquehanna Bank’s Commercial Group. As a Consultant, Stacy is responsible for the growth and management of a relationship portfolio of business banking clients. She provides her clients with a variety of deposit, lending and treasury management products offered through Susquehanna Bank.
Stacy began her career at National City Bank in Cleveland, Ohio in 2000 where she served many roles in Retail Banking and Treasury Management. Since moving to the Harrisburg area in 2009, Stacy has been working as a lender to small business owners and joined Susquehanna Bank in March of 2014. Stacy earned her bachelor’s degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and her MBA in Banking and Finance from Case Western Reserve’s Weatherhead School of Management. Stacy provides a consultative approach to her clients, as well as provides ongoing review and recommendations of their daily operations to ensure their success.
Stacy currently serves on the Finance Committee of GSHPA.
Thom Klinger, Ph.D. (Bloomsburg) - Born in Michigan, Thom Klinger grew up in the Hiawatha National Forest. He pursued a college education in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Greece, before receiving a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of South Florida. He has taught high school through graduate programs, in areas ranging from outdoor skills through English as a second language, and in schools from Vermont to Australia. He joined the faculty at Bloomsburg University in 1985 to offer courses in values and ethics and in marine biology. Since coming to Pennsylvania, he has served as Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Marine Science Consortium, Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Quest Outdoor Experiential Education Program, and member of the Advisory Board for the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum.
Thom’s introduction to Girl Scouting came through his mother, who, throughout Thom’s childhood, capped life-lessons with the tag line, “... and I learned that in Girl Scouts.” He has worked with the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania for 11 years. Thom has served as Troop Treasurer, Assistant Leader, and Leader, as well as Service Unit Advisor for Older Girls, Delegate, Trainer, and Day Camp Presenter. Thom has two sons and a daughter who is currently in her last year as an Ambassador Girl Scout.
Veronica Longenecker (Lititz) has over 20 years of experience in Information Technology at Millersville University. Her current position is the Assistant Vice President of Information Technologies. Her areas of responsibilities include the oversight of support services (help desk support, desktop computer support), infrastructure services (servers, networking, telecom) and technology in the classroom as well as online.
Veronica has a degree in Computer Science from Millersville University and received her Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix.
Passionate about Girl Scouting, Veronica has held numerous volunteer positions with Girl Scouts over the past 18 years, including troop leader, troop organizer/troop consultant and day camp director. Most recently, she held the position of Service Unit Manager for Rolling Hills (707) Service Unit. In July 2010, she led 41 adults and Girl Scouts on a trip to Savannah, Georgia. Veronica has volunteered for GSHPA task forces to help the Council move forward.
Veronica serves on the Board Development Committee of GSHPA.
Kathryn “Kathy” McCorkle (Mechanicsburg) retired from her position of Executive Director of the Historical Society of Dauphin County in April 2013. She coordinated and facilitated fundraising efforts, special projects and events, including raising funds for and managing property maintenance and improvements. Prior to joining the Historical Society, Kathy served as CEO of YWCA of Greater Harrisburg and worked as an administrator and teacher at the Harrisburg Academy for 13 years. She was recently honored by the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg at the 25th Annual Tribute to Women of Excellence Class of 2014 as a Legacy Honoree.
Kathy was a Girl Scout from Brownies through Senior Scout (1954 through 1964). She left Girl Scouts prior to her senior year in high school, but she did have one heck of a badge sash! She was a Girl Scout Camp CIT in 1964, a unit counselor in 1965, waterfront counselor in 1966, and waterfront director at Camp Lycogis in 1967, as well as a day camp leader one year and an overnight trip leader another year when her daughter was in scouting.
Kathy currently serves on the Fund Development Committee of Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.
Joan Mummert (New Oxford) Joan began her career in nonprofit organizations over 30 years ago as a director with Girls Clubs in Indianapolis. From there she worked with Youth for Understanding International Exchange, Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (GSCNC), two universities, a private independent school, the Maryland Historical Society and currently serves as the President and CEO of the York County Heritage Trust.
Originally from New England, Joan spent many formative years in Girl Scouts (Mohawk Pathways and Connecticut Valley) to which she attributes numerous leadership skills and abilities. At Nation’s Capital she worked as a Field Director for a year before becoming a Training Specialist where she became a GSUSA certified trainer. During her tenure with GSCNC Joan successfully completed the year-long Georgetown University Training Certification program.
Her additional studies include a B.S. from the University of Indianapolis in Physical Education and Nonprofit Administration (American Humanics) and an M.S. from Johns Hopkins University in Organizational Development. Joan is a CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) through the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Benetta Rapier (Lititz) is the Program Manager responsible for development and implementation of the Community Based Programs for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of MD. These programs are key elements of the Total Care and Cost Improvement Program all focusing on Patient Center Medical Home members receiving the right care at the right time at the right place by the right provider across the service area that includes Maryland, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. Key functions of the Program Manager include project management, provider communication and collaboration as well as management of internal resources while keeping all parties focused on the Program Description and established timelines.
Prior to joining CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, she was in provider contracting management positions at Central Penn Management Group (Lancaster, PA), HealthGuard (Lancaster, PA), Albert Einstein Health Network (Philadelphia, PA), and Admar Corporation (Orange, CA). Benetta was responsible for payer and provider network strategies to include contract language and rates as well as network data integrity. Benetta has an Associates Degree in Business Administration from New Mexico State University and has completed degree work in the Selected Studies program at Arizona State University.
Benetta’s community service includes: Water Street Health Services Board of Directors, 2010 to present; St. Joseph Health Ministries Board, 2007 to present (Chairman of the Board 2007 to 2009); and the Board of the Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation, 2004 to 2009). She was also on the Evaluation Committee of PALCO from 2007 to 2008, and is a 2001 graduate of Leadership Lancaster.
Dr. Roberta “Robbie” Soltz (Bloomsburg) In January 2008, Dr. Roberta L. “Robbie” Soltz joined her husband in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania as he became the 18th President of Bloomsburg University. Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, Robbie served for six years as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at Central Washington University where she taught Environmental Resource Management, Human Ecology and General Biology. She also directed the University Science Talent Expansion Program that is funded by a five-year, $1 million National Science Foundation grant she wrote. She held joint appointments in the College of the Sciences and in the Asian Studies Program, speaks Mandarin, and has recently submitted a new proposal to the National Science Foundation to engage undergraduates in social and environmental research in rural China.
A southern California native, Robbie received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1975 and a master’s degree in biology from California State University, Los Angeles in 1977. She earned her doctorate in biology from the University of California, Irvine in 1982. She served for three years as an Ecologist for the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She then joined the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California where she was appointed Director of Environmental Compliance. During her nearly 20-year career in flood control and water resource management, Robbie had a key role in negotiating critical environmental agreements for a variety of significant and precedent-setting projects including the Seven
Oaks and Diamond Valley dams located in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, California. She earned the President’s Environmental and Conservation Challenge Award in 1992.
In Washington, Robbie served on a number of governing boards including the Yakima Basin Storage Alliance, Kittitas County Board of Health Advisory Committee, Yakima Provincial Advisory Committee for the Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests and the Western Art Association. She also planned and co-instructed the City of Ellensburg’s Leadership program and chaired its Environmental Commission. She remains keenly interested in regional water management, strategic planning and biodiversity.
She and her husband Dave Soltz have three grown children and two grandchildren, and live in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
Lisa Watson, Esq. (Oberlin) Lisa Watson is an attorney with a varied professional background in both the legal and business community. She currently works for Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare (“DPW”) in the Office of Income Maintenance as the Director for the Bureau of Program Support. In this role she manages an administrative Bureau responsible for providing support by way of statistical analysis, budget management and control, office services and automation planning and support. Prior to working at DPW, Lisa worked at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) as a regulatory compliance attorney with a primary focus on Truth in Lending, Fair Credit Reporting, Equal Credit Opportunity, Fair Debt Collections Practices, Federal Lobbying Disclosure as well as other areas that are applicable to the financial services industry. Additionally, Lisa spent eight years between Harrisburg and Philadelphia in the welfare-to-work industry revitalizing a statewide initiative designed to increase employment opportunities for individuals receiving cash assistance from DPW. She also worked as an operations manager, overseeing a procurement process designed to secure contractors to provide job-training services for individuals receiving welfare.
Lisa was awarded her Juris Doctorate from Temple University School of Law and is currently licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Additionally, she received her Bachelors in Business Administration, with an emphasis in accounting, from Temple University. Lisa is very active in the Pennsylvania Bar Association and has served on various committees and subcommittees. She is currently the Co-Vice Chair of the Public Service Committee for the Commission on Women in the Profession as well as the Chair of the Central Pennsylvania Community Outreach Subcommittee for the Minority Bar Committee. She is also a second year associate with the James S. Bowman Inn of Court in Harrisburg.
Lisa was born and raised in Philadelphia and now resides in the Harrisburg area.
|
