The nine members of the Colonial School Board are elected at large to serve the citizens of Conshohocken Borough and Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships. The term of a board member is four years and the only compensation is the satisfaction of service to the community. The time commitment of a board member is significant as he or she may attend more than 75 scheduled meetings during a given year. Appearances at official ceremonies and school functions and committee meetings for outside organizations take up additional time.
Members:
President: Mr. Gary J. Johnson (E-Mail)
Vice President Ms. Susan L. Moore (E-Mail)
Bernie Brady (E-mail)
Ms. Hope D. Luken (E-Mail)
Kathleen Oxberry (E-Mail)
Tom Sigafoos (E-Mail)
Beth Suchsland (E-Mail)
Alan Tabachnick (E-Mail)
Mr. Mitchell Zimmer (E-Mail)
E-Mail the entire board
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Gary Johnson was elected to the School Board for four-year terms in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. He was named Vice President in July 2004 and became President in January 2009. Johnson is a past Chairperson of the Human Resources Committee, Facilities Management and Transportation Committee and the Community Relations and Student Life Committee. He serves on the district's Technology Review Committee and also serves as treasurer of the Central Montco Technical High School. Johnson was active in the Ridge Park Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization and the Colonial Parents Council prior to joining the School Board. |
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Susan L. Moore was appointed to the School Board in December 2001, and elected to four-year terms in 2003 and 2007. She was appointed Vice President of the Board in January 2009. Mrs. Moore is Chairperson of the Human Relations Committee and is a member of the Curriculum Committee. She also is on the Board of the Central Montco Technical High School. Moore, who holds a masters degree in education from Temple University, has extensive experience as a teacher in both public and private schools. She is quite familiar with the Colonial School District having volunteered and served as Vice President for both the Colonial Elementary School Parent Teachers Organization and the Colonial Middle School Home and School Association. She also has served on the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Parent Teacher Student Organization and the Colonial Parents Council. The current president of the Ply-Mar Swim and Tennis Club, Moore also is a past member of the Strategic Planning Evaluation Committee for Colonial. |
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Bernie Brady was elected to a four-year term on the School Board in 2009. He is the Chairperson of the Facilities Management and Transportation Committee and is a member of the Community Relations and Student Life Committee and the Safety and Wellness Committee. Brady also serves as the Board's liaison to Conshohocken Borough and is on the Board of the Central Montco Technical High School. He is member of Conshohocken Fire Company #2 and a former member of the Conshohocken Planning Commission. He holds a BS from Delaware Valley College and a Certificate Degree from Drexel University. Brady is a small business owner. |
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Hope D. Luken was appointed to the School Board in August 2004, elected to a two-year term in 2005 and re-elected to a four-year term in 2007. She serves as Chairperson of the Finance and Audit Committee and is a member of the Human Resources Committee the Curriculum Committee and the Community Relations and Student Life Committee. Liken was an active member of the Parent Teacher Organizations at Whitemarsh and Colonial Elementary Schools and Colonial Middle School and held leadership positions in those organizations. She has served on the Board of Trustees of the William Jeanes Library, Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels and Ply-Mar Swim Club. |
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Kathleen Oxberry was elected to a four-year term on the School Board in 2009. She is the Chairperson of the Safety and Wellness Committee and is a member of the Facilities Management and Transportation Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee and the Community Relations and Student Life Committee. Oxberry also serves as the Board's liaison to Whitemarsh Township. She introduced the Math Olympiads to Colonial Elementary School in 1993 and Colonial Middle School in 1995. Oxberry is a past president and vice president of the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Band Boosters and has held leadership positions on the William Jeanes Library Board of Directors. She holds a BS from the University of Arizona and a MS from Temple University. |
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Tom Sigafoos was elected to a two-year term on the School Board in 2009. He is a member of the Human Resources Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee and the Community Relations and Student Life Committee. He also serves as the Board's liaison to the Plymouth Township Parks and Recreation Department. Sigafoos is an elementary principal in the Upper Dublin School District. He previously spent 11 years as a principal at Colonial Elementary School and Ridge Park Elementary School. He holds a BA from Moravian College, and a M.Ed. and Principal’s Certificate from East Stroudsburg University. He is a Doctoral Candidate at Widener University. Sigafoos is the Pennsylvania Representative to the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and has been a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PAESSP) since 1998. He also serves on the Plymouth Township Environmental Advisory Committee. |
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Beth Suchsland was elected to a four-year term to the School Board in 2009. She is a member od the Curriculum Committee and the Human Resources Committee. She also serves as the Board's liaison to the Whitemarsh Township Parks and Recreation Department and is the Legislative Chairperson and representative to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. She holds a BA in Labor Relations from Rutgers University and an MBA in Human Resources from Temple University. She has 13 years of experience working in various Labor Relations positions. In 2001, she left her position as Manager of Employee Relations for Peco Energy to stay home with her children. She has three children in Colonial School District and is an active volunteer in the schools and the community including the Colonial Area Girl Scouts organization. She was on the Board of Plymouth Whitemarsh Aquatic Club and currently chairs the Whitemarsh Valley Country Club summer camp program. |
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Alan Tabachnick was elected to a four-year term on the School Board in 2009. He is the Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee and is a member of the Facilities Management and Transportation Committee and the Safety and Wellness Committee. He also serves as the Board's liaison to Plymouth Township and the Colonial Foundation for Educational Innovation. Tabachnick has been an active volunteer for the theater and music programs in the District over the past eight years, supporting the Colonial Players and the Colonial Jazz Band. He has also supported and coached teams in the Odyssey of the Mind programs at Colonial Middle School and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Tabachnick has been involved in a variety of youth sports programs in the community. He has served as an assistant baseball coach and softball coach in the Plymouth Little League and has volunteered for the Plymouth Whitemarsh Aquatic Club (PWAC) at a variety of meets across the region. Tabachnick is a member of Beth Tikvah B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in Erdenheim and has been active on a variety of committees and as part of the Men’s Club. He is also an avid supporter of historic preservation activities in the community. Tabachnick holds a BA from the University o Pennsylvania and a MS from Columbia University. He serves as National Director of Cultural Resources for AECOM, Inc. and directs historic preservation, archaeology, history, and environmental studies across the country. Tabachnick has taught Cultural Resource Management courses at the University of Pittsburgh and presented archaeological programs to elementary school children. He developed a field archaeology activity where children can participate in excavations and learn about Native American history and American history. |
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Mitch Zimmer was appointed to the School Board in June, 2004, elected to a two-year term in 2005 and re-elected to a four-year term in 2007. He is the Chair of the Community Relations and Student Life Committee and serves on the Finance and Audit Committee and the Safety and Wellness Committee. He also serves on the Board of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. Zimmer served on the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Scholarship Fund Board of Governors. He has been an active member of the Whitemarsh Youth Basketball League Board of Trustees since 1991 and was the league's President from 1991 through 1998. Zimmer also was a member of the Board of Trustees at Congregation Or Ami and was Brotherhood President. Zimmer is a graduate of Brooklyn College. |
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Designed and maintained by the Community Relations Office, dsherman@colonialsd.org |