The Colonial Board of School Directors

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:

Alan Tabachnick, President (E-Mail)
Susan L. Moore, Vice President (E-Mail)
Bernie Brady (E-mail)
Mel Brodsky (E-Mail)
Leslie Finegold (E-Mail)
Christina Frangiosa (E-Mail)
Kathleen Oxberry (E-Mail)
Heather Palmer (E-Mail)
Beth Suchsland (E-Mail)

E-Mail the entire board

Mr. Alan Tabachnick
Board President
Resident of Plymouth Meeting

Alan Tabachnick was elected to a four-year term on the School Board in 2009. He serves as the Board's liaison to the Colonial School District Education Foundation. Mr. Tabachnick previously served as the Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee and as the Board's liaison to Plymouth Township. He 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. Mr. 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. Mr. 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. Mr. Tabachnick holds a BA from the University of 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. Mr. 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.

Mrs. Susan L. Moore
Board Vice President
Resident of Plymouth Meeting

Susan L. Moore was appointed to the School Board in December 2001, and elected to four-year terms in 2003, 2007 and 2011. Mrs. Moore is Chairperson of the Human Resources Committee and is a member of the Facilities Management and Transportation Committee and Finance and Audit Committee. She also is on the Central Montco Technical High School Joint Operating Committee. Mrs. 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, Mrs. Moore also is a past member of the Strategic Planning Evaluation Committee for Colonial.

Mr. Bernie Brady
Resident of Conshohocken

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. Mr. Brady also serves as the Board's liaison to Conshohocken Borough and is on the Central Montco Technical High School Joint Operating Committee. 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.

Mr. Mel Brodsky
Resident of Lafayette Hill

Mel Brodsky was appointed to the School Board in July 2010 and elected to a four-year term in 2011. He is the chair of the Curriculum Committee and serves on the Facilities Management and Transportation and Human Resources committees as well as the Central Montco Technical High School Joint Operating Committee. Mr. Brodsky spent 35 years as an educator including nine years as a teacher, six as an assistant principal and 20 years as a principal. He also has experience as a high school and college basketball coach. Mr. Brodsky holds a bachelor's degree from Temple University and Master's from Villanova University.

Mrs. Leslie Finegold
Resident of Lafayette Hill

Leslie Finegold was elected to a four-year term on the School Board in 2011. She serves on the Curriculum, and Community Relations and Student Life committees and is the Board's liaison to the Whitemarsh Township Department of Parks and Recreation. Mrs. Finegold previously served on various District committees including The Strategic Planning Committee, The Act 1 Committee, The Act 72 Committee, The Technology Review Committee, The Prep HQ Committee, and The Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate Community Task Force. She is a past president of elementary and middle school Parent Teacher Student Organizations (PTSO) and served as secretary of the high school PTSO. She also participated in the first Challenge Day at Colonial Middle School. Mrs. Finegold holds a BS from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Business from the University of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Finegold is currently co-owner of a Flourtown-based media production company.

Mrs. Christina Frangiosa
Resident of Plymouth Meeting

Christina Frangiosa was elected to a four-year term on the School board in 2011. She sits on the Human Resources and Community Relations and Student Life Committee and is the Board's Legislative Liaison and Liaison to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Mrs. Frangiosa was active in the Plymouth Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization and chaired its Cell Phone Donation Committee. She is also involved with Plymouth Soccer, the Plymouth Little League and the Colonial Field Hockey Club. Mrs. Frangiosa holds a BA from American University and a JD from the Temple University School of Law. She is a practicing attorney specializing in trademarks and litigation. She currently serves as Chair of the Trademark Legislation Committee of the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section.

Mrs. Heather Palmer
Resident of Conshohocken

Heather Palmer was appointed to the Board on December 18, 2012. Mrs. Palmer has been a resident of Whitemarsh Township for the past 12 years and has been active in the Whitemarsh Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, as a homeroom parent and more. Mrs. Palmer, who has worked as a Global Marketing Director at Johnson and Johnson for the past 15 years, holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in marketing from Duke University.

Mrs. Kathleen Oxberry

Resident of Plymouth Meeting

Kathleen Oxberry was elected to a four-year term on the School Board in 2009. She was elected Vice President in December 2010. Mrs. Oxberry is Chairperson of the Finance and Audit Committee and is a member of the Facilities Management and Transportation and Human Resources Committees. 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. Oxberry is employed as a Global Trial Manager in Emerging Markets at Merck & Co., Inc. In October 2011 she earned her Project Management Professional Certification. She is currently Lead on a Clinical Trial Team and an Outsourced Trial Team, charged with bringing the projects in on time and within budget.

Mrs. Beth Suchsland
Resident of Lafayette Hill

Beth Suchsland was elected to a four-year term to the School Board in 2009. She is Chairperson of the Community Relations and Student Life Committee and is a member of the Curriculum and Human Resources Committees. 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.