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About Us
The Foundation is comprised of a group of township residents who value the school district’s excellent reputation and wishes to enhance the district’s curriculum and extra-curricular activities with privately funded innovative enrichment programs. The Foundation is an independent, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that works closely with the school district, faculty and students.
Meet Our Board of Directors
PRESIDENT - Michelle Collier
After volunteering at the Foundation’s Twilight Run, Michelle found an organization to which she could bring her talents and energy. An owner of Performance Fitness, a small gym community in Wynnewood, Michelle teaches women and men to build strength in the gym so they can be strong in every aspect of their lives. In her previous career she was a professional opera singer. Prior to that she worked as a music therapist in nursing homes and mental health facilities throughout the Philadelphia area. Michelle values volunteering and holds charity and community as both personal and business core values. Michelle has a B.A. in Music Therapy from Montclair State University and a Master’s of Music in Opera Performance from the Boston Conservatory. She is the proud mom of a son who attends school in the district.
SECRETARY - Catherine Mallam
Treasurer - Bill Derbyshire
Bill is the Treasurer of our board. He has spent his career in finance, accounting and operations in the Philadelphia area. His volunteer career includes work with St. Denis, Haverford Blaze Lacrosse and the Karakung Swim Club. He earned an MBA in finance at LaSalle and a bachelor’s degree in management from Holy Family College. Passionate about financial literacy for youth, he hopes to help our students gain important life skills. Bill and his wife Linda have four Haverford High graduates.
Jim Blumenstock
Kate Callahan
Kate Callahan is the Executive Director of Research for Action (RFA), a Philadelphia-based education research organization. Kate has over 15 years experience leading national research projects, examining issues of equity, access, and success in the K-16 educational pipeline, and regularly teaches research and evaluation courses for the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at Cabrini University and more recently for Temple University’s Master of Public Policy program. Prior to joining RFA, Kate worked as a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, served as an Associate Director of the A Better Chance, Inc. program in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, and provided professional support to teachers in a community-based education, health, and wellness center in La Paz, Bolivia. Kate has a Ph.D. and Masters in Urban Education from Temple University and bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College. Kate and her husband, Dennis (HHS Class of ’92), have five children: four currently attending Haverford schools and one Haverford graduate attending Drexel University.
Ellen Fisher (FOUNDING MEMBER, PAST PRESIDENT)
Ellen contributes her considerable talents as a business entrepreneur. Ellen is the Executive Director of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, a groundbreaking and exciting year-long class that transforms middle and high school students into real, confident entrepreneurs. She is also the founder of the Women’s Yellow Pages of Greater Philadelphia, a directory of women-owned businesses and services. As founder and past president of The National Association of Women’s Yellow Pages (now the Women’s Regional Publications of America), she guided the
development of similar directories throughout the United States. Locally she co-founded the Women’s Business Enterprise Center East, which has assisted thousands of women in business over the years. Active in many small business organizations, Ms. Fisher was recognized in 2003 as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business. She has twice served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business. Ms. Fisher is the recipient of many other awards including the Athena Award given by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, the Women in Business Advocate Award from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Women in Business Advocate of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. She currently serves on the Library Foundation of Delaware County and the Haverford Area YMCA Board of Advisors. Ms. Fisher’s two children attended the Haverford Township schools. She is a graduate of Haverford High School and Pennsylvania State University and lives in the house she grew up in.
EMILY GRAY
Emily Gray is a new member to the Haverford Education Foundation, but not to The School District of Haverford T ownship. Emily is a second grade teacher at Manoa Elementary School. She has been with the SDHT for 11 years, nine at Manoa Elementary teaching 2nd grade. Emily is a strong believer that all students, teachers, and families within our community should feel a true sense of belonging. She has received previous training on Responsive Classroom, and now serves as a school district representative supporting and sharing RC strategies at staff faculty meetings, professional development training, and through monthly newsletters and meetings for all teachers in the district at the elementary level. In addition, Emily has attended a workshop on Creating Culturally Responsive Schools through the DVCCE, and is an active member of her school’s Equity T eam. As a teacher in the school district, Emily hopes to bring her passion and enthusiasm for creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where students feel a sense of belonging and empowerment, and continue to find innovative ways to best support all of our students and their families. Emily earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood at Lock Haven University, and her Master’s Degree in Education from LaSalle University. She currently lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania with her husband Ryan ( a haverford graduate), and their two children; Lily(6) and Weston(4).
Katie KOCH
Katie Koch has been a Havertown resident since 2009, along with her husband, Steve, and their two daughters, who attend Haverford Middle School and Lynnewood Elementary. Katie has worked with the Greater Philadelphia YMCA since 2013, and was initially hired to open the Haverford Area YMCA. After five years at Haverford as the advanced aquatics director and later the senior program director, she became the executive director at the Northeast Family Y. In November 2020, she moved to the Spring Valley Y as executive director, returning to the Haverford Area YMCA in March 2024 as the executive director.
Katie has organized and led special events, including 5K races, and serves as the liaison between the Greater Philadelphia YMCA and Anti-Defamation League to lead No Place For Hate projects for each of the 15 branches. She also is a trainer in fiscal management and strengthening inclusion. Katie earned an undergraduate degree in Sports Management and a master’s in Higher Education from Drexel University, and competed as a Division 1 swimmer. Most recently, she ran in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Katie and Steve spend much of their time cheering on their daughters at their sporting events, which include soccer, volleyball, and gymnastics.
TARA KLICK
Ellen Kranick (PAST PRESIDENT)
Ellen Kranick is a communications and marketing consultant with experience developing and driving strategies for financial services, benefits consulting, and non-profit organizations. A member of the HTSDEF board since 2016, she led the fundraising committee, and managed the Legacy Books for HTSD Staff and Lauer’s Library Lions Book Drive projects. Previously, she chaired Chatham Park Elementary School’s Young Writers Day program, and served on the marketing committee for Hope Partnership for Education, a north Philadelphia independent education center that seeks to break the cycle of poverty through education. As a Junior Achievement adjunct faculty member, she led personal finance and professional development programs for high school students. Ellen and her husband Paul are parents of two sons who are Haverford High School graduates. Both currently attend her alma mater, the University of Scranton.
Lisa Lacianca
Lisa Lacianca is an attorney with a wide array of experience as well as lifelong Haverford Township ties. She is currently an Assistant Court Administrator with the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas as well as an Adjunct Professor at Widener University School of Law. Before that, she was a Magisterial District Judge in Haverford Township for 18 years, which has imbued her with a keen understanding of issues facing both the township and its youth. For many years she educated our youth as a frequent lecturer through student programming, mock trials and field trips. She has been of counsel at The Weber Firm as an attorney since 2014 and initially began her legal career at the law firm of Blank Rome where she was a commercial litigator. A Haverford High School graduate, Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and her law degree from Temple University School of Law. She is a trained mediator and has been a volunteer income tax preparer with the IRS VITA program. Lisa and her husband Mark, (a public-school educator) have three children, two who currently attend Haverford High school, and one HHS graduate who currently attends the University of Pittsburgh.
James Liou (Past President)
James Liou brings deep experience in education and philanthropic practice to the board. He previously was a teacher for 13 years, primarily in the Boston Public Schools (BPS), before embarking on district and national leadership opportunities, including his work in central office leading the history and social studies department in Boston, supporting the work of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and serving as a teaching ambassador fellow for the U.S. Department of Education. He moved to greater Philadelphia to work as an education program officer for the William Penn Foundation, before taking on his current role as a consultant to national and local philanthropies and various social sector nonprofits. He earned his BA at the College of William and Mary, and MA in Teaching at Brown University. Two of his daughters are enthusiastic students at Chestnutwold Elementary.
Dr. Maureen Reusche
Dr. Maureen Reusche has over 25 years of experience in public education and was appointed Superintendent of the School District of Haverford Township on July 1, 2015. Before coming to Haverford in 2015, Dr. Reusche served four years as the superintendent of Cherry Hill Public Schools. Prior to that, Dr. Reusche served as Cherry Hill’s Assistant Superintendent from 2007 through 2011. She served in the Radnor Township School District for 12 years in the roles of Principal, Director of Curriculum and Technology, and Assistant Superintendent.
Dr. Reusche earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Villanova University, a Masters of Technology in Education from Rosemont College and her Doctorate in Educational Administration from Widener University. She resides with her family in Media.
Dr. Maureen Reusche is superintendent of the School District of Haverford Township.
Partheev Shah
Sara Shaiman
Sara Shaiman is the gifted support teacher at Chatham Park Elementary and has been with the district for 28 years, most of them teaching 5th grade. Sara earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from The University of Pittsburgh and has her supervisory and principal certificates from St. Joseph’s University. Sara currently sits on the executive committee for the Haverford Township Education Association and has sat on a variety of boards including her local synagogue and condo association. She is the proud aunt of 12 nieces and nephews. She resides in center city Philadelphia, where she enjoys hiking, biking, traveling, attending sporting events, and being outside.
WILL WALSH
Will Walsh was appointed to the Board in 2023. The majority of Will’s career has been spent in the design and product strategy space where he is focused on delivering best-in-class digital products and client experiences. Will serves as Sr. Manager of user experience at Vanguard. He lives in Havertown with his wife and three kids, all of whom have attended school in the Haverford School District. Will is excited to share his expertise and thought leadership with the board and offer innovative ideas and approaches to advance the foundation for the future of our teachers, students and administrators.
Student Representatives
Daijah Marshall • Emma McDermott • Heart Hom Kow • Nick Ayella • Sarina (SK) Edita • Jayshing Goolsby • Bowie Weng • Evelyn Awad • Zehrah Punillath • Anaya Lin
