PA Virtual Board of Trustees | Online School Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Members

Bonnie M. Schaefer

- Chair

Bonnie M. Schaefer, mother of two, has served as both a Trustee of PA Virtual for many years as well as an academic coach for her son until he graduated in 2012. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Temple University.

Ms. Schaefer has particular expertise in growing startup technology companies, having done this for Dun and Bradstreet and several smaller high-tech companies.

She has taught marketing at the college level and has been named in numerous “Who’s Who” publications.

Brenda Sachleben

– Vice Chair

Brenda Sachleben serves as the Vice Chair of the PA Virtual Board of Trustees. She received her bachelor’s in business administration from Wilkes University, and spent most of her professional life working in the purchasing industry for several high profile companies in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Sachleben retired to be a stay-at-home mom for her son, Jacob, who is currently a high school student at PA Virtual. Ms. Sachleben volunteers her time to her church, where she serves as the organist for weekly services and is on the Pastoral Relations Committee. Since 1994, she has also been an Emergency Medical Technician in her community. She is very excited to serve the PA Virtual Board.

Stephanie Hamel

– Member

Stephanie C. Hamel was born and raised in southeastern Pennsylvania. She graduated with a B.S. from Grove City College and an M.S. from Lehigh University, both in Chemistry. After working as a pharmaceutical researcher and teaching college courses, she earned a Joint Ph.D. in Human Exposure Assessment from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) / RW Johnson Medical School and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Science.

As a US EPA STAR Fellow, Stephanie was among the recipients honored at a White House reception for her thesis work, which was developing a model to determine children’s exposure to heavy metals in soils. She synchronized this study to her postdoctoral research in the Plant Science Department of Rutgers, where she correlated soil lead (Pb) to levels determined via regional soil fertility tests. She and her husband have been married for more than thirty years and are raising two fine, PAVCS-educated sons. Stephanie has volunteered for Northeast Organic Farmers Association of NJ (NOFA-NJ) and is currently secretary of both the Bear Creek Grace Chapel Guild, and the Central Pennsylvania Basket Guild.

Carl Schwartz

– Secretary

Carl W. Schwartz is currently the Manager for Strategic Sourcing and Integration at Westinghouse Electric Company. He has over 30 years of experience in supply chain management, project management, engineering design, nuclear field services and marketing. Carl has broad knowledge with direct supplier and customer interface, negotiating purchase orders, contracts, settlement agreements, commercial terms and conditions, strategic sourcing, technical and quality assurance requirements; identification and mitigation of risks, and supplier performance management.

He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and served on the Westinghouse Patent Committee for over 15 years. In addition, he is the co-chairperson of the Westinghouse Science Honors Institute and was previously the President of the Engineers’ Society of Western PA, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition, Chair-person of the Life Sciences Award for the Carnegie Science Center Awards for Excellence.

Victor D. Valentine, Sr.

– Treasurer

Victor D. Valentine, Sr. of Philadelphia, PA serves as the Treasurer of the PA Virtual Board of Trustees. A proud father of four, he currently has two children enrolled at the school. A former carpenter, his involvement in PA Virtual began in 2012, when he served as a Parent Ambassador helping new families and Learning Coaches in his area grow. That quickly grew into a passion for the future of cyber education for all children in Pennsylvania.

In his community, Mr. Valentine is an active volunteer in his church, serving as the minister of music. He is involved in several youth programs and can frequently be seen volunteering at the local polling booths during elections. He enjoys helping his children maximize their learning experience by participating in various activities, especially science. Mr. Valentine is excited to serve on the Board and assist in the continued pursuit of serving the best interest of the children enrolled.

Ruth A. Bowser

– Member

Ruth A. Bowser is an avid believer in lifelong learning. As a graduate of Grove City College with a B.S. in Computer Systems and Mathematics, she worked for 12 years in the oil and gas industry as a computer programmer and analyst. She retired early to raise a family of two children with her husband. Both children were educated in several cyber charter schools from K-12^th grade, starting with PA Virtual. Her goal was to instill in them a love for learning and to teach them that you never stop learning.

Ruth currently works as a New Patient Coordinator and Technician for The Disc Institute of Pittsburgh. She volunteers at her church in children’s ministry and as a greeter. In the past, she also served as a Children’s Church Elementary Director for one year. Ruth has a heart for children and loves to see them flourish — spiritually, academically, mentally, and physically. She is excited and honored to serve on the board.

Board of Trustees

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