- Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit
- August 2021 Together We Rise Award Winners
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- August 2021 Together We Rise Award Winners

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We are excited to announce the August CSIU: Together We Rise Nominees!
As announced at 2021 Professional Leadership Day (PLD), the CSIU has implemented a new award program, "CSIU: Together We Rise!" The program recognizes colleagues for their commitment to:
- Rising through innovative work: A person who has demonstrated innovation in the workplace.
- Rising through service to others and self-care: A person who modeled service or self-care or who helped a person or team with service or self-care.
- Rising through equity: A person who embraced equity in the form of learning (self-growth), teaching (providing or organizing professional learning experiences for others), or practicing (ensuring equity for served populations).
August brought in 42 nominations for the awards! Please take a few moments out of your day to read about these valued members of the CSIU family and to congratulate them for making a difference by RISING through innovative work, service to others and self-care, and/or equity!
August Winners
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Ann Miller
CARES Team
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Kerri Kubalak
Why Ann was nominated:Ann Miller has been a wonderful supervisor for the WATCH program. I attribute much of the success of the program to her leadership, mentorship, teaching, learning, growing, and promoting self-care to her staff.
Adrienne Cameron
Department of Online Learning
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Jennifer Gurski
Why Adrienne was nominated:Adrienne models service to others. She is always going above and beyond to be responsive to districts and to help in any way she can.
"She is an amazing asset to our team!"
Lori Stehle
Computer Services
Rising through Innovative Work Award
Why Lori was nominated:Lori was instrumental in working with Amazon to get the purchasing project completed. She was excited about the project, even though it required additional work and she projected that excitement to others on the team.
Jess Harry
Work Foundations+
Rising through Innovative Work Award & Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Joan Hauck
Why Jess was nominated:Jess is caring, knowledgeable and always has her staffs' backs. She is extremely prompt in her responsiveness. Her staff can have confidence in her direction. She constantly encourages others to take care of themselves before taking care of the world.
"Jess gave us the support we needed to get through the tough times of the last year!"
William Simpson
Educational Program Supervisor
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Diann Aikey
Why William was nominated:Bill has helped us through a year filled with constant changes and unknowns. He acquired the technology we need to be successful, as well as, helped with the changes in each of the programs.
Jeffrey Myers
CSIU Schools at NCSTU
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Roger Boschetto
Why Jeffrey was nominated:Jeff was instrumental in helping a North Central Secure Treatment Unit (NCSTU) student obtain scholarship money for school.
Stephanie Thorn
Communications at Center for Schools & Communities (CSC)
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Sherri Long
Why Stephanie was nominated:Moving our in-person conferences into a virtual format at warp speed, Stephanie created thoughtful, organized and aesthetically pleasing "meet our exhibitors" Padlet showcases and worked with all CSC teams to create organized, accurate and accessible webpages.
"As I always say, Stephanie, YOU ROCK! "
Jennifer Bowman
CSIU Five Star
Rising through Innovative Work Award
Why Jennifer was nominated:During this past year, Jennifer helped so much with the computers and getting students set up. She also helped staff get set up too. I think the transition was smoother with her help.
"Jennifer goes above her job duties to help others!"
Wenda Deardorf
Technology Team, Center for Schools and Communities (CSC)
Rising through Innovative Work Award
Why Wenda was nominated:Wenda is always working hard to make sure any project she is a part of is running smoothly.
Erin Treadway
Teacher - Autistic Support
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Angela Klinger and Kim Zoch
Why Erin was nominated:Erin was amazing through all the technology issues while we were working online. The compassion she has for her job, her students, and her team radiated to everyone. She is truly a beautiful person from the inside out.
"Erin is always a creative teacher... she was before, and now during the pandemic."
Michael Lord
Professional Development
Rising through Equity Award, Nominated by Dr. Anthony Serafini
Why Michael was nominated:Michael goes above and beyond every day in his work with the CSIU. Over the past year, Michael has recognized the need for more discussion and professional development addressing equity for both our internal and external stakeholders. In response to this growing need, Michael has volunteered to sit on several committees and can frequently be found offering his professional development services to districts looking to increase their understanding of equitable practices. Michael is a teacher, learner, and most importantly an advocate for all.
"The CSIU is proud to call him one of our own!"
Mary Ann Helfrich
Teacher of the Deaf
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Marsha Kouf
Why Mary Ann was nominated:Mary Ann helped with the continuity of education for our elementary-aged deaf/hard of hearing students while maintaining her full workload. She is a team player who supports others. She is also constantly thinking and working for her students; the energizer bunny!
Jonathan Sell
Migrant Education
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Daniela Lauga
Why Jonathan was nominated:Jon has been a wonderful supervisor. He always supports us!
Shirley Bastian
Executive Assistant, Division of Special Education & Alternative Placement
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Terri Locke
Why Shirley was nominated:Shirley has helped keep things running smoothly while being patient and kind. She has checked in with me to ensure a smooth tranistion in my position at the CSIU. She not only does this with me, but also assists with anyone in our department. Her phrase is, "How can I help?". When asking Shirley to assist with a task or to complete a task, her response is always, "Absolutely!".
"She has been a tremendous rock for our entire department!"
Lees Chevere
Team Leader, Migrant Education
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Luis Beltran
Why Lees was nominated:Ms. Chevere is very devoted to helping her staff succeed and advance in the Migrant Education program.
Kaitlyn Hall
Director of Early Childhood Education
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Laura Adams
Why Kaitlyn was nominated:Kaitlyn has moved to the Early Childhood Director position and has shown grace and humility in the transition. She has assumed responsibility for many tasks and has tried not to add to her teams duties, but sought to help her team.
"Kaitlyn has moved to the Early Childhood Director position and has shown grace and humility in the transition."
Luis Beltran
Recruiter Coordinator, Migrant Education
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Lees Chevere
Why Luis was nominated:Luis is a person that looks for numerous ways to recruit migrant families to our program. He has created various resources and training for all the recruiters in region three, the region with the most migrant students in Pennsylvania. I am very grateful to work by his side.
Dr. Timothy Campbell
Director, Central Susquehanna LPN Career Center
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Jessica Probst
Why Tim was nominated:Since Dr. Campbell assumed the Director position at the Central Susquehanna LPN Career Center (CSLPNCC) in April 2018, he has worked tirelessly and innovatively to modernize and improve the practical nursing program. Within three years, he has lead the team at the CSLPNCC toward an Accreditation Commision for Education in Nursing (ACEN) reaccreditation, Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (PASBON)-approved curricular revision, and the transition to a completely virtual nursing program during the COVID-19 pandemic. His leadership and innovation provided us the ability to transition seamlessly from a completely in-person setting, to a virtual format within one weekend. Because of these efforts, we were able to graduate practical nurses in the midst of a global pandemic and contribute to building the nursing workforce! I look forward to working with Tim over the coming years to see how he continues to lead our program and students toward success and provide our local community with quality and compassionate practical nurses.
Amanda Guzman
Team Leader, Migrant Education
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Luis Beltran
Why Amanda was nominated:Ms. Guzman has brought many positive changes to the workplace. She's constantly challenging the team to be great with her motivation.
Patricia Morgan
Early Childhood, Special Education
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award
Why Patricia was nominated:Pat is always there to support others through times of need or throughout the day-to-day work challenges. She always has everyone's back!
Nichole Fisher
Youth Development Team, Center for Schools and Communities (CSC)
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Karen Lehman
Why Nichole was nominated:Nichole has implemented Microsoft Teams with the 27 Education Leading to Employment and Career Training (ELECT) sites statewide. She has built a professional learning community where ELECT programs share ideas, best practices, struggles and grant requirement questions. Using Microsoft Teams is an innovation that Nichole implemented and has been great at providing technical assistance throughout so that ELECT grantees have the support they need to have meaningful interactions with this resource.
"Nichole Fisher is not afraid of change! She's open to implementing new strategies to improve the work at the CSC and CSIU."
Magdalena Rosa
Migrant Education
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award
Why Magdalena was nominated:Maggie has lived a lifetime of service to the community. She is very energetic and loving to the families she works with. She will drop everything, at any time, to help families in need. She's so much more than a recruiter! Maggie always makes herself available to be able to meet these families' basic needs. The world needs more of the kindness Maggie displays. She is out there impacting so many migrant families' lives. The CSIU is fortunate to have such a great ambassador.
Letty Heim
PIMS and Student Information Data Administrator
Rising through Equity Award, Nominated by Jennifer Martina
Why Letty was nominated:Letty was always there to help me learn PIMS and she was always willing to go out of her way to show me the correct way to enter the data. We would have weekly Zoom meetings so that she could help me enter the data into the PDE website. PIMS is not for everyone and it is a lengthy process to learn and to enter. Without Letty to teach me and show me the way, I would not have been able to finish required tasks. Even though Letty has a very busy life and a lot going on, she was always there for me and I am very grateful for that. She is most definitely a team player and an asset to the CSIU family.
Matt Hess
Technology Team, Center for Schools and Communities
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by Rob Carmo and Jeff Kay
Why Matt was nominated:Matt often takes on additional work as needed and is always looking at ways to improve CSIU and CSC systems. When there are new or improved ways to do things, Matt takes on the responsibility to implement them. For instance, Matt created a secure file upload system for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Program (PEBT) that was used to collect data from every school district in the state. Matt worked on it very quickly and has been very accommodating as the requirements have changed throughout the project. He also just finished a major update to the CSIU registration system that will allow for different departments to use the system and keep their events separate and branded differently from other departments' events. — Rob Carmo
Matt is a brilliant programmer. He keeps dozens of programs operating at full capacity. He is the guy you want to have behind the scenes when things need to be changed or fixed in a hurry. Matt has been especially busy over the last several months with everyone making demands on his time. Matt is being nominated because no matter what is on his plate, he is always responsive and professional. He is kind and takes time to understand the issue. He never backs down from a challenging issue, and when you need him, he is always in your corner. I am fortunate to work with such a talented, compassionate, and effective developer. — Jeff Kay
Tara Kehler
Assistant Instructor, Northumberland Area Head Start
Rising through Innovative Work Award
Why Tara was nominated:Tara is a co-worker who is always working hard to get things done, but is also always ready to help others when needed.
Nancy Jacobs
Early Intervention Teacher, Northumberland Area Head Start
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Tessa Carter
Why Nancy was nominated:Nancy Jacobs is a phenomenal woman. She is kind, caring, compassionate, and above all, very devoted to the Lord. Nancy always has an uplifting Bible verse when a co-worker or friend is having a bad day and a positive attitude when things are rough. Nancy had a very trying year. She lost her father, her daughter's house burned down, and through it all, she always displayed a positive attitude and had a smile on her face. She would often remind me to fear less and have more faith and that got me through some rough days. I know I am not the only one that was so very thankful to have Nancy as a co-worker and friend at the Watsontown Children's Center (WCC). She is truly an amazing woman. She deserves this award.
Tammy Boyer
Purchasing Specialist, Business Office
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Jess Harry
Why Tammy was nominated:Tammy has been of tremendous assistance in providing support and guidance as we transitioned to new business processes at Work Foundations+ this year. During the transition, Tammy was patient, responsive, and provided options for new efficient ways to complete work. She ensured that it was "business as usual" to the public and provided us with the support and guidance we needed to continue to provide high-quality customer service.
"Her dedication to ensuring all staff and programs are supported is greatly appreciated!"
Lori Dyer
Software Quality Assurance Advisor, Computer Services
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Meghan Johnson
Why Lori was nominated:Lori is always gracious about helping other staff members with questions and issues. I appreciate her positive and approachable attitude, as do many of my co-workers. With the stress of the pandemic, paired with the stress of work, her kind words and assistance make a world of difference.
Dr. Molly Nied
Chief Academic Officer
Rising through Equity Award, Nominated by Dr. John Kurelja
Why Molly was nominated:Dr. Nied has been a huge asset to our organization over the duration of this pandemic. Leading the CARES Team, developing agendas for the Leadership Roundtable meetings, pushing us to grow in the area of equity, and helping us to reveal and define our values. Since her arrival in March 2020, her leadership has been a key part of our success and she is one of the main reasons why we can say "Together We Rise!" She is going to be missed and we wish her well as she moves on to the next phase of her career.
"Dr. Molly Nied, we are better because of your time with us. You are going to be missed!"
Jo-Ellen Fedder, Bill Krohn, Anthony Curtier, Leslie Hartline, Lisa Fox, Melissa Hampton & Penny Graybill
Computer Services
Rising through Innovative Work Award, Nominated by John Dunton
Why the Computer Services Team was nominated:I'm really blessed to work with my Computer Services colleagues and it would be unfair to nominate only one, as all are deserving of recognition. We are all one in our team and I think we are unique in that respect. We deal with hundreds of schools on a daily basis and most are happy to hear from us as we troubleshoot issues.
Tom Packer, Scott Wert, Rob Welch, Tony Hauger, Tina Noll & Barry Fetter
Facilities Team
Rising through Service to Others and Self-Care Award, Nominated by Jess Harry
Why the Facilities Team was nominated:Tom, Scott, Rob, Tony, Tina, and Barry are the crew behind the scenes who work tirelessly to ensure all programs and staff are operating safely and efficiently. When a building needs to be deep cleaned in less than 12 hours due to COVID-19, a tractor trailer load of furniture and equipment needs to be assembled and delivered, personal protective equipment (PPE) materials need to be delivered in a timely manner, or when the contents of an entire building need to be moved to a new location, this team makes it happen!
"Thank you just isn't enough for what they do!"