Lehman Joins Donahue Real Estate Advisors
Alexander L. Lehman has joined Donahue Real Estate Advisors’ tenant advisory and representation team, where his responsibilities will include Pittsburgh office market research, financial analysis, development of real estate strategies and lease negotiations with building owners on behalf of clients. Lehman brings with him a wealth of corporate real estate experience, having spent five years at the Pittsburgh office of CBRE, most recently as an analyst and sales associate. Lehman also worked in convention sales at VisitPittsburgh, as well as in operations for the region’s Sports and Exhibition Authority. A resident of Fox Chapel, Lehman earned his BS in business administration at American University in Washington, DC, and he continues to pursue a master’s in business administration at Duquesne University.
Seneca Valley Hires Young as Supervisor of Safety and Security
Jackson Township Police Department Officer Jason Young has been hired as the Seneca Valley School District’s new supervisor of safety and security. Officer Young has served as a school resource officer (SRO) on the district’s secondary campus, grades 7-12, for the past six years, collaborating with administrators and teachers to develop crisis plans and providing a secure environment to students, staff and visitors on campus. Additional law enforcement experience includes eight years working as a deputy sheriff for Butler County and nearly 10 years with the Saxonburg Borough Police Department. Officer Young replaces Jeff James, who was recently named police chief with the Robert Morris University Police Department in Moon Township.
Shady Side Academy Names Dek Ingraham Executive Director & Performing Arts Chair
Shady Side Academy recently appointed Dek Ingraham as its new executive director of the Hillman Center for Performing Arts and Senior School performing arts chair. Ingraham will lead and expand the Senior School’s performing arts program for grades 9-12, overseeing faculty and classes in theatre, choral and instrumental music, as well as teaching theatre classes and directing theatre productions. He also will oversee all staff and outside programming at the Academy’s Hillman Center for Performing Arts, including the highly regarded Hillman Performing Arts Series and community performances, exhibitions and partnerships. Prior to this position, Ingraham served as the manager of individual giving and special projects at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, and has also served as the festival director for the Pittsburgh New Works Festival since 2017. A committed educator, he is working toward his MFA in theatre arts with a dual focus in directing and pedagogy from the University of Idaho.
Seneca Valley Earns Awards in NPRA, PENSPRA Publication Contests
Seneca Valley earned 12 awards in the National School Public Relations Association’s (NSPRA) 2021 Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards Contest and five awards in the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association’s (PenSPRA) Excellence in Education Communications 2020 Contest. SV’s Communications Department won seven Awards of Excellence, the highest recognition from NSPRA, for its 2021 Annual Report Imagining the Future; the SV Raider Pride e-newsletter (one of four recognized for excellence nationwide and the only school in PA); the 2020-21 Activities and Information Calendar Above and Beyond (one of 12 recognized for excellence nationwide and the only school in PA); Excellence in Writing Welcome Back Message; Voices podcast (one of eight recognized for excellence nationwide and the only school in PA); #SVTogether social media campaign (one of 11 recognized nationwide for excellence and the only school in PA) and SV Class of 2020 Edition Special Purpose Publication. Additionally, they were awarded five Awards of Merit for the 2020-21 Return to School graphic and for their videos Proud and Strong Seniors, Thank A Principal, SV Welcome Back and We Appreciate You. Linda Andreassi, director of communications and Katie Huttinger, communications specialist, coordinate and develop publications for the district.
Pittsburgh North Chamber Named Finalist for ACCE Award
The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber has been named a finalist for the 2021 Chamber of the Year award, presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE has more than 1,600 chambers of commerce and related business and economic development organizations as members, representing more than 9,000 professionals in the industry. The award is the most prestigious and competitive recognition presented annually by ACCE. Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, economic prosperity and quality of life.
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership Continues Restaurant Support with Grants
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership recently shared details of Restaurant Recovery Grants it has distributed, bringing to a close the Richard King Mellon Foundation restaurant recovery funding the organization received in December 2020, with additional support from the City of Pittsburgh, an anonymous donor and other individual and corporate contributions. Its most recent grant program provided 37 downtown restaurants with funding in amounts ranging from $3,500 to $17,000, with an average grant award of almost $8,000. The total amount of grants distributed to restaurants was $291,300. The grants will be used for such things as employee recruitment/hiring incentives, payroll, rent and physical improvements, marketing/advertising, outdoor dining installations/enhancements, online platform development, safety and PPE, delivery service, as well as operating or service delivery innovations.
412 Food Rescue Receives Refrigerated Van Donated by Whole Foods Market
On July 13, local food rescue and hunger relief organization 412 Food Rescue took possession of a refrigerated van donated by Whole Foods Market, to be used for transporting food to homes and community access points for food-insecure community members. The van was filled with fresh produce and grocery items from Whole Foods Market, already prepared for its first distribution run. The organization received the van through the Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program, an initiative by Whole Foods Market. 412 Food Rescue is one of seven community-based food rescue and redistribution programs to participate in the program this year, receiving funds to purchase a refrigerated van that will transport 20,000 pounds of rescued food per week from Whole Foods Market and surrounding grocers and retailers.
Fox Chapel Area High School to Hold Summer Community Blood Drive August 12
Fox Chapel Area High School is holding a summer community blood drive Thursday, Aug. 12 at the Vitalant Harmar/Fox Chapel Donor Center (2585 Freeport Road, Suite 207, Pittsburgh, PA 15238) from 1-7 p.m. and all people 16 and older are encouraged to donate blood. To schedule your lifesaving appointment, visit www.DonateBlood.CentralBloodBank.org. At the Schedule your Appointment Today screen, scroll down and enter group code HS010025 to schedule your donation. If you cannot schedule online, please call 412-209-7000, or contact Cyndi Funk at 412-477-2957 or cfunk@vitalant.org. Donors are strongly encouraged to sign up, but walk-ins are also welcome.
Two NA Seniors Named as Bank of America Student Leaders
North Allegheny Senior High School rising seniors Victoria Ren and Alina Zaidi were named as Bank of America Student Leaders for 2021. Ren and Zaidi were selected for their commitment to community involvement, service and youth mentorship. Both Ren and Zaidi have held leadership positions on student council. Ren is co-founder of STEM & Buds, a for-youth, by-youth 501(c)(3) that creates science-communication and mentorship between students, with 62 chapters across the country. Zaidi is founder of Money Not Magic, an afterschool program she created to engage and educate young children in personal finance. Through Money Not Magic, Zaidi has taught financial literacy to over 50 local kids. The Bank of America Student Leaders program recognizes 300 community-focused juniors and seniors every year. These students are engaged in an eight-week paid internship, working closely with local nonprofits like Sarah Heinz House, developing leadership and workforce skills and participating in a weeklong virtual leadership summit.
Zong Joins Heritage Valley OB/GYN Associates of Sewickley
Heritage Valley OB/GYN Associates of Sewickley has welcomed Wenjun Zong, M.D., Ph.D. to the practice. He joins Rebecca Welch, M.D., FACOG and Tara Degnan, PA-C at OB/GYN Associates of Sewickley, which is located on the first floor of Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital, 720 Blackburn Road, Sewickley, PA. Before joining the practice, Dr. Zong earned his medical degree and completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at Chongqing Medical University in China. He has also completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology and earned a Ph.D. in molecular oncology and biology at West China Medical University and had senior specialist training in gynecologic endoscopies in France. He finished his OB/GYN residency in New York and was also a research faculty member in urogynecology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Zong is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 412-749-8317.
Samantha Dunlap Named Western PA’s Positive Athlete in Girls Soccer
Samantha Dunlap, a four-year member of the Fox Chapel Area High School’s Lady Foxes soccer team, was recently selected as the 2020-2021 Western Pennsylvania Positive Athlete Award winner in girls soccer. The award is given to high school athletes who serve as role models in their schools and who embody the seven definitions of a positive athlete, including an optimistic attitude, a heart for others, who encourage their teammates, admit imperfections, put their team first, are servant leaders, and always give 100 percent. In addition to serving as starting goalkeeper for the past two years with the Lady Foxes, Dunlap was a co-captain, and was named to the All-WPIAL and all-section teams, as well as being selected as one of the Valley News Dispatch girls soccer all-stars. Dunlap was also selected as the 2021 Knichel Logistics Title IX Award winner, which includes a $1,000 scholarship and is awarded to a female positive athlete who has shown amazing leadership to her entire school.
Joe Beretta Foundation to Hold River Cruise
The Joe Beretta Foundation will be hosting its inaugural Hopeful Hearts River Cruise fundraising event on Sat., Aug. 14, 2021 aboard the Gateway Clipper's Duchess vessel. Guests can enjoy a delicious meal, dancing, two drink tickets, fabulous entertainment and a silent auction while they sail the three rivers. Tickets are priced at $150 each. The Joe Beretta Foundation was established to meet the practical needs of advanced heart failure patients and their families by providing them with emergency housing and financial stability during times of crisis, as well as emotional support. Only 3 percent of hospitals nationwide are able to treat this disease, so the vast majority of patients must travel long distance to receive life-saving care, resulting in fear, isolation and financial distress. Visit www.thejoeberettafoundation.com for tickets.
Seneca Valley to Hold Veteran Recognition Day
The Seneca Valley School District is once again in the process of organizing a special Veteran Recognition Day during the first official Raider Football home game on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. Seneca Valley is privileged to recognize veterans and active military personnel who live in the Seneca Valley School District, and encourages these individuals to participate. At 6 p.m., veterans will be joining the football team in the locker room of the Raiders Field House to adhere American flag stickers to the players’ helmets. During a pre-game ceremony at 7 p.m., those veterans present will gather on the NexTier Stadium track and be recognized for their dedicated service to the country. Veterans attending, along with a guest, will receive free admission, special seating and parking accommodations for the game. If interested in attending, send your name, address, phone number, rank, and years of service to Linda Andreassi, SVSD Communications, 124 Seneca School Rd., Harmony, PA 16037, or email andreassill@svsd.net by Aug. 23, 2021. For more information, visit www.svsd.net/VeteranRecognition.
Seneca Valley Teachers Use Grant to Expand Knowledge of Industry Skills
In 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Seneca Valley was the recipient of a $25,000 Teacher in the Workplace grant to enable teachers to visit local employers and learn the skills and industry trends to enhance their classroom instruction, student learning, and career readiness. Due to the pandemic, this was postponed; however, the grant, awarded through the Department of Education (PDE), was recently extended, and training opportunities were made available to staff this summer. This allowed teachers to participate in a five-hour, structured job-shadowing program earlier this month, learning more from employers like Steamfitters, Builder’s Guild, Life Design and PNC Bank. After debriefing about the experience, the faculty reviewed their school curricula and made recommendations for adjustments that support developing 21st-century skills that meet local employers' needs.
Comments