Steve Skoufalos
PresidentStephen’s 40-year professional career includes management positions in engineering, marketing, and sales for large and small aerospace and telecommunications companies. In 2013, Stephen began volunteering for the Great Valley School District where he applies his skills and talents to help third through fifth-grade students apply mathematical concepts. In 2016, he joined the Board of the Great Valley School District Education Foundation and assumed the role of development committee chair and vice president of the Board. In 2018, Stephen was elected president of the Great Valley School District Education Foundation Board. In his spare time, Stephen enjoys golf, photography, and international travel.
Tom Koester
Vice-PresidentTom Koester is in his second terms as a board member and was elected Vice President in 2018. He and his wife, Sara, have been Malvern residents for over 20 years. They have two daughters; a graduate of the class of 2018 and a class of 2021 graduate. Tom looks forward to supporting the Foundation as it continues to grow and evolve.
Elaine Gilmartin
SecretaryElaine and her husband have lived in Malvern for ten years and their two children currently attend Great Valley High School. This is Elaine’s second term with the Foundation. She brings over 20 years of professional experience in nonprofit development, program evaluation and communications.
Mark Ernest
TreasurerMarc Ernest graduated from Penn State University in 1998 with a BA in Communications. He has been in the banking industry for 20 years. Marc is currently a member of the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union’s Senior Leadership Team as Vice President, Chief Relationship Officer. In addition to the Great Valley Education Foundation Board, Marc has been a Director on numerous non-profit Boards which includes holding the Chairman position for Safe Harbor of Chester County, Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce and West Chester Area Education Foundation. Marc, his wife (school counselor at Downingtown West), and 3 children reside in West Bradford Township.
Abby Magen
Abby Magen, an alumna of Great Valley, is a Senior Manager of Advice Methodology at Vanguard. She has a degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Delaware, is a Certified Scrum Master, and has completed the Chartered Financial Analyst Foundations coursework. She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and as a High School ACT Exam tutor, and served on the board of the Chicago Chapter of Women in ETFs. Abby and family recently relocated back to Malvern from Chicago to raise their family within the Great Valley community. She has two pre-school-aged boys.
Anika Sapra
Student RepresentativeAnika Sapra is a junior at Great Valley High School. She is passionate about educational equity, advocacy and serving her community. Aside from serving as the student board representative, she leads the Mock Trial and Debate teams at her school, and serves as the Surveyor’s managing editor. She is excited to represent her school and work with the GVSDEF this year.
Carl Buchholz
Carl Buchholz graduated from the University of Maryland in 2014 with a Bachelors in Sociology and was a member of the varsity Football and Wrestling teams. He has been in the banking industry for the last 4 years. Carl is currently the VP, SBA Relationship Manager for WSFS Bank. In addition to the Great Valley Education Foundation Board, Carl serves on other non-profit and young professional Boards which includes The Still Strong Foundation and Bringing Hope Home. Carl is a 2009 graduate of Great Valley High School and currently resides in Philadelphia.
Ken Bigelow
Ken Bigelow is in his second term as a Board Member of Great Valley School District Education Foundation. He is the father of three Great Valley graduates, Kate 2005, Steven 2008, and Laura 2011. Ken has spent his entire working career in the textile industry and still works full time as an independent sale rep for a large American textile firm. The Bigelow family greatly benefited from their Great Valley School District experience and it is Ken’s desire is to continue to provide similar opportunities for all current and future Great Valley families.
Laura Sindoni
Laura is in her first term as a Board Member of the Great ValleySchool District Education Foundation. She brings professionalexperience in nonprofit development and management, as well as earlychildhood education. Laura received her J.D. from Villanova University CharlesWidger School of Law and her B.A. from The College of the Holy Cross.She and her wife, Angela, have lived in Malvern for 6 years, and haveenjoyed various opportunities to contribute to this wonderfulcommunity.
Lauren Ranalli
As President & Chief Financial Officer for First Resource Bank, Lauren Ranalli leads the retail, lending, operations, information technology, finance, accounting, human resources and risk functions for the bank. Lauren co-founded First Resource Bank in 2005 and serves on its Board of Directors. She was recognized as a 2018 CFO of the Year by the Philadelphia Business Journal. In addition to First Resource Bank, Lauren is also active in the community with numerous organizations including the West Chester Area Education Foundation. Lauren is a graduate of Villanova University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and she is a Certified Public Accountant. Lauren is a graduate of the American Banker’s Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking where she also completed the Wharton Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Marianna Kevgas
Student RepresentativeMarianna Kevgas is a rising junior at Great Valley High School and has been a great valley student since elementary school. She has played for the high school’s junior varsity field hockey team since freshman year. She has also been a part of various clubs including Best Buddies and Alex’s lemonade stand. Marianna also helps serve her community through her church’s youth group.
Nimrat Sandhu
Nimrat and her husband have lived in Great Valley for 7 years. They have 2 daughters, 8 yrs and 6 yrs old, both studying in K.D.Markley elementary school.
Nimrat has volunteered in many roles in the school such as the spring fair, PTO and helping teachers in class activities over the last 3 years. Her husband coaches in the Great Valley Basketball Rec league for 3rd and 4th Graders.
By education, Nimrat has a Masters in Psychology and has done her MBA as well. She has previously worked in leadership roles in Human Resources across multiple Global organizations. For the last 10 years, she has been a professional artist creating art works which are exhibited in art galleries in Chester County. She is also a volunteer member of Barnstone Art for Kids which supports children who have experienced childhood trauma, she is going to be working in one of their art programs starting this September.
Apart from these, in her free time, Nimrat likes to read and spend time with her daughters and watch movies.
She is looking forward to support GVSDEF in their vision of giving back to the Great Valley Community by supporting its mission and helping the Great Valley Schools, its students and
their families.
Rebecca O'Donnell
Rebecca and her husband have lived in Malvern for thirteen years. They have two children who graduated from Great Valley High School in 2019 and 2021 and are currently both attending college.
While her children were attending our public schools, Rebecca volunteered in many leadership roles such as the spring fair, baseball and football boosters, junior after prom committee and drama guild, plus other non-school affiliated programs such as the Girl Scouts and YMCA’s Girls on the Run.
She has worked for the Chester County Board of Elections for the past five years and currently serves as the minority inspector for Charlestown Township.
Rebecca is also a volunteer with The Brandywine Valley SPCA, an organization that is near and dear to her heart.
In her spare time she enjoys cooking, reading, wellness and traveling.
She is looking forward to helping GVSDEF continue its important work to allow other families share the same positive experience her family had in the district.
Rita Jones
Dr. Rita Jones is in her second term as a Board Member of the F@GV. She served as the Superintendent of Great Valley for 16 years with 23 total years as a superintendent. Dr. Jones worked in education for 38 years as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in PA and OH. She has served on several non-profit boards and also created and served as president of her own non-profit organization entitled “Learning without Borders” from 2010 until 2015. Dr. Jones is honored to continue to serve the students and community of GVSD through her membership on the Foundation Board.
Roopali Hall
Roopali is in her first term as a Board Member of the Great Valley School District Education Foundation. She brings almost 20 years of corporate Human Resources and Finance experience to the Board and currently leads the Global Compensation function at West Pharmaceutical Services. Roopali received her MBA from Temple University and her B.A. from George Washington University.
Roopali and her husband, Aaron, have lived in Malvern for almost five years and have two daughters who are future Great Valley students. She looks forward to giving back to this wonderful community through the Foundation’s mission of supporting Great Valley schools.
Ex-officio Members:
Dan Goffredo, GVSD Superintendent
Stephen O’Toole, GVSD Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services
Chuck Peterson, GVSD Director of Business Affairs
Rachel Gallegos, GVSD School Board of Directors Representative to The Foundation
Jennifer Blake, GVSD Director of Communications and Outreach
Office Staff:
Mark Clark
Executive DirectorMark comes to the Great Valley School District Education Foundation after serving six years as Chief Operations Officer for a national education-focused nonprofit in Malvern. Before moving to Malvern in 2016, Mark enjoyed a 32-year career in law enforcement in Arizona. Mark spent 12 years of his police service as a Public Information Officer and Communications Director.
In 2021, Mark received his Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance organization. This certification has provided a breadth of knowledge on best practices in leading nonprofit organizations, fundraising, and strategic planning. Mark holds a Master of Science in criminal justice and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.
Mark has served on the vestry and is an active volunteer at St. Peter’s Church in the Great Valley. He is part of the church’s video production and live-streaming team and assists with maintaining the grounds of the 16-acre historic church site.
Mark and his wife, Sherry, live near the Great Valley High School campus in Charlestown Township. Sherry is a nurse in the Main Line Health system. Mark has two adult children, Rebecca and Allison, who live out of state. Mark is an avid photographer who also enjoys fly fishing and golf in his spare time.
Jenifer Murray
Manager of Administrative ServicesJenifer has been with the Foundation since January of 2019. Both hers and her husband’s families are all GV alumni, spanning from a 1969 graduate, through a future 2022 graduate. Having lived within the boundaries of the Great Valley School District her whole life, she has a vast knowledge of where the district has come from and takes great pride in the steps the Foundation takes to support all of the GV students in their public-school career. She is a freelance bookkeeper for multiple local companies, including a veterinarian, a general contractor, multiple non-profits and a large workers compensation insurance broker. In her spare time Jenifer enjoys reading, camping, cooking, and working out.
Volunteers:
Anne Collins
Anne is a graduate of Le Moyne college in Syracuse, NY, with a BA in political science, Anne has worked in the past as a paralegal, a writer and editor for health care-related trade magazines, and a compliance analyst. She took a long pause in her career to be an at-home mother to two boys – one who graduated from GVSD and another who is a senior at the high school. Anne has lived in the school district for 25 years, both in Malvern and in Newtown Square.
Suzanne Wagner
Suzanne Wagner works for a global company where she is the human resources transformation project manager leading a team that integrates acquisitions and legacy businesses onto the organization’s standard operational practices and programs. Suzanne is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and has a master of science from La Salle University in instructional technology management, with a B.A. in History from Seton Hill University. She volunteers with the non-profit Association of Talent Development Certification Institute and is a member ATD and SHRM, as well as a past leader of the ATD Eastern PA Chapter. Suzanne and her husband have lived in Malvern for five years and currently have a child attending a Great Valley district school.