Five new board members, who had been declared elected on Dec. 8, began three-year terms Jan. 12 and will serve the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors through December 2020.
Barry Endy, Jr., Digital Sales Representative, Fraser Advanced Information Systems, West Reading; Dr. George F. Fiore, Superintendent, Kutztown Area School District; Edward T. Richmond, CPA, CGMA, Associate Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer, Kutztown University Foundation; Hope Pearson, Vice President for Retail Banking, Fleetwood Bank; and Karen Stetler, Small Business Relationship Specialist, Citizens Bank, Kutztown, joined the Board of Directors of the Northeast Berks Chamber.
As an Account Executive with Fraser Advanced Information Systems, Barry Endy helps area businesses find solutions and navigate their business technology. With expertise in business equipment, document workflow, document management, printing and scanning applications, professional whiteboards, and digital signage and resources for managed IT services, he provides excellent customer care and options to best suit his clients.
Endy is married and has twins, both of whom are in their sophomore year of college at Kutztown University and Elizabethtown College. He enjoys fishing, attending concerts, bowling, and vacationing in Chincoteague, VA, where he plans to retire one day.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. George F. Fiore, joined the Kutztown Area School District on Aug. 1, 2016. He came to the Kutztown Area School District from the Wilson School District in West Lawn, Pennsylvania, where he served as High School Principal for four years. Prior to that, Dr. Fiore served as the founding Headmaster of the Downingtown STEM Academy.
His school district experience also includes nine years as a High School Social Studies teacher, Director of Instructional Technology, High School Assistant Principal, and Junior High School Principal.
Dr. Fiore’s notable achievements include increasing student achievement as measured by state standardized assessments, increasing student access to advanced placement courses while increasing student achievement, earning National recognition for student achievement (US News & World Report Best High Schools, Washington Post Most Challenging High Schools, and Newsweek’s Beating the Odds: Top High Schools for Low-Income Students), implementing the International Baccalaureate curriculum, and developing, implementing, and creating one of America’s best high schools.
Dr. Fiore earned his Doctorate from Immaculata University in Educational Leadership and Master’s Degree in Classroom Technology from Wilkes University. He earned his undergraduate degree from Kutztown University. Dr. Fiore also serves as a part-time professor at Kutztown University teaching graduate education in the Secondary Education Department. He currently lives in Berks County with his wife Lora and three children.
Edward T. Richmond was appointed to the position of Associate Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Kutztown University Foundation, Inc. effective Nov. 1, 2017. Since 2009, Richmond has served as the Foundation’s Chief Financial Officer.
Richmond is responsible for the Foundation’s business operations, including asset management, financial reporting, internal control and compliance, human resources; as well as the operations of the Foundation’s subsidiaries. Ed is also responsible for ensuring that gift and grant agreements are written in compliance with donor wishes and applicable federal and state laws, and for ensuring the Foundation’s compliance with the terms and provisions of those agreements.
Richmond is a Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Global Management Accountant, and senior financial executive with broad-reaching experience in public accounting (Big 4 and regional firms) and industry. He has extensive expertise in serving not-for-profit organizations and institutions of higher education from both an internal and external perspective, having led a number of business process improvement projects and organizational restructurings designed around the simultaneous enhancement of internal control effectiveness and operational/financial efficiency. Richmond has also spearheaded the integration of the finance/accounting function with fundraising, sales and other operating units of several organizations, championing the role of finance and accounting professionals as internal consultants, service providers and valuable management advisors to other organizational departments. He has been instrumental in positioning KUF for long-term growth, guiding the Foundation through novel investment strategies. During his eight years, the Foundation’s investment portfolio has nearly tripled in value.
Colleges and universities with which Richmond has worked in the past include Cedar Crest College, Princeton University, Temple University, Dickinson College, Marywood University, Drew University, DeSales University and Lehigh University.
Richmond graduated magna cum laude with BA in Accounting from Muhlenberg College and is a Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Hope Pearson is presently the Vice President of Retail Banking for Fleetwood Bank. Pearson’s focus is planning and implementing all retail banking initiatives, as Fleetwood bank undergoes a transformation in their branches. Pearson is responsible for the sales and product management, price strategies, and distribution of consumer banking solutions across retail channels.
Pearson previously held leadership roles at Community First Fund, New Tripoli Bank, and Santander Bank. Pearson is a 2016 graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking where she also received the Wharton Leadership Certificate.
She resides in Germansville, PA, and has previously served on the Board of Directors for Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Women’s Business Council. She is also an active volunteer for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Event.
Alyse Mitten, owner of Interlace Communications, Inc., Shoemakersville, and Penelope Oulds, owner of Pay Day Payroll Service, Mertztown, have entered into their second consecutive three-year term.
The mission of Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce is to be a resource and a voice for its members (and those who are not yet members) in Northeast Berks County. Membership currently numbers 245.
For more information, contact Lori B. Donofrio-Galley, Executive Director, at 610-683-8860, or visit www.northeastberkschamber.com.
