KSLA Board

2019-2020 KSLA Board of Directors

President - Kathy Sagl

Kathy has been in education for more than 20 years. She began her career as a library volunteer at Cathedral School located in Allentown. She received her degree in Library Technical Assistance. From 1996 to 2008, she held the position as Library Media Specialist at Cathedral School for students in Kindergarten through Grade 8, sharing stories and children’s literature, and teaching research skills and proper computer/internet citizenship and responsibility. In 2008, she accepted a position with Nazareth Area High School Library sharing young adult literature with students and providing faculty with materials to assist with their curriculum. Kathy recently retired from her position with Nazareth School District. As a member of KSLA Central Eastern PA, she held positions of Membership Chair, Vice President, and President. Kathy is also a member of Pennsylvania School Library Association (PSLA).

President-elect - Sondra Jones

After working in education for 27 years in different positions and school districts, Sondra is retiring as a Reading Specialist from the Blue Mountain School District in September. Sondra earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and her Masters degree in reading education from Anna Maria College in Massachusetts. She continued her reading education in the Reading and Language Arts Doctoral program at Widener University. Sondra is currently co-chair of the Council Awards committee and serves as a member of the Keystone to Reading Book Awards committee of KSLA. She is Membership Chair of her local council, KSLA Schuylkill.

Vice President - Glendia Kennedy

Glendia just retired from the Chester County Intermediate Unit after 18 years as a reading specialist for Nonpublic School Services. Her previous experiences include six years at Hill Top Prep in Rosemont, PA, five years in Michigan as a high school English and Journalism teacher, and three years in Georgia as a middle and high school reading specialist. Glendia stayed at home with her three children for twelve years supporting them at their schools and extracurricular activities. Glendia is a past president of Chester County Reading Association and presently co-chairs KSLA’s Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Awards.

Past President - Aileen Hower

Aileen is an Assistant Professor of Literacy and Graduate Coordinator of the M.Ed. in Language and Literacy at Millersville University. She will be starting her 25th year in education this August. Aileen graduated with her doctorate in Reading/Language Arts Leadership from Widener University in 2013. She serves as KSLA’s Social Media Coordinator and is a co-chair of the Keystone to Reading Secondary book awards. She is the treasurer for KSLA York Adams.

Treasurer - Virginia Williams

Virginia retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue as the Chief of the Personal Income Tax Delinquent Tax Division. After her 35 year tenure at Revenue, she assumed a new role as a resident volunteer and part-time paraprofessional/clerical employee at the elementary school where her son, Michael, teaches. In addition to being the KSLA Treasurer, she also serves as the Treasurer for KSLA Capital Area. She will also serve as the Treasurer for the 2019 KSLA Conference. Virginia's favorite thing to do is READ!

Secretary - Debbie Urso

Debbie is a Title I reading specialist in the Chambersburg Area School District. She has been in this role for 13 years, and, prior to that, taught 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd grades. In addition to serving as KSLA’s Secretary, she is the Families & Reading Committee Chair. Even though April is Families & Reading Month, Debbie promotes reading and family literacy events throughout the entire year in her school district and reading council. For the past few KSLA conferences, she has been the Hospitality Chair or Decorations Co-chair, and this year she is serving as the Exhibits Co-chair and Decorations Co-chair. She proudly serves as KSLA Franklin County's Secretary and Act 48 Chair. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, singing, gardening, and of course reading professional books and novels.

ILA Coordinator - Eric C. MacDonald

Eric is a middle school teacher and Asst. Middle School Head at Benchmark School in Media, PA, where he has taught for 34 years. He has served as President of KSRA (1999-2000), among numerous other positions. KSLA Delaware Valley is his local council where he continues to serve on the Advisory Committee as Bylaws Chair and the council’s website coordinator. What he loves most about KSLA is the people he has gotten to know and with which he has served.

DIRECTOR of Member Services - Emily Reed

Emily is a Reading Specialist at Dillsburg Elementary School in the Northern York County School District. She has served in this position for 20 years. She graduated from Millersville University with an undergraduate degree in Elementary, Early Childhood, and Physical Education. She later earned her Master's degree in Reading from there as well. She continued her education while receiving a principal and supervisory certificate from Shippensburg University. She serves as KSLA Director of Member Services, as well as serving on the Keystone to Reading Book Award Elementary committee and acting as co-chair of the Secondary committee.This year, she will President of KSLA York Adams and Act 48 Chair of KSLA Capital Area. In her free time she serves the children in her community through the Kiwanis Club of Dillsburg, she loves to sing, watch Hershey Bears ice hockey, play disc golf, and kayak with her husband. And of course, you will always find Emily reading. Being a part of KSLA gives her the opportunity to share her love of literacy with other teachers and the community.

Director of Literacy Advocacy - Bethann McCain

Bethann is the Director of Curriculum at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit l in Milton, PA. Prior to this position, she has been an instructional coach, Title I Reading Specialist and elementary teacher. She has served as President of KSRA (2011-2012), among numerous other positions. KSLA Central PA is her local council where she continues to serve as the Literacy Advisory Chair. Being part of KSLA provides Bethann invaluable connections and friendships with others who see literacy as a critical life skill and windows to opportunities.

Conference and Meeting Coordinator - Michael Williams

Michael is a Second Grade Teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in the Central Dauphin School District. He has served in this position since 2005. He graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. He later earned his Master's degree from Wilkes University. His service to KSLA also includes being the co-chair of the Exemplary Reading Program Committee and chair of the Exemplary Service Award. At the local level, Michael is President of KSLA Capital Area. He gives back to his profession by serving on the district’s Language Arts curriculum committee and his school’s leadership team. Michael is the Membership Chairperson for the Central Dauphin Education Association. In his free time Michael serves as a Girls on the Run Coach and an Odyssey of the Mind Coach for the school where he teaches. Michael also serves as a religious education catechist at Holy Name of Jesus Church. He is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and serves on the Parish Council at Saint Catherine Laboure Church. And of course, Michael is a huge Notre Dame fan!

Regional Directors

Region I - Pamela Brandon

Pam taught first, second, fourth, and fifth grades in her 37 years in education. She enjoyed all aspects of classroom teaching, but especially loved helping children explore the world through the love of reading. She received degrees in elementary education and counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Pam is a past president as well as the current President of KSLA Seneca. Pam has served as Council Awards Chair for KSLA and as Region I Director. She also served on several conference committees. Coming to KSLA meetings has allowed Pam to gain colleagues and more importantly friends from all areas in Pennsylvania.

Region II - Jenny Gadd

Jenny has been in education for 33 years. She was a self-contained 3^rd grade teacher for the majority of the time but has also taught 1^st through 6^th grades. She is currently a reading coach at a K-5 school. Although she has been at 4 different schools in a very large school district, they have all been within the same area of town. She loves seeing former students as parents of current students! She is a National Board Certified Teacher--Middle Generalist, and she has gone through the renewal process. She is involved with the PDE/DRC Text Dependent Analysis study group, range finding, data review, and new item committees. Jenny has been a member of KSLA Southwestern PA and KSLA for over 25 years. She is the current President and long-time Treasurer for KSLA Southwestern PA. Of course, she LOVES reading!

Region III - Janice Adair

Janice taught in North Carolina for one and a half years as an elementary learning support resource teacher. She and her husband moved to Pennsylvania, and she taught in the Shikellamy School District for 33 years as a middle school learning support teacher, Title 1 Reading Specialist, and an elementary literacy coach. Currently, Janice volunteers in the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way’s early childhood education program. Also, she has served on the Selinsgrove School District’s Literacy Council for the past four years. Janice has been the KSLA Susquehanna Valley Co-president for many years and in 2013 she received their Celebrate Literacy Award. She is starting her sixth year as the KSLA Council Awards Co-Chairperson, and she is thrilled to continue her term as KSLA Region 3 Director. Janice feels that KSLA is an awesome organization that provides exceptional professional development and the opportunities to collaborate with passionate educators throughout Pennsylvania who want to make a difference in the lives of children and adults regarding literacy.

Region IV - Andrea Morrison

Andrea, everyone calls her Andy, worked for two school districts during her 35 year career. She started in Harrisburg School District in 1971 as a second grade teacher, which is the grade she still loves and teaches at church. During the 18 ½ years with this district she wore many hats, as a Title I reading specialist, a diagnostician, and a PCRP (Pennsylvania Comprehensive Reading Program) teacher visiting all 11 elementary schools. She moved to Elizabethtown Area School District in 1988 where she was the Reading Supervisor, but still taught Title I in the elementary schools. The opportunity at this district for the yearlong Reading Recovery training changed her life. Andy is an active member of KSLA Lancaster Lebanon and works as their membership chair, but upon retirement is 2006, she also joined KSLA Capital Area. Her retirement activities include working with the Friends of the East Shore Library, helping at Hospice of Central PA, and chairing the exhibits at the KSLA Conference for the past 5 years.

Region V - Joan Lengel

Joan Pelesh Lengel is retired after forty years in education. She taught high school English, was the Reading Specialist in 7th and 8th grades, elementary Reading Specialist/Reading Supervisor, and former adjunct at Marywood University Graduate School. She was selected by Oxford University as a member of the Round Table to address World Literacy, lived a year in New Delhi on sabbatical, and lectured in eighteen major cities of the sub-continent. She also was on a Literacy Task Force to Thailand. Joan designed conference signs for 25 KSRA past conferences, and was Region V Director for three terms. She was president of NPRA and a Board Member for 30 years. Joan created and chaired an Oral Reading Contest for twenty-two school districts that ran for 25 years. She is the widow of Jack Lengel and proud mother of son, Gregory. She has received NPRA and KSRA Celebrate Literacy Awards. She lives with a British lab, Wolfgang in Moscow, PA.

Region VI - Eleanor Gensemer

Eleanor is Head of Middle School at Benchmark School in Media, PA and an adjunct for the Literacy Department of West Chester University. She is a past president of Delaware Valley Reading Association and is currently Membership Chair for KSLA Delaware Valley. Eleanor is a past Membership Director for KSRA and has chaired the Young Adult Book Award Committee and the Scholarship Committee. She is currently Chair of the Bylaws Committee and a regional director.

Region VII - Frani Thomas

Frani Thomas is a Title 1 Reading Specialist and Title 1 Coordinator in Southern Huntingdon County School District. She just completed her 32nd year of teaching. Most of those years have been spent in Title 1 Reading, however she has taught kindergarten, second, and fifth grade. Frani is a charter member and past president of Raystown Reading Council. She served KSRA as secretary from 2005-2012, as Council Awards chairperson, and was on several conference committees. Frani received her BS in Elementary Education from Juniata College and Reading Specialist certification from Penn State. She obtained her masters degree in Education Leadership and principal certification from Saint Francis University. Frani enjoys KSLA because being around others who are passionate about literacy validates, motivates, and encourages her to be the best reading teacher she can be.