Elections for the PAWS Board of Directors will be held at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 5:45 pm in the basement at PAWS. All PAWS members are invited to come and vote. Voting must be done in person at the meeting. There are eight candidates for eight open positions on the PAWS Board. The PAWS Nominating Committee recommends a vote in favor of all eight candidates.
Here are the statements submitted by the candidates:
Mike Chilcot
I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania and went to Penn State for my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering. Wanting a career change, I went to law school at Pitt and am currently an attorney with McQuaide Blasko in State College; primarily representing clients in the area of family law. As a family law attorney, I think of myself as someone who helps people through some of the worst times of their lives. Since a very young age I was always concerned for animal welfare; even disliking the thought of going hunting or fishing as a kid. Since I have grown up and have a family of my own, that concern has strengthened as I have developed a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for all sentient beings. My passions include spending time with my family and pets, sports, and gaining knowledge through all mediums. I look forward to being able to apply my unique background and skillset in helping Centre County PAWS achieve its mission statement.
Kris Clark
Kristine Clark, PhD, RDN, is an Associate Professor of Research in the Dept of Kinesiology at Penn State University. She retired as Director of Sports Nutrition, Intercollegiate Athletics as serving in that role for 26 years. During those years she became active as a PAWS foster mom for dogs and a leader in fundraising particularly focused on the annual PAWS Fur Ball. She has served as co-chair of this effort for the past 10 years and continues in that role today. In 2016 she was elected to the Board of Directors for PAWS having served as Chair of the Personnel Committee for one year. Kris is interested in continuing on the Board to work with committees on the many activities PAWS anticipates. In addition to PAWS, Kris served on the Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels for 13 years, the Pink Zone for Cancer Survivors for 4 years, and assists with the Jana Marie Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Bob Conn
Bob works for Penn State as a Senior Systems Administrator in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He has over 26 years of Information Technology experience and has a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development from Penn State. Bob has a demonstrated, strong personal interest in animal welfare as a volunteer for PAWS and other organizations, as a previous Centre Wildlife Care Board member for three years and as an amateur photographer. Bob has served on the PAWS Board of Directors since May of 2015, serves on the Publicity Committee and leads the Information Technology Committee. Bob and his family live in Boalsburg with three PAWS cats and three rescue dogs and regularly volunteer in many areas at PAWS since 2011.
Sue Cromwell
Sue Cromwell currently serves as the Director of Organizational Change Management for Penn State’s Finance and Business unit. Sue’s career has been focused over the years of helping people succeed whether by helping them navigate change, learning new skills, working with organization’s to develop leaders. Sue’s love of pets, stems from working with animals from an early age as a vet tech and pet owner. She has a BS in Animal Science from Delaware Valley University and a Master’s and Ph.D. From Penn State University. Sue has lived in the State College area for over 20 years and has provided forever homes for dogs, cats, and chinchillas.
Bill Harvey
Bill leads a team of 100+ talented marketing and sales professionals who support Penn State Outreach and Online Education. During his twelve years at Penn State, Bill’s team has fostered the rapid growth of the World Campus to more than 20,000 students, while maintaining close alignment with Penn State’s academic and administrative core. Bill joined Penn State as Director of Market Research in September 2006. He assumed his current role as Executive Director in 2016. Prior to Penn State, Bill served as Vice President for Nielsen, the world’s largest provider of market research, retail distribution planning and consumer segmentation. During his seventeen years at Nielsen, he oversaw the nation's largest syndicated study of financial services brands. He managed Nielsen’s National Accounts Group, as well as regional offices in Washington D.C., Atlanta and New York City. He has consulted on consumer marketing with many of the nation’s leading brands including Bank of America, CitiGroup, The American Red Cross, The U.S. Army, Starbucks and Coca-Cola. Bill’s volunteer experience includes Big Brothers, State College Lacrosse and board chair for the State College Salvation Army.
Ryan Macaluso
Ryan Macaluso is the Director of Fiscal Operations for a Pennsylvania based human services provider, Service Access & Management, and is a trusted advocate and resource for Centre County Human Services. Ryan loves working with people in the community and thrives on new ideas, process improvement and technology. His areas of responsibilities have spanned finance, human resources, real estate, and project management. Ryan is an accomplished leader who began his career in retail store operations as a District Manager. Ryan was also able to work as a Director of Administration and Regional Director of Real Estate that took him through ten different states. After his thirteen-year career in retail, Ryan returned to State College. Ryan graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Finance and is currently a Masters of Business Administration student at Penn State. Ryan started as a front desk volunteer at Centre County PAWS and has expanded his role into dog intake support and membership on the Finance and Facilities Committee. Ryan had previously volunteered at the Central New York SPCA and Frederick County Animal Control as a dog walker. In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time with the family’s three dogs and wife Jeannette who is a PAWS Shift Leader and Floor Volunteer for dogs. He is an avid sports fan and a season ticket holder to Penn State Football and Basketball.
Joan Ritchie
Joan Ritchie has been a small animal veterinarian in Centre County for more than 25 years. Joan volunteers at PAWS in the medical department on a rotating basis with other local veterinarians on Sundays. She has been on the PAWS Board for 10 years.
Monica Wright
Monica works as the Donor Relations Coordinator for the Centre County United Way (CCUW) where she is an advocate and fundraiser to support social programs. The CCUW’s mission focuses on community health, education and financial stability by raising awareness and resources for the Partner Network. She stated that the CCUW exceeded this year’s Campaign Goal of $1,850,000. The most rewarding career aspect is cultivating and nurturing relationships that impart a lasting positive impact on our community. Prior to joining the CCUW Monica conducted multidisciplinary research at Penn State, taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in applied statistics, psychology and education at PSU and worked as a Certified School Psychologist. Monica is a veteran of the United States Army Reserves where she served six years as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Her diverse experience and interest with social and economic challenges guide both her professional and private life where she focuses on community collaboration and volunteer opportunities. She supports several community organizations including: Mount Nittany Foundation, Centre Foundation, Leadership Centre County, Centre Volunteers in Medicine, and The State Theatre. She enjoys volunteering for nonprofit agencies where she serves as a fundraising committee chair/member for Mount Nittany Medical Centre’s Charity Ball, CBICC, Clearwater Conservancy, YSB, and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital. She is currently a member of the Centre County PAWS Board of Directors and volunteers for PAWS, Pets Come First and the Huntingdon County Humane Society. Notably, she has fostered 56 kittens and one puppy since 2016. Monica is a member of the State College/Downtown Rotary Club where she serves on the Rotary Foundation Board of Directors as Secretary.