“We will surely benefit from their professional expertise and dedication to our mission.” ~ Keystone President Tracy L. Brundage, Ph.D.
Bernadine Ahonkhai, Ed.D., Scott Koerwer, Ed.D., Attorney Zachary D. Morahan, Attorney Peter G. Rossi, and Paul Wendolowski have been elected as the newest members of the Keystone College Board of Trustees.
New Board of Trustees officers include John F. Pullo, chair; James C. Clark, chair-elect, Attorney Daniel Haggerty, first vice-chair, and Ida Castro, J.D., secretary.
“Keystone College welcomes our newest Board of Trustees members. We will surely benefit from their professional expertise and dedication to our mission as we continue to serve our students and the local community,” said Keystone President Tracy L. Brundage, Ph.D.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, we welcome our newest members and look forward to continuing Keystone’s important role as one of our area’s leading educational institutions,” said Board Chair and Keystone graduate John F. Pullo.
Meet the New Board Members
Dr. Ahonkhai is a recognized leader in the early childhood education field.
She recently retired from PA Key, Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), where she served for 10 years as the Higher Education Program Manager. Her work included programs aimed at transforming the early childhood workforce through educational initiatives designed to engage practitioners in college coursework, leading to credentials and degrees using TEACH and TAP scholarship funding. Prior to working with OCDEL, Dr. Ahonkhai worked as an Early Childhood Program Director and taught part-time at a number of higher education institutions. Currently, she teaches at Eastern University and Manor College.
An alumna of Columbia University, Dr. Ahonkhai received a doctorate in education leadership and administration and a master’s in education, as well as a master’s in education leadership from that institution. She received a bachelor of science degree in Liberal Arts and a teaching certificate from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, West Africa.
Dr. Koerwer is an entrepreneur in education and business.
Dr. Koerwer is an entrepreneur in education and business with more than 30 years of experience, including three entrepreneurial startups and many program development initiatives around the world. He serves as Vice President for Strategy, Planning and Communication at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, where he is also the founding Dean of the graduate school and Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Professor of Organizational Systems and Innovation.
Over the course of 30 years, he has worked with organizations, executives, faculty, staff and students to develop and implement programs in Africa, Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and the United States. Previously, he served as President of Newberry College; Deputy Dean and Clinical Professor of Management at The Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina; Associate Dean of Professional (graduate, MBA, and executive) Programs & Services at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland; and as a Senior Director in the Executive Education Division of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He has also served as a consultant in areas of strategy, marketing and communications, organizational development and executive coaching to numerous corporations and institutions of higher education.
Dr. Koerwer has a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College, a master’s degree in government from Lehigh University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. He is an alumnus of the Kellogg School of Management’s Advanced Executive Program, the Harvard Institute for Education Management, the Population Health Academy at Jefferson University School of Population Health, Liberating Leadership at the Wharton School and he earned a certificate in organizational development from the National Training Labs.
Attorney Morahan is an associate with the law firm of Coughlin and Gerhart, LLP, Binghamton, N.Y.
His practice areas include estate and property litigation, and energy. He graduated from Keystone College in 2010 with bachelor of science degrees in criminal justice and social science. At Keystone, he served as president of Commuter Council and was a member of Student Senate. He received a juris doctorate degree from the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law in 2013. At Dickinson, he received the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation Scholarship and The American Law Institute – American Bar Association Scholastic and Leadership Award. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook on Arbitration and Mediation. In the community, Attorney Morahan has been vice president of the Keystone College Alumni Association, Treasurer of the Susquehanna County Bar Association, a volunteer with Wills for Heroes, and a Merit Badge Counselor with Boy Scouts of America, among many other activities.
Attorney Rossi is a member of the Cozen O’Connor law firm in Philadelphia.
His practice centers on property damage cases with emphasis on floods and water damage litigation. He tries bench and jury trials in state and federal courts in various jurisdictions throughout the country and in Europe and Asia. He focuses on complex litigation involving product and property defects and infrastructure failures and is active in pro bono capital punishment litigation. He is vice president of the board of directors of the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia’s Public Defender organization and past president of the board of directors of the Philadelphia VIP, the Philadelphia bar association’s volunteer pro bono organization. He is co-chair of the firm’s Flood Task Force.
Attorney Rossi attended Scranton public schools and earned his associate degree at Keystone College in 1972. He obtained a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology at The Pennsylvania State University and his law degree at Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Mr. Wendolowski graduated from Keystone College in 1971, along with his wife Catherine Antosh Wendolowski.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State University/Harrisburg. Prior to his retirement in 2001, he worked as an executive with the United Parcel Service specializing in air coordination and was responsible for millions of dollars of equipment, service guarantees and daily payroll. He was employed by United Parcel for more than 30 years. Active in the community, he has been a member of Keystone’s President’s Advisory Committee.
He has also served as the president of the Board of Directors of the Scranton Cultural Center, and has been involved with the Lackawanna County Planning Commission, Broadway Theatre League of NEPA, the Children’s Advocacy Center, Newton Township Zoning Appeals Board, and the Annual Gala Committee of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Keystone offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science-based programs in business, communications, education, fine arts, natural science, environmental resource management, geology, and social sciences. Located 15 minutes from Scranton, Pa. and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships, research, and community involvement.
