Board Members
- Higher education through flexible, open-enrollment courses
- Attract, retain, and support local businesses
- Training for in-demand skills and career advancement
Community colleges are affordable, accessible, accountable, and adaptable
Board of Directions
The Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project
Dr. Lenaire Ahlum - Executive Director, Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project
Dr. Lenaire Ahlum has a passion for advancing the mission and work of community colleges. In 2007 she founded the Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project, Inc., a 501 (c)(3), non-profit organization to facilitate the establishment of a new and independent community college in Pennsylvania to serve the counties in the Greater Susquehanna Valley.
Dr. Ahlum completed the Doctor of Management in Community College Policy and Administration at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her dissertation “Establishing Community Colleges: Exploring Initiative Entities” conducted primary research into the ways and means by which community colleges have been established.
Most recently, she incorporated “Community Colleges Moving US Forward, LLC” to promote community college opportunities to various stakeholders. Her own public higher education began at a Pennsylvania community college.
Meghan Beck - Immediate Past President
Meghan has lived in the Susquehanna Valley for over 20 years since her graduation from Bucknell University with a major in Political Science. She has over 20 years of experience in real estate as a Director of 1337 Holdings and has helped to manage several small businesses.
She is a regional business leader and community advocate. Meghan has served as President of Sunbury Revitalization, Inc and volunteered with many other local organizations. She is also a founder of STEAM Innovations Lab, a Makerspace pending launch in Sunbury, PA.
Hank Baylor - President
Henry (Hank) Baylor is a native of Milton and Vietnam Veteran. Hank was the worldwide Vice President of Field Operations for the Memorex Corporation, which included three manufacturing operations located in Maastricht Holland, King of Prussia PA, and Dallas Texas. After 25 years with Memorex and diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Hank retired and returned to his roots and settled in East Buffalo Township in 1995.
He has degrees in history and political science and was an East Buffalo Township Supervisor for 18 years. Hank is the Vice President of the William Cameron fire board, serves as a Central PA Ambassador for the American Red Cross, and is a member of the Lewisburg Sunset Rotary. Hank was an original organizer of the Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority and sat on the board for eight years. He was also one of the organizers of the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department. His interests are singing (a tenor in the Buffalo Valley Singers), jazz, bass violin, blue water sailing, and believes it is his civic duty to give back to the community.
Dr. Jennifer Rager-Kay
Dr. Jennifer Rager-Kay is a physician and her medical specialization is Otolaryngology. She practices at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. Dr. Jenn Rager-Kay, like many in her community, is committed to faith, family, and the future. She is the daughter of a coal miner so she understands concerns about losing a large source of income, jobs, and energy.
Her father served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, and she is a member of the VFW Auxiliary, and Marine Corps League Auxiliary. Dr. Rager-Kay has been an active member of the community, advocating for positive change, growth, and sustainability in the area. As a physician and mother of an 8-year-old son, she brings awareness to the health and welfare of residents in the Susquehanna Valley.
Susan Nunan R.N, B.S.N.
Susan Nunan has been practicing nursing in the Susquehanna Valley for more than 40 years. She is a nurse educator who has written curriculum for a local Certified Nursing Assistant program. She is active in the Columbia – Montour Human Services Coalition and 4 H Club. Susan is an avid gardener and baker and an annual ribbon winner at the Bloomsburg Fair for her jams, cakes, and pies.
Kathy Specht
Kathy Specht is a career development coach. She has been a guidance counselor in the Susquehanna Valley for over 30 years and founded the Susquehanna Valley Association of School Counselors Association. As an instructor at Bloomsburg University, she trained new guidance counselors.
Kathy worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s 339 Program preparing school district leaders for implementing Career Pathways for the Future Ready Index. Kathy resides in Northumberland, PA. She has presented at statewide conferences on Career Guidance.
Sharlene Gilman
Sharlene (S.E.) Gilman enjoys working with diverse populations: developing training, advising, teaching, tutoring, and writing. Publishing opinion, academic articles, essays, poems an short fiction she has worked in education from teaching adult literacy and students in transition to college, to graduate courses in literacy education. She is currently employed in human services working with families on assistance, and previously in supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. A former professor, she understands instruction, service, and research, both direct supports and institutional responsibility. She has presented workshops, and organized public and professional panel discussions, and has experience in grant-management, editorial services, and people-oriented, qualitative research. She seeks to fight the good fight for equity and inclusion, strengthening communities with empathy and with a sense of humor. She is devoted to building organizational capacity and skills development and is happiest when she is working to inspire and help others.
Dr. Angela Miller - Secretary
Dr. Miller is the Employee Experience Manager at a 5-star community hospital in Lewisburg Pennsylvania and the founder of the Lisa Edgerton Memorial Fund at a level-I trauma center in Danville Pennsylvania. She has a diverse background in areas such as medical records, critical care, surgical medicine, and patient experience. For over 20 years she has sought to improve patient and employee lives while honing her skillset as an employee and leader. Dr. Miller holds an Associate's in Surgical Technology; a Bachelor’s in Business with an emphasis on Healthcare System Management, a Master’s in Business with an emphasis on Leadership, a Master's in Forensic Psychology, and a Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Learning with a specialization in Health Care Administration and Leadership. In addition to her previously mentioned roles, Dr. Miller is an online Faculty Member at the University of Phoenix and an in-person instructor for the McCann School of Business and Technology.
David Ackley
David Ackley is a lifelong resident of the Danville area minus his years of Naval Service. A 1981 graduate of Danville High school and a 1994 graduate of Susquehanna University with a degree in history.
His career has followed an extraordinary path from high school to Lock Haven State College to the United States Navy where he proudly served as a sonar technician aboard the USS Taylor FFG-50 end with NATO in Standing Naval Forces Atlantic 1987. After receiving an honorable discharge under medical conditions David was employed by South Danville (later Beyer) Lumber as the yard foreman while attending college at night.
David began a career in newspapers first with the Danville News as sports editor from there he moved to the Milton Standard /Lewisburg Journal and then to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette as a reporter. Upon leaving the Sun-Gazette, David was a substitute teacher for six local school districts — Milton, Warrior Run, Lewisburg, Bloomsburg, Southern Columbia, and Danville Area.
After suffering 113 broken bones in an auto accident in January 2006, David left the workforce and now volunteers with the Susquehanna Valley Community College Project and as former chairman of the Montour County Republican Committee.
David hosts a webcast live Wednesdays from late August to December, “HEAVY METTLE: The Ironman Football Show” which is on the Black Diamond Sports Network. In addition, he is entering his fourth season as the color commentator on Danville High School football broadcasts. David and his wife, Tina, reside in Valley Township with their kittens and son, David II.
Joanne Cashman D.Ed. - Chair of Public Engagement
Facilitating the Establishment of A Community College for the Susquehanna Valley
Serves on Academic, Curriculum, and Instruction Committee.
Dr. Cashman received her undergraduate degree from Bloomsbury University, a Master’s degree from Temple University, and a Doctoral degree from George Washington University. Since 2001 she has been a state support advisor with the National Association of State Directors of Special Education ( NASDSE) and works with state education agencies to implement the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Prior to coming to NASDSE, she served as project director at George Washington University for a doctoral training program - Leadership for Full Participation.
Before moving to DC, she served as the Director of Special Education and Building Principal in the Shikellamy School District for 27 years. During her tenure at Shikellamy, she led efforts and secured grant funding to develop a dropout prevention and district-based career and technical education that enabled students to prepare for successful participation in the senior year program at SUN-TECH.
Dr. Cashman understands the academic and personal challenges for students in Northumberland County who need post-secondary education but have not had opportunities available and is applying her wealth of knowledge and experiences to support the effort to establish Pennsylvania’s 16 community college in to our area.
James Black - Interim Secretary
James Black brings 20+ years of higher education leadership experience to the board, with a proven track record of building programs that expand access for underserved students. Throughout his career, James has secured competitive grants, mentored underrepresented students, and restructured academic support services to better serve diverse populations. His experience includes managing multi-million dollar budgets and developing innovative educational support programs for first-generation and economically disadvantaged students.
James’s postsecondary educational journey began at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1987. In Fall 2025, James will complete his PhD in Higher Education Leadership at Colorado State University. Between his educational and professional experiences, James understands the operational challenges and transformative potential of higher education in rural communities.
Share On: