GLPIEF Welcomes Four New Board Members
Greater Latrobe Partners in Education Foundation is pleased to announce new board members: Jason Brinker, Buck Helfferich, Karen LaPresti, and F. Bradley Meyers.
Jason Brinker, a 2006 Greater Latrobe graduate, is the funeral director at John J. Lopatich Funeral Home, Inc. Jason has a B.S. in Management from St. Vincent College; an Associate in Specialized Technology Degree in Funeral Service Arts & Sciences from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. He serves as vice president of the Latrobe Area Historical Society and assistant treasurer of the Latrobe Masonic Building Trust.
Jason and his wife Hannah have a 9 month old daughter, Charlotte. They enjoy being active in the community and spending time with Charlotte. He spends a great deal of time studying and enjoying history of all types.
When asked about joining the GLPIEF Board, Jason stated, “When I saw the many wonderful things your board does, particularly when the money was awarded to the marching band for a new equipment trailer, I was sold that this is a group I would love to get behind. I have a vested interest in my hometown community and will do anything I can to help my beloved Latrobe.”
A 1980 Greater Latrobe graduate, Buck Helfferich is the President of Tronix3D, greater Pittsburgh’s first high-volume 3D/additive contract manufacturer and innovation center. Buck has a degree in Electronics from Westmoreland County Community College and studied Business Administration at St. Vincent College. He is vice president of the Westmoreland County Community College Education Foundation and serves on the Penn State New Kensington Advisory Board.
Buck values time with his wife Maryann, sons Joshua & Nathaniel, step daughters Ashley, Amanda, and Ally (White), and his two dogs Sadie and Kona. He has a strong passion to explore new technology, being a part of a team that supports and challenges each other in pursuit of excellence, and to simply support each other as to enjoy the journey together. He is a member of many professional organizations such as the National Center for Defense for Manufacturing and Machining, America Makes, and the Pittsburgh Technology Council, America Makes, National Energy Labs. Buck works with and collaborates with many technical and academic institutions such as PSU Main and New Kensington, CMU, YSU, National Energy Labs, etc.
According to Buck, “I am passionate about giving back to a community that has given me so much.I am a serial entrepreneur of high technology businesses. I would love to use my experience/contacts to help the foundation take the average high school curriculum/overall student experience to an extraordinary level. I think a curriculum that is developed with direct industry participation is critical to better align today’s students with the true needs of the workforce of tomorrow.”
Former Greater Latrobe School District teacher, Karen LaPresti, taught at GLSD for 33 years, served as Teacher Leader for 12 years and attended 6th Grade Camp for 29 years. Karen graduated from Grove City College in 1979 and earned her Master’s Equivalency at IUP and Penn State.
Karen enjoys spending time with her husband, Ron; children and grandchildren She also enjoys golfing, traveling, volunteering at her church and pursuing various hobbies including scrapbooking and baking.
Karen’s four sons graduated from Greater Latrobe, went on to higher education and now have successful careers. She attributes their successes to the excellent education they received at GLSD. When asked about what excites her about being on the board, Karen stated, “ I would love to pick up where I left off! I am enjoying my retirement, but I do miss “my kids” and would like to continue to help the district in any way that I can. I am also looking forward to supporting our teachers in their important work!”
F. Bradley Meyers is a 1996 graduate of Greater Latrobe and the co-founder and CEO of Iron Bridge, a healthcare technology company.. Brad received his B.S. in Management Science and Information Systems from Penn State and an M.B.A. from Belmont University.
Brad and his wife Amy have two children who attend Mountain View Elementary school. He played Varsity Ice Hockey for Latrobe from 1993-1996 and is now the head coach for his daughters’ all-girls Ice Hockey team with the Mon Valley Thunder and his wife is also the team manager. They also participate in Latrobe Ski Club and Amy is a volunteer coach for Mountain View’s Girls’ On the Run program.
According to Brad, “I think serving on this board is a great way to serve my community. I have witnessed first hand the value GLPIEF brings to our children as my children are currently enrolled in Mountain View Elementary School. I hope my experiences as an entrepreneur and business owner can add value to GLPIEF.”