Meet the Board

Meet the Board

2022 Board of Education

Allison Mathis, President

Allison Mathis

Chief Board Liaison - Finance
President serves as liaison on all committees

Allison "Ali" Mathis joined the North Hills School District Board of Education in 2017 and has served as President since December of 2019.

A former PTO president, Mrs. Mathis is an active parent volunteer who is passionate about public service and is an avid conservationist. She was also recently elected to serve as the vice president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

Mrs. Mathis is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University and her professional background is in Communications and Project Management. She currently works as Client Services Manager at a local creative agency.

She and her husband Clayton have two children. Their son Colter is in tenth grade at the high school and their daughter Sydney is a seventh-grader at the middle school.

Email Mrs. Mathis

Helen Spade, Vice President

Helen "Dee" Spade

Chief Board Liaison - Personnel
Board Liaison - Community & Intergovernmental Relations, Buildings & Grounds
A.W. Beattie Career Center Appointed Member

Helen "Dee" Spade has lived in the North Hills School District for 50 years and has been a member of the North Hills School District Board of Education since 2015.

Mrs. Spade worked in North Hills’ Facilities Department for 40 years, served as an officer of the SEIU Union for many years, and continues to serve as a member of the Allegheny County Schools Health Insurance Consortium.

Her two sons, Willy and Sam, graduated from North Hills High School in the 1980s (1982 and 1987) and she and her husband of more than 55 years own a local catering business.

Mrs. Spade has served as school board Vice President since 2018.

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Sandra Kozera

Sandra Kozera

Chief Board Liaison - Policy
Board Liaison - Education, Health & Wellness
Appointed Legislative Chairperson

Sandra "Sandy" Kozera has served on the North Hills School District Board of Education since 2017.

Ms. Kozera grew up in North Hills and graduated from North Hills High School. She is also a graduate of The College of Wooster in Ohio and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Ms. Kozera is passionate about the law, education and musical theater with her No. 1 favorite being "The Music Man."

She and her husband Ben have two daughters, Elena, who is a sixth-grader at the middle school, and Zoe, who is in second grade at Ross Elementary.

Email Ms. Kozera

Phil Little

Phil Little

Chief Board Liaison - Education
Board Liaison - Policy, Community & Intergovernmental Relations
Appointed Legislative Chairperson

Phil Little was elected to the North Hills School District Board of Education in November 2019.

A former teacher, Mr. Little currently works as a community and government affairs liaison for the Pennsylvania Attorney General. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. He is a champion for charter school funding reform and seeks to be a change-maker.

Mr. Little lives in Ross Township with his wife Tara and their three sons, Teddy, who is in first grade at Highcliff Elementary, Gus who will enter kindergarten in the fall, and Charlie, who will turn two this summer.

Email Mr. Little

Elizabeth Nease

Elizabeth Nease

Chief Board Liaison - Community & Intergovernmental Relations
Board Liaison - Personnel, Buildings & Grounds

Elizabeth Nease was elected to the North Hills School District Board of Education in November 2021.

She earned her Bachelor's Degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is certified in Elementary Education.

She is a lifelong resident of Ross Township, a North Hills graduate and still enjoys swimming – a sport she competed in during her years at North Hills.

Mrs. Nease and her husband Ryan are the parents of three daughters. Their daughter Julia is in sixth grade at the middle school, Adalyn is a third-grader at Highcliff Elementary, and Riley will enter kindergarten in the fall.

Email Mrs. Nease

Deanna Philpott

Deanna Philpott

Chief Board Liaison - Health & Wellness
Board Liaison - Finance, Policy

Deanna Philpott was elected to the North Hills School District Board of Education in November 2019.

A graduate of North Hills, Ms. Philpott is an ardent supporter of nutritional and mental health issues and works as a School Wellness Consultant with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Ms. Philpott has a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University and a master's degree in Sociology from American University.

She has three sons: Miles, a third-grader at McIntyre Elementary, Noah, a second-grader at McIntyre and baby Owen, who turns one this spring.

Email Ms. Philpott

Kathryn Poniatowski

Katie Poniatowski

Chief Board Liaison - Athletics & Activities
Board Liaison - Finance, Health & Wellness

Kathryn “Katie” Poniatowski was elected to the North Hills School District Board of Education in November 2019.

She has been a member of the North Hills community for nearly 15 years.

Mrs. Poniatowski earned her bachelor’s degree from Malone University, her master’s degree from Grand Canyon University and her Special Education Supervisor Certification from Slippery Rock University. She currently works as a special education teacher at Upper St. Clair High School.

In addition to education and advocating for children with disabilities, she enjoys attending her daughters extracurricular activities, spending time with her family, reading, and going to the gym.

She and her husband Gerry have a daughter Shelby, who is in tenth grade at the high school.

Email Mrs. Poniatowski

Rachael Rennebeck

Rachael Rennebeck

Chief Board Co-Liaison - Finance
Board Liaison - Athletics & Activities
A.W. Beattie Career Center Appointed Member

Rachael Rennebeck was elected to the North Hills School District Board of Education in November 2019.

She earned her B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh with focus in Journalism. She works in market research, copywriting and public relations and is a partner of Ya Jagoff Media, LLC., a Pittsburgh-centric company encompassing all things related to the 412 (and the 724).

She has been a resident of Ross Township for over 20 years.

Mrs. Rennebeck and her husband Wil have three children: Roman, a 2021 North Hills graduate, Domenic, a ninth-grader at the high school, and Adeline, who is in seventh grade at the middle school.

Email Mrs. Rennebeck

Michael Santucci

Mike Santucci

Chief Board Liaison - Building & Grounds
Board Liaison - Education, Personnel, Athletics & Activities

Michael Santucci was elected to the North Hills School District Board of Education in November 2021.

A lifelong resident of Ross Township, Mr. Santucci is a North Hills graduate. He earned his bachelor’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania and teaches technology education at Highlands High School. He is passionate about education and a supporter of the technical and skilled trades.

Mr. Santucci finds fulfillment in woodworking, loves being outdoors and enjoys spending time at camp with his family.

He and his wife Sandy have two daughters who attend McIntyre Elementary: Meadow is in fifth grade and Daphne is in second grade.

Email Mr. Santucci

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