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Carl Schwartz brings his passion for education and his deep experience in the leadership of multi-disciplinary, global teams of project managers, sourcing specialists, buyers and product engineers for global nuclear projects. With a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, he has over 40 years of experience in large global project management, supply chain management, engineering design, and nuclear field services.

 

Mr. Schwartz also is a leader in organizing and developing educational outreach. Examples include co-chairing the Westinghouse Science Honors Institute, previously serving the Engineers’ Society of Western PA as President, and leading the Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition as Executive Director. He also served as Chair of the Life Sciences Award for the Carnegie Science Center Awards for Excellence and maintains numerous affiliations in the nuclear and chemical engineering professions. 

Brenda Sachleben serves as the Vice Chair of the Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ Board of Trustees. She received her bachelor’s in business administration from Wilkes University, and spent most of her professional life working in the purchasing industry for several high profile companies in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Sachleben retired to be a stay-at-home mom for her son, Jacob, who graduated 
from Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ in 2021. Ms. Sachleben volunteers her time to her church, where she 
serves as the organist for weekly services and is on the Council of Ministries 
Committee. Since 1994, she has also been an Emergency Medical Technician in her 
community and during the summer, also works part-time at Knoebels Amusement 
Resort in their First Aid Department. For the past 10 years, during the Christmas 
season, she portrays Mrs. Claus alongside her husband, who is Santa Claus. She is 
very excited to serve the Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ Board.

Victor D. Valentine, Sr. of Philadelphia, PA serves as the Treasurer of the Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ Board of Trustees. A proud father of four, he currently has two children enrolled at the school. A former carpenter, his involvement in Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ began in 2012, when he served as a Parent Ambassador helping new families and Learning Coaches in his area grow. That quickly grew into a passion for the future of cyber education for all children in Pennsylvania.

In his community, Mr. Valentine is an active volunteer in his church, serving as the minister of music. He is involved in several youth programs and can frequently be seen volunteering at the local polling booths during elections. He enjoys helping his children maximize their learning experience by participating in various activities, especially science. Mr. Valentine is excited to serve on the Board and assist in the continued pursuit of serving the best interest of the children enrolled.

Ariel Castillo and his wife, Mariangely Cales, have been proud parents and learning coaches at PAVCS for fourteen years. His eldest son graduated in 2023, and his other two children continue to learn as high school and middle school students. He currently serves as the Board Secretary and a member of the Finance Committee. Outside of his Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ life, he holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Southern New Hampshire University and works as a financial controller for startups and midsize companies across the United States.

Ariel is a student at heart who loves to learn about history and ancient literature. In his free time, he happily shares his knowledge with others as a teacher for Chrisitan ministries and study groups. He further enjoys a life of recreation in the Pocono Mountains with his family. Some of their favorite hobbies include hiking, grilling, and ATV riding.

Ruth A. Bowser is an avid believer in lifelong learning. As a graduate of Grove City College with a B.S. in Computer Systems and Mathematics, she worked for 12 years in the oil and gas industry as a computer programmer and analyst. She retired early to raise a family of two children with her husband. Both children were educated in several cyber charter schools from K-12^th grade, starting with Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ. Her goal was to instill in them a love for learning and to teach them that you never stop learning. 

 

Ruth currently works as a New Patient Coordinator and Technician for The Disc Institute of Pittsburgh. She volunteers at her church in children’s ministry and as a greeter. In the past, she also served as a Children’s Church Elementary Director for one year.  Ruth has a heart for children and loves to see them flourish — spiritually, academically, mentally, and physically. She is excited and honored to serve on the board.

Stephanie C. Hamel was born and raised in southeastern Pennsylvania. She graduated with a B.S. from Grove City College and an M.S. from Lehigh University, both in Chemistry. After working as a pharmaceutical researcher and teaching college courses, she earned a Joint Ph.D. in Human Exposure Assessment from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) / RW Johnson Medical School and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Science.

As a US EPA STAR Fellow, Stephanie was among the recipients honored at a White House reception for her thesis work, which was developing a model to determine children’s exposure to heavy metals in soils. She synchronized this study to her postdoctoral research in the Plant Science Department of Rutgers, where she correlated soil lead (Pb) to levels determined via regional soil fertility tests. She and her husband have been married for more than thirty years and are raising two fine, PAVCS-educated sons. Stephanie has volunteered for Northeast Organic Farmers Association of NJ (NOFA-NJ) and is currently secretary of both the Bear Creek Grace Chapel Guild, and the Central Pennsylvania Basket Guild.

Riana Rahman has been a part of the Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ community with her family since 2001 when she enrolled her two children, one of whom has since graduated and is pursuing a degree in higher education. She has also served as a Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ Parent Ambassador, mentoring new families when they join the School.

Ms. Rahman’s passion for education extends beyond Ó£»¨¶¯Âþ. With a B.A. in History and a minor in English from Hunter College in New York, she taught in New York City before moving to Pennsylvania. Also, she taught English conversation and grammar to elementary and middle school students whose homes were in China.  Ms. Rahman continues to volunteer at her local masjid, teaching Islamic studies and the Arabic language to middle and high school students and organizing programs to help the children improve their reading and writing skills. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading and spending time with my family and friends.