About

Since 2001, the Kennett Education Foundation has partnered with the Kennett Consolidated School District to encourage innovative ideas, invest in programs that improve academic progress, promote family involvement and recognize the outstanding achievements of educators.

As a non-profit 501(C)(3), our Foundation relies on donations to fund the many programs we support. These contributions originate from individuals, businesses (including matching gifts programs), foundations and other organizations (such as the United Way and the Chester County Community Foundation) that align with our mission and the success of our initiatives.

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1

EDUCATION GRANTS

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Grants for innovative classroom projects
and extracurricular
activities not funded
by the Kennett Consolidated School District's budget

2

SCHOLARSHIPS
& AWARDS

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Scholarships awarded to graduating students

for a vocational or technical college, community college or a traditional 4-year college/university 

3

TEACHER & STAFF RECOGNITION 

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Recognition for 
outstanding teachers staff members, bus drivers, and other members of the
Kennett Consolidated School District family

4

LEGACY SOCIETY PLANNED GIVING

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Provide vital
resources to meet
the educational
goals of future generations through your legacy and
your participation
in planned giving

Our Mission

The Kennett Education Foundation (KEF) is a community-based, non-profit foundation, committed to supporting and enriching the educational experience in the Kennett Consolidated School District.

MEET THE TEAM

Rudy Karkosak

Immediate Past President

Rudy is proud to be the President of a group of dedicated individuals who believe in the mission of the Kennett Education Foundation. We are committed to providing innovative grants for teachers, scholarships for graduates of KHS,
and recognizing outstanding teachers in the school district.

Alison Biloon

President

Alison’s background is in pediatric nursing. She has
two children in
the Kennett Consolidated School District and has worked with KEF since 2014, chairing the annual dinner
for several years as well as being the
VP of the board.

Heather Connolly

2nd Vice President

Heather is the VP
of Development for Operation Warm. She is passionate about giving back to her community and has volunteered for KEF for over 10 years. She understands the impact and value of innovative teacher grants. She is the mom to two great Kennett Kids. 

Michael Cari

Treasurer

Mike is married,
a father of two,
Sam and Hollister, and an orthodontist in the community. A long supporter of the KEF, he
has been on the board since 2018.

Sue Calio

Sue is a Kennett grad, and so are her three sons.  After graduating from the University of Delaware, she ran a non- profit and was a high school teacher in a neighboring district.
She enjoys volunteer work, swimming, yoga, and travel.

Laura Linderman
Secretary

Laura joined the KEF Board in 2016 and currently works for Bumpers & Company, Certified
Public Accountants. Advocating for public education has been a lifelong priority and she enjoys
volunteering and supporting school events. In her free time, she enjoys travel, film and
photography.

Paula Piercy

Paula is the
co-Owner of Brand New Day Marketing. She is the proud Mom of two Kennett boys. In the past, she enjoyed volunteering for Kennett Schools and now enjoys her supporting role on the KEF board. 

Susan Woron Beardsley Ed.D.

Dr. Woron (formerly Kampf) was the principal of Greenwood Elementary for 25 years. She left KCSD in 2003 to develop the Education Program at Delaware County Community College. Susan is now retired and lives in West Chester with her husband, John Beardsley. 

Valerie A. Harris

Valerie was an educator in the Pittsburgh School System for
38 years, 17 as a teacher and 21  as
an administrator.
She attended Shaw University for her undergrad work and the University of Pittsburgh for her masters and Doctorate Degrees.

Michael Finnegan
Emeritus

Michael is the former VP of KEF and is a current Emeritus Board Member. He has been on the KCSD School Board since 2017 and has served as Treasurer and Finance chairs. He is the Director of LabWare Holding Inc. since 1993 and serves on numerous other non-profit boards.  

Ann Schlitz
1st Vice President

Ann has three
children in the KCSD.
She enjoys non-profit event planning and has been active with KEF since 2016.
She enjoys seeing
the impact that KEF has on students
and educators.

Sally Coonin

Sally, a ‘68 graduate of KHS, is a retired high school teacher and current education consultant with United Way of Delaware. Sally lives in Delaware with her husband and is the mother of two adult children, Andrew
and Sarah.

Amy Corron

Amy is a volunteer with a background in Interior Design. She has two children in the KCSD.
She has enjoyed volunteering in the classroom for years and has been working with KEF since 2015.

Susan Gaughan

Susan has two
children in the KCSD and is dedicated to school and youth athletic success. She has been the Program Director of the Blue Demons Girls Lacrosse and Field Hockey programs since 2014 and joined the KEF board in 2018.

Bob George
Emeritus

Bob George, Class
of '64, with Rudy Karkosak and Skip Reynolds started up KEF in 2000 and was President of the Board for the first 8 years. His brothers and sister and four children graduated from Kennett and there is a Family George award for the most innovative and creative graduating senior.  

Kristi Jenkins

Kristi joins the board with past experience in Corporate Event Sales and Event Management.
She earned her
B.A. degree in Communications from Penn State University and her M.Ed. from Cabrini University. Kristi is a proud KCSD parent and mother of
two children.

Nancy Ayllon-Ramirez

Nancy is an immigration and family law attorney located in Chester County. She's a
KHS grad. She enjoys giving back to her community by being a guest speaker to youth
groups, and participating in organizations like KEF, KAPA, and Longwood Rotary Club.

Mark Bowden

Mark is a journalist and the author of thirteen books, including "Black Hawk Down," "Hue 1968," and his most recent, "The Last Stone." He was a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer for more than two decades, and has taught at The University of Delaware and Loyola University of Maryland.

Barbie DiCarlo

Barbie is a Retired Educator. Her career spanned 35
years in Kennett. She spent 15 years teaching at Mary D. Lang and 20 years as the Principal of
New Garden.

Claire Finfrock

Since 2017, Claire has enjoyed her position with Operation Warm, and previously served as Recreation Coordinator for Kennett Area Park and Recreation Board (KAPRB) for 12 years. Claire and her husband Mark have 4 graduates of KCSD, and her youngest is currently a Kennett High School student. Claire will assist with KEF sponsorships, and looks forward to participating on a variety of KEF committees.

Sean Reigel

Sean and his wife, Amy, are focused on raising their twins here in KCSD and are passionate about supporting our local community. They started a social media page "Kennett Local" intending on being the all informative community page while Sean builds his hyperlocal Real Estate business.  Sean coaches youth sports to keep the games fun for the kids while instilling sportsmanship, heart and hustle. 

Niki Harvey

Niki is the proud parent of two children in the Kennett Consolidated School District. Education is her purpose and passion in life, and she is committed to serving all children. Niki is currently the Director of Teaching & Learning for the Avon Grove School District. 

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Kendra LaCosta

Kendra joined the board in 2021 after her last of three children graduated from Kennett High. She thoroughly appreciates the  great education they all received from KCSD and is excited to give back to this warm community. She works at OneMain Financial and has been involved in many roles with the individual schools and the district. She looks forward to supporting the students and the teachers as they continue to raise the bar.

Join Us

We invite you to join us in our commitment to the students of the Kennett Consolidated School District. We promise you will find it to be a very rewarding experience. There is no better foundation upon which to build the future of our community.