Board of Directors
Biographies
President, Jann Paulovitz
Jann has volunteered her time to the community of Quakertown since she and her husband moved here in 1977. She volunteered her time to the Richland Elementary School as a teachers aid while her children were enrolled in school, joined PTO, has been a Committee Woman in her ward for over 20 years. She is also contributing to the committee which is working on the Krupp Site for a new band shell. Her love for the community and the revitalization of down town was the inspiration for her joining Quakertown Alive!
She joined in 2009 as a volunteer and became more involved as events started to grow in the organization. Jann has been Secretary for the Board as well as moving forward to the Vice Presidency . She became President in July of 2011 and will continue till July 2013. Jann has continued the Property of Merit Program after the state funding stopped in 2009, this event has helped in rewarding property owners that have made improvements to their home with recognition of their hard work.
The idea of a Black tie formal was inspired by Jann and Naomi Naylor the Main Street Manager. The first Pumpkin Ball was premiered in 2010 and was a great success, with another one being planned in 2012. The backdrop for this event is Steve Tobin a well renowned artist in the Quakertown area.
Vice President, Mike Cygan
Michael Cygan is a lifelong member of the Quakertown community. He is the president of Lewis Brothers General Contractors, a construction firm that has served the community since 1926.
Mike became interested in Quakertown Alive! when he recognized the effort that the organization made to improve the physical aspects of the business districts. He currently chairs the Economic Re-structuring Committee and encourages anyone interested in the redevelopment of downtown to join the committee and organization.
Mike is also a member of Bucks Preservationists – a local private development partnership which seeks to redevelop under-utilized or vacant properties within the downtown community. This partnership was instrumental in the successful application for the National Historical District in Quakertown.
Also active in his church, Mike is a vital member of the Property Committee, as well as serving as past Council President.
Secretary, Michele Scarborough
Michele is a resident of the borough as well as a former member of Quakertown Borough Council. She is employed by Draeger Medical Inc. in Telford. Michele wanted to be more involved with our community so it made sense to join Quakertown Alive! because of the community outreach, dedication and energy this organization brings to our hometown. She is a QA board member, a volunteer for the Quakertown Food Pantry, and a committee person for the 3rd Ward of the borough.
Treasurer, Mary Ann Smith
Mary Ann is a resident of the borough. She previously worked for our hometown bank QNB for 38 years. She has had two children who graduated from the Quakertown Community School District and has deep roots in the area. She enjoys seeing QNB and other local community businesses succeed in serving local customers' needs in a way that only community-minded businesses can. Mary Ann joined Quakertown Alive! because she feels the QA! mission exemplifies community service and dedication to making downtown Quakertown a destination, not just a location. She serves on the Board of Directors (Treasurer since 2011), Garden Tour Committee, and the Events Committee which is in charge of Arts Alive, Autumn Alive, and the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Doug Mohr, Immediate Past President
Doug grew up in the borough and returned in 1999 as a business & property owner in the downtown. He opened Lion Around Books in 2000 and immediately became interested in the state of the downtown. He looked to see what options there were available to improve the downtown business district and chose Quakertown Alive! as the best option for change and revitalization. He has been a volunteer for over 10 years, a member of the Executive Committee for most of that time, as well as President twice and past chair of the Design and Economic Committees.
Directors
Steve Biddle
Lynda Ulrich
Lynda is a retired elementary art teacher for the Quakertown Community School District. She taught for 32 years and is a born and raised resident of Quakertown. She has always been involved in community activities. Lynda joined Quakertown Alive! because she is a resident and believes in the revitalization of the downtown. She enjoys working for the organization because there is still much to be done. She was President for 2 1/2 years and has been on the Design Committee and is now chairperson for the Events Committee.
Madelyn (Missy) Rose
Missy is a former Marketing Consultant and now dedicates her time to volunteering for different organizations such as Social Ministry at Trinity Lutheran Evangelical and co-chaired the Healthy Living Faire for the Chamber of Commerce the last two years. In her volunteering efforts for Quakertown Alive! she is chair for the Properties of Merit and a co-chair for the Christmas Tour. She is also on the Pumpkin Ball committe and worked on the Garden Affaires committee in the past. She is currently in charge of the Charting Impact Initiative for QAlive!.
She has called Quakertown "home" for the past 15 1/2 years and is an active volunteer for QA!. Missy is on the Garden Affaires and the Grapes and Hops/Brewfest committees. A graduate of the University of Richmond, Missy and her husband, Paul are the proud parents of 3 children, one who is a Junior in college and two who have graduated. In her spare time, Missy enjoys golf, traveling, exercising and entertaining!
Nicholas Bianchini
Born in Montgomeryville and a resident of Chalfont, Nicholas has deep ties to the Quakertown Community as AVP and Market Manager at First Savings Bank here in Quakertown as well as Milford. His goal is to partner with community civic groups to help enrich the markets that he serves. His volunteer list is lengthy with over 8 years of service to a variety of civic organizations including QA!, the Upper Bucks YMCA, and he is an active member of the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce. Nicholas is an avid and passionate Philadelphia sports fan. He is happily married to his wife, Jennifer, and a proud father to his 4-year old daughter (as well as their 2 pet Pugs). Nicholas currently serves on the Events and Brewfest Committees, and previously served on the Arts Alive! committee.
Cheri Hutchinson Freeh, CPA
Cheri is a principal with Hutchinson, Gillahan and Freeh, P.C., a public accounting firm in Quakertown, PA. She received an AAS in Accounting from Northampton Community College and a BS in Business Administration with an accounting specialization from Thomas A. Edison State College. Cheri is a member of the American (AICPA) and Pennsylvania(PICPA) Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. Cheri serves on council for both the AICPA and PICPA and is the immediate past President of the PICPA. She is a member and past chairperson of the PICPA Committee on State Taxation and of the PICPA Local Tax Task Force. She also serves as a member of the Pennsylvania State Department of Community and Economic Development’s Act 32 advisory committee and the advisory committee on the local earned income tax register for the Governor’s Center for Local Government. She is a member of the board of trustees of First Savings Bank, vice-chair of the board of trustees of St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Quakertown Hospital, a former board member and treasurer of the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce, a board member and treasurer of the Upper Bucks Chamber Foundation, a board member and former treasurer of the Quakertown Alive Main Street Organization, a member of the Bucks County Community College Accounting Advisory Board and a member of the Bucks County Estate Planning Council.
She has over 30 years of experience in the field of public accounting and offers a wide variety of expertise in accounting issues for privately held businesses, non-profit organizations, local governments, estates, trusts and individuals. Cheri has served as a speaker on various topics for the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s, the Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh University Small Business Development Center, The Pennsylvania Earned Income Tax Officers and Collectors Association, The Pennsylvania Society of Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania State Governor’s Center for Local Government and the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. Cheri has served as an expert witness in small business and non-profit fraud cases. She has also served as an adjunct instructor for DeSales University and is one of the few individuals invited by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to provide private training sessions to both the Republican and Democratic caucuses.
Joan M. Pavlica
Joan grew up in Tinicum and Nockamixon Townships. Her two oldest children, daughters Kate and Deb graduated from Palisades High School. In 1992 Joan moved her family to Quakertown and instantly fell in love with the town. Raised in the country, she now knows she was a town girl at heart. Her son Lee graduated from Quakertown High School. She currently lives in Quakertown with Alan, her husband of 13 years. Joan became interested in Quakertown Alive! as her neighborhood began to be improved by the revitalizations happening on Front Street and other parts of the Town. A chance meeting with Naomi Naylor at her office in the train station cemented Joan’s resolved to join the group.
Joan had recently been “retired” from her full time job as a Purchasing Agent and was seeking employment. Consequently, she decided to devote her spare time to Quakertown Alive! Volunteering in the office, Joan began work updating the Community Guide and joined the Events committee. An experienced fund-raiser and organizer having been Captain of a Relay for Life Team, Joan soon found use for her spare time. Working with the members of the Events committee and serving as Chairperson of the fledgling Garden Affaires Tour has been both a learning and rewarding experience. Joan now has two part-time jobs, but still is committed to her volunteer work with Quakertown Alive! As the newest Board Member she is looking forward to being more involved in the revitalization of her "adopted home town".
