BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Jake was born and raised in Perry County, Pennsylvania, but relocated to the Lehigh Valley in 2019 with his wife, Haylee, a 2012 graduate of the Northwestern school district. They reside in New Tripoli with their two kids (class of 2040 and 2042). 

Jake completed his undergraduate studies at Lock Haven University, majoring in sports administration with a minor in business, while playing soccer. Following his time at Lock Haven, Jake pursued his juris doctorate at Widener University and has been a practicing attorney since 2019. He brings a breadth of knowledge from five years in private practice, where he focused his practice on transactional law, which allowed him to gain experience in many industries, including but not limited to municipal law, real estate, contract review & drafting, entity formation and administration and a variety of other fields. Jake is currently corporate counsel for B.Braun Medical in Bethlehem, PA. 

Jake looks forward to applying his experiences to the Board and is passionate about giving back to the Northwestern school district in an effort to benefit the many generations to come. 

Kristen Grim has been a resident of the Northwestern Lehigh School District since 2007 with her husband Paul and their daughter, Kamarie, currently at the middle school. Although not originally from the Lehigh Valley, Kristen earned her B.S. in Psychology at Kutztown University and her M.Ed. in School Counseling at Lehigh University. She is currently a High School Counselor in the East Penn School District where she has been involved in coordinating the Shave for the Brave fundraiser and is the Advisor of the high school GSA. Outside of her work as a School Counselor, Kristen can be found taking her daughter to piano, dance or on the NYAA softball field. Kristen is also involved in local charity organization, the Lehigh Valley Conquer Chiari Walk Across America where she works to raise funding and awareness for rare neurological disorder, Chiari Malformation. As a part of the NWLEF Board, Kristen is looking forward to helping to continue the amazing work the foundation does for the students of Northwestern Lehigh.  

  Carissa resides in New Tripoli along with her husband, Hunter, her son, Colton (Class of 2038), and her two German Shorthaired Pointers, Echo and Katana. She is a graduate of Misericordia University, earning a master of science in occupational therapy degree with a specialization in pediatrics. She has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years holding various leadership roles in the settings of early intervention, outpatient therapy and inpatient rehabilitation. Carissa is also a certified child passenger safety technician. Through her advocacy work in supporting community engagement for children of all abilities, Carissa spear-headed sensory friendly community events, partnering with the Crayola Experience, the DaVinci Science Center and Sweet & Sassy Salon. In 2023, Carissa joined her husband in running their family's company, R.H. Odenheimer Well Drilling, located in Orefield. While seeking to continue pursuing her passion to ensure all children thrive in the community, Carissa sought an opportunity with the Northwestern Lehigh Education Foundation. She is eager to share her creativity, optimism and leadership with such a wonderful organization. 

Michael Perinotti was raised in the Allentown and Whitehall areas and graduated from Whitehall High School in 2002.  He continued his education at the University of Pittsburgh, studying accounting and competing as a student athlete wrestler.   Upon graduation, Michael returned to the Lehigh Valley and began a career in Finance at the Victaulic Company located in Easton.  He has worked his entire professional career at Victaulic, holding various positions in the Finance Organization.  He also earned an MBA from DeSales University during his professional tenure. 

Michael and his wife, Krista, and their three children, Mary, Maximus and Meadow, moved to the Northwestern Lehigh School District in 2018, residing in beautiful Lowhill Township.  Mary and Maximus currently attend Weisenberg Elementary School.

Michael also volunteers as an assistant wrestling and softball coach for his children’s youth teams.

 A 2004 Northwestern Lehigh graduate, Greg joins the board with extensive private sector management and non-profit experience in multiple industries including, public safety, emergency services, education, real estate management, municipal government, and other fields.

As President & CEO of Omega Protective Services, Greg has been responsible for making the Lehigh Valley a safer place to live and raise a family for over 15 years by providing security guard and marked vehicle patrol services to local communities and businesses. Outside of the security industry, Greg owns and manages several rental properties throughout Eastern PA.

Greg is also passionate about philanthropy and giving back to the Lehigh Valley community which has contributed so greatly to his success. In 2021, he founded the Gregory J. Kuhn Family Foundation; a 501c3 which provides scholarships and educational resources to local high school students. Greg also serves on the board of directors for the Community Music School of the Lehigh Valley, The Cay Galgon Life House, and The East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

In his spare time, Greg enjoys volunteering as a firefighter for Kutztown Fire & Rescue, coaching youth soccer, and spending time outdoors.

 Sarah was born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, attending neighboring East Penn School District. Upon graduation she entered the workforce full time and concurrently earned a B.S. in Business

Administration from Albright College. She has worked in healthcare operations for 15 years, currently working as a Director of Operations at St. Luke’s University Health Network. 

Sarah and her family are new residents of Northwestern Lehigh having just completing the build of their new home in Lowhill Township. In addition to her full-time career Sarah dedicates time to the local youth, serving as a member of the Community Justice Panel, a certified diversion program that aims to divert first time juvenile offenders away from the criminal justice system leading to lower recidivism rates. In addition she is a community advocate for children and adults with special needs. 

In her free time Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband Ryan and 2 sons, Hunter & Beckham, at their 44-acre farm.

Jim Warfel is a 2022 addition to the Board. Jim was raised in Lower Bucks County and relocated to the Lehigh Valley in 1980. He completed as B.A at LaSalle University in Political Science/Education, a M.A. at the College of New Jersey in Special Education and an Ed.D. in Special Education Administration at Temple University. He served in the US Army in Vietnam and enjoyed a 46 year career in public and

higher education. 

Included in his career were 15 years in the Northwestern Lehigh School District having served as the first Assistant Superintendent in the district and having had the privilege and pleasure of serving as the first principal of Northwestern Lehigh Middle School. 

Jim and his wife Mary are residents

of Lynn Township. Their two sons reside in Bethlehem and have blessed them with six grandchildren who greatly enrich their lives. Mary and Jim are active in the Lynn-Heidelberg Historical Society and volunteer at the Lowhill Food Pantry. They are actively involved in supporting the Community Music  School of the Lehigh Valley where Jim currently serves as Vice President of the Board. Dr. Warfel is deeply grateful for his experience as an administrator in the NWLSD and for his connections to the Northwestern community. He welcomes the opportunity to be of service to the schools through his involvement on the NWELF Board.

Katie Straughn has lived in Northwestern Lehigh School District since she was born. Katie graduated from Northwestern Lehigh High School and obtained a B.A. from Bloomsburg University majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Interpersonal Communication. She is married to another Northwestern Alumni Mike (Class of 1999). They reside in New Tripoli with their 2 boys Benton (Class of 2035) and Maddox (Class of 2039).

Katie works as a Human Resources Business Partner at NFI Industries supporting (5) Distribution warehouses along with (4) Transportation facilities extending from Shoemakersville through Weisenberg area. During her time off she enjoys spending time with her family and friends going wine tasting, or vacationing to the beach & lake.

 Amy Kinnon grew up in nearby Northampton. She spent her 20s traveling and working in Marketing for several high-tech companies. When first moving back to PA in 2002, she opened her own business. In 2007, Amy and her husband purchased a home in Northwestern School District to raise their children. Around that time she began working as the Director of Photo Operations for Dan's Camera City in Allentown. In August 2020, Amy excitedly took the position as Development Director for the NWLEF. She tremendously enjoys finding ways to help fund education for the Northwestern Lehigh School District. When she is not working, she enjoys the outdoors of the beautiful community with her family. She can be found hiking with her son Gabe (Class of 2022) or catching one of her daughter's softball games at the rec fields (Lily - Class of 2026). You can also find her leading her Girl Scout troop at Ontaulanee Park or camping in the woods. Sometimes she just enjoys just taking in the amazing views of Bake Oven Knob from her deck.