About
Board of Directors



A word
From Our Board President
OEF serves the students in the Oxford public schools by providing mentoring and tutoring for students, volunteers in the schools, professional grants to teachers to enhance their work in the classroom, and grants to school principals for projects to serve all the students in a building.
The Foundation was formed in 1994, and is still guided by the thoughts of the founding members who recognized that the public schools are the most important public institution in the community. They saw that the Oxford area is rich in human talent, and that the use of that talent can enhance the important work of the teachers, support staff, and administrators.
I hope you will find a way to help us in this important work.
Steve Roberts
President of the Board
Our Board
officers

Steve Roberts
President
Steve is a retired mechanical engineer and long time member of OEF. He serves on Internal Affairs and Volunteer/Mentor committees. Steve supports the OEF by tutoring several students each year in Math. In 2020, Steve received his Certificate in Education Foundation Leadership (CEFL) from the National School Foundation Association.

Etha McDowell ‘67
Vice-President
One of the founding members of the OEF, Etha tutors middle school math and Chairs the Special Projects Committee. A retired Quality Engineer, Etha has also helped with STEM presentations at the school.

Roberta McManus
Secretary
A beloved science teacher at Penn’s Grove school, Roberta has continued her strong support of education in her retirement. She volunteers in the classroom and teaches in various lifelong learning programs. Her insights on the Mentors and volunteers Committee are especially helpful.

Pamela Mason ‘81
Treasurer
Pam and her husband own and operate Mason’s Chrome View dairy farm in East Nottingham Township. Pam not only maintains all the financial records and filings for the OEF, she is very active on the Special Projects and the Ways and Means Committees.
Our Board
members

Beth Baity
Member
Beth is a first grade teacher in the OASD and has taught for 21 years. She is a benefactor of OEF classroom volunteers, mentors for students, and teacher grants, Beth is a member of many church, school and community groups. She has raised two sons and is a proud grandmother. Beth has many hobbies and enjoys her time with family and friends.

Patricia Hannon
Member
Robotics and mentoring are just some of the ways Tricia supports the School District. She currently has three children in the District and occasionally works as a substitute in the lower grades.

Ralph W. Hartgrove
Member
Ralph “Woody” Hartgrove has tutored for almost 2 decades working with over 50 students in Chemistry. Although not a resident of the district, he leads the volunteers in the largest number of students tutored.

Geoff Henry
Member
Former Mayor of Oxford, Geoff Henry points fondly to his three daughters who are Oxford graduates and his grandchildren who are currently attending the elementary schools. Geoff serves on the Internal Affairs Committee

Carolyn Hess ‘73
Member
Carolyn Hess is an artist and Interior Designer who has supported the OASD Sports Boosters for many years. She leads the External Affairs Committee in making certain that Oxford knows about the work of the OEF.

Shylene Jackson ‘97
Member
Shylene works at Unionville High School. She is an Oxford graduate and has a son in the Oxford schools. She serves the Board on the Internal Affairs and the Ways and Means Committees.

Susan Melrath
Member
Susan is another retired educator who works tirelessly as a volunteer in the schools. She is a long time member of the Board and is very active on the Special Projects Committee and heads the Ways and Means committee.

Nicole Prinsloo (2002)
Member
Nicole spent 15 years as an ESL teacher in a neighboring school district. After she decided to leave teaching, she continued to put her educational experience to good use by volunteering in various classrooms in the Oxford Area School District. Her main focus when she is volunteering is helping English learners that are within our schools.

Alison Verbanas
Member
Alison is a former middle school teacher and a lifelong athlete. She coached swimming for over twenty years. Alison also taught in an outdoor setting as a Teacher Naturalist at the Delaware Nature Society for several years. She has always been involved in her children’s education, volunteering weekly to help not only their teachers but as many others in the building as she could. She was awarded the RSVP award in 2016.

Margaret Wilkinson
Member
Margaret is a kindergarten teacher in the OASD and has taught in early education for 15 years.Margaret was initially involved with the OEF as a mentor to one of her own students for several years and was recently awarded a professional grant for her classroom.Margaret and her husband Steve are proud parents of two daughters who both graduated from the OASD.

Ryan Steinmetz '23
Member
Being a Junior at Oxford Area High School, Ryan is essential in bringing OEF services to the district and recruiting student volunteers to special projects. He also brings a very important student perspective to the board.

Volunteers
We are constantly looking for tutors and mentors for our students. Join us!

Students & Parents
Are you a student looking for tutoring or mentoring? Are you a parent looking for support for your child?

Teachers & Principals
We give grants to teachers and principals. Apply today!