Board of Trustees

Rev. Peter Kountz, Chair

Peter Kountz has been involved with school leadership and university teaching and administration since 1969. In addition to serving as Head of School/CEO for the Charter High School for Architecture + Design in Center City, Philadelphia for 10 years, he was president/CEO of two large independent schools in Pittsburgh, PA and in Brooklyn. Kountz has served a number of universities and schools, including The University of Chicago and the University of Rochester. Among other things, he has been a college baseball coach, run a University radio station, and was the first Curator of the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House. In his other lives, Peter is a musician, writer, and arts consultant, and he coaches professional musicians. He and his wife, Nanci, have three grown children and three grandchildren, and live in Philadelphia.

Kountz received his B.A. from Saint Meinrad College Seminary and his M.A. and Ph.D from The University of Chicago in the History of Culture.

Peter was ordained a Priest in the Diocese of Pennsylvania in June 2015. His journey to the priesthood began very early with choir school and was kept alive by the Benedictines, Martin Marty and The University of Chicago, ecumenism, Joan Chittister, Thomas Merton, Fred Rogers. Henri Nouwen, and, most importantly, his wife and children. He “Read for Holy Orders” at Virginia Theological Seminary under the direction of the Reverend Dr. Frank Wade. Peter is the Vicar of the 1823 historic parish, Saint Stephen’s, on 10th street in Center City.

Richard Ellis III, Vice Chair

Mr. Richard Ellis III is originally from Wallingford, Pennsylvania and is now a resident of Philadelphia. He received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Villanova University in 2008. Currently a Vice President of M&T bank, Mr. Ellis serves on the Regional Board for Playworks, Inc. of PA, is an active member of the Walnut Street Theater Young Leaders Council, and is a member of the Events Committee for the March of Dimes Annual Signature Chefs Event in Philadelphia. Rick and his wife, Nicole Ellis, Esq., are also active supporters of the Vetri Community Partnership.

Lisabeth Henry – Treasurer

Lisabeth Henry is the Service Line Growth Director at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in which she oversees the pediatric transplant program and supports various divisions in their strategic growth initiatives. Her background is in nursing. Throughout her career she has served in various clinical roles and for the past 15 years, she has worked in hospital administration. She earned her RN, BSN from Thomas Jefferson University, obtained her MBA in Health Care Administration from Eastern University and received a professional development certificate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Health Care Innovation Program.

Lisabeth is passionate about ensuring children not only receive exceptional, equitable health care but that they also have access to healthy food, safe housing and education. Lisabeth has helped develop food pantries in the community and contributed to the establishment of the CHOP food pharmacy which uses healthy food as medicine. She serves as a member of the CHOP Cares Community Advisory Board and has volunteered as accounting warden in her former parish.

Lisabeth’s proudest accomplishment is raising her two sons, 30 and 25 and she enjoys nothing more than spending time with her 9 year old grandson.

Sandra Farmer, Trustee

sfarmer@ap-schools.org

Sandra Farmer is a professional sales and marketing executive with varied leadership experience. As a Senior Director with the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation, she directed multiple new employment initiatives and workforce development programs with corporate and nonprofit business sectors in Philadelphia County and the surrounding suburban counties.

Her nonprofit career includes five years as Regional Manager for the Delaware Valley area at Benova Corporation, the Health Choices of PA provider for Medicaid insurance. In the corporate environment, Ms. Farmer worked for 20 years in sales and marketing at Safeguard Business Systems of Fort Washington, PA, and Dallas, TX. She performed significant distributorship development and management roles as National Client Development Manager covering five U.S. regions, and as Regional Distributorship Development Manager covering territories from Nova Scotia to Southern Florida.

On an ongoing basis, Ms. Farmer provides independent marketing and consultant services for an online health company that is designed to provide women with up-to-date information to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual health. She also performs education project management services for a Philadelphia-based technical institute that focuses on training in the skilled trades.

Anita Kaiser-Vega, Trustee

akaiser@ap-schools.org

Mrs. Anita Vega Kaiser is a Senior Veterans Service Representative at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her work includes processing claims for disability compensation and providing one-on-one mentorship and training to new employees. This requires her to maintain up-to-date information on Federal Laws and Regulations set by Congress.

In her former role as Legislative Assistant for State Rep. John J. Taylor, R-Pa., Mrs. Vega Kaiser worked with Juanita neighborhood community members to resolve problems ranging from issues with a driver’s license to acquiring birth certificates to abandoned cars. During her six years with Rep. Taylor, she organized the first Hispanic Community Fair and assisted in outreach efforts to the Hispanic community.

She is a 2011 graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Psychology and Social Science.

Nikola Lonchar, Trustee

Founder & President, Tesla Science Foundation
Cultural and Civic Diplomat
Expert in Nikola Tesla’s Legacy and Global Cultural Promotion

Nikola (Lončar) Lonchar is an esteemed cultural diplomat, educator, and leader in preserving and promoting the legacy of Nikola Tesla. As the founder and president of the Tesla Science Foundation (TSF), Mr. Lončar has dedicated his career to educating global audiences about Tesla’s contributions to science, engineering, and innovation. Through a vast network of Nikola Tesla clubs and cultural projects, he has developed innovative educational programs that inspire young minds to explore science, technology, and creativity.

In addition to his work with TSF, Nikola is also involved in numerous cultural diplomacy initiatives, collaborating with Serbian and international communities to build bridges between nations through Tesla’s legacy.

Barbara Saunders, Trustee

Mrs. Barbara Saunders’ interest in public education began with her involvement as chairperson of the Parents’ Association for the School District of Philadelphia’s Head Start program. During her affiliation with Head Start, Mrs. Saunders participated in a partnership with the University Of Pennsylvania to develop a functional study tracking the success of Head Start students. She has also participated in the decision-making process in many aspects of Head Start, including renaming sites, opening new sites, qualification criteria, hiring procedures, and even disciplinary issues.

Mrs. Saunders’ human services career includes work in a supervisory capacity at several agencies. She supervised several Community Living Arrangements (CLAs) at Lynch Community Homes of Montgomery Co. (now KenCrest), and she also supervised a sheltered workshop program for individuals who were hearing and vision impaired at Overbrook School for the Blind.

Mrs. Saunders is passionate about children having access to quality public education. She feels both honored and privileged to serve on the board for several schools within American Paradigm Schools. She is a proud parent of two children – both of who are alumni of First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, the first American Paradigm School.