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School Board

Mission

The South Fayette Township Board of School Directors consists of nine elected and experienced individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in education. Their servant leadership is evident in the time and talent they donate on behalf of the South Fayette children and community. They serve a four year term and elections are held every two years with five members being elected followed by the remaining four.  

Board of School Directors

Photo of the school board members, with four seated in the front and five standing behind them.
Photo: 2026 Board members: Seated: Thomas Iagnemma, Leonard Fornella, William Gray, Teresa Burroughs; Standing: Joseph Welch, Dr. Jason Olexa, Esther Cardillo, Rebecca Bruce, Michael Ghilani 

The nine member Board of School Directors, elected by the people of the township for a term of four years, is responsible for school policy. According to state law, they must be 18 years of age and serve without pay.

Regular meetings are held on a monthly basis. The Committee Meeting, which serves as a work session for the board, is held on the third Tuesday of each month. The Board votes on school policies and other items at its regular meeting which is held on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Both are held at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio in the High School, unless otherwise specified. The exception is the Reorganization Meeting which is held on the first Monday in December. All meetings are publicly advertised in local newspapers and are open to the public at large. 
William Gray, President
Lifelong resident of South Fayette Township
Elected to Board: 2023
Education: 1996 South Fayette graduate; BSBA from University of Pittsburgh
Profession: Local business owner

Leonard Fornella, Vice President
Lifelong resident of South Fayette Township
Elected to Board: 1980
Education: South Fayette School District (1971, Class Valedictorian); The Pennsylvania State University (1975, B.S. with Highest Distinction in Honors Accounting Program); University of Pittsburgh School of Law (1978, Juris Doctor)
Profession: Attorney (Shareholder with Babst, Calland, Clements & Zominir, P.C.)

Rebecca Bruce
South Fayette Township resident since 2002
Elected to Board: 2023
Education: B.S. in Elementary Education from Indiana University of PA
Profession:  Administrative Assistant for an Accounting Firm
Email: [email protected]

Teresa Burroughs
South Fayette Township resident since 1989
Elected to Board: 2007
Education: West Virginia University, Business Administration
Profession: E-Rate/FCC Regulatory Compliance Consultant, School Volunteer
Email: [email protected]

Esther Cardillo
South Fayette Township resident since 1975
Elected to Board: 2023
Education: 1982 Graduate of South Fayette Jr./Sr. High School,
1986 B.S. University of Pittsburgh, Psychology/Sociology,
1990 M.Ed. University of Pittsburgh, Educational Counseling, 1990 N.C.C.
Profession: Retired School Counselor

Dr. Michael Ghilani
South Fayette Township resident since 2013
Elected to Board: 2025
Profession: Retired Educator after 27 years (Teacher, Counselor, Principal, and Superintendent), current full-time professor in Clinical Counseling at La Roche University and private practice owner
Education: Duquesne University (Ed.D in Counselor Education and Supervision), University of Pittsburgh (M.Ed. in School Counseling), Washington & Jefferson College (B.A. in Psychology/Business/minor in education)
 
Thomas Iagnemma
Lifelong resident of South Fayette Township
Elected to Board: 2019
Profession: I.T. Network Engineering Manager 
Education: Duquesne University (Masters of Business Administration), Indiana University of Pennsylvania (B.S. Information Systems)

Dr. Jason T. Olexa
South Fayette Township resident since 2015
Elected to Board: 2025
Profession: Principal, Brentwood High School
Education: Point Park University Ed.D. Organizational Leadership, University of Pittsburgh M.S. Administration and Policy Studies, PennWest California BASc Special Education and Teaching

Joseph Welch
South Fayette Township resident since 1991
Elected to Board: 2021
Education: South Fayette Township School District (Valedictorian, Class of 2003), Duquesne University (2007, B.A. History, B.S. Secondary Social Studies Education, Dean's Teaching Fellow), California University of Pennsylvania (2015, Masters, Advanced Secondary Education and PA K-12 Principal Certification)
Profession: Teacher, 2020-2021 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
Email: [email protected]

Susan Vasalani, Board Secretary
Email: [email protected] 

Ashley Fleming, Student Representative

Upcoming Meetings

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