PHEAA Welcomes Senator LeAnna Washington to Board of Directors
Harrisburg, PA (February 19, 2009) - PHEAA welcomed Senator LeAnna M. Washington to its Board of Directors at the Board's monthly meeting held on February 12.
Senator Washington has been appointed to the position vacated by Senator Vincent Fumo, who did not seek re-election and resigned from the Board in November 2008.
Representing Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, in the 4th Senatorial District, Senator Washington has been serving our communities since her special election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1993. She served the 200th Legislative District in that capacity until 2005 when she won a Special Election for the 4th Senatorial District. She currently serves as Minority Chair of the Committee on Aging and Youth, Deputy Chair of the Policy Committee, and serves as a member on the Community, Economic and Recreational Development, Finance, State Government, Urban Affairs & Housing, and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committees.
Her new position on the PHEAA Board of Directors provides her the opportunity to further serve her constituents, promoting the importance of higher education and assisting students and their families obtain an affordable education.
“I join the PHEAA Board of Directors with a sense of honor and appreciation,” said Senator Washington. “I believe that they have already made great strides in making higher education an affordable option for students and I look forward to continuing that work.”
“We welcome Senator Washington and her extensive knowledge and experience that she brings to our Board,” said Representative William Adolph, Jr., Chairman of the PHEAA Board. “I look forward to working with her and the other members of the Board in continuing with our mission of providing affordable access to higher education.”
“It will be a pleasure to work with Senator Washington,” said Senator Sean Logan, Vice Chairman of the PHEAA Board. “She is well-respected among her constituents and the members of the General Assembly for her ability to get to the source of the issue and address it. She will be a valuable resource for this Board and Pennsylvania's students and families.”
The PHEAA Board of Directors faced numerous challenges during 2008 but the Board, under Adolph's leadership, enacted the most strict travel and business expense reimbursement policy of any Commonwealth organization. That, combined with an aggressive cost-cutting campaign and the continued commitment of PHEAA associates, has led to PHEAA generating a positive operating income of $17.1 million for the first quarter of the 2008-09 fiscal year.