Volume 7, Issue 5                                                                                                        February 2017
Make A Gift
Student Scholarships Needed
 
Our campaign is under way to secure sponsors for all of the eager students who will be applying to PFEW 2017. Please consider investing in all of our futures!
Thank you!
 
Make a Gift
Company Advisors
For a current CA list, please click here.
Important
PFEW Dates
Summer Program Sessions 
 
Week I -

Lycoming College

July 2 - 8,  2017

 

Week II -

Lycoming College

July 9 - 15, 2017

 

Week III -

Lycoming College

July 23 - 29, 2017

 

Week IV -

Penn College &

Lycoming College

July 30 - Aug. 5, 2017
"CEO Designee" Announcement for PFEW
by John J. Trombetta, Sr., president & CEO
(In case you missed the announcement in my email of Tuesday, February 7th)

 
 
A few days before Thanksgiving, I announced that I will be retiring at the end of 2017. I also announced that our Board of Directors had already put into action the Succession Plan that we developed many years ago, knowing this day would eventually arrive. It gives me enormous pleasure to announce that on Friday, February 3rd, the Board unanimously named Karen Musante, current vice president & COO of the Foundation, to be my successor.
 
Karen is a 1992 graduate of Clarion University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She was president and partner of her own successful small business in Erie. Prior to becoming part of the Foundation staff, Karen served for five years as a "Company Advisor" for PFEW and was "bitten by the bug". In November of 2000 she accepted the position of Schools Coordinator for the Foundation and PFEW. Two years later she was promoted to the position of vice president and four years ago to vice president & COO. She has worked in all areas of fundraising, student recruitment, budget development, strategic initiatives, program design and implementation, volunteer recruitment, etc., etc. She oversees recruitment of 250 volunteers needed annually for PFEW, coordinates on-going training for all staff members, oversees all of the technical and IT needs of the Foundation and has primary responsibilities for overseeing the several dozen seasonal employees needed each summer for the program.
 
In November I expressed my certainty that our Board would choose the right person to lead the Foundation and PFEW in the next phase of our growth and development. I assure you they have done exactly that. During a career that now spans nearly half a century, I have been privileged to work with some incredible men and women. I can say unhesitatingly, however, Karen is the most dedicated, talented, intelligent and engaging colleague with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working. While a consummate professional with an unwavering commitment to excellence, she has that rare quality and combination of warmth and approachability that cause people to naturally gravitate to her. She truly is the perfect choice.
 
If you have already met Karen, I'm sure you are as delighted as we are. Below she has written her own "introduction" as we now embark on the "nuts and bolts" of the transition process. For the balance of the year, Karen will be carrying the title of "CEO Designee". She and I will be traveling throughout the state, meeting with scores of our partnering organizations, donors and other groups with which we work. It's a time of great excitement and joy for us and we hope to see many of you on our travels!
 
Warmly,
 
John J. Trombetta
President & CEO
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FFEE/PFEW Office
3076 West 12th St.
Erie, PA 16505
  
phone:
814-833-9576
fax:
814-833-9850
  
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My PFEW Journey
by Karen M. Musante, CEO Designee
Those of you who know the Musante family know that PFEW has been a part of our lives for decades. It all started over thirty years ago when my Dad, Lou, a local business owner, learned about PFEW and became both a student sponsor and ultimately a member of PFEW's Board of Directors and eventual chairman. It was my Dad's passion for business and economic education that got passed down to his children. My brother Rick is an Alumnus of one of PFEW's very first classes and has been a Company Advisor for over two decades. I will never forget the day, twenty-two years ago, when Rick dragged me into the car and said "Let's go to Williamsport for a week!" I obviously had no idea then that a four-hour car ride to Williamsport would lead to such an amazing career.
  
Working for this wonderful organization and meeting all of the individuals I have over the past twenty-two years has truly been one of the highlights of my professional life. I am grateful, honored and humbled to now have the opportunity to continue my career leading this one-of-a-kind organization into the future. Some of my best friends are as a result of PFEW and I am grateful for each one of you in my life.
  
 To our Board of Directors, thank you for entrusting me with this very important position. Know that I will work tirelessly to make the organization the very best it can be and provide the same first-class opportunity to every student who wishes to participate. To our partnering organizations, chambers of commerce, manufacturers associations, civic organizations, schools, and everyone who helps spread the word about what PFEW is, I am thrilled to continue working with all of you. Thank you for always welcoming us into your communities. To the hundreds of Advisors, Speakers and Judges I have had the privilege of serving, you are the heartbeat of PFEW. You are the ones who bring life to the program. You are amazing individuals and I am so thankful for the time and commitment you give to us over and over again.
  
To the wonderful people I work with.....what can I say?! John, you have been my biggest cheerleader and one of the best mentors a person could ever ask for. I promise to work every day to continue building this amazing program you have worked so hard to grow. To Michelle, Scott, Leslie, Liz and Amber, I look forward to coming to work each and every day because of you. What an amazing team you are and I hope we have many more years together. To everyone I only get to work with during the summer, you make PFEW look good. I hope if you are reading this and are remembering back to your time with us, you might consider making PFEW a part of your summer in any way you can.
  
To my family, simply.......I love you!
  
I have seen the program double in size since I began, and I look forward to leading us through new milestones, challenges and most importantly, making sure all of the students of our state have the opportunity to experience this wonderful thing we call PFEW. What we do is important. It is important to our schools, it is important to our state, and it is important to our country. Free Enterprise is the foundation of our economy, and making sure our young people understand how it works and how it affects their everyday lives is crucial to a successful nation. We are more than just a business camp. We offer an experience about life. PFEW has been a large part of my life, and I look forward to the future and spending it with all of you!
   
CEO Designee