January News Briefs

Gov. Wolf appoints cabinet members

Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration have been busy filling cabinet positions, including three individuals who will serve on the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Here are the biographies for those individuals named Acting Secretaries at the Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Dennis Davin, Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development  

Dennis Davin has served as the director of Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED), and also formerly of the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority and executive director of the Industrial Development Authority, Hospital Development Authority, Higher Education Building Authority, and Residential Finance Authority.

He is also an active board member of the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Before serving as director of ACED, Davin was regional director of the Governor’s Action Team for Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Pedro Rivera, Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Education

Under Pedro Rivera’s leadership at The School District of Lancaster, which serves approximately 11,500 students, the district has made important strides.

Rivera has led the development and implementation of a new PreK-12 curriculum, an aggressive professional development plan, and innovative teacher observation tools. Since taking over the district, which has a $160 million budget, Rivera has increased its fund balance from $4 million to $9 million.

Rivera held a variety of positions before becoming superintendent of The School District of Lancaster. While at the Philadelphia School District, Rivera worked as principal, assistant principal, classroom teacher, executive director, and human resources director. Rivera was recently honored by the White House as one of 10 Hispanic leaders around the country for his extraordinary work in education.

Kathy Manderino, Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Kathy Manderino was the campaign manager of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding, a broad-based statewide coalition formed to advocate for a fair and adequate public education funding formula for public education in Pennsylvania, and formerly the senior vice president of Intercommunity Action, Inc., a human services agency with more than 200 employees and annual revenue of $20 million.

She also served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 18 years representing the 194th District.

Manderino was previously a private practice attorney in Philadelphia. Her early career included work with two labor-management organizations. She is active in both the community and the legal profession serving on numerous boards and committees, including The Food Trust, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court IOLTA, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association.