New Board Members Join Northampton County Education Foundation

The Northampton County Education Foundation (NCEF) has announced the appointment of  three new members to its Board of Directors.

Helene Doughty has two children who are current and former students of Northampton County public schools. She has recently collaborated in revitalizing the PTA at the middle and high schools. She began her career teaching French at the secondary level and for the past 25 years she has worked in agriculture, with 16 years focusing on research and extension education. She is author and co-author of several peer-edited scientific publications. Ms. Doughty also has experience in providing support to small businesses in areas of administrative management, social media promotion and IT support.

Kevin Schwenk is currently a Success Coach and instructor of Music at Eastern Shore Community College. During his four year tenure as High school-Middle School bands, choral and theater, Mr. Schwenk garnered support from the community and led a revival for  the performing arts for all school age children in the Northampton County public schools.  He is an advocate for the benefits of the arts for children and adults. Mr. Schwenk holds multiple degrees in music from Radford University.

Ron West is a Shore native, who taught for 35-years in the Northampton County public schools. Following retirement from the school system, he began a career in journalism with the eastern Shore Post, where he worked for twelve years covering local events and issues.  Mr. West also served 24 years as an EMT and over 45 years with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Mr. West has degrees from Virginia Wesleyan, with graduate work at Old Dominion University and University of Virginia, leading to a masters degree in education.

Dr. Linda Schulz, acting chair of the board stated, “All three new board members bring a wide range of skills and experiences that will be of great value to the board of the Northampton County Education Foundation.  They join a dedicated and passionate group working to promote student performance and excellence in teaching in our public schools.”

The Northampton County Education Foundation is a conduit for support to the public schools from the community.  The Foundation provides grants to teachers to encourage and facilitate approaches aimed at reshaping and improving classroom education for students and other initiatives, such as field trips that enhance the students educational experiences outside of the classroom.