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Upon receiving her associate’s degree
in liberal arts from Butler County Community College, Kimberly
D. Geyer was employed with USAir, Inc. for eleven years as
a flight attendant. Simultaneously, she has worked with her
husband since 1986 running a successful residential /commercial
new construction, rental, and development business. A 1980
graduate of Mars High School, she is now a school director
for Mars Area School District since running as a write-in
candidate in 1999.
In 1994 when her oldest child
entered the public school system, she became involved as a
parent researching and educating herself on the current issues
of Outcome Based Education, Goals 2000, School to Work, the
PSSA, Chapter 4 education regulations, the academic standards,
and now more recently, NCLB. In January of 1997, she formed
Mars Citizens for Academic Excellence, a parent advisory group
within her community. Her research and work quickly turned
into activism when she single-handedly organized well attended
education town and county meetings throughout the Mars Area,
Butler, and Allegheny County region with local, state, and
national speakers. In the spring of 1997, she organized and
underwrote her own state OBE convention (from her kitchen)
with nearly 600 attendees and a national panel of speakers.
In 1998 she again organized a private dinner reception and
public forum for the American Center for Law and Justice with
Jay Allan Sekulow pertaining to education law. She has been
an underwriter for public education forums held at the Pittsburgh
Athletic Association, including the “Math Wars”
(2003) with speakers from Stanford University, California
State, Los Angeles, and the Brookings Institute’s Brown
Center on Education Policy, and “No Child Left Behind”
(2004), with MN State Senator Michele Bachmann.” at
The University Club. All of her forums have been an effort
to get individuals equipped, informed and educated on the
issues impacting students and schools with the intention of
getting people involved. Kim has written numerous editorials,
articles, and newspaper guest columns throughout the state
and has been a guest on KQV-Radio, WISR Radio, The Lowman
Henry Radio Show, and Pennsylvania Townhall to speak on current
education issues impacting schools throughout Pennsylvania.
She serves on the advisory panel of the Allegheny Public Policy
Institute and the Commonwealth Education Organization.
Her activism eventually led
her to Harrisburg where she has met and worked with various
state legislators on both sides of the aisle from the House
and Senate. She has worked on finding common ground with the
key policy people of both the House and Senate Policy Research
and Development Departments. Furthermore, she has spoken several
times at rallies held at the Capitol’s Rotunda, as well
as, testified numerous times before the Senate and House Education
Committees. For the past five years, she has researched, written,
and lobbied her own legislative proposals on behalf of Mars
Area School District for the Pennsylvania School Board Association’s
legislative platform and has been successful in retaining
to "over 50 different" retained items onto the state
membership’s platform of issues. Kim has established
her own statewide education e-mail network which acts as a
grassroots resource for parents, school officials, and legislators
in providing information and bulletins on the most current
issues impacting local school districts statewide. Furthermore,
Kim has provided analysis when requested by legislators and
policymakers. Upon request, she has provided pointed questions
and bullets for state hearings, compiled letters for legislators
on various issues for constituents, and shares what she has
learned with policymakers. Her love of meeting new people
and constant attempt to find common ground with whomever she
meets, has helped in the effort of bridging gaps of communication
between state and local levels, as well as, proven her to
be a respected legislative liaison. Kim recognizes that the
House and Senate are two unique assemblies of government in
philosophy and process, but, has not been deterred in her
efforts to work with both sides in her attempt to provide
helpful, accurate material in their deliberations, as well
as, applications in policymaking. In 2004, she was nominated
as one of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s “Top 48”
most influential people in education in Pennsylvania and she
received a lifetime achievement award by the Pennsylvania
School Boards Association. 2005 was a busy year working on
the various property tax relief legislative proposals and
providing analysis for both the House and Senate as well as
working on various state policy initiatives pertaining to
manufacturing, economics, medicaid, and taxes beyond education
issues.
In 2005, she was invited to be on the 2006 & 2007 review panel of the Speaker of the House of Representative’s Golden Apple Awards which are awarded to various school districts recognizing innovative education K-12 programs in Pennsylvania’s schools. In 2006, Kim was elected to the Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 Board of Directors in Grove City, Pennsylvania, which works to provide innovative education programs and services to the 27 school districts throughout Butler, Mercer, and Lawrence Counties. In 2007, she was re-elected to a new four year term at the Intermediate Unit.
Furthermore, Kim accepted an appointment to the St. Barnabas Community Advisory Committee in 2006 which oversees numerous, diverse projects and fundraising events for the benefit of patients and residents of the St. Barnabas Health System in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania and serves on their CEO Leadership Committee which hosts a forum annually.
In March 2007, she helped her school board and high school administration facilitate the "PSSA/Education Enrichment Days" which is a three day event concurring with the same time frame as the PSSA administration for 11th graders. Kim facilitated enrichment speakers for the 9th, 10th, & 12th grade students to provide learning enrichment opportunities, internships, and networking career opportunities for all students at Mars High School in all core curriculum academic areas. Among them were such notables as Dr. Cyril H. Wecht who spoke regarding forensics law and sciences, Pittsburgh sports writer James P. O'Brien, Foreign Language specialists, Curator from Carnegie Museum, National Trumpeter, Stephan Hawk, KDKA Radio's Dr. Knowledge, and many more professionals providing Mars students various learning opportunities. In May 2007, she facilitated Dr. Cyril H. Wecht to return to Mars High School to present a school wide assembly for students and staff on the John F, Kennedy assassination. Later in May of 2007, she was nominated as one of 35 people statewide to participate in Pennsylvania's first inaugural costing out education study and contributed toward the study which utilizes evidence based research as a method of costing out adequate education funding in Pennsylvania and identifying the resources schools need to meet state requirements and student expectations. She was re-elected in May 2007 to serve her community one more four year term at Mars Area School District.
In August 2007, she will be facilitating a teacher/staff in-service at Mars prior to the 2007-08 school year with national doctor and researcher, Dr. Leonard Sax, author of "Gender Matters" who will present a two hour workshop for faculty members.
Her focus continues to be on the work at the local level through the Mars School Board and her efforts to improve student achievement of all students across Pennsylvania’s schools and advocate public education for all students and schools.
Furthermore, Kim accepted
an appointment to the St. Barnabas Community Advisory Committee
in 2006 which oversees numerous, diverse projects and fundraising
events for the benefit of patients and residents of the St.
Barnabas Health System in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.
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