Uplifting Athletes Leadership

• Scott Shirley, Executive Director & Chairman of the Board
• David Wozniak, Board Vice President
• Keith Deaven, Board President
• Kerwin Stetler, Board Treasurer
• Dr. Robert Nielsen, Board Secretary
• Chris Ziance, Team UA Captain
• Eileen Bugosh, Data Base Management & Membership Services
• Marc W. Witzig, Esq., (Cunningham & Chernicoff, P.C.) General Counsel
• Lisa A. Meyers, CPA, (Boyer & Ritter) Accountant

Scott Shirley,

Executive Director & Chairman of the Board

Scott Shirley has been the Chairman of the Board since the organization was incorporated in 2004. Shirley became the full time Executive Director during the fall of 2007. He is responsible for the strategic planning of the national charter, providing leadership and vision for the organization, managing programs and operations, developing the Board of Directors and fundraising.

Prior to joining Uplifting Athletes, Shirley was a Project Engineer with Clark Construction Group. His projects included the Liberty Center (mixed use development that includes office, retail and living space), the Kennedy-Warren (luxury DC apartments) and the Women In Military Services for America Memorial. While at Clark, Shirley was elected to serve as a member of the Innovation Steering Committee to work with the executive management and foster a spirit of continuous improvement, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Shirley completed the Kellogg Executive Scholar certificate program in Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University.  He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science (2003) and Master of Engineering (2004) degrees while also playing wide receiver on the Penn State football team. He graduated as the top construction engineering student in his graduating class, was a member of Chi Epsilon (National Honor Society of Civil Engineers) and taught an undergraduate class as a graduate student. As a member of the football team, he was a winner of the Frank Patrick Total Commitment Award (given to players who consistently follow through with their responsibilities in all facets of the football program and do so in an exemplary manner), was a recipient of the Walk-on Award (given to a non-scholarship player who exemplifies total commitment, loyalty, hard work and courage) and was honored as a two time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

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Keith Deaven,

Board President

Keith is responsible for co-founding and leading Mediabarn, a company that specializes in user interface research, design and consulting. As Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Keith has led Mediabarn through six successful years. Much of this success can be attributed to the fine-tuning of an innovative business model which combines the benefits of a user interface practice, creative studio, and placement agency under one roof. Keith has built the organization into an interactive powerhouse, with clients that range from government clients such as the U.S Army and U.S. Patent Office, to some of the world’s most widely recognized media brands including Discovery Communications, National Geographic, The Better Business Bureau, and PBS.  Keith earned a B.S. degree in Labor & Industrial Relations from Penn State University, where he continues to assist the School of Information Sciences and Technology as a project sponsor and speaker in project management and entrepreneurship.

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David Wozniak,

Board Vice President

Dave Wozniak is vice president of corporate branding and advertising for Lincoln Financial Group. He is responsible for a wide array of initiatives that are designed to build a strong Lincoln Financial Group brand, including strategy development, business-to-business and consumer advertising programs, website development, corporate identity management and brand communications program integration across the enterprise.

Wozniak joined Lincoln in December 2003 and has broad experience in advertising and corporate branding on both the client and advertising agency sides of the business. He served as director of advertising from 1998-2003 at the Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to that, he spent ten years at N.W. Ayer & Partners in Detroit, Michigan where he was the account director on the General Motors brand advertising program. He was also the advertising manager at Barnett Banks of Florida, Inc. from 1986-1988.

Wozniak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University and also earned his Master of Business Administration from Penn State.

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Kerwin Stetler,

Board Treasurer

Kerwin Stetler is a CPA and Chief Financial Officer for Pyramid Construction Services, Inc., a commercial general contractor and construction manager serving south central PA.  Stetler is also a board member for the Capital Region Economic Development Corporation and an active member of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Chamber's Board from 2003 to 2009 and was the Chair of the Board in 2006 and 2007.  Currently, he's the Vice Chair of Member Services. Kerwin is a dedicated volunteer who also serves on the Building, Economic Development, Finance, Health Care & Insurance, Nominating and Strategic Planning Committees.  Kerwin dedicates his spare time to volunteering for a variety of organizations including Capital Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC), Salt 'n Light Youth Ministry, Camp Hill United Methodist Church, United Methodist Home for Children, and the Mid-Atlantic Builders Exchange.

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Robert Nielsen, M.D.,

Board Secretary

Dr. Nielsen has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years.  He received his medical degree from Albany Medical College, Albany,  NY~ 1975; he completed his residency at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.  From 1977-1978, he was the Chief Resident and Clinical Instructor at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Honors and Awards:

Mead Johnson Award: 1975

Credentials/Board Qualified:

ABFP: 1978

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Drew Praster,

Special Projects

Drew Praster helps with Special Projects where he is responsible for enhancing community relations and implementing strategic projects.

Drew also serves as an Inside Sales Consultant for the Charlotte Bobcats.  His responsibilities include generating new business through phone campaigns, in game networking, servicing accounts and community networking.  Praster earned his bachelor's degree from Chowan University where he served as the Student Assistant Sports Information Director and was a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.

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Julie Miller,

Accounting

Julie Miller served in the accounting department of Uplifting Athletes where she was responsible for maintaining and overseeing the financial aspects of the Organization throughout the year.

Julie graduated from Shippensburg University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. She works full time for SF & Company as a staff accountant working primarily on nonprofit and governmental audits.

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Chris Ziance,

Team UA Captain

Chris heads up "Team UA" which allows fans to turn their next run, ride, triathlon or adventure race into an opportunity to support college football players helping rare disease patients.

Chris Ziance is senior counsel for the Progressive Group of Insurance Companies. He is responsible for national product design initiatives and state-level expertise. Chris joined Progressive in 2005 after spending three years in private practice. Chris is a 1998 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He also earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management in 2002.

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Eileen Bugosh,

Database Management & Membership Services

Eileen helps to manage the data base of donors and donations for Uplifting Athletes. She also helps to organize membership enrollment and informational mailings.

Eileen retired in January, 2006, after more than 35 years as a teacher. She received her Bachelor’s of Science and Master’s Degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Since her retirement, she is also a volunteer receptionist for the local senior center and with Alpha Phi International Fraternity.

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