Jennifer McFadden – Engineering & Physics Department
Jennifer has worked at Etown College for 11.5 years and is currently the Administrative Assistant to the Engineering & Physics Department. Jen is the main contact for the department, where she assists professors and students, and keeps ABET accreditation materials up to date. Married 15 years to her husband, she credits her top three life highlights as her wedding day, the birth of their two sons, and the adoption of their two youngest sons. Jen and her husband have been fostering since March of 2018 and in August 2019, the two youngest boys officially joined the family through legal adoption. As many with young children can relate, there isn’t much time for hobbies, but when she does get the time she enjoys reading, cross-stitching and spending time as a family. One of Jen’s fondest childhood memories is spending time at her grandparents’ house, particularly playing games and coloring with her grandmother.
Leslie Pierce – Textbook Manager, College Store
Leslie started with the college 33 years ago in Institutional Advancement. Since that time, she has held positions in Admissions, Registration and Records, and currently, she is the Textbook Manager in the College Store, where she oversees the purchasing of all textbooks. Growing up in a small coal-mining town, she has fond memories of playing tin-can alley in the dark and her tight circle of friends trying to scare each other with stories of “Gum Beech Jon” who lived in the woods around the playground. Leslie highlights her close relationship with her late mother and how it shaped her as a mother to her two children, Katie, 25 and Hunter, 19, who constantly amaze her. She also gives credit to the amazing tribe of strong women she calls her friends. At the moment, she is enjoying Unbelievable, The Great British Bake Off and Blown (glass blowing competition) on Netflix. And, Go Steelers and Penguins!
Johanna Gardiner – Education Department
For eight years, Johanna has held the position of Administrative Assistant to the Education Department, where she assists the Co-Chairs and provides support to faculty, staff and students. She is a “Jack of all trades” and likes to keep her department on their toes! Johanna is surrounded by family, including her parents, two brothers Ron (her Irish twin – 11 months apart) and Hal, who are both married with five children combined. In addition to being an Aunt to four nieces and one nephew, she has many close friends with children that she has also claimed as nieces and nephews. Johanna enjoys crafting and Do It Yourself projects in her home, as well as scrapbooking and spending quality time with friends and family. She has also been known to search for a good cup of ‘real’ coffee at unique coffee shops. A favorite childhood memory of hers is creating and performing plays with her brother for the rest of the family on most Friday nights. People may be surprised to know that she loves theater and in Junior High School she played an angel in Fulton Theatre’s Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Her favorite teams include the Etown Blue Jays and Oklahoma State University Cowboys!
Looks like a great line up. I wanted to share with you though, that our language is changing as we focus on providing equal access. Terms like “wheelchair bound” and “confined to a wheelchair” imply restricting or limiting. In fact, using a wheelchair, scooter or other mobility device permits the person using the device much greater access to the world.