RACC Foundation Elects Four New Board Members

Gary Moyer, Chairman of the Board for the Foundation for Reading Area Community College, and Anthony DeMarco, Executive Director of the Foundation, proudly welcome four new members to the Foundation Board as the organization continues its mission to support the college and its students in Berks County. Virginia Rush, Steve Ehrlich, Eric Burkey and Kristi Gage-Linderman were elected unanimously to serve three-year terms on the foundation board, effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024.

Virginia Rush has been the vice president at The Wyomissing Foundation since 2015. She has been involved with grantmaking, community outreach, the 13th Street Partnership Task Force, the West Reading Task Force, and the Family Grants Program. In 2017, she became the managing director for the Capital Campaign Review Board of Berks County. Currently, she is a board member with the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Ready.Set.READ!. She recently served as a committee member for Opportunity House and the Berks Community Health Center, and has been involved with the The United Way of Berks County for many years. Virginia is a staunch believer in a community college education as her son attended both RACC and Northampton Community College.

Steve Ehrlich is a retired banker with more than 35 years of banking experience. He founded Affinity Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary Affinity Bank of Pennsylvania in 2003 and served as its chair, president and CEO until merging with First Priority Bank in 2018 where he served as president and CEO until the sale of the bank in 2018. After the sale of First Priority, Mr. Ehrlich served as the chief strategy officer and consultant to Riverview Financial Corporation. He has been involved in many charitable activities and served on various non-profit boards over the years, including the Wilson School District, Berks Alliance and the Hawk Mountain Council.

Eric Burkey is the president & CEO of Reading-based Burkey Construction and Burkey Development Group. Eric is the third generation owner of the seventy-five year old company, which provides construction services throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. He is committed to serving the Greater Reading community and is currently active on several non-profit boards such as The Berks County Community Foundation, YMCA of Reading, and the Capital Campaign Review Board of Berks County. Eric has previously been involved with Mary’s Shelter, Greater Reading Young Professionals, Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and several Capital Campaigns for local non-profit organizations.

Kristi Gage-Linderman is an owner and partner at Gage Personnel, currently leading the team as COO and the third generation of leadership in a family-owned business. Kristi currently serves as the Chair for the Berks County Workforce Development Board, and is also a board member for the Berks Business Education Coalition, Berks County Capital Campaign Review Board, TempNet Staffing Association and the Greater Reading Young Professionals Advisory Board. She also serves as a champion for the Career Ready PA Coalition, and is a member of the GRCA Economic Development Council. Kristi is on the Executive Team for the GRCA Next Gen Advanced MFG IP and serves as a Team Lead for the Talent Attraction and Retention Action Team.

The Foundation for Reading Area Community College was created to raise, invest and manage private funds for the benefit of the college. The Foundation supports RACC’s mission to build communities of learning to encourage educational growth by providing scholarship funding for all students with demonstrated financial need and for emerging initiatives that serve to further enhance the college’s programs and facilities. To learn more about the Foundation for Reading Area Community College, visit racc.edu/about-racc/foundation or call 610.607.6239.