The State College Area School Board on Wednesday night unanimously elected Jackie Huff as board president after Amber Concepcion stepped down from the role following her appointment as Centre County commissioner.
Huff, an assistant teaching professor in Penn State’s College of Engineering, just began her second year on the board after winning election in 2021.
Board member Deborah Anderson nominated Huff. No other nominations were made.
“It’s been a huge honor to work with you all the past year, and I’m really looking forward to working with each of you … as long as you’ll all be here,” Huff told the board.
Prior to Huff’s election, the board formally accepted Concepcion’s resignation effective at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. She will be sworn in as a county commissioner at 8:30 a.m. that day, replacing Michael Pipe, who is leaving county government after 11 years to become a deputy chief of staff in Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s administration.
Concepcion has been elected to three terms on the school board and has been board president for nine years of her tenure. She said she first ran for school board in 2011 as a Ph.D. student and mother of three looking to get more involved in the educational system, and at a time when the district faced financial challenges amid state budget cuts.
She called her time on the school board “an incredible honor and an amazing learning experience.”
“In working with district administrators and other board members, I learned to view our work here through a different lens than I had initially brought to the role,” Concepcion said.
“…I’m so grateful to each of you who work so hard to meet the needs of our students and so grateful for how much I have learned from you about how to approach decisions with a lens focused on the greater good.”
Interim Superintendent Curtis Johnson said he is proud to see Concepcion take on her new role and lauded her leadership in the school district. Her tenure, he noted, included the funding and construction of the new State High, three elementary school building projects, a new school day schedule, the Memorial Field renovations, an elementary STEM program, curriculum updates and a new equity policy.
“That’s quite a packed decade,” Johnson said. “Throughout all of this, your leadership helped carry us through exciting as well as challenging times in education, and we appreciate all that you have done to further the district’s growth. Above all, we’re most grateful for your unwavering dedication to our students and your deep commitment to public education. We know that your passion for civic involvement will carry over to your important work ahead, and we wish you the best.“
Board Vice President Gretchen Brandt — who also read letters of praise from former members Jim Leous, Penni Fishbaine and Lori Bedell — fought back tears as she recounted Concepcion’s leadership through the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic hit and uncertainty abounded, yet Amber remained strong and supported K-12 students, teachers, staff and administrators through that challenging and uncertain time while simultaneously facing some serious health issues,” Brandt said. “Amazingly — or not, because we are talking about Amber — she never dropped a single ball.”
With Concepcion’s departure, the board is accepting applications for the pending vacancy until 4 p.m. on Jan. 26. Once the application window closes, board members will conduct a screening and selection process.
The person selected will serve the remainder of Concepcion’s current term, which will conclude after the November municipal election.
Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and statement of purpose explaining their interest in and commitment to serving on the board to Lynn Tressler, Board Secretary, 240 Villa Crest Drive, State College, PA, 16801, or by email to hlt11@scasd.org. To be eligible, candidates must reside within the State College Area School district boundaries.
