{"id":147368,"date":"2026-01-29T21:35:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T02:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147368"},"modified":"2026-01-29T21:35:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T02:35:04","slug":"communities-in-schools-of-eastern-pa-strengthens-leadership-team-with-key-promotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147368","title":{"rendered":"Communities in Schools of Eastern PA Strengthens Leadership Team With Key Promotions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The appointments support the nonprofit\u2019s operational and fundraising capacity.<\/em><\/p>\n

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (January 29, 2026) – <\/strong>Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania (CIS<\/a> of Eastern PA)<\/a> announced the promotions of Michael McCorristin to chief operating officer, and Robin Kulesa to director of grants & foundation relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichael\u2019s and Robin\u2019s promotions strengthen our ability to serve students, schools, and families across the region,\u201d said CIS of Eastern PA\u2019s President & CEO Tim Mulligan. \u201cMichael\u2019s leadership ensures that CIS\u2019s work in schools remains strong, efficient, and responsive to barriers our students face every day, while Robin\u2019s work in grants and foundation relations directly supports the resources that make our programs possible. Their leadership helps ensure that CIS of Eastern PA can continue meeting students where they are and providing the supports they need to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\"\"n his new role, McCorristin oversees the nonprofit\u2019s daily operations, ensures efficiency, and implements processes to achieve organizational goals. Before being promoted to COO, McCorristin served as CIS of Eastern PA\u2019s executive vice president of finance and operations from December 2016 to November 2025.<\/p>\n

McCorristin began his journey with CIS of Eastern PA 24 years ago, working his way up from a site coordinator to the senior vice president and chief financial officer. During his time with the nonprofit, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication, strategic vision and a deep commitment to excellence. McCorristin earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology from the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania-Lock Haven<\/a> and his master\u2019s degree in human resources from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"As the director of grants & foundation relations, Kulesa drives the growth and sustainability of the nonprofit by identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding foundation partners whose priorities align with CIS of Eastern PA\u2019s mission. Kulesa started working with the nonprofit in January 2021 as an advancement manager, where she led grant writing and donor stewardship.<\/p>\n

Before joining the team, Kulesa worked in fundraising at CPD<\/a>, PBS39<\/a>, Habitat for Humanity of<\/a> the Lehigh Valley<\/a> and Moravian Academy<\/a>. She completed Temple University\u2019s<\/a> Fundraising Certificate Program in March 2025.<\/p>\n

Together, these leadership advancements position CIS of Eastern PA for continued growth, stability and impact in the years ahead. With strengthened operational leadership and an expanded focus on grant and foundation partnerships, CIS of Eastern PA is better equipped to scale its programs, deepen community relationships, and respond to the evolving needs of students and schools across the region. These promotions reflect the organization\u2019s commitment to investing in experienced, mission-driven leaders who will help ensure long-term sustainability and expand access to the integrated supports that keep students in school and on track for success.<\/p>\n

Learn more about CIS of Eastern PA\u2019s team by visiting www.ciseasternpa.org\/team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania<\/h1>\n

Started in 1983, Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania is part of the Communities In Schools national network, which consists of independent 501(c)(3) organizations serving over 2 million students in 27 states and the District of Columbia. With caring adults serving over 41,000 students in 40 schools throughout Berks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton counties, the CIS mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We believe in the incredible potential in every student, and we work tirelessly to unlock it.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit www.ciseasternpa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nAmiee Goldy<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The appointments support the nonprofit\u2019s operational and fundraising capacity. ALLENTOWN, Pa. (January 29, 2026) – Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania (CIS of Eastern PA) announced the promotions of Michael … Continue reading Communities in Schools of Eastern PA Strengthens Leadership Team With Key Promotions<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CISEasternPA.jpg?fit=672%2C372&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/125053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}