Three people were reappointed to IUP’s Council of Trustees on Tuesday.
University officials announced the Pennsylvania Senate confirmed new service terms for Laurie Kuzneski, David Osikowicz and Nathan Spade. Trustees are appointed by the Governor with advice and consent from the Senate, with the exception of student trustees.
Senator Joe Pittman applauded the reappointments in a news release, and he thanked the Council of Trustees for their continued efforts to bring “high quality and affordable educational opportunities” for IUP students.
Read more about each trustee below:
LAURIE KUZNESKI
Kuzneski, a 1993 graduate of IUP, has served on the council since 2018 and is the council’s current vice chair and former treasurer. Kuzneski is a partner at Kuzneski Insurance Group.
She is a member of Cohort XXXIX Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., is a member of the Board of Directors of the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board Inc. and is a member of the Board of Directors of Indiana Regional Medical Center.
She is the vice chair of the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She has also served as secretary of the board, as an ex-officio board member, and sat on many committees over the years.
Committed to her community and to philanthropy, in 2017, she chaired the United Way of Indiana County fundraising campaign, exceeding her fundraising goal of $717,000. She successfully raised more than $680,000 as the 2016 United Way campaign co-chair and served in several roles on the United Way Board of Directors.
Passionate about helping women, she is also a member of the Rising Tide Fund, The Next Act Fund and the Fem Tech Fund which are investment funds that provide funding for women-led companies and companies focused on advancing women’s healthcare.
Prior to her current work at KIG, she was president of Miss Laurie’s Gourmet Kitchen.
DAVID OSIKOWICZ
Osikowicz has served on the council since July 1997 and is a former chairman of the council. A native of Slickville, Westmoreland County, he has been a resident of Punxsutawney since 1973.
He is the owner and chief executive officer of Original Fuels, Inc., Valier Coal Yard, and Grange Lime and Stone, three Punxsutawney businesses involved in various aspects of the coal and aggregate market. A graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Osikowicz received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in economics. He was president of the Punxsutawney Area School Board from 1995 to 1997, is a member of the Saints Cosmas and Damian Catholic Church, the Punxsutawney Eagles Lodge, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the Knights of Colombus, the Punxsutawney Country Club, and the Punxsutawney Sports Area Boosters Club.
He has been involved in coaching in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Little League and the VFW Teener League, where he was a member of the board. He and his wife Deborah were instrumental in establishing the Mahoning Shadow Trail, and they serve on the Board of Directors for the Punxsutawney Chapter of Rails to Trails.
He and Deborah are the parents of one daughter and two sons and they have four grandsons.
NATHAN SPADE
Spade, a member of the Council since 2016, is a 2001 political science graduate of IUP.
Spade is Vice President of External Affairs for UnitedHealth Group (UHG), leading state advocacy across the company’s UnitedHealthcare and Optum business portfolio in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia.
Prior to joining UHG in 2017, he served for over two years as Governor Tom Wolf’s Deputy Secretary of Legislative Affairs. In that role, he led legislative strategy and advocacy across one-half of commonwealth agencies. He served as a staffer in both chambers of the General Assembly for more than 12 years beginning in 2002, including as Executive Director of the Senate Transportation Committee (Republican Caucus) from 2010 to 2015 and as a Budget Analyst for the House Appropriations Committee (Republican Caucus) from 2002 to 2010.
Spade’s career in public service began in the Department of Labor and Industry, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs.
Spade has served in various community public service and volunteer roles. In York County, he has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) since 2020, in which capacity he advocates on behalf of children in the foster system. In Cumberland County, he served as a Township Supervisor in Silver Spring Township from 2010 to 2015. He was a member of the Township’s Planning Commission from 2007 to 2009.
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