Board Members

Audrey Frankowski worked in many theatre productions, in New York City and on the road, before settling in Lambertville with her husband and their two children. Audrey, a familiar face behind the curtains of our schools stages, has directed many performances at Lambertville Public School and South Hunterdon Regional High School. Though her main reason for joining LAEF was to help fund “wish list” experiences for our students, she focuses on Art and Cultural enrichment programs because of her strong belief that the Arts are a critical component of every child’s education. Audrey joined the LAEF Board in 1996, serving as Treasurer during the Foundation’s formative years.

Bio’s coming soon.

Wendy, a native of Cincinnati, OH and has lived in Lambertville since 2005. She has an extensive background in broadcast media and sports marketing. Her volunteer and charity work started back when she was in high school volunteering at the Drop Inn Center and Shriners Burn Hospital. She has continued with her volunteer and charity work since then with such organizations as Dress for Success, JDRF, and the Arts Council (Cincinnati). Most recently she served on the board of the Junior League of Greater Princeton. She joined the board of the LAEF in 2017. She lives in Lambertville with her husband and two dogs.

Matt Larkin is a chemical engineer who worked for many years developing catalytic converters for vehicles. He is currently working for a small firm which runs two companies. One performs engine and vehicle testing for emissions compliance, and the other is a startup which is developing a soil amendment with active fungus to improve root development of new plants. Matt grew up in Trenton and moved to Lambertville in 1996. He lives with his husband, their two sons and two dogs in Lambertville. Both sons are currently in the SHRSD. Matt is currently serving on the Lambertville Library Board of Trustees.

Coming soon.

Sarah Nielsen, PhD is a director with Johnson & Johnson where she manages the Strategy and Deployment of pharmaceutical technology and innovation. She joined J&J 15 years ago after obtaining a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Washington, Seattle. Sarah has lived in West Amwell for the past 15 years with her husband and their two sons, who attend West Amwell School and the Middle School. The family enjoys spending time attending local music events, exploring the local hiking and biking trails and camping in their camper trailer.

Liz Powell works in Fulfillment Operations and Logistics at Tapestry in NYC where she has held various Transformation and Operations roles in her 12 years with the company (Coach, kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman). Prior to that, Liz spent the early days of her career working in the music, fragrance & cosmetics, and apparel fashion industries in Manhattan. Liz lives in West Amwell with her husband, teenage daughter, and young son, who attend WAS and SHR Schools and both actively participate in school/league athletics. Liz’s love for the Lambertville area started when she was a young kid, and she would often take day trips with her parents and explore the shops and restaurants along the river and then later in life when she and her family moved here August 2021. Liz is a new board member for 2023.

Bio’s coming soon.

Coming soon.

After 2 decades spent working in Finance in Philadelphia and New York City, Alexa Sterbinsky has returned home to Lambertville with her husband, Brian Pennells, to raise their two children. Her professional and metropolitan experience lends insight and diversity when considering her children’s educational journey. She is excited to be back in an area with a small town community to teach her children important values and experiences. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the world with her husband and children and having some inner peace with her yoga practice. She values family, friends and good neighbors above all.

Rich Tettemer was raised in Lambertville and attended both Lambertville Public School and SHRHS. He and his wife moved to West Amwell in 1989, where they raised their two sons. Rich works as an Operations Manager at Dendrite International in Bedminster, NJ, where he administers client relationships for all functional areas, services and projects for select corporate clients. Rich joined the Board in 2004 and served as Treasurer for many years.

Johnelle Whipple proudly served as President of the LAEF from 2019 to 2024 and has been a dedicated member since 2017. Under her leadership over 50 grants and scholarships were awarded in the District and the LAEF benefited from record-breaking fundraising events every year, each one surpassing the money raised from the prior year. Johnelle led the organization through significant times of change including COVID, the District’s journey to refurbish the elementary school and build a new middle school, and putting in place a new strategic plan for 2024 and beyond.

She has two daughters in the SHRSD, one in Middle School and one in Elementary School. Prior to being President, she served as a Board Member and Auction Chair for the LAEF and has lived locally in the Lambertville and Bucks County area for over 20 years.

Johnelle is currently Global Commercial Head of Metabolics at Merck and has worked in the U.S. healthcare system for over 25 years, previously at two Fortune 500 companies.

She spends much of her free time serving as a volunteer for other local non-profit organizations such as the Junior League of Greater Princeton, the Roxey Ballet Company, Girl Scouts and the local Boy Scouts of America chapter.

Erin McManus-Keyes, a Realtor specializing in the Lambertville/New Hope area, was raised in Lambertville, where she continues to reside with her husband and their three children. Erin, whose roots run deep in Lambertville, has served on the Lambertville Chamber of Commerce as well as the Lambertville Planning Board. She is currently the Lambertville Fire Commissioner. Erin joined the Board in 2016.

Tim is the current Mayor of Stockton Borough, where he lives with his family. Tim has been a police officer in Raritan Township for 17 years, dedicating much of his time to school initiatives like DARE and being a School Resource Officer at the Hunterdon Central Regional High School. He is also an instructor of Firearms, Use of Force, Pursuit Driving, First Aid and CPR. Tim joined the Board in 2016.

Christine is an attorney with a national tax credits incentives firm where she structures large state tax credit purchase deals for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, she worked with several public companies, and was a Financial Consultant with Salomon Smith Barney. When her two children were young, Christine started volunteer work in the community, for her church and at her children’s school, chairing many fundraisers, and eventually serving as the V.P. of the P.T.A. She has been an active volunteer with LAEF for over a decade and officially joined the Board in 2013. Christine moved to West Amwell with her family a few years ago, after living in downtown Lambertville for 15 years.

Melissa Ruby is a Fragrance Development Director at Firmenich, Inc., a Global Flavor and Fragrance company, based in Geneva, Switzerland, where she has worked for more than 20 years managing multinational product development projects. Melissa has lived in Lambertville since 2001 and has two children in the South Hunterdon School District. She joined the Board in 2012.