DCIU appoints new chief financial and operations officer
MORTON » Ed Norris, currently the assistant chief financial and operations officer with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, was approved by the board of directors at its meeting on March 3, as the new chief financial and operations officer, starting June 1, Norris replaces Tom Brown, who is retiring from DCIU after 35 years.
In his new role, Norris will be charged with the effective stewardship of the IU’s financial resources, ensuring that they are used efficiently and in support of the organization’s mission and strategic goals. He will be responsible for managing the IU’s $140 million budget and for other financial functions, including accounting and financial planning, as well as for overseeing the IU’s overall operations, including facilities and grounds, educational technology, food services, and healthcare.
Norris began his tenure with DCIU in 2009, as a financial accountant. His hard work, top notch skills and increased education and professional development earned him the title of assistant business manager. He was then promoted to assistant chief finance and operations officer in 2018.
A lifelong learner, Norris received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from LaSalle University in 2006 and earned a master’s degree in school business leadership from Wilkes University in 2015. In 2017, he qualified as a Pennsylvania Certified School Business Administrator by the board of directors of the Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials. In order to be granted the professional registration status by PASBO, a school business official must meet high personal, ethical and professional standards established for the registration program, which include formal education, experience and continuing education.
Penn State Brandywine offers STEAM workshops for local students
Penn State Brandywine is offering a free virtual program to educate middleand high-school students about science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). Called STEAM Explorations, the event will be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, and is open to all area students in grades 6-12.
Students who register by March 17 are eligible to have their school receive materials that will be used in some of the workshops. The materials include programmable BOLT robots, digital microscopes, chemistry kits and LEGOs, and they will be sent directly to schools at no charge.
Workshop topics include the wonders of chemistry, environmental architecture, digital construction, computer coding, sustainability, using social media to affect policy on ocean preservation, civil engineering, biology in action, and math and crafts.
The keynote speaker will be Commander Meagan Flannigan, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who now serves in the Navy Reserves and is an engineer and senior program manager for Amazon.
Workshops will be facilitated by Penn State Brandywine faculty members and
students, as well as business and non-profit professionals.
Preregistration is required. Additional information and registration are available at sites.psu. edu/S TEAM explorations. While there is no overall cap on registration, workshops with supplies have registration limits.
Help available for entrepreneurs to launch their own business
Northern Liberties Business Improvement District and Community College of Philadelphia have announced the first-ever Retail
Ready Bootcamp under CCP’s Power Up Your Business Program. This very unique small business incubator is the only program of this kind being presented by any business district in the entire Philadelphia region. It is specially designed to help small businesses owners take the next step and arm them with skills to open up their first restaurant or their first retail store location.
Retail Ready Bootcamp comes at an important time as the pandemic enters a new phase and businesses are not only looking to reopen, but to expand and capitalize on their pandemic pivots. Some businesses
also were ready to make moves before the pandemic and those plans were put on hold.
The 12-week courses will focus on creating a sound business strategy for opening a retail store in the current economic environment and is intended to help the businesses build confidence about their decision to move into a commercial space. Qualifications for businesses to apply include operating for at least one year, gross revenues over $30,000 (profit and loss required), and a demonstrated effort in retail expansion. There is a $350 commitment fee which will be returned to the business upon completion of the course. Participants will be chosen by a panel including members of the NLB Board, staff and CCP Power Up program managers.
“We are encouraging businesses who are considering a retail location to apply,” added NLBID Retail Recruiter Pam Simpson. “We feel businesses with these qualifications have created a good foundation on which to grow into a retail space and this bootcamp will teach them what they need to know to get their business to the next level.”
There is a $350 commitment fee which will be returned to the business upon completion of the course. Participants will be chosen by a panel including members of the NLB board, staff and CCP Power Up program managers.
Applications are now open through March 12. Bootcamp runs from April 7 to June 23. This bootcamp is an opportunity to meet other business owners who are going through the same considerations, a chance to learn from and work with superior mentors and instructors and a time to concentrate and work on their business for its growth.
For the first year, the organizers are keeping the number at 15 businesses to ensure a more personalized and virtually hands-on approach especially during these challenging times.
Interested businesses can find out more and apply at: https://www.explorenorthernliberties.org/retail-ready-bootcamp-applications-open.