Outstanding Great Valley Alumni Honored at Homecoming

As part of its Homecoming celebration on Sat, Oct. 18, the Great Valley School District inducted four outstanding alumni to its Wall of Fame. Wall of Fame Inductees for 2014 are: Jason Brennan (Class of 1994), Larry Buchholz (Class of 1979), Andrew Ewald (Class of 1993), and David Regn (Class of 1993). Inductees enjoyed a tour of their alma mater, walked in the Homecoming parade, and were welcomed at an all-class alumni reception. Inductees were formally honored during a short ceremony on the game field just prior to the start of the Homecoming football game.

Inductees were selected from nominations received by the selection committee. Anyone can nominate a Great Valley graduate for consideration, but nominees are judged according to strict criteria. According to the District website, the program is designed to “ensure that the lives and achievements of Great Valley’s most accomplished graduates will forever be known among fellow graduates, current and future high school students, and the Great Valley community.” Inductees are those graduates who: model high standards of excellence in their personal and/or professional life; make outstanding contributions to volunteer service or their local community; and have demonstrated success at the local, regional, or international levels in any appropriate area of endeavor, including academia and education, arts, business, media, public service, medicine, military, sports, etc. The number of inductees is limited to three per year.

2014 WALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ARE:

• Jason Brennan, Class of 1994. Mr. Brennan is partnered with fellow Wall of Fame Inductee David Regn in ownership of Stream Companies, an award-winning ad agency, based in Malvern, PA. A graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, Brennan is recognized as one of Philadelphia’s brightest entrepreneurs. His company is recognized as one of the fastest growing, privately held entrepreneurial companies by the Wharton School and Inc. Magazine. Through his business ventures and his volunteer work, Brennan is committed to enriching the lives of those in the local community. He formerly sat on the Board of Directors for Key Impact Sales and Service of Odington, MD, and on the Saint Joseph’s University National Alumni Board. He is currently a board member of the Friends of St. Malachy School in North Philadelphia and plays an active role in the Special Olympics.

• Larry Buchholz, Class of 1979. Mr. Buchholz earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Clarion University of PA. He worked for 24 years in the child welfare private sector and is currently the CFO for Tabor Services and Affiliates. He has been responsible for developing new programs for at risk youth, securing public and private funding, and managing the fiscal operations of a $20 million non-profit organization. Buchholz has stayed very connected to Great Valley by serving as the Class of 1979 reunion committee treasurer for the past 25 years, past president of the GVHS Wrestling Booster Club, and current GVHS Gridiron Club board member and volunteer. His community involvement includes Great Valley Wrestling Association past board member and treasurer, past cub scout and church treasurer, a 10 year term as President of Chester Valley Little League (CVLL), currently in his 17th year as a CVLL board member, a District 27 Little League volunteer, and current member of the Malvern Memorial Parade Committee. Buchholz has been very active in youth sports for the past 17 years, including the Malvern League, Great Valley Basketball League, Chester Valley Little League, Greater Chester Valley Soccer Association and Great Valley Youth Wrestling Association.

• Andrew J. Ewald, Class of 1993. Dr. Ewald earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from Caltech and conducted postdoctoral research in cancer cell biology at the University of California, San Francisco. In 2008 he joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he holds appointments in the Departments of Cell Biology, Oncology, and Biomedical Engineering. His laboratory studies metastasis at the cellular and molecular level, with the goal of improving outcomes for metastatic breast cancer patients. Ewald is the recipient of many awards for his work around breast cancer, has lectured in nine countries, published more than 40 articles, and advises governmental and charitable organizations on cancer research priorities.

• David Regn, Class of 1993. Mr. Regn is partnered with fellow Wall of Fame Inductee Jason Brennan in ownership of Stream Companies. He achieved recognition as a Philadelphia 100 Hall of Fame CEO by being named seven times to the Philadelphia 100 fastest-growing companies and to the Philadelphia Business Journal 40 under 40 in 2011. His company was named one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania and is now an eight-time Inc. Magazine winner of the nation’s fastest growing private companies. He is the secretary of the Cabrini College Board of Trustees and a board member for the HEADstrong Foundation. Regn’s latest professional endeavor is Stream Ventures, a business he also founded with Jason Brennan that invests in early-stage digital and media companies.

Nominations for the Wall of Fame are accepted annually in late summer. For more information, please visit www.gvsd.org/walloffame.