North Hills To Honor Former White House Adviser, Area Attorney

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - A former White House and State Department official and an area attorney will be honored next month with the North Hills School District’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Julia Santucci (class of 1998) and Don Goebel (class of 1980) will receive their awards during North Hills Awards Night on May 17 in the North Hills Middle School auditorium.

Santucci, of West View, is a senior lecturer in intelligence studies and director of the Hesselbein Forum Leadership Program in International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Prior to her collegiate career, she worked for the U.S. State Department as a senior adviser to the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, as a leadership analyst at the CIA and as the Director of Egypt for National Security Council Staff at the White House.

Santucci holds a master’s degree in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Dayton.

She was actively involved in advancing U.S. policy toward Egypt that included a strong focus on human rights as she provided assessments and support to President Barack Obama and senior decision makers during the Arab Spring in 2011.

Goebel is chief legal officer and chief tax officer for Maxim Crane Works, the nation’s largest provider of cranes and related lift and logistics services. He has held leadership positions in large, international accounting firms, super-regional law firms and large, sophisticated businesses.

He holds a legal degree from Ohio Northern University College of Law, a graduate legal degree in taxation from the University of Florida College of Law and an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in economics and political science.

Goebel is an active participant on the district’s Academy of Business and Finance Advisory Board and a frequent guest lecturer in the high school’s economics and finances courses. He also has been integral in establishing scholarships for North Hills High School students on behalf of Maxim Crane Works and his family.

“Mr. Goebel and Ms. Santucci have brought great pride to the North Hills School District community,” district superintendent Patrick J. Mannarino said in a statement.. “Their professional and personal accomplishments demonstrate the value of hard work and dedication. We are proud to have given them a solid educational foundation for their future successes.”

Photos via North Hills School District.