Quaker Valley School District Welcomes Tina Vojtko

Officially, Tina Vojtko started her new position with the on July 1. But in reality, she has already been working as the new Director of Communications and Development for a couple of weeks.

“My husband always jokes that I have to be working,” she said.

Vojtko brings over 20 years of public relations and development experience to the district. Most recently, she was the Communications Coordinator for the North Hills School District.

Vojtko replaced Martha Smith who retired after six-and-a-half years at Quaker Valley.

“It was a difficult decision to leave North Hills not only because I loved my job, but we are part of the community there,” she explained.

Quaker Valley School District was one of the “very, very few places” that Vojtko said she would even consider working at after her 11 year stint at North Hills.

“I have the upmost respect for the leadership here and it is an outstanding school district,” she said.

Vojtko worked with Quaker Valley superintendent, Dr. Joseph Clapper, when he was the superintendent at North Hills, a plus when she was considering the move.

“Dr. Clapper respects the role of communications in a school district and is dedicated to education. He is a true leader,” she said.

The feeling is mutual.

“She is one of, if not the, première communications experts in the region, if not the commonwealth. She had not only the experience in school communications, but also development experience,” said Clapper.

Clapper refers to the fact that the position has been reconfigured to include not only communications for the district, but also development.

“This is a big shift for this position. In these times of economic crunch, we are looking for other sources of income through grants, alumni and fund raising,” he said.

In addition to her work at the North Hills School District, Vojtko worked in the development office at West Liberty State College in West Virginia.

Vojtko will work closely with the Friends of Quaker Valley Schools, a non-profit organization.

“I’m excited about some of the initiatives of the foundation – they do a wonderful job and I am looking forward to working with them,” she said.

In addition to assisting to raise funds for the district, Vojtko will be in charge of the publications, website, social media and media relations for the district.

Vojtko is looking forward to fully immersing herself into her new role.

“I’m just excited to get started and to get my feet planted in the district,” she said.

Vojtko has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Bethany College and is currently pursuing dual masters’ degrees in communications and multi-media technology from Duquesne University.

Vojtko and her husband, Dan, are the parents of Andrew, 15, and Darby, 11.