United Way of Erie County leaders recently joined educators and nonprofit partners from across the country at the 2025 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference, highlighting Erie’s commitment to student success and strong school-community partnerships.

Executive Vice President Mike Jaruszewicz and Director of Data & Evaluation Sara Naughton each led sessions focused on student safety and data-driven improvement.

Courtney Tirak, Community School Director at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary, also attended alongside Erie Public Schools' incoming Superintendent Dr. Natalyn Gibbs and UPMC Safe Harbor’s Bill Herlihy.

A major highlight came when Sara Naughton was named incoming Co-Chair of the Institute for Educational Leadership’s United Way Learning Community, a national leadership role supporting collaboration among United Way agencies nationwide.

The team also toured local Minneapolis community schools, hosted a United Way networking lunch, and participated in the Pennsylvania Community School Coalition meetup.