{"id":91470,"date":"2026-01-20T09:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/91470\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:02:11","slug":"newsmakers-for-january-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/91470\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsmakers for January 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY<\/p>\n

Stephanie Rawden of Reading, McDonald\u2019s owner\/operator and multi-restaurant entrepreneur, has been appointed to the\u00a0Alvernia\u00a0University board of trustees.<\/p>\n

\"StephanieStephanie Rawden (Courtesy Alvernia University)<\/p>\n

With more than 30 years of leadership within the McDonald\u2019s system, Rawden has helped grow her family\u2019s organization from five restaurants founded by her father into a network of 56 locations employing more than 3,500 team members across central and eastern Pennsylvania, northern Delaware and southern New Jersey. Her experience overseeing multi-unit operations, large-scale hiring and workforce development brings a strong job-creation lens to\u00a0Alvernia\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n

Rawden and her brother, Christian, lead a regional franchise organization that continues to expand its footprint and investment in local communities, including recent restaurant acquisitions in Delaware.<\/p>\n

Of the 56 McDonald\u2019s locations owned by Rawden Joint Ventures are five Berks County restaurants in Hamburg, Leesport, Reading and Wyomissing; and three Chester County restaurants in Kennett Square, Oxford and West Grove.<\/p>\n

Within the McDonald\u2019s system, Rawden has served on several national leadership teams, contributes her expertise to the McDonald\u2019s U.S. MenuTeam and serves on the board of directors for the Philadelphia McDonald\u2019s Owner\/Operators Association.<\/p>\n

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Rawden holds a degree in business economics. Beyond her industry roles, she and her family are active supporters of arts, education and human-service organizations across Berks County, including initiatives such as Safe Berks, local schools and libraries, and community arts organizations, reflecting a longstanding commitment to community well-being and regional quality of life.<\/p>\n

As a member of the board of trustees, Rawden will help guide Alvernia\u2019s strategic direction, including the continued regional expansion, addition of new experiential learning and entrepreneurship pathways, and advancement of the Partners in Progress comprehensive campaign in support of students, families and employers across eastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cStephanie Rawden brings decades of experience creating jobs and opportunity for thousands of employees across our region,\u201d Alvernia President\u00a0Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., said in a statement.<\/p>\n

BARLEY SNYDER<\/p>\n

Barley Snyder attorney Susanna M. Fultz has been elected secretary of the board of directors of the Reading Science Center.<\/p>\n

\"SusannaSusanna M. Fultz (Courtesy Barley Snyder)<\/p>\n

The Reading Science Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science education and engagement throughout the Greater Reading community. Established in 2018, the Center features more than 50 interactive science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) exhibits and serves as a hub for hands-on learning. Its programming includes STEM clubs, camps, school field trips, community events, interactive museum exhibits, and outreach initiatives designed to engage learners of all ages.<\/p>\n

Fultz is a member of Barley Snyder\u2019s Employment and Litigation practice groups, where she focuses exclusively on employment law. With more than a decade of experience counseling and representing employers, she helps clients navigate complex state and federal laws, draft critical workplace policies, and address issues ranging from compliance and workplace investigations to non-compete and severance agreements. Fultz regularly presents on employment law topics and has been recognized by \u201cBest Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America\u201d in its past three editions.<\/p>\n

Active in the Reading community, Fultz also serves as chairwoman of the Berks County Bar Association\u2019s Employment Law Section. She formerly served as president of the Bar Association\u2019s Young Lawyers Section and as a board member of ReadingFilm and the Reading Liederkranz.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to supporting the Center\u2019s mission of fostering a love of science through engaging and experiential STEM education,\u201d Fultz said in a statement. \u201cThe Center plays a pivotal role in inspiring curiosity and preparing young minds in the Greater Reading community for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.\u201d<\/p>\n

Email your news to money@readingeagle.com and attach a recent (high-resolution) photo. Include a contact name and phone number with your submission. Deadline is the Tuesday prior to publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY Stephanie Rawden of Reading, McDonald\u2019s owner\/operator and multi-restaurant entrepreneur, has been appointed to the\u00a0Alvernia\u00a0University board of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,60,182,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":{"0":"post-91470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reading","8":"tag-berks-county","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-reading-city","13":"tag-reading-city-headlines","14":"tag-reading-city-news","15":"tag-top-stories-reg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}