"Where Tradition Dictates a Standard of Excellence"

Meet the School Board

Scott Petersen - Board President

Scott Petersen was elected to the School Board in November 2017. A lifelong resident of Western PA, Scott is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. Scott is a Financial Advisor at Raymond James & Associates in Beaver. He resides in Brighton Township with his wife, Mia, and their three young children. Scott serves as a volunteer soccer coach for BTBSA and as a commissioner and coach for Beaver/Brighton Township Baseball. He is the Chair of the Finance Committee, a member of the Athletic Committee, and is Beaver Area's representative on the Beaver County Career & Technologoy Center Joint Operating Committee. Term expires 2021

Denise Yates - Board Vice-President

Denise Yates joined the School Board in December 2015. She serves on the Curriculum/Staff Development, Facilities and Transportation, and Athletics Committees. She is also the Board's representative to the Beaver Area Memorial Library. Denise has spent her entire professional career serving Pennsylvania children. She started as a teacher of elementary and middle school students and then moved to the opening of a multicultural school developing a multicultural curriculum course. Next, Denise continued her professional knowledge by furthering her education, as well as attending and presenting at national conferences, taking advantage of all professional opportunities to be a continuous learner. She served as an assistant administrator, a building principal, and last she was a central office administrator as the Senior Program Officer for Literacy Pre K - 12. During that time she wrote and received a $16 million grant, the single largest district grant to that date. Additionally, Denise taught pre service teachers at Duquesne University and worked as a student teacher supervisor for Carlow University. She was trained in conflict resolution over a 3 year period from the International Center for Cooperation of Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Columbia University. Denise used her knowledge to design, develop and deliver training models to children and adults in K - 12 schools and a graduate level class in the school of Political Science at Duquesne University. She has been a resident of Beaver for 36 years, raised a graduate of Beaver High School, and spends much time with her grandson, Ethan. Term expires 2023

Luke Berardelli

Luke Berardelli was elected to the School Board in November 2019. He is a 1999 graduate of Beaver High School, 2005 graduate from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Sport Management and minor in Business Administration, and received a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Robert Morris University in 2015. Luke has been working in the medical device/medical technology market for almost 15 years, serving in various sales roles. He currently serves in a leadership position as a Regional Business Executive for a global healthcare technology company. Luke and his wife of 13 years have three children, all enrolled in district schools, and reside in Brighton Township. When not working and not shuttling his very active kids around, Luke proudly serves as a member of the board of the Fort McIntosh Foundation, a non-profit organization serving Beaver County. Luke and his family are members of St. Stephen’s Church in Sewickley, PA. Luke serves on the Employee Relations, Disciplinary, and School Safety Committees. He is also the Legislative representative. Term expires: 2023

Robert Bickerton

Robert L. Bickerton has been a member of the Beaver Area School District Board of Directors since 2009. He previously served as Vice-President and is Chair of the Athletic Committee. He is also a member of the Curriculum/Staff Development and Facilities and Transportation Committees. Robert is a graduate of Center High School and earned a B.S. in Journalism from West Virginia University. He is the President of MGSoft-Net, an IT company that serves small and medium sized business clients throughout Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and the panhandle of West Virginia. Robert also serves as Chairman of the NNDS Board of Directors and is a board member at the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation. He and his wife, Brooke, have two sons, Jonathan and Matthew. Term expires 2021

Aaron Bovalino

Aaron Bovalino was elected to the School Board in November 2017. He is Chair of the Employee Relations Comittee, serves on the Finance Committee, and is also the Representative to the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit. Aaron is a 1990 graduate and lifelong resident of the Beaver Area School District. When not glued to a device screen, Aaron would most rather spend time with his wife, Roxanne, and play with his two children, Evan and Isla. Aaron earned his M.A.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh. With 20 years of public school education experience, Aaron intends to provide analytical and assessment skills that can be applied to make objective, educated, and practical decisions. Aaron considers his ties to the community and parents of school age children to qualify him to reflect a collective interest to his governance position as a member of the Beaver Area School Board. Term expires 2021

Wende Dikec

Mrs. Wende Dikec was appointed to the School Board in January 2017. She is the Chair of the Curriculum/Staff Development, and serves on the Employee Relations, and Disciplinlary Committees. Wende was born and raised in Beaver County and has raised her three sons in the Beaver Area School District. Wende graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in Economics and a BA in Japanese Language and Culture. After graduating with her Bachelors degree, she spent several years abroad working in the educational systems in Japan and in Turkey. Wende also taught English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Schoolcraft Community College (Michigan) and through Adult Literacy Action at Penn State Beaver. Currently, Wende is an avid writer and has published five novels. Term expires 2021

Merilu Hill

Merilu Hill was elected to the school board in November 2019. She is Chair of the Disciplinary Committee and also serves on the Employee Relations and Finance Committees. Merilu is a 1994 graduate of BASD. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in 1998, and then a Master of Education in School Counseling from University of the Southwest in 2017. She currently works as a 9-12 school counselor in Beaver County. She and her husband Ken and their four children moved back to Beaver Area School District in 2016 after traveling for her husband’s military career. She is raising her children in her childhood home, community, and school district where her children are the sixth generation to attend. Merilu’s sons are currently in 11^th, 8^th, and 6^th grades, and her daughter is a 2019 graduate of Beaver. Term expires: 2023

Robyn Johnson

Robyn Johnson was elected to the School Board in November 2019. She is a member of the Curriculum/Staff Development, Facilities and Transportation, and School Safety Committees. Following her graduation from Quaker Valley High School, Robyn earned a BS in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and went on to teach at Community Day School in Squirrel Hill, Pine Richland High School in Pine Township, and Timberlane High School in Plaistow, NH. Robyn is currently a member of the Beaver Borough Zoning Hearing Board, serves as the Arts and Culture Committee Chair for the Beaver County Tourism Advisory Board, and serves as secretary on the board for Aliquippa Impact. She resides in the borough of Beaver with her husband, Shawn, and their two boys, Conner and Grady. Conner is a 2019 graduate of the BASD and a freshman at Clarion University, and Grady is a sophomore at Beaver High School. Term expires: 2023

Jarrod Thomas

Jarrod Thomas was elected to the School Board in November 2019. He is a lifelong resident of the Beaver area. He is a 1999 graduate of Beaver High School and a 2004 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Economics. Jarrod has worked in the safety industry for 11 years as a Manufacturer’s Representative for a small agency based out of Columbus OH, where he manages sales for 4 states. He has served as a Councilman for the Borough of Beaver for the last 7 years, serving as chairman of the Public Safety, Recreation, and Highway committees. Jarrod currently lives in downtown Beaver with his wife and daughter, and is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Beaver. He is currently Chair of the Facilities and Transportation Committee, and is serving on the Athletic and Finance Committees. Term expires: 2023