Meet The Team
Meet the Keep Souderton Strong team!
Ken, a life-long resident of this community and proud father of 4 SASD students, has served on the Souderton Area School Board for 14 years and is currently the Board President. In Ken’s next term on the school board, he will leverage his passion for serving this community, depth of experience on the SASD board, and executive skills from his business life.
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Ken Keith
Nick is an experienced board member, where he leverages his experience in construction and passion for helping children excel in their unique strengths. He has lived in our district for 34 years and is ready to serve another term as School Board Director for the community he cares so deeply about.
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Nick Braccio
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Mike has owned numerous successful businesses in the metro NYC area, where he focused on supporting families to build confidence and discipline of hundreds of children. Now, as a dedicated father of three, he hopes to bring his experience and passion to serve the community by putting your kids first and supporting the future leaders of our community.
Mike Barnacz
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Bill has a strong business sense and financial skills to continue our district’s trend of maintaining low taxes and working with all points of view when making decisions. As a longtime resident, he feels strongly about maintaining our community’s values and ensuring that your children are being taught the necessary skills to flourish in our society.
Bill Formica
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Kim is an entrepreneur and local small business owner that loves this community. She is a proud parent of two SASD students and is grateful for the dedication and policies of our current board. She is looking forward to continuing to put the Souderton students first and keeping our district strong.
Kim Wheeler
The Keep Souderton Strong team!
More About Our Team
About Ken:
Ken has proudly served on the Souderton Area School Board for 14 years and is currently the Board President. In addition to his board duties, he is Vice President of Consulting Services for a global consulting firm, where he leads a team of diverse individuals who are focused on helping pharmaceutical companies meet their current and future Regulatory, clinical, manufacturing and enterprise obligations. Throughout Ken’s career, he has consistently excelled and honed his skills in leading teams, championing key projects, effective budgeting, strategic planning, and strong communication. All of these skills have proven to establish Ken as a leader on the School Board and in the community.
Ken is a life-long resident of Harleysville and graduate of SAHS. He is the proud father of four children, who he values spending time and encourages to follow their dreams, work hard, be compassionate, and be an active volunteer in their community. Ken, himself, served as a life member in the Harleysville Community Fire Company, a member of the Harleysville JC’s, and board member of the #IronDad23 foundation.
Why I Want To Serve:
I am passionate about keeping our community strong, helping kids succeed, and honoring the voices of our district’s parents/ guardians. I want to continue my fight to get kids back on track after the pandemic, advancing STEAM initiatives in our schools, reforming the current charter school funding model, and making sure all students can be successful in Souderton. My goals for the district remain constant: maintain student safety, manage taxpayer dollars responsibly, fight for parental rights, continue the district’s legacy of excellence, and provide opportunities to all students across academics, athletics and the arts.
I Believe:
I I believe Souderton has rebounded post-pandemic because we fought to find safe and effective ways to keep our kids in school and provide options for parents that wanted their children to be at home. Now, I believe we can accelerate our rebound by focusing on some key academic performance measures, by incorporating best practices from other high performing schools along with input from the community and parents.
Ken Keith
About Nick:
Nick served on the Souderton Area School Board for 12 years and is currently the chairperson of the Technology Committee and a member of the Operations Committee, where he leverages his experience in the construction industry. Outside of Nick’s duties on the school board, he keeps busy with work, family, and volunteering with the Special Olympics. It was Nick’s experience on the School Board that ignited his passion for volunteering for the Special Olympics, where he is an alpine skiing coach.
Nick has lived in the area for 34 years. He enjoys spending time with his wife Laura. He is a member of the Harleysville Lions Club and was local Scout leader for many years.
Why I Want To Serve:
I have always had a passion for volunteering and serving my community. In my time on the school board, I have appreciated the profound impact we can make on all students. Through my support of the PATHWAYS program, I am proud to have witnessed hundreds of Souderton High School graduates become successful members of our great community. I want to continue to serve on the school board because I am confident, together, we can continue to build our future leaders.
I Believe:
I believe that all students in the district, especially students with special needs, should be prepared to attain educational and career goals after graduation. At Souderton, we do this through providing access to an excellent education that is personalized to the child’s needs.
Nicholas Braccio
About Mike:
Mike has decades of experience starting or buying businesses and driving them to highly profitable organizations. Most of his career includes owning multiple martial arts schools in the greater NYC area, where he focused on building a community and deeply understanding how to help children of many different backgrounds through the discipline and focus of martial arts. He is grateful to have seen many examples where the program helped children with behavioral challenges, as well as ADHD and autism.
When Mike was expecting his first child, he made the decision to focus on family and support his wife’s career growth. Mike is a stay-at-home Dad that is involved in his community and church. He has coached his daughters’ soccer teams, volunteered at the elementary school, and helped at church – including going into Philadelphia every week to feed the homeless with a group from the Harleysville area.
Why I Want To Serve:
It’s simple. I care. I have 3 children that I want to have a full and enriching experience in the Souderton Area School District. But, just as important, is supporting their life-long peers in the same way.
Now that my youngest child is 3 years old, I have more time to do what I have always wanted to do - support this wonderful community.
This is the best way to make an impact for the future of our community. It will be my honor and privilege to support our next generation of leaders.
I Believe:
I believe that the future of our community depends on our public school’s ability to prepare children for the real world, by teaching them how to think, and not what to think. It’s important for children to develop their ability to think critically and engage in civil discourse with their peers. That’s my vision on how we bring this community together.
Michael Barnacz
About Bill:
Bill has lived in Harleysville for 51 years and graduated from SAHS along with his wife Gina. At the age of 26, Bill started his first business. He has been an entrepreneur and local business owner ever since. Bill founded First Financial in 2007 with the goal of providing equipment finance services to a wide range of commercial customers.
As the owner of a successful commercial finance company and three other companies, Bill brings the solid business sense and skills necessary to run the School Board. He is a good listener and considers all points of view when making decisions. He will continue with the fiscal responsibility that the Souderton School Board has demonstrated over the past several years and keep taxes low.
Together, Bill and Gina have six kids. His hobbies include riding his Harleys & four wheelers, shooting, traveling, and enjoying the company of friends and family.
Why I Want To Serve:
I want to be on the School Board to leverage my skill set with finances and budgeting to maintain low taxes and the quality of life in our community. Importantly, I want ensure that your children are being taught the necessary skills to flourish in our society. I want to protect the rights of parents and protect your students from indoctrination.
I Believe:
I believe that we need to fight hard to make the choices in our school based on what the community wants; not based on the priorities or ideology of outside influences. Students have a right to a balanced and unbiased education. Parents should be assured that their children are learning factual and bipartisan content. As a school, it is our duty to keep politics and employee viewpoints out of the classrooms and maintain a level of respect for all students and staff members.
William Formica
About Kim:
Kim grew up in neighboring Bucks County and graduated from Bensalem High. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in English Education. In Florida, she married and started her family. Her 2 beautiful children are now SASD students. Kim has become an entrepreneur and business owner. She partnered with her husband to start a small business, all while starting her own online business. Five years ago, Kim and her husband successfully moved both businesses "home" to Harleysville to be closer to family and to get a better education for her children.
Why I Want To Serve:
I realized the value of our School District during the pandemic. One of my children had an IEP and was able to thrive by remaining in school, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Souderton’s School Board. If our schools only offered virtual or hybrid learning, my child would have been set back years in his education and social development. Seeing first-hand the benefit of a School Board that put kids first gave me the desire to help other families in the same way. I want nothing more then to give back and help support our future community members.
I Believe:
I believe in the importance of helping each student get the education they deserve. It is essential to thoughtfully use our resources to afford the best possible preparation and experiences for all children. The current number of instructors required for learning assistance is overwhelming, but we must strive to serve students equitably at all learning levels.
I have loved getting involved in the Souderton Area School District and helping other parents navigate their way through the education system.