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</section> </div> </header> <div id="fsPageBodyWrapper" class="fsPageBodyWrapper"> <div id="fsPageBody" class="fsStyleAutoclear fsPageBody"> <main id="fsPageContent" class="fsPageContent"> <h1 class="fsPageTitle">PC Profile: John Balbus OPC '78</h1> <div class="fsPageLayout fsLayout fsOneColumnLayout fsStyleAutoclear" id="fsEl_25097" data-use-new="true" > <div class=" fsDiv fsStyleAutoclear" id="fsEl_25098" > <div class="fsElement fsPostElement fsPost fsThumbnailOriginal fsThumbnailLarge fsItemCount_5 fsSingleItem" id="fsEl_25100" data-use-new="true" data-board-id="14,32,26,12,33,30,2,35,18,49,10,17,28" data-selected-board="alumni" data-overwrite-title="true" > <div class="fsElementContent" > <div class="fsElementControls"> <div class="fsAlertFeeds"> <a aria-label="RSS Feed" data-boards="[{"id":12,"name":"Academics"},{"id":32,"name":"News and Events"},{"id":26,"name":"SportsZone"}]" class="fsRSSIcon" title="RSS" href="#"> <span class="fsStyleSROnly">RSS Feeds</span> </a> <a aria-label="Subscription Alerts" data-boards="[{"id":12,"name":"Academics","mailing_list_id":35},{"id":32,"name":"News and Events","mailing_list_id":36},{"id":26,"name":"SportsZone","mailing_list_id":1}]" class="fsAlertsIcon" title="Alerts" href="#"> <span class="fsStyleSROnly">Subscribe to Alerts</span> </a> </div> </div> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2143" data-authenticated-comments="true"> <div class="fsTitle fsStateHidden" id="fsArticle_25100_2143"> PC Profile: John Balbus OPC '78 </div> <div class="fsBody"> <p><span class="fs_style_46">As acting director of a new federal office responsible for addressing health inequities in our response to climate change, John Balbus OPC ’78 already has a lot on his plate.</span></p> <figure class="fsImage fsStateFloatLeft" style="float:left"><picture><img alt="Penn Charter Alumn John Balbus OPC78" data-image-sizes="[{%22url%22:%22https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg%22,%22width%22:256},{%22url%22:%22https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg%22,%22width%22:512},{%22url%22:%22https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg%22,%22width%22:800},{%22url%22:%22https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg%22,%22width%22:1200},{%22url%22:%22https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg%22,%22width%22:1536}]" data-resource-description="" data-resource-filename="JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg" data-resource-uuid="6388550a-068b-465f-baec-408063a15226" src="" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" width="268" /></picture></figure> <p>Rising temperatures, severe floods, rampant wildfires and deadly hurricanes affect people the world over but especially those who already lack access to basic services and reliable healthcare. Balbus’s job has been made even harder, though, because he has been operating with only a minimal staff and no congressional funding. He is making do without them.</p> <p>President Biden created the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) by executive order in 2021, and Balbus, a longtime advisor for public health at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, became the acting director. Last year he was supposed to have a $3 million budget and a full-time staff of eight, but Congress has yet to appropriate any money. He has big plans but has been forced to improvise through volunteer staff and partnerships with other, better funded agencies.</p> <p>“It’s a huge mandate for an unfunded office,” Balbus said, “but we’ve had great success and we have passionate people. There’s a lot that you can do if you understand how the government works.”</p> <p>The OCCHE is the first agency of its kind at the national level to address climate change and health equity. Its mission is to protect vulnerable communities who disproportionately bear the brunt of pollution and climate-driven disasters. The need for action is growing; the World Health Organization estimates that climate change will contribute to 250,000 deaths from malnutrition, malaria, heat stress and other causes.</p> <p>Even when fully funded, the OCCHE must rely, as its website says, on the “powers of convening, coordination, and collaboration.” To pick just one example: Last summer Oregon suffered under a record heat wave which killed more than 115 people, many of them poor. To combat this, the Oregon Health Authority obtained a Medicaid waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to purchase 3,000 portable air conditioners to be sent to the state’s most vulnerable people. Balbus’s office is now working with CMS and with other states to make this option better known and available throughout the country. “It’s not the solution to heat and climate change,” Balbus acknowledged, “but it’s one immediate way that a climate change-related event that’s killing people can be addressed with an equity lens.”</p> <p>Hurricanes, another manifestation of climate change, are also on the OCCHE’s agenda. Balbus’s office is looking to partner with the Urban Sustainability Directors’ Network, a group of local government officials, to help incorporate health services into their “climate resilience hubs,” community-designed and maintained structures that provide services in normal times but can help inform residents about weather emergencies and remain open during them to provide basic services such as shelter, clean water or power. As Balbus explained it, “Everybody will benefit if we can find a way to protect those people in greatest need of a safety net.”</p> <p>One other project Balbus points to is the Climate and Health Outlook, which is posted on the Health & Human Services website. The outlook takes seasonal forecasts from various government agencies for events such as droughts, heat waves and wildfires, and looks at their effects on health. “It is the nation’s first seasonal forecast for health,” Balbus said.</p> <p>In the fall of 2021, just a few weeks after moving into his new job, Balbus traveled to Glasgow, Scotland as part of the American delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26. The United States joined 51 other countries in making a broad commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions from their healthcare systems and make them more climate resilient. “We hope that such policies — and additional actions to be identified — will inspire the sector to address the health threats associated with climate change in an equitable, inclusive manner,” he wrote in a paper he co-authored for the New England Journal of Medicine afterward.</p> <p>Balbus majored in biochemistry at Harvard, earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. After teaching at George Washington University for seven years, he worked as chief health scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund before joining the National Institute of Environmental Health Science in 2009.</p> <p>Before all that, though, Balbus was also a PC lifer, as were his older brothers, Steven OPC ’71 and Peter OPC ’75. He credits former Penn Charter chemistry teacher, Richard V. Pepino, for pointing him towards his future career path. “Rich was a huge influence on me,” Balbus said. “As a high school teacher, he developed an innovative biochemistry class, which was a phenomenal and, for me, inspirational thing back then.”</p> <p>He also credits the spiritual lessons he learned as a student. “As a Quaker school, Penn Charter has an ethos of service and commitment to the rights of all people and to equity,” he said. “Growing up in that environment had a big influence and set a foundation for other experiences I had later in life.”</p> <p>– Mark Bernstein OPC '79</p> </div> </article> </div> </div> <section class="fsElement fsPostElement fsSlideshow fsThumbnailOriginal fsThumbnailLarge fsItemCount_10 fsSlideshowHorizontal" id="fsEl_25101" data-use-new="true" data-board-id="14,35,26,10,17,18,32,12,33,30,28,2,25" data-selected-board="alumni" data-overwrite-title="" > <header> <h2 class="fsElementTitle">Other News Stories</h2> </header> <div class="fsElementContent" > <div class="fsElementControls"> <div class="fsAlertFeeds"> <a aria-label="RSS Feed" data-boards="[{"id":12,"name":"Academics"},{"id":32,"name":"News and Events"},{"id":26,"name":"SportsZone"}]" class="fsRSSIcon" title="RSS" href="#"> <span class="fsStyleSROnly">RSS Feeds</span> </a> <a aria-label="Subscription Alerts" data-boards="[{"id":12,"name":"Academics","mailing_list_id":35},{"id":32,"name":"News and Events","mailing_list_id":36},{"id":26,"name":"SportsZone","mailing_list_id":1}]" class="fsAlertsIcon" title="Alerts" href="#"> <span class="fsStyleSROnly">Subscribe to Alerts</span> </a> </div> </div> <div class="fsElementSlideshow" aria-label="Other News Stories" data-adaptive-height="false" data-autoplay="false" data-autoplay-speed="0" data-arrows="true" data-dots="true" data-fade="false" data-slides-to-show="3" data-vertical="false"> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2581" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2581"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/justin-wineburgh-opc-90" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/justin-wineburgh-opc-90"><img data-aspect-ratio="1.1115973741794312" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1726080442/penn/aydmkmjrmlg2tqr8hlge/JustinWineburgh90_crop.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1726080442/penn/aydmkmjrmlg2tqr8hlge/JustinWineburgh90_crop.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1726080442/penn/aydmkmjrmlg2tqr8hlge/JustinWineburgh90_crop.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1726080442/penn/aydmkmjrmlg2tqr8hlge/JustinWineburgh90_crop.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1726080442/penn/aydmkmjrmlg2tqr8hlge/JustinWineburgh90_crop.jpg","width":1371}]" alt="PC Profile: Justin Wineburgh OPC ’90" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2581"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/justin-wineburgh-opc-90" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/justin-wineburgh-opc-90"> PC Profile: Justin Wineburgh OPC ’90 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Justin Wineburgh's path has taken him from electrical engineering to law to media and entertainment.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/justin-wineburgh-opc-90" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/justin-wineburgh-opc-90"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Justin Wineburgh OPC ’90</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2580" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2580"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-melissa-atkins-opc-01" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-melissa-atkins-opc-01"><img data-aspect-ratio="0.8603967670830271" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1726078663/penn/zpyqlyiaxga4qcmxyp2s/MelissaKnightAtkinsOPC01_crop.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1726078663/penn/zpyqlyiaxga4qcmxyp2s/MelissaKnightAtkinsOPC01_crop.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1726078663/penn/zpyqlyiaxga4qcmxyp2s/MelissaKnightAtkinsOPC01_crop.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1726078663/penn/zpyqlyiaxga4qcmxyp2s/MelissaKnightAtkinsOPC01_crop.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1726078663/penn/zpyqlyiaxga4qcmxyp2s/MelissaKnightAtkinsOPC01_crop.jpg","width":1361}]" alt="PC Profile: Melissa Atkins OPC '01" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2580"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-melissa-atkins-opc-01" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-melissa-atkins-opc-01"> PC Profile: Melissa Atkins OPC '01 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>“‘Good instruction is better than riches,’ rings true, especially as you get older and wiser,” Melissa Atkins OPC '01 believes.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-melissa-atkins-opc-01" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-melissa-atkins-opc-01"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Melissa Atkins OPC '01</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2314" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2314"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc95" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc95"><img data-aspect-ratio="0.8390718562874252" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705414363/penn/kj0n5mjozpp9h3oixhlo/AtibaWade_OPC95_thumbnail.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1705414363/penn/kj0n5mjozpp9h3oixhlo/AtibaWade_OPC95_thumbnail.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1705414363/penn/kj0n5mjozpp9h3oixhlo/AtibaWade_OPC95_thumbnail.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1705414363/penn/kj0n5mjozpp9h3oixhlo/AtibaWade_OPC95_thumbnail.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705414363/penn/kj0n5mjozpp9h3oixhlo/AtibaWade_OPC95_thumbnail.jpg","width":1336}]" alt="PC alumn Atiba Wade OPC ’95 poses in Wakanda costume" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2314"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc95" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc95"> PC Profile: Atiba Wade OPC ’95 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Atiba Wade OPC ’95 has an expression he uses often: When preparation meets opportunity, success is the result.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc95" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc95"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Atiba Wade OPC ’95</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2313" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2313"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-chelsea-erdmanis-greenspon-opc02" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-chelsea-erdmanis-greenspon-opc02"><img data-aspect-ratio="1.1199813258636788" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705414469/penn/l3fukl0n96zkjunc8zau/ChelseaErdmanisGreensponOPC02.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1705414469/penn/l3fukl0n96zkjunc8zau/ChelseaErdmanisGreensponOPC02.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1705414469/penn/l3fukl0n96zkjunc8zau/ChelseaErdmanisGreensponOPC02.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1705414469/penn/l3fukl0n96zkjunc8zau/ChelseaErdmanisGreensponOPC02.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1705414469/penn/l3fukl0n96zkjunc8zau/ChelseaErdmanisGreensponOPC02.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705414469/penn/l3fukl0n96zkjunc8zau/ChelseaErdmanisGreensponOPC02.jpg","width":2142}]" alt="PC alumn Chelsea Erdmanis Greenspon OPC02 headshot" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2313"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-chelsea-erdmanis-greenspon-opc02" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-chelsea-erdmanis-greenspon-opc02"> PC Profile: Chelsea Erdmanis Greenspon OPC '02 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>As assisting clinical director for a nonprofit organization that supports people with autism, Chelsea Erdmanis Greenspon OPC ’02 learned to give back to the community as a PC lifer.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-chelsea-erdmanis-greenspon-opc02" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-chelsea-erdmanis-greenspon-opc02"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Chelsea Erdmanis Greenspon OPC '02</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-60 fsTag-90 fsTag-627 fsTag-703" data-post-id="2285" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2285"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/athletic-honor-society-2023" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/athletic-honor-society-2023"><img data-aspect-ratio="0.639353247465059" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1700169531/penn/iy8nfhusr7j5c4pe6sni/AHS2023_9413.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1700169531/penn/iy8nfhusr7j5c4pe6sni/AHS2023_9413.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1700169531/penn/iy8nfhusr7j5c4pe6sni/AHS2023_9413.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1700169531/penn/iy8nfhusr7j5c4pe6sni/AHS2023_9413.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1700169531/penn/iy8nfhusr7j5c4pe6sni/AHS2023_9413.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1700169531/penn/iy8nfhusr7j5c4pe6sni/AHS2023_9413.jpg","width":2200}]" alt="Congrats to New AHS Inductees" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2285"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/athletic-honor-society-2023" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/athletic-honor-society-2023"> Congrats to New AHS Inductees </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Notable student athletes, coaches and teams from PC's history were inducted into the Athletic Honor Society Class of 2023 on Nov. 10. </p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni News</li><li class="fsTag">News</li><li class="fsTag">athletic honor society</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/athletic-honor-society-2023" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/athletic-honor-society-2023"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about Congrats to New AHS Inductees</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2334" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2334"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-catherine-mcguckin-cantlin-opc-92-1706550401551" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-catherine-mcguckin-cantlin-opc-92-1706550401551"><img data-aspect-ratio="1.4983945772386729" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1706550474/penn/ho4llwyicshewlpbvpfb/KamalMarell_HDgesvCA.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1706550474/penn/ho4llwyicshewlpbvpfb/KamalMarell_HDgesvCA.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1706550474/penn/ho4llwyicshewlpbvpfb/KamalMarell_HDgesvCA.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1706550474/penn/ho4llwyicshewlpbvpfb/KamalMarell_HDgesvCA.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1706550474/penn/ho4llwyicshewlpbvpfb/KamalMarell_HDgesvCA.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1706550474/penn/ho4llwyicshewlpbvpfb/KamalMarell_HDgesvCA.jpg","width":2200}]" alt="Headshot of Kamal Marell OPC '06" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2334"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-catherine-mcguckin-cantlin-opc-92-1706550401551" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-catherine-mcguckin-cantlin-opc-92-1706550401551"> PC Profile: Kamal Marell OPC ’06 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Since graduating from Penn Charter, Kamal Marell OPC ’06 has been an educator, a social worker, a collaborator and an advocate.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-catherine-mcguckin-cantlin-opc-92-1706550401551" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-catherine-mcguckin-cantlin-opc-92-1706550401551"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Kamal Marell OPC ’06</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2333" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2333"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc-95-1706549713927" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc-95-1706549713927"><img data-aspect-ratio="1.5266666666666666" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1706549894/penn/mnosnqjtcjqfieote1gm/PC_CatherineMcGuckinCantlin.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1706549894/penn/mnosnqjtcjqfieote1gm/PC_CatherineMcGuckinCantlin.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1706549894/penn/mnosnqjtcjqfieote1gm/PC_CatherineMcGuckinCantlin.jpg","width":600}]" alt="Headshot of Catherine McGuckin Cantlin OPC '92" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2333"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc-95-1706549713927" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc-95-1706549713927"> PC Profile: Catherine McGuckin Cantlin OPC '92 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Catherine McGuckin Cantlin OPC '92 was part of the first modern-day coed class at PC and now serves as an executive director at the project management firm MACRO.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc-95-1706549713927" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-atiba-wade-opc-95-1706549713927"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Catherine McGuckin Cantlin OPC '92</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2142" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2142"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-ed-doyle-gillespie-opc-88" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-ed-doyle-gillespie-opc-88"><img data-aspect-ratio="0.75" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1676315830/penn/jxaxv8afjgumb7y8c72g/Edward_Doyle-Gillespie_OPC88.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1676315830/penn/jxaxv8afjgumb7y8c72g/Edward_Doyle-Gillespie_OPC88.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1676315830/penn/jxaxv8afjgumb7y8c72g/Edward_Doyle-Gillespie_OPC88.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1676315830/penn/jxaxv8afjgumb7y8c72g/Edward_Doyle-Gillespie_OPC88.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1676315830/penn/jxaxv8afjgumb7y8c72g/Edward_Doyle-Gillespie_OPC88.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1676315830/penn/jxaxv8afjgumb7y8c72g/Edward_Doyle-Gillespie_OPC88.jpg","width":2200}]" alt="PC alumn Ed Doyle Gillespie smiles with his bookcase behind him." /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2142"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-ed-doyle-gillespie-opc-88" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-ed-doyle-gillespie-opc-88"> PC Profile: Ed Doyle-Gillespie OPC '88 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Ed Doyle-Gillespie OPC '88 calls himself a full-time police officer and a part-time poet.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-ed-doyle-gillespie-opc-88" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-ed-doyle-gillespie-opc-88"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: Ed Doyle-Gillespie OPC '88</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-45 fsTag-60 fsTag-475" data-post-id="2143" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2143"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-john-balbus-opc78" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-john-balbus-opc78"><img data-aspect-ratio="1.09375" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1676313112/penn/mt8mcb8xb5rqse1xsukt/JohnBalbusOPC_7564.jpg","width":1536}]" alt="Penn Charter Alumn John Balbus OPC78" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2143"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-john-balbus-opc78" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-john-balbus-opc78"> PC Profile: John Balbus OPC '78 </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>John Balbus OPC ’78 addresses health inequities in response to climate change.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Profile</li><li class="fsTag">Alumni Stories</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/pc-profile-john-balbus-opc78" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/pc-profile-john-balbus-opc78"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about PC Profile: John Balbus OPC '78</span> </a> </article> <article class="fsStyleAutoclear fsBoard-14 fsTag-60 fsTag-90 fsTag-441" data-post-id="2131" data-authenticated-comments="true" aria-labelledby="fsArticle_25101_2131"> <a class="fsThumbnail fsPostLink " data-slug="alumni/post/downtown-reception" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/downtown-reception"><img data-aspect-ratio="0.6452380952380953" data-image-sizes="[{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1675118351/penn/dwptyo8ssn7lpu6lqngf/BarnesSpeakingTN.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1675118351/penn/dwptyo8ssn7lpu6lqngf/BarnesSpeakingTN.png","width":420}]" alt="Barnes Hauptfuhrer Speaking at 2023 Downtown Reception" /></a> <div class="fsTitle " id="fsArticle_25101_2131"> <a class="fsPostLink" data-slug="alumni/post/downtown-reception" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/downtown-reception"> Thankfulness Downtown </a></div> <div class="fsSummary"> <p>Barnes Hauptfuhrer OPC '72 spoke to a packed house about the importance of living a thankful life at the Jan. 26 Downtown Reception.</p> </div> <ul class="fsTags fsStyleInlineList"> <li class="fsTag">Alumni</li><li class="fsTag">News</li><li class="fsTag">events</li> </ul> <a class="fsPostLink fsReadMoreLink" data-slug="alumni/post/downtown-reception" data-opens-in="page" data-page-id="2476" href="https://www.penncharter.com/about-us/news-media/news-details-page/~board/alumni/post/downtown-reception"> Read More <span class="fsStyleSROnly">about Thankfulness Downtown</span> </a> </article> </div> <button class="fsPrevButton fsLeftArrow"><</button> <button class="fsNextButton fsRightArrow">></button> </div> </section> <div class="fsElement fsContent" id="fsEl_25102" data-use-new="true" > <div class="fsElementContent" > <p style="text-align: center;"><span class="fs_style_52"><a class="fs_style_61" data-page-name="News & Events" href="/fs/pages/707">Back to Full News Archive</a></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> </div> </div> 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