Bernard C. John, Esq.
President
Before beginning his term on the library’s board of directors in 2018, B.J. served as president of the Friends of the Library board. He has a long history with the Sewickley Public Library going to back to his years of law school study in the historic reference room. A graduate of Denison University with a degree in Political Science and Theatre, and Duquesne University School of Law, he is in-house counsel at PNC Bank, N.A. B.J. resides in Sewickley with his wife and two children.
Leslie Riker
Vice President
Leslie and her husband discovered Sewickley and moved their family here in 2004, a little more than a decade after she came to Pittsburgh to work in nonprofits and get her Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Pittsburgh. Here in Sewickley, Leslie’s volunteering included 6 years on the Board of the Friends of the Sewickley Public Library, serving on multiple committees and chairing events, before she joined the Library Board. She created Leslie Riker Consulting services in 2017 to assist small businesses and nonprofits with financial management, development, and compliance and certification efforts, and in that capacity is currently helping several Pittsburgh-area organizations, including senior centers and another library. She is a lifelong avid reader and has a real passion for literacy and libraries.
Eric Carlson
Treasurer
Eric and his family moved to Sewickley from Milwaukee in 2012, attracted by the resources & the lifestyle the borough has to offer. One of those resources has been, of course, the Library. Eric runs a local, independent wealth management firm. Prior to that he advised mutual funds & hedge funds on their equity investments. He graduated from Iowa State University majoring in Physics. After working several years in biotech & pharmaceuticals he earned his MBA from The University of Chicago with emphases in Finance & Statistics. Eric enjoys coaching youth sports, reading, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Debra DeMeis
Secretary
Debra moved with her husband Joe from Boston to Bell Acres after she retired from an over thirty year in career in higher education. That career included being a Professor of Psychology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Dean of William Smith College and Dean of Students at Wellesley College. She currently works as a part-time consultant with Cambridge Hill Partners, and focuses on diversity and inclusion and strategic planning in higher education, and volunteers in the Executive Service Corps at the Covestro Center for Community Engagement. She has served as a board member and president of Friends of Sewickley Public Library.
Kati Doebler
Quaker Valley School District Representative
Kati lives in Aleppo after growing up in New Jersey. She and her husband Matt have two children, Heidi and Libby. Kati has a degree in English from Miami University and a master’s of science in new media and information systems from London School of Economics. She works full-time as a software engineering product manager.
Brennen Hydzik
Board Member
Brennen is a Quaker Valley graduate and longtime resident currently living in Glen Osborne Borough. Brennen is father to two very active daughters currently at QV. He also serves on the board of the Sewickley Valley Community Fund and is a regular volunteer in the youth arts locally. Brennen has an MBA from University of Pittsburgh and a BS in electrical engineering at Penn State. Professionally, Brennen has spent most of his career working as a Project Manager, at a number of companies. Currently he serves Carnegie Mellon University as a Senior Project Manager in the Campus Design and Facility Development department.
Jonathan Kuzma
Quaker Valley School District Representative
Jonathan grew up in Leet Township and is a proud member of Quaker Valley’s class of 2001. He has a bachelor of arts degree in economics and history from the College of William and Mary. Since graduating, Jonathan moved to Leetsdale, where he currently resides. He is a commercial real estate appraiser for Newmark Knight Frank. In addition to serving on the Quaker Valley School Board, he represents the district on the Sewickley Public Library of the Quaker Valley School District board and is the chairman of the municipal authority of the Borough of Leetsdale. Jonathan is the chairperson of the policy committee and on the finance and facilities committees.
Julian Neiser
Board Member
Julian discovered the joys of Sewickley when his wife became the CEO of the Sewickley Valley YMCA in 2011, and they have become entrenched in the community ever since. He is a construction and commercial trial attorney with Spilman, Thomas & Battle and is trying to use his experience to help the library with its capital improvement and maintenance projects. When not working, Julian serves as an adjunct professor in the Trial Advocacy department at Duquesne Law School and a pro bono mediator for prisoner civil rights cases. Julian also is a Marine Corps veteran and served as a drill instructor at MCRD Parris Island, S.C.
Andrew L. Surloff, Ed.D.
Quaker Valley School District Representative
Andrew has worked in the Quaker Valley School District since 1998 and currently serves as the Quaker Valley School District’s Assistant Superintendent. Andrew has several significant leadership responsibilities district-wide including personnel administration, principal supervision, new teacher induction, and School Board liaison duties to the Education Services and Personnel committees. He holds a degree in Political Science, a Master of Arts degree in Teaching, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, along with a Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Surloff’s Dissertation was titled, “Interviewing for Great Teachers: A Study of the Preparation and Practices of K-12 School Principals Responsible for Interviewing and Hiring Teachers.” Dr. Surloff started at Quaker Valley Middle School as an intern, then worked as a middle school social studies teacher, assistant high school principal, high school principal, and now assistant superintendent. Andrew resides in Gibsonia, PA, part of the Pine-Richland School District, with his wife Tara, and two children.
