Former Columbia School Superintendent Tom Strickler is Etown School District's new CFOO

Tom Strickler 

[Columbia Spy file photo]

At its June 13 workshop meeting, the Elizabethtown Area School District Board of Education unanimously approved hiring Tom Strickler as its new Chief Finance and Operations Officer. Strickler replaces Dan Forry, who accepted a similar position with the Penn Manor School District. The Board hired Strickler following an extensive search process that involved a series of interviews. The interview team consisted of district administration, support staff, and school board members.

Strickler’s professional experience includes being the superintendent of schools from 2018-2020 for the Columbia Borough School District. At Columbia, Strickler directed daily operations and long-range planning; hired staff and worked with school board members to secure additional resources; and managed fiscal operations, supervised school principals and district staff, administered curriculum for K-12 students, and ensured compliance with and faithful execution of all Commonwealth of PA laws and regulations.

Strickler also successfully served as Director of Operations at the Eastern Lancaster School District (Elanco). At Elanco, Strickler implemented a comprehensive review of expenditures and obligations to identify pathways for fiscal consolidation; recruited a chief information officer, chief financial officer, and director of human resources to spearhead and lead the drive to increased efficiency and profitability; and successfully achieved cost savings of over $500,000 for the district. Strickler has also been the director of operations for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Resources and a security supervisor for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts.

Strickler graduated from Elizabethtown College, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration - Accounting. Strickler holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Strickler is active with the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, the Mental Health Association of Lancaster County, the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, and Junior Achievement of Central Pennsylvania.

Strickler began his duties with the Elizabethtown Area School District on June 14.

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