Pamela W. Connelly, Old Hickory Road, was named senior vice president for legal affairs and general counsel for Duquesne University.

Connelly’s experience includes 18 years as an executive administrator and in-house counsel at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also served as the university’s first vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion.

Connelly serves on the boards of the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation and Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Penn State University and earned her juris doctor from the University of Pittsburgh.

Baptist Homes Society recognized two employees with MVP Awards. MVP—which in this case stands for Mission and Vision Personified—winners are selected monthly by their peers. At the end of the year, one overall winner is named at each of the two campuses—Baptist Homes in Mt. Lebanon and Providence Point in Scott Township—by a committee of staff.

Matt Corlis, who is on the maintenance staff, is the Baptist Homes MVP; James Richardson, a certified nursing assistant, received the award at Providence Point. Each winner receives $1,000 and 24 hours of paid time off.

Amy Martin, Magnolia Place, is the new executive director of the Howard Hanna Children’s Free Care Fund. Martin, a former office administrator for the Mt. Lebanon Public Information Office, is a credentialed Certified Fund Raising Executive and member of the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives.

“Directing the efforts to help children and their families through the Children’s Free Care Fund will be challenging while we navigate new ways of fundraising in a pandemic era, but I am ready to pick up the torch and carry on the legacy,” Martin said. The Free Care Fund has donated more than $18 million since its creation in 1988.

MERIT SCHOLARS Seven Mt. Lebanon High School seniors are National Merit Semifinalists and 14 students are Commended Students in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Competition. The Mt. Lebanon students stood out as some of the highest scoring entrants in Pennsylvania.

Less than 1 percent of the 1.6 million students from across the country who, as juniors, took the PSAT last fall, were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists, based on their October 2019 PSAT scores.

Mt. Lebanon High School’s 2021 National Merit Semifinalists are: Benjamin Brown, Caroline Kenney, Charlotte Parsons, Aryan Prasad, Chloe Spikula, Allison Stein and Peter Swindal.

The school’s 2021 Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program are: Colin Barrett, Owen Hall, Abigail Jones, Theresa Kail, Andrew Klepchick, Kathryn Meta, Zoe Neft, Yingci Shao, Jack Silverman, Avery Sinar, Samuel Thuransky, Ngoc-Thanh N Vo, Ryan Vuillemot and Natalie Wolf.

EAGLE SCOUTS, CLASS OF 2020 Ten Mt. Lebanon Boy Scouts overcame the challenges of the pandemic to achieve the highest rank Scouting has to offer. Requirements for the award include earning at least 21 merit badges, serving in a leadership position and planning, organizing and completing a community service project.

James Bonnet, Rosemont Avenue, Troop 65, made bird houses and feeders for Mt. Lebanon High School.

Jadon Dodd, Firwood Drive, Troop 284, built a stepping play wall out of tree stumps at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Alexander Jackson, Castle Shannon Boulevard, Troop 65, built a bridge on a hiking trail in South Park.

Thomas Martin, Mayfair Drive, Troop 284, organized a cleanup of five miles of Chartiers Creek with more than 30 volunteers, using canoes and kayaks.

Theodore Pettko, Flintridge Road, Troop 238, completed a beautification project around the Cliff Mine Road access to the Montour Trail.

Elliott Pullen, Morrison Drive, Troop 65, worked on a walking path at Sunnyhill Unitarian Church.

Grayden Straub, Valley Park Drive, Troop 65, built a composting bin.

Jason Tubbs, Firwood Drive, Troop 238, cleared out weeds and old shrubs from Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church, replaced landscape fabric and added more than 10 tons of mulch.

Charles Usner, Altadena Drive, Troop 284, installed new shelving for the South Hills Food Pantry.

Steven Young, Valleyview Drive, Troop 238, created a memory garden for dementia patients at Concordia of the South Hills.