LEE, Mass. — Literacy Network (LitNet) welcomes the additions of Sandra Rodriguez Aponte and Jane Lehman to its Board of Directors.

 

Aponte, a native Colombian, is a Certified Public Accountant, and Financial Audit Specialist. She holds a master's degree in risk management and has more than 17 years of professional experience. She volunteers as a member of the English Learners Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC, or CAPEI in Spanish) in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. She supports the improvement of English Learner programs for the Latino community in the Berkshires and works to get the Latino community more involved in their children's educations by strengthening their presence in BHRSD school activities.

 

Aponte has worked on her English with LitNet tutors since June 2021 and is an advanced-level speaker. She also serves on LitNet's First-Generation College Council, co-leading FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and MASFA (Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid) workshops, and otherwise working on behalf of first-generation college hopefuls and their families.

 

Lehman is a retired attorney with a BA from Mount Holyoke and a JD from Albany Law School. After a stint as a traditional associate, Lehman worked for a firm that provided research services for other attorneys. She then spent nearly 20 years writing legal treatise material for major publications. She has served on several nonprofit boards relating to at-risk and underserved populations and social justice issues and is a certified trainer in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution. She has sung with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Berkshire Opera, and opera companies in Connecticut. She currently sings with the Berkshire Hills Chorus, Berkshire Lyric, and the Threshold Choir. She is also a Hospice volunteer.

 

"Sandra and Jane both have valuable personal experience and relevant professional skillsets to contribute to LitNet. I'm excited to be working with them as LitNet grows and evolves," said LitNet Executive Director Leigh Doherty.

 

"We are grateful and excited to welcome these two dynamic women to our Board of Directors," says Board President Merle Kailas. "Their expertise and passion will be instrumental in advancing LitNet's vision of creating an engaged, welcoming, and literate Berkshire community."