Board & Staff

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is made up of members of the credit union who are democratically elected each year at our Annual Meeting. Board Members can be provisionally elected by a vote of current Board of Directors members, but their membership on the Board must then be ratified by a vote of the members at the next Annual Meeting. We are always looking for new volunteers to serve on our Credit Committee, Supervisory Committee, and Marketing and Community Partnership Committee as well as for our Board of Directors. The time commitment varies by role, but most Board members dedicate between 2 and 5 hours each month to the volunteer position. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Kirsten Rokke at k.rokke@eefcfcu.org

Ash Andrews, Co-Secretary

Ash Andrews (they/she) first became interested in sustainability and creativity as a youth while using household discards like bottle caps, film canisters, and pistachio shells to create complex imaginary worlds. It was only after setting off to explore the real world when Ash truly began to see the global ecological connections between "making do" and the transformative potential of reuse and creativity for the environment, community, and self. Ash holds a B.A. in Humanities, Art History, and Studio Art from the University of Pittsburgh, and also studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Seton Hill University, and the University of Amsterdam. After an immersive experience in various permaculture communities in Hawaii, Ash moved to Pittsburgh to continue their exploration of sustainable, thriving communities. Ash became the executive director of the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse in 2016, after working at the center in various roles for 5 years. Under Ash's leadership, the center has kept over 166 tons of materials from entering the landfill and has reinvested those materials back into the very same communities in which they originated. In 2020, Ash was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by Pittsburgh Magazine. Follow along with Ash’s adventures on Instagram at @ash_and____ 

Leslie Dodson

Leslie Dodson is a life-long resident of the Pittsburgh area, she is retired now but spent most of her career as an elementary school teacher for the City of Duquesne. After retiring from teaching, she stayed connected with young people by working as a school bus driver and she also worked as a teller and loan underwriter for BNY Mellon Bank. She has always been a member of credit unions and loves volunteering with the East End Food Co-op Credit Union, serving on the Board and Credit Committee because she can really see the direct impact on real people's lives and she loves helping people. Leslie has two children and five grandchildren.

Stacy Johnson, Co-Secretary

 Stacy Johnson is a graduate of Carlow University where she earned her Bachelors degree in Political Science. She has earned her Masters of Social Work and Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Ms. Johnson is a foster care alumni who has been an advocate for foster care youth since 2005. As a foster youth, she was involved in litigation that was monumental for the betterment of children in the foster care system in Allegheny County. Ms. Johnson is a recipient of multiple awards including Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s “Champion of Hope and Healing”, and the New Pittsburgh Courier’s “Fab 40”.  Ms. Johnson advocates for youth in care as State Director of The Bair Foundation, and by writing letters of support for policy changes and through advocacy collaborations with various organizations.

Eric Lipsky, President

Eric Lipsky is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State - Greater Allegheny Campus.  He is an experimental researcher in air-quality, measuring emissions from combustion sources and ambient air-quality.  Eric is also a musician, and plays locally with the Haygood Paisleys, playing Appalachian Fiddle music.  He is a founding member of the Steel City Squares, which organizes community square dances in the Pittsburgh area.  Eric has been serving on the board of the credit union for 15 years, and in 2022 was elected Board President.

Nathaniel Morley, Vice-President

Nate Morley grew up in the Washington, DC area and has lived in Pittsburgh since 2001.  He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Loyola University of New Orleans and a master's degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh.  He has been a member of the EEFC Federal Credit Union board of directors since 2012.  He has been a credit union member since 2006.  He also served on the National Association of Social Workers - PA Chapter's board of directors for 7 years, including two years as chapter treasurer.  Nate worked at KidsVoice, Inc. for 18 years and currently works as a Community Social Worker for the City of Pittsburgh.    

Martha "Marty" Nesmith

Marty Nesmith is the mother of 3 children. Marty is from Beaver Falls, and comes from a family of 10 and a set of parents who have instilled 3 core values: honesty, trustworthiness and hard work. Those values helped Marty to maintain her position as an executive at Kauffmans and share her wisdom in the communities when it comes to financial literacy and understanding what it means. Marty is currently employed at Environmental Charter Highschool as a lunch assistant and she spends most of her time helping people around her.

Jason Pampena, Treasurer

Jason is the founder of Worker's Pride Financial LLC, a solo tax practice that specializes in working with self-employed people and small businesses in the solidarity economy. A cooperative enthusiast and regenerative investor, Jason also serves on the boards of Maple Valley Cooperative, a sustainable producer of organic maple products, and Northwest Pennsylvania Investment Cooperative, a community-controlled commercial real estate developer. Jason worked 10 years as a professional firefighter, where he was treasurer of firefighters' labor union IAFF Local 1038. He holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh, and completed a postgraduate fellowship at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

Tom Pandaleon

Tom Pandaleon is a founding member of the EEFCFCU and served as its President from 1993 until 2022. He graduated from Duquesne University Law School that year, and has been in private, general practice since then. He also serves as Vice President on the Board of the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, and has been a past President of the Board of the Parkinson Chapter of Greater Pittsburgh. Tom has appreciated the East End Food Co-op community’s long-term support for its Credit Union, in the form of office space, generous support of its volunteers, and for its marketing support. With the transition to professional staff in 2015, he looks forward to an era of vital growth and the Credit Union‘s greater impact serving the people of the East End.

Waynette Thomas

Waynette Thomas brings a rich professional background that consists of being an active REALTOR® Real Estate Agent in Florida & Pennsylvania for a total of 8 years, 28 years of banking; holding several banking positions in the Uniontown & Pittsburgh areas. She holds several degrees, an Associate in Specialized Business in Accounting Management, a Bachelor of Science in Technical Management(Summa Cum Laude) ending in 2010 with a Master of Business Administration & Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management.   Currently, Waynette is the founder & owner of B’Ambiance Candles & Gifts which she began in 2018 where she hand-crafts home & body products by using only the finest natural, organic & non-toxic supplies.

General Manager

Kirsten Rokke

Kirsten is the General Manager of the East End Food Co-op FCU.  Kirsten brings  wide-ranging experiences to the Credit Union including 15+ years in nonprofit operations and financial management.  You can contact Kirsten at k.rokke@eefcfcu.org.