Lesa Skukan, assistant director for academics in the College in High School (CHS) program and its longest-tenured staff member (since 2002), has died.
The program, which offers Pitt credits to high school students aiming for college at more than 150 high schools, is directed by Michael Giazzoni, who joined in 2012.
“It was my first step into the complex field of dual credit, and she helped me get up to speed quickly,” he said of Skukan. “Lesa also mentored several of our other current staff as they began and developed into their jobs. Lesa’s personal empathy and deep institutional knowledge helped us develop a strong team that — although she would never brag about it — was able to responsibly double our enrollment and earn our first-ever national accreditation.
“Lesa always reminded us to stay focused,” he recalled, “by putting people first and centered on our partners: our students, teachers, Pitt faculty and each other. We hope to honor her memory by continuing that focus.”
Matt Solter, CHS program administrator, worked with Skukan for the past six years. “Lesa was a consummate colleague and professional,” he said. “Not only did she educate me on all my core responsibilities as my supervisor, but she also showed me how to interact with students, parents, teachers and other colleagues with grace, compassion and understanding.
“She had such an incredibly high capacity for empathy,” he added, “and would never hesitate to help anyone in need at the drop of a hat. I always enjoyed discussing our shared love of cats whenever one of them would grace our screens during a meeting. I feel truly privileged to have known her and been able to work with and learn from her.”
“Lesa was our high school liaison,” said Christina Frank, retired chemistry teacher at Montour High School — part of a chemistry teacher group in CHS’s Northern Regional Schools group, which includes some of the high schools involved for the entirety of the program’s 45 years. Students in the chemistry program do lab work five times a year, running the same labs as Pitt students.
“She was responsible for keeping us in the loop of all things CHS,” Frank said. “On lab days, while the students attended the labs, the teachers met in a room with Lesa. She provided refreshments for us, she kept us abreast of any news that we needed to know, but most of all, she was just an overall great support for the teachers involved in the program. She was our go-to person.
“She was a great addition to our all-women group on lab days,” Frank added. “We will always remember her sincere and quiet demeanor and her beautiful smile.”
— Marty Levine