Community School Directors are United Way of Erie County employees embedded full-time within each Community School. They serve as the on-site connector between the school and community, building relationships with students, families, staff, and partners to remove non-academic barriers to learning. By coordinating resources and aligning support, Community School Directors, with the assistance of United Way backbone staff, help ensure every student and family has what they need to succeed in school and life.
Julia is a graduate of Penn State Behrend, where she earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Clinical Psychology. Prior to her role as Community School Director at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Julia served as Program Coordinator of the #PYDONEFAMILY Drug Free Community Coalition in the Iroquois School District.
Her graduate work included internships with Family Based Mental Health at the Achievement Center of LECOM Health and the Mentor Project at Susan Hirt Hagen CORE. Julia has served as the Community School Director at Wilson Middle School since April 2022.
Corporate Partners are integrated partners, not just donors. Their collaboration creates consistency, resources, and opportunities that directly impact student success and family well-being — key pillars of the Community School Model.
These businesses and organizations provide both financial and volunteer support, working side-by-side with Community School Directors to create meaningful opportunities, improve learning environments, and strengthen connections between schools and the community.
Interested in becoming a Corporate Partner? Contact Julie Chacona, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at julie@unitedwayerie.org or Anita Kuchcinski, Vice President of Development at anita@unitedwayerie.org.
This dashboard provides a comprehensive view of academic performance, attendance, and survey data for Wilson Middle as a United Way Community School. It contains seven interactive pages, each focusing on a distinct area of data.
These stories highlight real examples of how the United Way Community Schools model is creating lasting change. From improved student engagement to stronger family connections, each story showcases the people, partnerships, and progress driving success across our community.
Positive Youth Development – affectionately known as PYD – is Wilson’s student leadership team and a driving force behind peer engagement across the school. In just three years, the group has grown from three to nearly 20 active members.
During the 2024-2025 school year, 7th and 8th-grade Wilson students had the opportunity to attend Math Options Day at Penn State Behrend. Students competed in a STEM school challenge to make and fly a glider with a LEGO passenger and hit a target.
