Dr. Russell Greenholt Receives Prestigious Chairman's Award

Unlike the other awards we present at our Annual Business Award Ceremony, the Chairman’s award is not an award that is given out every year. In fact, the Chairman’s Award has only been presented three times during the past 13 years.

The Chairman’s award was created in remembrance of Scotty R. Dubbs, former chair of the chamber board of directors. Scotty had a vison for the Chamber organization that many people believed in: for the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce to be a recognized leader in serving business and community interests throughout the greater Hanover region. Scotty left us in 2002 at the young age of 61; however, her vision continues to carry the chamber organization forward today.

The 2019 recipient of the Chairman’s Award is Dr. Russell Greenholt.

For 36 years, Dr. Greenholt has served local communities in public education. Beginning his  career in the Bermudian Springs School District, he served as a health instructor, coach, and high school administrator. He served this community as an Assistant Principal and Principal for  25 years. In 2008, he became the high school principal at York Suburban where he served for 4  years. Conewago Valley School District hired Dr. Greenholt in 2012 as the assistant superintendent  and in January of 2015 he was named to the position of superintendent.

As Superintendent of Conewago Valley School District, Dr. Greenholt built a belief in staff and  community that a new mission statement was necessary to guide organizational decisions. The mission of Conewago Valley School District is to promote individual and collaborative excellence  enabling students to become competent, confident, and creative builders of the future.

The vision for the district, now commonly known as “R2R” was born, as are all great ideas, on a  napkin during a dinner meeting at Buffalo Wild Wings with Dr. Rudisill. Dr. Greenholt coined the  phrase “Road to Relevance” to identify his plan to establish Conewago Valley School District as a  center for educational excellence.

The idea for the Colonial Career and Technology Center (CCTC) was born when Dr. Greenholt presented the idea to build a 25,000 square  foot facility that mirrored a manufacturing plant to the Board when looking at how best to  distribute the funds that would be part of a bond project. With the Board behind him, he partnered  with a parent and local business owner, Mrs. Krista Hayward, to found the Conewago Valley  Foundation for Education. Mrs. Hayward and Dr. Greenholt were overwhelmed with the reception  they were given, the amazing businesses they learned about, and the generosity that would ensue  after visiting over 40 businesses within the borders of the Conewago Valley School District. Their  visits allowed the duo to share the vision for the CCTC, which quickly gained the support of  everyone who had time to hear their mission. The fruits of their labor can be seen in the state of  the art technology and equipment installed in the new facility, all donated for the CCTC, to the tune  of approximately $2.5 million. 

Dr. Greenholt also connected with Community Media to help spread the word about the great  things going on in the Conewago Valley School District, in particular, the Colonial Career and  Technology Center. He facilitated partnerships with local educational institutions like HACC to ensure that a pre-approved state program for welding would also provide students with college  credit. As part of this process, Dr. Greenholt, in collaboration with the superintendents of Adams  County and the Director of Adams County Tech Prep, Mr. Shawn Eckenrode, established a Joint  Operating Committee that will now oversee the Tech Prep program as a county-wide  responsibility.

To continue developing opportunities for all students in the local area, Dr. Greenholt reached  across county lines to South Western School District to better utilize our resources as a community  to address local industry needs in the areas of Mechatronics and Engineering. The first meeting  with South Western High School administration just happened to be held at Buffalo Wild Wings.  

According to the Adams Economic Alliance, the Colonial Career & Technology Center (CCTC) is  being hailed as one of the most innovative vocational facilities in Pennsylvania. That’s because the district’s new $5.2 million center is geared towards meeting Pennsylvania’s skills gaps in the  workforce, by equipping today’s students with those very skills.   

To say that Dr. Russell Greenholt has built his legacy at Conewago Valley School District, would be  an understatement. He speaks often about the barometer for measuring his professional success  being the impact he has had on students, and the relationships he has formed. The chamber and its members can all  agree that he indelibly has superseded this benchmark during his tenure in public education, and  more importantly, as a pillar of the New Oxford and Hanover communities.