Meet the Chief Financial Officer

The Elizabethtown Area School District board of education unanimously approved the hiring of Tom Strickler as its new Chief Finance and Operations Officer in June 2023. Mr. Strickler was hired following an extensive search process that involved a series of interviews. The interview team was comprised of district

administration, support staff, and school board members.

Mr. Strickler’s professional experience includes being the superintendent of schools from 2018-2020 for the Columbia Borough School District. At Columbia, Mr. Strickler directed daily operations and long-range planning; hired staff and worked with school board members to secure additional resources; and managed fiscal operations, supervised school principals and district staff, administered curriculum for K-12 students, and ensured compliance with and faithful execution of all Commonwealth of PA laws and regulations.

Mr. Strickler also successfully served as Director of Operations at the Eastern Lancaster School District (Elanco). At Elanco, Mr. Strickler implemented a comprehensive review of expenditures and obligations to identify pathways for fiscal consolidation; recruited a chief information officer, chief financial officer, and director of human resources to spearhead and lead the drive to increased efficiency and profitability; and successfully achieved cost savings of over $500,000 for the district. Mr. Strickler has also been the director of operations for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Resources and a security supervisor for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts.

Mr. Strickler is a graduate of Elizabethtown College where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration - Accounting. Mr. Strickler holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Mr. Strickler is active with the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, the Mental Health Association of Lancaster County, the Pennsylvania.