Parkland School Board member Roberta Marcus received the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award recently at a state level school leadership conference in Hershey.

Given by the Pa. School Boards Association, the award is presented annually to an individual or an entire school board in recognition of leadership in legislative advocacy on behalf of public education.

The award was established last year in honor of Allwein, the association's former assistant executive director for Governmental and Member Relations, who died unexpectedly.

Marcus was selected to receive the award based on her many volunteer hours devoted to raising awareness of important legislative issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

She was commended for her ability to articulate legislative concerns to stakeholders of diverse backgrounds and for her readiness to share her prolific knowledge of education issues.

At an Oct. 23 meeting, Parkland board member Lisa Adams reported when she first heard of the Allwein Advocacy Award, she was sure Marcus deserved to receive it.

Adams said board member Bob Bold, administrative staff and she worked together to compile a record of Marcus' advocacy credentials.

"It was an extensive application process," Adams said. "We wrote and gathered a lot of letters and newspaper articles which included her name."

Through the years, Marcus held various positions within PSBA culminating with a term as president in 2010. She was elected president of the school board for three terms and vice president for two terms.

Marcus served as Lehigh County Legislative Coordinator and testified before the Pa. House Education Committee on several topics including cyber charter schools and Accountability Block Grants.

In 2008, she received the prestigious PSBA Master School Board member accreditation.

The advocacy award selection committee evaluated candidates with respect to their impact on legislation or legislators, their involvement in mobilizing grassroots advocacy, and their effectiveness in raising public awareness of legislative issues among policy makers, media, and the general public.

Adams said Marcus is not only well-known but is highly esteemed among educators and school directors in the commonwealth.

Adams noted whenever and wherever she attends school board affairs, when people realize she is from Parkland, they invariably ask, "Do you know Roberta Marcus?"

Board member Rob Cohen praised Marcus for her accomplishments.

"We are blessed to have someone of Roberta's caliber serving among us," Cohen said.

School district Superintendent Richard Sniscak congratulated Marcus for earning the award and recognized the generosity of her husband, Dr. Norman Marcus, who attended the meeting.

"Thank you, Noman, for letting us use Roberta and her talents for the benefit of our students," Sniscak said.

Marcus thanked her husband and family for their willingness to eat store-prepared meals while she was on the road, engaged in advocacy efforts for public education.