New Board of Director Officers Begin Term

A new slate of officers has been named to the Pearl S. Buck International Board of Directors.  

Tony Luna will serve as the Board of Directors Chairperson. Luna brings more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership and a deeply personal connection to advancing Pearl Buck’s mission. He first joined Pearl S. Buck International in 1998, serving 18 years across two terms, including nearly a decade as Vice President of Development. During that time, he strengthened the organization’s financial foundation, launching major gift and planned giving programs, completing a $2.8 million historic preservation campaign and a $500,000 capital improvement initiative, securing one of the organization’s largest bequests, and representing the organization internationally, including media engagements in the Philippines. Currently, Luna serves as Director of Philanthropy for the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania, guiding schools, parishes, and nonprofits in growing endowments through planned giving. 

Susan Berrodin will serve as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. Berrodin, who joined the board in January 2019, previously served as Board Secretary. She has been a volunteer with Pearl S. Buck International since 2013 and is past president of the Pearl S. Buck Volunteer Association. Berrodin is a retired pediatric physical therapist who split her career between hospital-based care and pediatric care in educational settings. She is a past support group leader in the Philadelphia chapter of The Facial Pain Association. Berrodin holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Arcadia University, and was a licensed Pediatric Specialist at the time of her retirement from physical therapy. 

Emma Strausser will serve as Secretary of the Board of Directors. Strausser is a dedicated advocate for cross cultural understanding and global service, currently pursuing graduate studies in Special Education and holding a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University. As someone who was adopted through Welcome House in 2000, Emma brings a deeply personal connection to Pearl S. Buck International’s mission of bridging cultures and changing lives. Driven by gratitude for the “second chance at life” and family she received, Strausser is committed to giving back to the very community that shaped her early years. Strausser currently works as an Early Intervention Specialist at The Oaks School. 

Maxine Romano will return for another term as Board Treasurer. Romano has been a board member since March 2022. She is a retired CPA and spent most of her career employed by Kreischer Miller in their audit group where she was the leader of the not-for-profit industry. Prior to that, Romano owned and operated a bakery for 11 years. She has served on numerous not-for-profit boards including Bucks County’s Child Home and Community. She holds a BS in accounting from Temple University.  

The new officers began their two-year term on January 1, 2026. For the full Pearl S. Buck International Board of Directors list, go to https://pearlsbuck.org/about/board-and-staff/.  

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Pearl S. Buck International^® provides opportunities to explore and appreciate other cultures, builds better lives for children around the globe and promotes the legacy of our founder by preserving and interpreting her National Historic Landmark Home. 

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