April L. Torrence

I became an adjunct faculty member at Westminster College in 2019.  I am currently teaching BA 310 - Organizations and Management.  I am also the Founder and Executive Director of Zion Education Center in Farrell, PA. where I have secured over $2,000,000 in funding to provide educational opportunities for socio-economically disadvantaged families. I have written numerous grants and contracts to fund pre-kindergarten scholarships, after school enrichment programs, free nutritional meals for local school aged children, subsidized child care, and comprehensive services for families in crisis.

In 2015, I published "No Child Care Left Behind: An Ecological Approach to Reaching Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Preschool Students from a Global Perspective."  I have served as a consultant and field educator for Penn State University, Youngstown State University, Hope Academy for Autism, and Laurel Technical Institute. I currently serve as a board member for the Global Sisterhood and an advisory board member for Butler County Community College. My other obligations include a recruitment coordinator for Keystone Smiles AmeriCorps program, director of the Children - Youth Prevention and Empowerment Network, and concept developer for The Operation Lighthouse Project" targeting the heroin and opiate epidemic in Mercer County, Pa. My work and accomplishments are published in the international best seller "Common Threads" and featured in Inspiring Lives Magazine.  In 2018, I was inducted into the Farrell Alumni Hall of Fame.

Prior to my educational and community achievements, I worked 8 years in the banking industry as a check processor and a treasury clerk for the Federal Reserve Bank. I also have a background in the steel industry and hotel management. My family and I currently own and operate a steel hauling transportation company, a non-profit early learning academy, and a tropical low-sugar drink company known as NIU. Currently, I reside in Hermitage, PA with my husband, Kelvin. We have 3 children: Brandyn,Temarah, and Cynthia. 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Business Administration - Penn State University 

Human Resource Management - Geneva College

Master of Science in Organizational Leadership - Geneva College

Ph.D.Instructional Management & Leadership  - Robert Morris University 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Organizational Leadership

Human Resources

Entrepreneurship

Grant writing

Early Childhood Education

Biblical Studies

Payroll Processing

Cost Share - Accounting