Posted on October 6, 2025
At Penn-Mar, the guidance and support of our Boards of Directors have been essential to every achievement we’ve made and each goal we continue to pursue. That’s why I want to take a moment to celebrate two long-standing Board members who have gone above and beyond to support our mission and inspire us to dream bigger.
Though they are retiring from our board after many years of service, the dedication of Mort Zifferer and Jill Golueke will continue to have a lasting impact for many years to come. Their invaluable insights and ongoing support have been such a blessing in both my professional and personal life. Please join me in honoring my two great friends and the legacy of their service.
Mort Zifferer
Mort joined our Human Services Board in 1996 and served for 29 groundbreaking years. He has been a driving force behind Penn-Mar, and his passion for our mission and the people we support is astonishing. Mort’s devotion to Penn-Mar was not formed due to a personal connection to someone with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), yet from the moment he was exposed to our mission so many years ago, he fully embraced it. His leadership was instrumental in helping to grow our organization and the number of people we now serve.
A principled man of incredibly high standards, Mort is the guy you want on your side — not across the table — when you’re fighting a battle. Prior to his retirement, Mort served as Chairman and CEO of New Standard Corporation, a privately held metal products manufacturing firm, since 1983. His expertise in continuous improvement processes and sophisticated supply chain strategies made him an invaluable board member.
A voracious reader, Mort sent me a list of book recommendations which I would dutifully read and later discuss with him for more than a decade. No one has invested more in my leadership than Mort, and he was heavily involved in my 2012 transition from President/Chief Operating Officer to my current CEO position. I consider him a mentor and very good friend.
Mort also served many years on our Foundation Board and was one of the visionaries who challenged us to reach a $25 million endowment at a time when we had a small fraction of that in reserves. Today, the Foundation assets under management are approximately $20 million and quickly heading towards his $25 million vision and beyond.
When Mort speaks, people pay attention. He was highly respected by his fellow Board members. He saw government as our partner, not our adversary, but was a strong proponent of keeping government accountable. Whenever possible, he used his influence to help provide us with access to government legislators who funded our support services.
Penn-Mar honored Mort with our Distinguished Humanitarian Award in 2023, recognizing him as someone who courageously dedicated his life to service and showed unwavering support for Penn-Mar’s ongoing mission.
Mort and his wife Carolyn are also champions of the greater community. They supported and served on the boards of many of the region’s art and humanitarian nonprofits including WITF public television, York College of Pennsylvania, and the Appell Performing Arts Center. He also helped found the Cultural Alliance of York County.
Mort inspires all those who know him to dream big. We are so fortunate that he has been willing to invest whatever it takes to ensure that Penn-Mar will continue to reach its full potential. In recognition of those efforts, I’m pleased to report that on September 25, 2025, our Board of Directors voted unanimously to name Mort a Director Emeritus.
Jill Golueke
Jill Golueke joined Penn-Mar’s Human Services Board in July 2008 and was also one of the first members of our Foundation Board. After stepping down in June following 17 years of service, she is looking forward to spending more time with her family and grandchildren.
To know Jill is to love her. Many people have experienced her big personality in action as she has volunteered for a number of organizations, including Penn-Mar, for some 25 years.
A simple coaster with a Penn-Mar logo caught Jill’s attention at a luncheon she was hosting, and it was our lucky day when she asked, “I wonder what this organization does?” It wasn’t long after that moment that she requested a tour of the facilities for herself and her husband Steve. Since then, the couple has never stopped advocating for Penn-Mar.
Jill started out as a committee volunteer for our Gala, and soon she was the chair of the event. She continued as chair for 18 years! Her efforts helped turn a modest fundraiser into an annual Gala that became the “must attend” social event of the season, raising millions of dollars for Penn-Mar’s services.
In fact, our Gala was moved from Pennsylvania to Maryland to take advantage of the Golueke’s vast network of potential supporters. Jill and Steve introduced Penn-Mar to Breakthru Beverage, the distributor who has donated wine to the Gala for the past 25 years. She also hosted pre-Gala receptions at her home and encouraged one of her friends to do so as well.
Our Galas would never have achieved their current level of success without Jill’s personal involvement. Now, the next generation, guided by her expertise, is ready to take the event to the next level of excellence.
Fittingly, Jill and Steve were our Impact Award recipients at the 2020 Gala, where we publicly acknowledged and thanked them for the selfless dedication of their time, efforts, and resources on behalf of Penn-Mar’s mission.
We are deeply thankful for Mort and Jill, whose leadership, friendship, and generosity have left a lasting mark on Penn-Mar and the people we support. As they step into this next chapter, we wish them joy, fulfillment, and the same sense of purpose they have shared with us for so many years.