Traci Acers, president of the board of directors for the school’s Foundation, will conclude her three-year term at the end of the 2025-26 school year. 

Through her role as president, Acers leads the parent-volunteered board through tasks of finances, funding, event and committee planning. Acers began her involvement with the school when her daughter began high school. 

“Olivia Acers (‘23) was a freshman, and I started volunteering at the staff appreciation events,” Acers said. “Then, I learned about the Foundation, and I applied. And through those years, … I got more and more involved every year. Then, I started taking on Challenge Days. That was my first role, which I absolutely love[d]. That’s where my heart is. And then someone [said] ‘Traci, you should be the President.’ That was pretty much how that happened.”

When Acers entered the position, it was an “interesting time,” for the Foundation. 

“Joe [Austin] was new as the [Executive Director of the TPHS Foundation staff], and we had a new President,” Acers said. “So, it was just a system of ‘How are we going to raise more money? How are we going to get the money out?’”

Clarifying the systems of the Foundation, Joe walks through the processes that take place.

“[First, we have] smaller group conversations at the committee level that then get blasted out to the board level to get operationalized,” Joe said. “A lot of the planning in between these monthly meetings is smaller groups, Tracy, I and the [Vice President] of Development [Kerily McEvoy] or our Director of Operations [Angi Austin] or the staff members, talking about how to put the wheels in motion, to create the largest fundraising outcomes, to have the biggest impact on campus.”

Joe emphasizes the “absence of structure” when Acers entered the role of president.

“We created and then strengthened some committee structures,” Joe said. “We really started to think about how we are recruiting members, parent volunteers to this board and utilizing their experience to the best benefit of the board.”

The role of the Foundation, Joe notes, is the “connection between high school parents and the school.”

In high school, the connection “starts to feel a little bit more distant for parents, and that was my experience, not just as a parent of a high schooler, but also as a leader of high school and as a teacher of high school kids,” according to Joe.

Through her time on the Foundation, Acers set up new systems, such as implementing a new grant procedure.

“We have three grant cycles where teachers can apply for grants,” Acers said. “And then we have mini-grants at the start of the year. So, [we have] a grant committee that looks at what the needs are and [what] doesn’t meet our mission.”

Working often with Acers, Joe explains that her “biggest contributions” are hard work and being able to take an “honest look at what the composition of the board was” when she initially entered the role.

“A really unique contribution that Traci has is that she’s very connected to the community,” Joe said. “Her kids have been involved in a lot of different student experiences, athletics [and] clubs, so she knows a lot of people. She’s not shy about taking calls and talking to people, and people are not afraid to give her unfiltered feedback about the way things go, and how they feel about it.”

Important questions that were constantly asked were: “How do we make all boats at [TPHS] float? How does the Falcon Fund that we collect make the experience better for every kid who goes here?” according to Joe.

Over her eight years of involvement, Acers emphasizes her favorite role through leading challenge days.

“I really love students,” Acers said. “[It] just amazes me to watch kids in action and being leaders, and I love it.” And then I love having [students] on the board. We have a student [representative from the Associated Student Body.] I’m always amazed. We usually try to bring in different groups to speak. So we’ve had [the Peer Assistant Listeners (PALs) and] the robotics team, and just hearing the students share about what they do. My mind is blown. I just love that.”

Angi discusses Acers’ contributions to the event.

“I have a weekly meeting with her and I worked with her on Challenge Days, which is really her baby,” Angi said. “She has that really dialed in and [she’s] done it for four years. A lot of what I do is sort of compiling information: registrations, coordinating and volunteers. It’s really been amazing.”

Beyond Challenge Days, Acers helps with different parts of the school.

As a Social Media Student Intern for the Foundation and a Social Media Manager of PALs, Axel Wiklund (11), Acers played a prominent role in his work life.

“Traci has helped by being super understanding and a helpful employer and coordinator,” Wiklund said. “She has used her communication and her role well to better the school and the opportunities available for students.”

Joe expresses gratitude for Acers’s contributions.

“I feel like we take so much of her time,” Joe said. “How do you thank someone for the amount of time they would otherwise be spending with their family? It’s really thankless what she’s done.”

Acers shares her future plans for school involvement, stepping in as Past President for the 2026-27 school year until her son, Cruz Acers (11), graduates. Parent volunteer on the board of directors Tom Leddo plans to follow Acers.

Angi explains that the Foundation does not typically get a Past President, and it is a “luxury.”

“Sometimes the president has their graduating seniors, so they’re not returning,” Angi said. “So luckily, she still has Cruz going to be here one more year. It is beneficial [because of] their historical knowledge … to work with the executive committee and the board. Obviously, whenever we have a new president come in, there’s a lot for them to learn. I think being an advisor to them is the most valuable, letting them know where we still have weaknesses.”