On Friday, March 6th, the Conestoga Valley School District welcomed alumni, families, friends, former teachers, and community members to its new District Office Board Room to celebrate four extraordinary graduates at the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Ceremony.

The room was filled with warm reunions and shared memories before the ceremony began at 3:30 PM. Dr. Hartman, CV’s Superintendent, opened with a heartfelt welcome, recognizing that "the achievements of all our Distinguished Alumni … serve as a model for our current and future students."

After the ceremony, Distinguished Alumni, their guests, and members of the CV community gathered for a reception at Lancaster Country Club hosted by the Conestoga Valley Education Foundation. The event celebrated the lasting impact of education reflected in the stories of this year’s honorees and underscored the Foundation’s mission to support opportunities that inspire the next generation of Conestoga Valley students, leaders, and innovators.

Read on to learn about each Distinguished Alumni's extraordinary story.

 Elizabeth (Liz) Fulmer | Class of 2008 | Pastor & Musician

Liz Fulmer was introduced by Mrs. Liz Carney, her former music teacher and current choir director at CVHS — who has since become a member of Liz's congregation.

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At CV, Liz threw herself into music and drama: she sang in the choir, earned a spot in all-state chorus, taught herself piano and guitar, began writing her own music, and even competed in track and field throwing shot-put, javelin, and discus. Mrs. Carney recalled wondering what a student with so many gifts would do with them all — and the answer has been remarkable.

Rev. Liz Fulmer is now the lead pastor at Grandview Church in Lancaster. She graduated from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2020 and was ordained by the Movement of Inclusive Methodists in 2022. Music remains central to her ministry — Mrs. Carney described it as the "life blood" of Liz's work, and her original songs as a "sonic hug." Her talent has earned wide admiration, including from Lady Gaga, who attended a service while in town. As a singer/songwriter, Liz performs throughout Lancaster County and has written, produced, and recorded several albums, including Heaven Knows and The Bible Tells Me So, which benefit Grandview Church. She was named Best Christian Artist at the Central PA Music Awards in 2024.

In her remarks, Liz spoke movingly about her calling, saying she derives inspiration from her congregation.  She strives to walk alongside her congregation and honor their stories. To her, Grandview is not just a church, it is her home.  She credited CV faculty, especially Mrs. Carney and Mrs. Pontz, with nurturing her gifts and shaping her worldview through their investment of time and care. She says that it’s because of their investment in her that she in turn wants to invest in the lives of others.

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Listen to:  The Bible Tells Me So 

Listen to:  Heaven Knows

Ashley Gilgore-Massie | Class of 2003 | FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst

Ashley was introduced by her father, Tom Abram, who recalled a daughter who always took learning seriously — even as a child, she spent hours teaching her younger sister at a whiteboard.

When she needed more of a challenge in math at her elementary school in Lancaster City, she walked across the street to take middle school classes. At CV, she was an honor roll student and cheerleader. A high school questionnaire revealed that her favorite class was English, favorite sports team was the Buckskins, and favorite actor was classmate Jonathan Groff — a preference that has aged remarkably well.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University, Ashley spent a year with AmeriCorps in Lancaster before joining the FBI in 2010. She worked counterterrorism and organized crime cases in the New York Field Office and Washington, D.C., before taking her current position in 2019 as a Supervisory Intelligence Analyst. She manages a team dedicated to identifying offenders and protecting minor victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse, has led large-scale operations that have permanently dismantled several online platforms used to exploit children, and travels internationally to help other countries bring child traffickers to justice.  Tom clearly takes great pride in his daughter’s accomplishments and service to others.

Ashley shared that she had been reluctant to change schools at the start of high school — but quickly found her community at CV. She credited her "rock-star" teachers with expanding her worldview, and gave special thanks to her guidance counselor Mrs. Titus, who was in the audience, for encouraging her to dream bigger. Of her current work, she said: "The last six years of my career have been the most rewarding of my life.” She finds deep satisfaction in her work because she knows it is making a difference for child victims.

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Timothy (Tim) Lapp | Class of 1988 | Chief Encouraging Officer & Author

Tim Lapp was introduced by Dr. Gerry Huesken, who served as Assistant Principal when Tim and his brother Geoff were students — and who later became CV's Superintendent.

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Tim is the CEO (or, as he prefers, Chief Encouraging Officer) of Lapp Electrical Service, Inc. and a partner at East End Enterprises. He is also the author of Shunning to Shining: An Amish Family's Dark Journey Into Light, the story of his Amish grandfather's shunning and his father Manny Lapp's perseverance to build a business and restore his family's good name. Beyond his professional life, Tim is deeply committed to his community — he has served on numerous nonprofit boards, coached youth girls' soccer and basketball, and is actively involved with the Lancaster Chamber, Junior Achievement, Leadership Lancaster, the Paradise Rotary Club, and Hourglass Lancaster. Dr. Huesken expressed gratitude for Tim’s steadfast support of the CV community: "Tim is a CV Buckskin all the way through."

Tim opened by thanking his Heavenly Father for His grace and many blessings.  He thanked Dr. Huesken for his encouragement and belief in him as a student, and for his parents who instilled in him faith, humility, hard work, and caring for others.  He deemed the Class of 1988 the “best class ever,” and took a moment to remember two classmates who are no longer with them, Matt Steller and Jay Haas.  Tim loved his time at West Chester University, which he described as the “Harvard of PA,” especially because he met his wife Marisa there, whom he considers truly his best half.  He says his time at CV taught him to “dream big, work hard, and serve something greater than ourselves.”  He closed with the encouraging words: “You are God’s best; you’ve got the right stuff; keep on shining.”

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  Read Tim Lapp's book: Shunning to Shining

  Alyssa Titus | Class of 1990 | VP of Marketing & Entrepreneur

Alyssa Titus was introduced by her father, Mr. John Titus, a longtime CV math teacher and wrestling coach. Her mother, Mrs. Titus — the guidance counselor Ashley Gilgore-Massie had credited with changing her life — was also in the audience. Mr. Titus noted that the introduction had originally been planned by his dear friend and beloved CV English teacher Ed Sieber, who passed away in January; his memory was honored warmly.

Growing up with two CV educators for parents, Mr. Titus noted that education was a constant topic at the dinner table. Alyssa was Class President in 9th through 11th grade, Student Council President in 12th grade, and — when her father had her in his math class — apparently quite talkative. He took it as a sign of her natural leadership and ability to form meaningful relationships. She earned a Presidential Scholarship to the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, and while still in college, launched her own clothing company, Aly-Wear, Inc., selling to major retailers including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, L.L. Bean, and Bloomingdale's out of a factory in Ephrata.

Alyssa went on to serve as Public Relations Director for Cape Henlopen School District and is currently Vice President of Marketing for Schell Brothers, a leading homebuilder with operations in Delaware, Richmond, Nashville, and Boise. She is also the founder of Schellville, a magical 5.5-acre Christmas village that welcomes over 250,000 visitors each year and was named Best Attraction in Delaware in 2022. She was honored as the National Marketing Director of the Year by the National Association of Homebuilders in 2021 and named one of Delaware's Most Influential People in 2023.  Mr. Titus grew emotional as he touched on his daughter's achievements, clearly taking great pride in her hard work and many talents.

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Alyssa reflected that her entire childhood was wrapped up in CV — and that she wouldn't have it any other way. She credits her family’s immersion in CV for being the reason her life is so rich and full today.  She singled out her math teacher Mr. Reigner, who was in the audience, for staying after school to help her through and make sure she succeeded. Today, she joyfully watches her three daughters thrive as they embrace fashion and entrepreneurship at their new fashion café in Rehoboth Beach — and sees in them the same spirit CV helped nurture in her.

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The 2026 Distinguished Alumni Ceremony was filled with laughter, tears, and genuine CV pride — a celebration not only of four remarkable individuals who have given so much to their communities, but of the teachers, counselors, and coaches who helped shape them. Congratulations to Liz, Ashley, Tim, and Alyssa.

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Thank you to CVEF's sponsors of our Distinguished Alumni reception:  Market Street Sports Group and all of our CV Corporate Partners, Cody and Pfursich Attorneys at Law, Dr. Gerry and Barb Huesken, and Clark Associates Employees Nathan Burkhart, Nick Kramer, and Brendon Martin.

Want to congratulate our Distinguished Alumni?  Leave a comment!