Penn Hills school board has selected a retired state auditor as its newest member.

Joseph Capozoli was appointed to the board and sworn in at Tuesday night’s meeting.

He was selected out of four candidates and appointed by a 6-2 vote.

Board members Elizabeth Rosemeyer and Meryl Thomas voted for Jane Lee.

Capozoli, 66, fills the vacancy created by former board vice president Yusef Thompson Sr., who resigned from his elected post last month. Thompson, 46, had one year remaining on his four-year seat.

Current vice president Jackie Blakey-Tate said she was impressed with Capozoli’s accounting background and resume.

Capozoli served as an auditor for Pennsylvania for 27 years and retired April 2019. Capozoli also worked in Pittsburgh’s city controller’s office for a few years prior to becoming an auditor.

He has been on Penn Hills’ zoning hearing board for about 20 years and was very involved with the school district’s hockey team.

“I like involvement,” Capozoli said after the meeting. “I want to be able to get in and do what I can. We’re in the education business, and to me that should be upfront. Whatever we need to improve on we should improve on. We’re here to provide an education for the kids.”

He graduated from South High School in Pittsburgh in 1973 and from Duff’s Business Institute in 1988.

He’s lived in Penn Hills since 1996 and his two sons, Ryan and Joe, graduated from Penn Hills.

Capozoli said he attempted to get on the board via last year’s election, but was late in filing paperwork.

President Erin Vecchio said she has known Capozoli for many years, and he will be a great asset to the board.

“I think he will do very good because he’s a numbers guy, and he’s going to look and see that the numbers are good in the school district,” Vecchio said. “We need people that know numbers, and he’s involved in the community. We need people that know what’s going on in the community.”

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