From Trailblazers to Citizen Leaders: Coach Josie Harper’s Legacy Lives On at Penncrest High School

Great coaches do more than develop athletes. They develop confidence, character, and a sense of responsibility that lasts long after the final game.

Few people embodied that philosophy more completely than Coach Josie Harper. A Penncrest alumna, Hall of Fame coach, national lacrosse leader, and Ivy League trailblazer who became the first female Athletic Director in the Ivy League while at Dartmouth, Harper spent decades opening doors for others and expanding opportunities for young women in athletics.

Yet her greatest legacy may not be the championships she won or the barriers she broke. It may be the generations of students, athletes, and community leaders whose lives she helped shape.

That legacy continues today through the Coach Josie Harper Scholarship Fund, established in 2024 and administered by The Community’s Foundation (TCF). Created by Penncrest alumni and supporters following Harper’s passing, the fund supports Penncrest High School female student-athletes who demonstrate character and leadership, commitment to athletics, academic achievement, and financial need.

More importantly, the fund reflects the values Harper championed throughout her life. As scholarship committee member Sheryl Hoffman often emphasizes, its purpose extends beyond athletics or financial assistance. The goal is to help develop the next generation of citizen leaders: young people who use their talents, education, and opportunities to make a meaningful difference in their schools, workplaces, and communities.

That vision has attracted a growing network of supporters, including former educator, coach, business leader, and philanthropist Joe Moglia, whose own life’s work reflects many of the same principles that guided Harper’s remarkable career.

A Shared Commitment to Leadership

Long before he became Chairman and CEO of TD Ameritrade, Joe Moglia was an educator and coach. His journey took him from Penncrest High School to Dartmouth College, where his path overlapped with Harper’s through two institutions that played pivotal roles in both of their lives.

While their careers followed different trajectories, both believed in the transformative power of education, mentorship, and athletics.

For Moglia, the scholarship fund is closely aligned with themes that have defined his own career: education, mentorship, and investing in young people. From coach and educator to business leader and philanthropist, he has consistently championed opportunities that help individuals grow and reach their potential. His support of the Coach Josie Harper Scholarship Fund helps create those same opportunities for future Penncrest students, advancing the development of the next generation of citizen leaders.

Legacy in Action

One of the most meaningful moments from this year’s Coach Josie Harper Golf Outing and Dinner fundraiser came when Caitlin Crumlish, the fund’s first scholarship recipient, joined Sheryl Hoffman as co-host of the evening.

The moment captured the fund’s mission perfectly: one generation investing in the next. In many ways, Caitlin represents exactly what Coach Harper spent her life developing and what the scholarship seeks to encourage today: confident young people prepared to lead, serve, and make a difference.

Looking Ahead

The Coach Josie Harper Scholarship Fund is ultimately an investment in people.

Through the stewardship of The Community’s Foundation and the dedication of the founding volunteers – Sheryl Hoffman, Tina Brunetti, Jane Follmer, Sharon Duffey, Becky Michael, and Patti Jo Lewis – the fund is helping create opportunities for future Penncrest students to learn, lead, and serve.

With support from community leaders like Joe Moglia, that vision continues to grow.

Coach Harper’s legacy lives on through the citizen leaders who continue to emerge because of the path she helped create.