Board of Directors
David Smaczniak
Chair of the Community Outreach Committee
David G. Smaczniak began his involvement with the Character Council of Western New York in 2004, when the organization was still known as the Hamburg Character Council. Dave has been the building liaison from Frontier High School since that time. He served on the Education Committee, composed of representatives of all Member Schools, beginning in 2005. He became chairman of the Education Committee in 2010 and served in that role until 2015. He joined the Board of Directors of the Character Council of Western New York in 2020.
Dave is a graduate of Canisius College with a Bachelors degree in Secondary Social Studies and History and also received Master degrees from Cansisus in History, General Education and Education Administration. Dave began teaching in West Seneca part-time in 1997 and later went on to teach at Our Lady of Czestochowa in Sloan, Heim Middle in Williamsville and at Riverside Institute of Technology and the Academy of Science, Mathematics and Business Technology in the Buffalo City Schools. In 2004 he became Assistant Principal of Frontier High School in Hamburg and has been with the district since then. Dave represents Frontier on the Education Committee of the Southtowns Chamber of Commerce, the Hamburg Drug-Free Communities Coalition and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hamburg Parent-Child Connection. Dave has been the long-time Vice President of the Frontier Parent Teacher Student Alumni Association (PTSA) and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Western Region PTA, chairing the Education and Advocacy Committees.
Dave is a former member (President and Vice President) of the West Seneca Board of Education, the Erie 1 BOCES Board of Education, the Board of Directors of the Erie County School Boards Association and is the immediate past Regional Director of the New York State School Boards Association, elected to represent Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming Counties. Dave also previously served on the board of directors of Promoting Partners in Public Education, Incorporated and the WNED Think Bright Advisory Board. He also was a board member of the Kosciuszko Foundation of Western New York, the Professional and Businessmen’s Association, the Stiglmeier Park Steering Committee and the West Seneca Development Corporation. Dave has been active in his church, St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Cheektowaga and with Southline Athletic Association – Little League.
Dave has been honored for his service to students, youth and the community with the following awards: Western New York Foreign Language Educators’ Council – Friend of Foreign Languages Award, Western Region PTA – Jane Skrzypek Educator of the Year Award, Business First – 40 Under 40 Award, Business First – Pathfinders Award, Town of Cheektowaga – Service to Youth Award, and the Am-Pol Eagle – Citizen of the Year Award.
Dave resides in West Seneca.