Administrative Team
Dr. Darby Copeland
Dr. Darby L. Copeland was appointed the Executive Director of Parkway West Career and Technology (PWCTC) in January 2013. Prior to serving as Executive Director, he was the Assistant Executive Director and Principal of PWCTC for 9 years. Prior to serving in educational administration, he taught Public Safety Technology at the Western Area Career and Technology Center located in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Copeland sits on the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics Workforce Development
Committee, is an Executive Committee Member of the Tri-State Area School Study Council and a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh Class XXXI. Dr. Copeland is a Registered Nurse specializing in Emergency Medicine and a Nationally Certified Paramedic. He is a subject matter expert in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and has authored and edited several EMS textbooks. In October 2020, he became the seventeenth non-physician fellow of the American Academy of EMS in the Country. In addition, he is the only secondary level educator ever to sit on the International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) Editorial Board and is a past Chair of the Board.
Dr. Copeland is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Career of Career Technical Administrators (PACTA) and will begin a two-year term as President on July 1, 2023. He also holds
membership in the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PAESSP) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO).
Dr. Copeland was the 2016 recipient of the inaugural Carnegie Science Award in Leadership in Career and Technical Education.
When asked about the importance of CTE, he said, "CTE affords students many opportunities that they otherwise would not have had and allows them to find their passion at a much younger age. CTE launches students into a career path that provides a family sustaining wage, while fulfilling their passion."
Brock Snedeker
Mr. Brock Snedeker has been with Parkway West CTC since 2005. He began his career at Parkway as a Public Safety Technology instructor. He shifted to administration and served as the Assistant Principal before assuming his current role as Assistant Director/Principal during the 2013-2014 school year. Before entering the educational field, Mr. Snedeker worked as a paramedic and Emergency Medical Services educator at Belmont College.
Mr. Snedeker is involved in conducting program approval reviews for Career & Technology Education programs in Pennsylvania. This involves working with the Department of Career & Technology Education of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other local Career & Technology Centers to ensure that these programs meet standards and criteria for approval. This work involves evaluating program curricula, facilities, and faculty, as well as assessing the outcomes and success of graduates.
Mr. Snedeker is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Career Technical Administrators (PACTA) and the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PAESSP).
Michael Leddy
Mr. Michael Leddy has been with Parkway West CTC since 2013. He has been in his current role as Assistant Principal since the 2022-2023 school year. Prior to that, he was the Electrical Systems Technology Teacher. Before entering the educational field, Mr. Leddy worked as an International Brotherhood of Electrical Works (IBEW) Local Union #5 Electrician, where he still is an active member.
Mr. Leddy’s educational journey started at Steel Center for Career & Technical Education, where in high school, he focused on the electrical occupations trade. While in the IBEW apprenticeship program, he earned his Associate’s degree (AS) in Electrical Science from the Community College of Allegheny County. He continued his education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S) at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and then his Master of Education (M.Ed.) at the California University of Pennsylvania.
When asked about the importance of CTE education, he said, “My passion for CTE Education runs deep! It started for me when I was a CTE student myself, and I look forward to sharing that passion with this generation of students.”
Mr. Leddy is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Career Technical Administrators (PACTA) and the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PAESSP).