Lecturers at the Jefferson Educational Society

Michael Fuhrman, M.S.A., was born in Frankfurt, Germany to a U.S. Army Master Sergeant, and returned to his family’s hometown of Erie at the age of seven, where he grew up in Marvintown at 27th and Parade Streets, graduating from St. John’s, Academy High School, and Mercyhurst College on Erie’s east side. An All-City linebacker on Mercyhurst’s inaugural football team, Michael graduated in 1985 with a B.A. in Dance. He spent more than two years touring Europe, returning home as Lake Erie Ballet’s first principal dancer. He earned a second degree in English from Mercyhurst and an M.S. in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He was the Director of the 1995 Greater Erie Bicentennial, Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, Project Manager for Destination Erie and founder of the Jefferson’s Civic Leadership Academy. Michael Fuhrman is the Executive Director of All Aboard Erie which is a member of the Lakeshore Rail Alliance.