Superman Pharmacist, Grammy nominee, Comcast exec, and former principal named to NPSD Knights of Honor Class of 2026

The North Penn School District has selected the Knights of Honor Class of 2026. 

This year’s nominees include alumni, community members, and former staff members who have had a significant impact on the North Penn community and continually give back to others.

The ceremony will be held on March 12, 2026 at 6 p.m. at North Penn High School, 1340 S Valley Forge Road.

During the 2015-2016 school year as part of the North Penn School District’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, the district introduced the Knights of Honor Program. The program is designed to recognize notable North Penn community members, former staff members and alumni who have brought honor and outstanding service to the district. 

The goal is to pay tribute to these important people and their contributions and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

    

Dr. Mayank Amin, PharmD, RPh, MBA, is a graduate of North Penn High School, Class of 2003, and the owner of Skippack Pharmacy. Known as “Dr. Mak” or “The Superman Pharmacist”, he stepped up to provide thousands of vaccinations and tests to the community during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to run Skippack Pharmacy as a community hub. His full biography on the Knights of Honor page states:

Dr. Mayank Amin, perhaps better known as “Dr. Mak” or “The Superman Pharmacist”, is the owner of Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville and a lifelong member of the North Penn community.

Dr. Amin graduated from North Penn High School in 2003 and continues to keep North Penn involved in his work and life. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Skippack Pharmacy held large-scale vaccination clinics at North Penn High School, including a single-day event vaccinating 6,000 community members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a time when supply and distribution was difficult to navigate for both pharmacies and patients. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Amin ran one of the largest vaccine clinics and testing programs in Pennsylvania, administering over 100,000 vaccines and distributing and administering more than half a million tests. Over 1,000 volunteers and team members came together for more than 200 community clinics to serve their neighbors.

Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Amin wore the now iconic Superman costume to make a medication delivery as a fun surprise for a child. The next time the costume was worn was the first COVID-19 vaccination clinic. As the pandemic continued and Skippack Pharmacy held more vaccine pop-ups, “The Superman Pharmacist” became a hit and a nod to the heroic work of medical professionals. He considers the “S” to stand for “servant”, and that service is the true measure of leadership.

Since opening Skippack Pharmacy, Dr. Amin has administered over 1,000 homebound vaccinations and worked closely with underserved communities, including individuals with disabilities, veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, and homebound patients. He created a sensory-friendly immunization room and partnered with organizations including the Autism Society to promote accessible vaccine clinics. He continues to work closely with county health departments and local, state, and federal officials to improve healthcare access and strengthen public health infrastructure across Pennsylvania. 

Skippack Pharmacy continues to be a community hub. When funding for food stamp recipients was delayed, the pharmacy collected donations for those facing food insecurity. During a large snowstorm when road salt was difficult to find, Skippack Pharmacy gave away salt in exchange for donations to a local nonprofit. Dr. Amin and Skippack Pharmacy have become a vital community resource, supporting not only the physical health of patients, but caring for the well-being and lives of the whole community. 

Dr. Amin also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Patient Safety Authority, an independent state agency established under Pennsylvania Act 13 of 2002. The organization collects reports of patient safety events from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities and analyzes them to prevent recurrence. Dr. Amin was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro in 2024 to fill the seat designated for pharmacists. 

Dr. Amin continues to live in the North Penn community in which he grew up, now alongside his wife and his two children, who he considers his greatest accomplishment.

    

Tina Simmons DeFoor is a graduate of North Penn High School, Class of 1985, and is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Comcast. DeFoor has been recognized for her outstanding work in cable and telecommunications and her leadership across multiple organizations. Her online biography states:

Tina Simmons DeFoor, Class of 1985, is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Comcast. In her role with Comcast, she is responsible for leading all facets of human resources and organizational effectiveness for Consumer Product/Services Connectivity and Platform Teammates. DeFoor has responsibility for all people-related functions, including culture, employee management, sales compensation, change management, labor relations, HR policy, performance management, talent acquisition, and talent management. She previously held a similar role for Comcast’s Central Division. 

She began her career with Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) as Manager of Call Centers for Small Business in Pennsylvania and Delaware. She then transitioned to PECO Energy as the Call Center Manager for call centers serving Southeast Pennsylvania customers. In her role as Practice Manager for Garter Group’s Contact Center Assessment service, DeFoor was able to use her operations experience to identify and share customer care best practices. She also built the Customer Care function at Software Consulting Group. DeFoor joined Comcast in a Customer Operations role in 2000. 

A graduate of Villanova University, DeFoor holds a bachelor's degree in business and went on to earn a Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. Her professional studies include completion of Comcast’s premier leadership development program, Executive Leadership Forum, the Harvard Business School/CTAM (Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing) Cable Executive Management Program, the Cornell University ILR School HR Strategy Executive Education, and the Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) Senior Executive Summit at Stanford Programs. DeFoor is an At-Large Member of the Board of Directors for the WICT Network. She serves as an Executive Champion of Comcast’s Women’s Employee Resource Group, and has served on the Villanova School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

DeFoor has received Villanova University’s Eby Award for Outstanding Post Graduate Achievement, and has frequently been recognized as one of the Most Influential Minorities in Cable and one of the Most Powerful Women in Cable by Cablefax Magazine. DeFoor received the Off the Field Players’ Wives Association “Woman of Impact” Award and the WICT Southeast Chapter Red Letter Award in 2019. In 2022, DeFoor was recognized on the Career Mastered Magazine Diversity IMPACT 50 List in 2022. She currently splits her time between Philadelphia and Atlanta where she resides with her husband. 

    

Burton T. Hynes is a former principal of North Penn High School. He spent nearly his entire career in the North Penn School District and under his leadership continued North Penn’s legacy as a school known for its outstanding academics, athletics, and arts. His Knights of Honor biography states:

Burton T. Hynes, former principal of North Penn High School, spent nearly his entire career in the North Penn School District. He began in 1974 teaching math at Pennfield Junior High School, and then in 1976 teaching math at North Penn High School. In 1984 he became the assistant principal of NPHS, and in 1998 became principal of Penndale Middle School. In 2003, he became the principal of North Penn High School where he remained until his retirement in 2015. 

As principal, Hynes maintained a focus on student achievement, staff recognition, and maintaining excellence at North Penn High School. With his leadership, the school strived for continuous improvement in achievement at the academic, athletic, and activity levels. This focus translated into increased AP course offerings for students, excellence in academics, and an ever-growing number of state championships in multiple sports, and annual recognition for the outstanding talent demonstrated through all of North Penn’s arts programs. This legacy has continued after Hynes’ retirement as North Penn High School remains a school known for its outstanding academics, athletics, and arts. 

While Hynes led North Penn High School, he maintained a culture of care for each and every student. He kept track of any student in need, ensuring they had the support they needed to not only graduate, but succeed. As a staff leader, he maintained the same culture, most often being the first person in the building and the last out every day. He went above and beyond to ensure everyone could grow in their careers, and was always willing to listen and mentor. 

In his 12 years as principal, Burton Hynes saw thousands of students graduate and complete their education at North Penn. Hynes cites the annual commencement ceremony as one of his favorite memories as principal because “it brought over a thousand seniors and our staff together in front of the community to celebrate the culmination of years in education in a respectful ceremony that uplifted all who witnessed it, both in-person and on NPTV.” Other highlights of his time as principal include seeing the football team win their first state championship in 2003, seeing former President Bill Clinton speak on the front steps of North Penn High School in 2008, the annual K-12 art shows, welcoming the senior citizen audiences to the annual Gold Card showing of the spring musical, watching parents navigate the hallways on Back to School Night, working with the International Friendship Committee in their work with the student exchange program, and adding the Air Force JROTC to the NPHS curriculum. 

Burton Hynes lives in Collegeville with his wife, Susan. He currently serves as President of Friends of Worcester, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on the preservation of open space and rural vibe of Worcester Township. He also serves as an elected Republican Committee member for Worcester Township, encouraging residents to actively participate in the electoral process. 

    

Missy Mazzoli is a graduate of North Penn High School, Class of 1998, and is a composer, pianist, and Professor of Music at Bard College. Mazzoli’s music has been performed all over the world by symphony orchestras, opera houses, and she has received three Grammy nominations for her work. Mazzoli’s biography states:

Missy Mazzoli, Class of 1998, is a Grammy-nominated composer, pianist, and professor. Her music has been performed all over the world by the Kronos Quartet, eighth blackbird, Dublin’s Crash Ensemble, pianist Emanuel Ax, Opera Philadelphia, Scottish Opera, Opera Comique, LA Opera, Cincinnati Opera, the Detroit Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Sydney Symphony, JACK Quartet, violinist Jennifer Koh, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, and many others. In 2018 she made history when she became one of the first women to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. That same year, she was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Classical Composition” for her work Vespers for Violin, recorded by violinist Olivia De Prato.

Her most recent opera, The Listeners (commissioned by Opera Philadelphia, Norwegian National Opera, and Chicago Lyric Opera) was created with longtime collaborator Royce Vavrek and playwright Jordan Tannahill. The opera premiered in September 2022 in Oslo and tells an original story set in our time about our search for community and meaning, and the power of charismatic leaders who exploit these desires. 

Mazzoli served as the Mead Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from July 2018 to April 2021. From 2012-2015 she was the Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia, Gotham Chamber Opera and Music Theatre Group. She is currently on faculty as Composer in Residence with the Bard College Conservatory of Music. Among her many accolades, Mazzoli is the recipient of the Musical America 2022 Composer-of-the-Year honor, three Grammy nominations, the Kravis Prize from the New York Philharmonic, and a Fulbright Fellowship.

In 2016, along with composer Ellen Reid, Mazzoli founded Luna Composition Lab, an acclaimed mentorship program and support network. Female, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers continue to make up the small minority of professional composers who are consistently performed, recorded, and celebrated. They often experience a lack of role models and encouragement to compose at a young age. To address this gender imbalance, Luna Composition Lab provides aspiring young female, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers ages 13-18 with a year of one-on-one mentorship, performance opportunities, and high-quality recordings of their work. The Lab has achieved national recognition as a program that not only celebrates underrepresented voices, but also shapes music’s future by providing a support system for continued success.

In discussing her time at North Penn High School, Mazzoli cites Dr. David Giersch and Cindy Louden as teachers who influenced her path in life. “Both were incredibly inspiring and treated us like young professionals, which I really appreciated. Given their early influence it makes sense that I started writing operas and musicals.” 

The ceremony is open to the public. The ceremony will last approximately an hour with a short reception to follow. Attire is business casual. 

Those planning to attend are encouraged to RSVP at https://www.npenn.org/our_district/knightsofhonor/knights_of_honor_r_s_v_p/. 

To learn more about the Knights of Honor program and read about past honorees, please visit the NPSD website.