American Red Cross
Maria Elena Geyer has been appointed chief executive officer of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Blood Services Region. Ms. Geyer, who took her new role on Monday, will lead regionwide activities, focusing on the expansion of efficient collections, continuous quality improvement and enhancing customer and donor satisfaction. She will oversee the development and execution of operations, ensuring that blood is available for hospital patients in need. She was previously the director of donor and volunteer resources at Puget Sound Blood Center in Seattle, and created nationally recognized inventory blood models and secured funding to launch new recruitment technology. An author and consultant, Ms. Geyer holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology, pre-med, and a Bachelor of Science in art from Jacksonville University in Florida. She will be working out of the Wilkes-Barre Blood Services location.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates
Sharon Lightfoot-Wade, Realtor; Charlotte Ashworth, Realtor; and Gene Meisenhelder, Realtor, have recently joined the real estate team and will work from the Stroudsburg office.
Ms. Lightfoot-Wade, a full-time agent for the past 25 years, provides online marketing for buyers and sellers throughout the Pocono Mountains region.
Ms. Ashworth has been licensed by the state for more than 15 years and lived in Texas before moving to the Poconos.
Mr. Meisenhelder is a lifetime resident of the Pocono Mountains and resides in Stroudsburg with his wife and two children. A graduate of East Stroudsburg University with a degree in economics, Mr. Meisenhelder won a number of awards including Rookie of the Year in 2004.
Citizens Savings Bank
The bank recently held a program to find outstanding community leaders in its market area and awarded JoAnn Romano Hallesky the Outstanding Community Leader Award for Lackawanna County. Ms. Hallesky was presented an award certificate. A $500 donation was made in her name to St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, the charity of her choice.
Geisinger Health System
Steven L. Strongwater, M.D., has been named chief transformation officer. In this role, Dr. Strongwater will provide administrative oversight and leadership by improving health outcomes, access to health services and the way patient care is delivered by linking scientific discovery, health care delivery and the reimbursement for health services. Dr. Strongwater comes to Geisinger from Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he served as executive officer of Stony Brook University Hospital since 2007. Dr. Strongwater earned his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, N.Y., after completing a residency in internal medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical Center, he completed a rheumatology fellowship at the University of Michigan.
Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northeastern PA
Kishori G. Veerabhadrappa, M.D., has joined the group since relocating to the area after completing her fellowship at Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. She earned a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery at J.J.M. Medical College, Davangere, India. She completed her internship and served as chief resident in Internal Medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. She is board certified in internal medicine and board eligible in hematology and medical oncology. Dr. Veerabhadrappa lives in Clarks Summit with her husband and two children.
Keystone College
Susan Belin, Mark Carpenter and Betty Turock, Ph.D., have been elected as the newest members of the board of trustees.
Mrs. Belin, of Waverly, returns to service as a longtime member of the Keystone board, having served from 1983-1996 and 2002-2011. She served as president and executive vice president for the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute and marketing director for Healthcare Management Resources Inc. Mrs. Belin has a bachelor's degree in history from Wheaton College and a master's degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Binghamton and has attended the master's program at the University of California at Berkley. Mrs. Belin is married to Dorrance R. Belin. The Belins have three sons and five grandchildren.
Mr. Carpenter, of Factoryville, is vice president and chief financial officer for Select Sire Power Inc., Tunkhannock. Mr. Carpenter received the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to the community. Mr. Carpenter obtained a Bachelor of Science from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration from Marywood University. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two daughters, Paige and Madeline.
Dr. Turock returns to the Keystone board, having served from 2002-11. She is professor and dean emeritus at Rutgers University, where for 22 years she was a member of the faculty of the School of Communication and Information. A Charles Weston Scholar at Keystone College, Dr. Turock earned a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and a master's and doctorate from Rutgers.
Keystone also elected new board officers: Thomas G. Speicher, '72, chairman: Mrs. Belin, first vice chairman; William Aubrey II, second vice chairman; Susan Scranton Dawson, secretary; Joseph Quinn, treasurer; John Pullo, '69, assistant secretary/treasurer.
King's College
Local faculty members recently received teaching awards or were named to established professorships.
Gregory Bassham, Ph.D., of Mountaintop, professor of philosophy, was named to the Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Professorship.
Amy Parsons, Ph.D., of Jenkins Twp., was selected to receive the PNC Distinguished Service Professorship. She is a professor of marketing.
Bridget Costello, P.h.D., Woodstock, Vt., associate professor of sociology, was named the recipient of the Donald Grimes, C.S.C., Annual Award for Service-Learning Teaching Excellence.
Greg Janik of Dallas, clinical professor of athletic training, was selected to receive the Max and Tillie Rosenn Award for Faculty Excellence.
Lou Palmeri of Kingston has received the Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award at King's College. Mr. Palmeri, a 1977 graduate of King's, teaches in the sociology department.
Misericordia University
Misericordia University recently welcomed the addition of 11 new full-time faculty members to campus for the 2012-13 academic year.
In the College of Arts and Sciences: Richard A. Boada, Ph.D., has been named an assistant professor of English. Dr. Boada holds a doctorate in creative writing and literature from the University of Southern Mississippi; a Master of Arts in creative writing and literature from the University of Louisville, and a Bachelor of Arts from Bellarmine University in Kentucky.
Christopher M. Carr, Ph.D., has been appointed as an assistant professor of religious studies. Dr. Carr earned his doctoral degree in religious studies and his undergraduate degree in speech from Marquette University.
Frank Yepez Castillo, Ph.D., has been named a visiting assistant professor of chemistry/biochemistry. He earned his doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma and his Bachelor of Science in materials engineering from the Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela.
Abigail P. Davis, M.S., was appointed as an assistant professor of physician assistant studies. She has a master's degree in physician assistant studies and a Bachelor of Science in biology from Marywood University.
Elisa P. Korb, Ph.D., J.D., has been named an assistant professor of fine arts. Dr. Korb earned her doctorate from the University of Birmingham, U.K.; her juris doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and her undergraduate degree in history of art from the Adelphi University Honors College, Garden City, N.Y.
Christopher A. Stevens, Ph.D., has been appointed as an assistant professor of history and government. He holds a doctorate in political science from Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass., a Master of Arts in political science from the University of Delaware and an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
In the College of Health Sciences: Jennifer Dessoye, O.T.D., has been named an assistant professor of occupational therapy. She holds a doctorate and Master of Science degrees in occupational therapy from Misericordia University and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Misericordia University.
Tracy Golder, M.S.N., was appointed as an assistant professor of nursing. Ms. Golder is a candidate for a Ph.D., from Capella University. She also has a Master of Science in nursing from Bloomsburg University, Bachelor of Science in nursing from Pennsylvania College of Technology, and earned her R.N. from the Geisinger School of Nursing.
Brenda Pavill, Ph.D., has been named an associate professor of nursing. She earned her doctorate in education and human development from Marywood University; her family nurse practitioner and Master of Science in nursing from Misericordia University; her Master of Science in early childhood education from Bloomsburg University; her B.S.N. from Wilkes University and her R.N. from St. Agnes Medical Center.
In the College of Professional Studies and Social Sciences: Zhen Ma, Ph.D., has been named an assistant professor of business. Dr. Ma has a doctorate degree in economics, a master's degree in philosophy from the City University of New York Graduate Center; and a Bachelor of Arts in accounting and computer science from the City University of New York Queens College.
Paul Nardone, M.S., was appointed as a visiting assistant professor of business. He has a Master of Science in organizational management and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Misericordia University.
O'Malley & Langan
Melissa Theis of the Marcellus Shale Oil and Gas Litigation Group was a guest speaker at the Annual Ohio Association for Justice Convention held in Columbus in May. Ms. Theis was one of a number of industry experts invited by the OAJ to contribute to the educational forum.
Price Chopper Supermarkets/Golub Corp.
Jay Mandrillo has been hired as director of bakery merchandising reporting directly to Keith Frosceno, group vice president, fresh foods merchandising. In his new position, Mr. Mandrillo will be responsible for overseeing bakery procurement, merchandising, sales and developing competitive programs for the 129 store chain. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Business at Rutgers University in New Jersey and resides in North Brunswick, N.J., with his wife, LeeAnn, and son, James.
Reading & Northern Railroad
Dennis Shaffer has joined the railroad's management team as vice president of business development. Mr. Shaffer has had a broad range of executive experience in the railroad and distribution business, having held senior level positions in operations, marketing, finance, and planning for several major railroads. Mr. Shaffer will be focusing on new business development and development of long term strategic initiatives. After earning a bachelor's degree in business logistics from Penn State University in 1971 he joined the Rock Island Railroad as a cost analyst. He and his wife, Cynthia, are residents of Lewisburg.
Riverside Rehabilitation
Tiffany Remington, M.S., C.C.C.-S.L.P., as a full-time speech therapist and Lindsey Conner Stephens, a full-time occupational therapy assistant, have joined the team. Ms. Remington is a graduate of State University of New York with a Bachelor of Science in speech pathology and audiology. She also received a Master of Science in communication sciences and disorders from Marywood University. Ms. Remington evaluates and treats adult and pediatric patients with deficits in speech, articulation, language, voice, swallowing and cognition resulting from brain injuries, strokes, and other neurological and auditory processing disorders. Ms. Stephens received her associate degree of science from Penn State University. In her role as certified occupational therapy assistant, Ms. Stephens will work with Riverside's occupational therapists to rehabilitate patients.
Riverside Rehabilitation employees who were recently promoted include Briona Cordero, S.L.P.-C.C.C., who has been promoted to manager of the speech language pathology department; Kevin Riorden, L.P.T.A., has been promoted to assistant clinic director of Riverside Rehabilitation's Stroudsburg location; and Erin Mattox, L.P.T.A., has been promoted to assistant clinic director of Riverside's Tobyhanna location.
United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania
United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania has formed a Young Professionals Auxiliary Board of 20 local leaders to help support the agency with fundraising and events, as well as to work with the agency's current board of directors on raising awareness of programs and other initiatives.
Ken Knelly, executive director of Communications and Marketing at Baptist Bible College, will serve as the liaison between the YPAB and UNC's board of directors.
Eric Weinberg, manager of financial services at Prudential Financial, was elected chairman of the YPAB.
Lynn Scramuzza, a professor at the University of Scranton, was elected communications chairwoman.
Carolyn Tugend Quinn, academic specialist at Educational Opportunity Centers, and Jude McDonough, financial consultant at First Liberty Wealth Management, will be the chairwomen of major events.
Other members of the Young Professionals Auxiliary Board include: Ryan Alpert, Interstate Hotels and Resorts Inc.; Attorney Paul G. Batyko, Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald LLP; Sarah Fortunato, Entercom Communications; Joe Gluba, Marywood University; Lauren Greenwood, Autism Behavioral Services Inc.; Carrie Hodovanic, Wright Center; Jonathan Kalasinski, Advanced Imaging Specialists; Valerie Kiser, Valerie Kiser Design; Ruth Koelewyn, Marywood University; Michael Muller, DxDempsey; Eric Rogan, SCE Environmental Group Inc.; Attorney Pat Scanlon, Minora, Minora, Colbassani, Krowiak & Mattioli; Alysia Scazafabo, Penn Foster; Jaime Blandina Weinschenk, Geisinger Health Systems; and Jay Weinschenk, Net Driven.
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