Fidelity Bank Announces Banker Promotions

Daniel J. Santaniello, President & CEO, Fidelity Bank, is pleased to announce the promotion of 8 Fidelity Bankers. This distinguished group of Bankers exemplifies the vision and core values of Fidelity Bank.

Theresa M. Hinton, Esq., CTFA, has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Serving Fidelity Bank since 2015, Hinton leads the Trust and Fiduciary services area of Fidelity Bank Wealth Management. She oversees account administration, relationship management, regulatory compliance, and business development. She also provides estate planning consultations to clients.

Hinton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from St. Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania, and a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation in 2019, and her professional affiliations include membership in the Pennsylvania and Lackawanna County Bar Associations.

An active member of the community, Hinton is a board member of the Women’s Resource Center, a member of Lackawanna County Pro Bono’s Elder Law Clinic, and a member of the Estate Planning Council of NEPA. She is the assistant women’s tennis coach at Marywood University.

Hinton resides in Dickson City, with her husband, Attorney Tim Hinton. The couple has four adult children, Sara, John, Emily, and Daniel.

Dena Hughes has been named Bank Officer.  As Business Services Relationship Manager, Hughes provides critical strategic and operational support to increase revenue. She cultivates profitable business relationships and generates fee income by identifying, analyzing, selling, and supporting deposit, treasury management, and workplace banking products and services to clients.

Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Communications from The College of Staten Island, City University of New York.

She serves as Treasurer of the GFWC Pocono Mountain Women’s Club, and as communications co-chairperson of GFWC Pennsylvania.

Hughes resides in Blakeslee with her husband, Stephen Hughes Jr.  She has three stepchildren, Stephen III, Riana, and Angela.

Judy Knowles Comerford has been promoted to Vice President. Comerford has been part of the Fidelity Bank team since 2012, and as Customer Experience Manager, she designs, develops, and delivers client experience training to Fidelity Bankers. She also serves as the Bank’s SAFE Act Officer.  

Comerford holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Marywood University, Scranton.

A resident of Clarks Summit, Comerford has five adult children, Caroline, John, Kathleen, Mary, and Michael.

Lauren Luongo has been appointed Assistant Vice President. As Business Relationship Manager, Luongo reviews and structures commercial loans designed to best meet the needs of new and existing clients. In addition to generating new business, she supports the Bank’s retail division through consultations with Bankers and clients.

Luongo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Misericordia University, Dallas, Pennsylvania.

Active in the community, Luongo is treasurer of North Pocono Feeding Families. She resides in Mayfield Township.

Logan Hansman has been promoted to Vice President. Serving as Retail Services Manager, Hansman leads a team of Bankers dedicated to ensuring efficient and effective branch operations through exceptional support, streamlined procedures and policies, and workflows designed to optimize the client and Banker experience.

Hansman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. She resides in Drums with her fiancé, Steve Eisenhart.

Lori Rowker has been named Bank Officer. A member of the Fidelity Bank team since 1984, she is the AAP, Electronic Banking Team Lead. Rowker facilitates Fidelity Bank’s electronic banking functions, providing critical technical and operational support to clients. She holds an Associate’s degree in Information Systems from Lackawanna College, Scranton, and earned her Accredited ACH Professional designation in 2015.

She resides in Dickson City with her husband, Lawrence.  The couple has a son, Thomas, and a granddaughter, Emma, age 8.

Matthew Stroney has been appointed Vice President, Credit Administration Manager. In his role, he assists in the preparation of the Bank’s quarterly and annual financial statements, prepares monthly and quarterly reports related to the Bank’s loan and asset quality, and manages the appraisal process for all real-estate secured commercial loans.

Stroney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware. He resides in Dalton.

Susan Lucas has been named Bank Officer. A member of the Fidelity Bank team since 1993, she is the Loan Operations Servicing Supervisor. As Loan Operations Servicing Supervisor, she oversees the daily operations of the Loan Servicing Department, including balancing accounts. 

She resides in Peckville.

Marywood University to Host Constitution Day Talk

In recognition of Constitution Day, and with the support of the Dean’s Fund for the Humanities, Marywood University’s Social Sciences Department is hosting Dr. Pippa Holloway from the University of Richmond. Dr. Holloway will present a talk on the history and the evolving story of felon disenfranchisement in the United States and its larger connections to voting rights.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday, September 15, from 7-8:30 p.m., in the Upper Nazareth Dining Room, Nazareth Student Center. In addition to Dr. Holloway’s talk, materials will be available to register to vote and receive information about voting in the upcoming Pennsylvania elections in November.

Dr. Holloway is the Douglas Southall Freeman Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Richmond and the author of Living in Infamy: Felon Disfranchisement and the History of American Citizenship (Oxford University Press, 2014) and Sexuality, Politics, and Social Control in Virginia, 1920–1945 (UNC Press, 2006).

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center named among best major teaching hospitals

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center was ranked No. 9 on Fortune/Merative’s 2022 “25 Top Teaching Hospitals” list. The rankings are based on public data sets including Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website. 

Michelle Thompson, MD, chief education officer and vice dean for graduate medical education and designated institutional official, said, “It’s public affirmation recognizing the clinical leadership team and all Geisinger Wyoming Valley employees for their contributions and efforts leading to a top-quality hospital that allows for an exceptional educational experience for the many residents and students who work and learn here.”

According to Erika Fry, a senior writer at Fortune, Merative’s researchers found that hospitals achieving a ranking tend to share seven key characteristics, including:

  • a mature culture (and a commitment to maintaining it)
  • nursing excellence
  • deeply committed leadership
  • quality-focused hospital boards
  • an embrace of data
  • innovative technology (used in a practical manner), and
  • local autonomy within health systems

These characteristics come as no surprise to Daniel Landesberg, Geisinger’s associate vice president for clinical operations. “At Geisinger Wyoming Valley, we are fortunate to have everything on Merative’s list – particularly excellent nurses and committed leadership that emphasizes innovation and technology,” he said. “Their energy and focus make our hospital the ideal place for residents and fellows to work and learn.”

Fortune also writes that the list, “represents those hospitals that held up best against the pandemic’s ongoing stress test. They achieved better results than peer institutions on performance indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience, and financial health. The study, which for this year evaluated 2,650 U.S. hospitals, relies on publicly available Medicare data for its analysis. The Top Hospitals list also considers an organization’s contributions to its community and equity of care.”

The list is a debut for Fortune/Merative because Fortune’s long-time research partner, IBM Watson Health, became a standalone company named Merative when it was purchased in 2022.

University of Scranton Degree Ranks in Top 7 Percent

A comprehensive analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of college degrees at more than 4,500 colleges in the United States shows the value gains of liberal arts education during the lifetime of a career. The analysis also ranks the ROI of a degree from The University of Scranton among the top 6.1 percent of colleges in the country after 40 years, among the top 7 percent after 30 years and among the top 11 percent after 20 years.

The analysis by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce calculated the 40-year net present value of a University of Scranton degree is $1.133 million, which ranked No. 276 of 4,500 colleges in the nation (top 6.1 percent). The 30-year net present value for a Scranton degree was calculated at $842,000, which ranked at No. 310 in the nation (top 7 percent); and the 20-year net present value of a degree was $488,000, which ranked at No. 489 in the country (top 11 percent).

The Center ranked 4,500 colleges based on the net value of the degrees at 10, 20, 30 and 40 years after enrollment using data from the expanded College Scorecard. The analysis, published online in the spring of 2022, looked at the net cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, books and supplies, and living expenses, minus aid received from all sources. The Center then calculated the net present value of a degree, which is “a metric that includes costs, future earnings and the length of time it would take to invest and earn a certain amount of money over a fixed horizon.”

The analysis found that “bachelor’s degrees from private colleges, on average, have higher ROI than degrees from public colleges 40 years after enrollment. Community colleges and many certificate programs have the highest returns in the short term, 10 years after enrollment, though returns from bachelor’s degrees eventually overtake those of most two-year credentials.”

In addition, the analysis showed “the median ROI of liberal arts colleges is nearly $200,000 higher than the median for all colleges. Further, the 40-year median ROI of liberal arts institutions ($918,000) is close to those of four-year engineering and technology-related schools ($917,000), and four-year business and management schools ($913,000).”

Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings such as U.S. News & World Report and The Economist. Most recently, Money magazine ranked the University at No. 268 among its selection of just 623 of the nation’s best values for a college education.

RailRiders 2023 Season Schedule

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are pleased to announce their schedule for the 2023 season. The RailRiders will open their season on March 31 with a three-game homestand and conclude their second straight 150-game schedule on the road on September 24, split evenly with 75 games at home and 75 on the road.

“While we watch an exciting end to the 2022 season, we are also thrilled to start planning for 2023,” said Katie Beekman, the RailRiders General Manager. “The schedule release now gives our fans a chance to watch some great games over the month ahead while thinking about the next wave of talent ready to represent Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the New York Yankees. It also gives us the momentum to start thinking about how we can make the 2023 season even better than what we experienced this year.”

The 2023 schedule is comprised of 24 six-game series and two three-game sets. The RailRiders will play 132 games against teams from the International League’s East Division and 18 against clubs from the West.

The RailRiders meet teams from the old iteration of the IL North for 117 games out of the 150 scheduled. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plays Buffalo (Toronto affiliate) 21 times and has 24 games apiece against Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia), Rochester (Washington), Syracuse (New York Mets) and Worcester (Boston). The RailRiders will host Omaha, marking the first trip to Moosic for the Kansas City affiliate since 1990, and Norfolk (Baltimore) for six-game sets while traveling to St. Paul (Minnesota) for the second straight year and hitting up Charlotte (Chicago White Sox) and Columbus (Cleveland) for the first time since 2019.

Highlights of the 2023 regular season schedule include:

March 31 thru April 2: Opening Weekend at PNC Field against Buffalo

April 18 thru 30: A 12-game road trip to St.Paul and Worcester. The RailRiders will visit the Saints for the second straight season.

May 2 thru 14: A two-week homestand with Rochester and Omaha coming to town, marking the first time the Kansas City Royals Triple-A affiliate plays in Moosic since 1990.

May 16 thru 21: First SWB trip to Charlotte since August 2019

June 6 thru 11: Norfolk returns to PNC Field for the second straight season as Baltimore boasts one of the top farm systems in baseball.

June 28 thru July 3: Six-game series at Syracuse ending on Monday, July 3

July 4 thru 9: Lehigh Valley heads to PNC Field starting a set on Independence Day

July 14 thru 16: The RailRiders post-MLB All-Star break series takes the club to Norfolk for a three-game set.

August 1 thru 13: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hosts Rochester and Syracuse in a two-week homestand.

August 22 thru 27: The IronPigs return to Moosic for the final IronRail series of the season and the second-to-last homestand of the regular season.

August 29 thru September 10: SWB heads to Rochester and Columbus for the last long road trip of the season.

September 12 thru 17: The RailRiders host Buffalo in the final homestand of the season.

September 19 thru 24: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s final road trip brings the regular season to a close in Syracuse.

Tobyhanna Army Depot QMS Retails Certification

Tobyhanna Army Depot’s quality management system (QMS) will retain the sought-after Aerospace Standard certification after an in-depth surveillance audit by an outside organization last week.

The assessment, conducted by Orion Registrar, verified Tobyhanna’s adherence to AS 9100/9110 – an industry standard that has been achieved by only 20,000 companies worldwide. Like the ISO 9001 certification, AS 9100/9110 requires a more rigorous QMS to support aerospace and defense workloads. Tobyhanna has maintained industry-standard quality certifications since 2003. Only 850 companies worldwide hold the AS 9110 certification.

This year’s audit was anything but typical, according to William Stevens, a quality assurance specialist in the Quality Management Directorate (QMD).

“Surveillance audits, which are conducted between recertification audit years, involve two auditors on-site for five full days – a total of ten auditor days. This year, an emergency kept one auditor from attending, so we expanded the audit to two weeks, one of which was virtual. The depot workforce did a great job adjusting to the constantly changing – and faster paced – approach for this important audit.”

Stevens and other personnel from QMD maintain a year-round program to support the QMS and ensure quality practices are a fundamental part of Tobyhanna operations.

“We don’t just produce quality product on audit days,” said Wayne Daniels, another of QMD’s quality assurance specialists. “We train employees from day one to ensure they are working within the AS standard. We also have outreach programs – such as our weekly AS Steering Committee – to connect regularly with leadership at all levels, ensuring quality is at the forefront of our processes.”

Orion’s Lead Auditor, Eric Barnes, brings a unique viewpoint to his position after spending more than thirty years working for the government – first, as a solider in the U.S. Army responsible for mechanical upkeep of military aircraft. Barnes then worked as a contractor for the Department of Defense (DoD), supporting a similar mission. Depot personnel say Barnes’ background make him a better auditor.

“Eric’s knowledge and years of experience give him insight into our mission, allowing us to draw upon his expertise as we further grow our QMS,” said Daniels, adding that Barnes’ appreciative approach makes the audit more effective.

“Being able to work with our auditor as a cooperative partner as opposed to an adversary is huge.”

Within his recommendation for recertification, Barnes cited numerous best practices and noted the competence of the depot workforce.

“The whole team is open, professional, and willing to take feedback. I’ve been coming here for several years, and I definitely see a cultural shift happening – quality is becoming even more of a focus, which is impressive.”

Auditors will return to Tobyhanna in 2023 to conduct a recertification audit to the AS standard.

Marywood Alumni Office to Host Drive-in Movie Nights

The NEPA Marywood Alumni Chapter is hosting two more movies at the Circle Drive-In, located in Dickson City, for their Summer Series.

On Thursday, August 25, the featured movie is Top Gun: Maverick, while Spiderman (2002) will be shown on Wednesday, September 7. Both of these movies are open to the public.

Pre-registration is available online for the purpose of gathering expected numbers. The cost of admission (at the drive-in) will be $9 for adults and $7 for children aged 3-12. Children under 2 get in free, and Marywood students get a discounted admission price of $5 with their student IDs.

For more information, or to pre-register for the events, go to marywood.edu/alumni/events.

Allied Services Hospice Sponsors Shine Like Susan 5K

Allied Services Hospice & Palliative Care is honored to be a Silver Sponsor of the inaugural Shine Like Susan 5K Run in honor of the late Susan Burke of South Abington Township.

Susan was an avid runner who devoted her life to motivating and inspiring others to achieve their full potential. As a running coach for The Scranton Running Company’s Barrier Breakers, she was able to fulfill this devotion where she coached and helped mentor hundreds of runners.

The race is slated for Monday, September 5, 2022 at Abington Heights Middle School. Proceeds from the race will benefit The Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer through the Scranton Area Foundation.

For more information about the Shine Like Susan 5k visit www.runsignup.com/shinelikesusan