Maria Traino – EMPOWER Conference Speaker

Owner, Inspired Studio

Presentation: Get Out of Your Own Way

Learn how to get out of your own way and intentionally design all areas of your life through brain-based transformation.

Bio:

Maria Traino is an award-winning, professional brand designer of nearly two decades. She founded Inspired Studio, a design and marketing agency, and is a certified NeuroCoach who works with entrepreneurs to intentionally define and design their version of success… from the inside out.

Maria developed The Designer’s Approach, a step-by-step framework for brain-based transformation. Maria naturally approaches life and business challenges the exact same way she would approach a design challenge: with curiosity, creativity, and knowing that a solution always exists.

Part of Maria’s secret for success has been understanding that her clients already have answers inside of them—it’s her honor, as a designer and a coach, to help them realize their uniqueness, shatter limiting beliefs, and intentionally create lasting transformation using the power of neuroscience.

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Lackawanna College to Host Kyle Richard

On Thursday, January 27 at noon, the Lackawanna College Student Wellness Program will host guest speaker Kyle Richard at the Peoples Security Bank Theater, 501 Vine St., Scranton. Richard will share his story with students to promote active bystanders and speak about violence prevention awareness.

The Kyle Richard event is part of Lackawanna College’s “It’s On Us Lackawanna” project, which was funded by a grant award from Governor Tom Wolf’s 2020-2021 It’s On Us PA grant program.

Geisinger Honors Susan M. Robel Award Winners

Geisinger has recognized 10 employees who go above and beyond in their dedication to patients at work and in the community with the Susan M. Robel Nursing Scholarship and Caring Award.

Created to honor the legacy of Sue Robel, Geisinger’s former chief nursing officer and co-chief patient experience officer, the two award programs annually recognize the dedicated work of Geisinger employees.

“Our Geisinger family members are always looking for ways — big and small — to improve the patient experience and make better health easier for everyone,” said Janet Tomcavage, chief nursing executive at Geisinger. “Congratulations to all of these deserving recipients. We thank you for your service to our patients and the communities we serve.”

The Caring Award honors Geisinger employees who are dedicated to caring for others in the workplace and beyond. Like Robel, who defined collegiality and was an exemplary colleague to all, these people demonstrate a steadfast commitment to serving others and are incredible advocates throughout our community. They inspire with their compassion, thoughtfulness and selflessness. In addition to other honors, winners receive $500 in cash and $500 for their charity of choice.

The Caring Award winners are:

  • Carlos Castillo, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
  • Candace Cremard, RN, Geisinger Community Medical Center
  • Ashley Hoffman, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
  • Judy Rockey, RN, Geisinger Scenery Park
  • Michele Swida, RN, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center

The Nursing Scholarship program recognizes employees currently enrolled in nursing school who exemplify what it means to go above and beyond in providing patient care. These people continually show a commitment to meeting the highest standards of bedside care and work tirelessly to make sure patients are treated with the utmost compassion and kindness. Each scholarship recipient receives $1,000 toward their tuition, funded by the Alice E. Steele Endowment.

The Nursing Scholarship winners are:

  • Brianna Benscoter, RN, Geisinger Medical Center
  • Megan Harshbarger, Geisinger Lewistown Hospital
  • Jasselis Pozo-Guzman, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
  • Terri Seidel, RN, Geisinger Medical Center
  • Katelyn Urbina, RN, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center

Broadband Funding Webinar

Please join the Office of US Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and officials from the US Department of Agriculture and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for an educational conversation on available broadband funding opportunities for Pennsylvania communities. Any questions or concerns may be directed to elizabeth_kishbaugh@casey.senate.gov

NeighborWorks NEPA Receives Contribution from Honesdale National Bank

NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NeighborWorks) recently accepted a contribution from Honesdale National Bank (HNB), in the amount of $10,000 through the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP).

The contribution will support the Scranton Beautiful Blocks Program for 2022. Beautiful Blocks, which is jointly sponsored by NeighborWorks and the City of Scranton, provides matching grants of up to $1,000 to each member of a group of at least five Scranton residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. Grants are awarded annually through a competitive application process.

HNB President & CEO, Thomas E. Sheridan, stated, “At HNB, we are thrilled to support a program that provides greater opportunity for families to grow in our local neighborhoods.” He said, “The future of our communities is vested in partnerships just like these and we appreciate all NeighborWorks is doing to accelerate local opportunities.”

“Honesdale National Bank has been a steadfast partner for our community work over the years,” said Jesse Ergott, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania President & CEO. “Their contribution to this year’s Beautiful Blocks Program is just another example of how they prioritize direct and measurable investment in our neighborhoods.”

Treasurer Garrity Visits Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Treasurer Stacy Garrity toured Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas, then took part in a roundtable discussion about education opportunities and economics in the region. Representatives of Lackawanna College, the Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center, Northern Tier Industrial Education Center, Commonwealth Charitable Management, the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce, the Wyoming County Community Alliance, and Coterra took part in the roundtable discussions.

Treasurer Garrity shared the importance of the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program as a tool to support workforce development and help families save to make education of all types more affordable. She also emphasized the need for the Keystone Saves legislation. Keystone Saves allows employers who don’t currently have retirement plans for employees to provide retirement savings options to more than two million Pennsylvanians.

“Lackawanna College’s School of Petroleum and Natural Gas is a crucial resource here in the northeast, where local industries need highly skilled workers,” Garrity said. “Programs like Treasury’s PA 529 program can help make education more affordable for students by offering tax-advantaged savings options to help pay for any type of higher education, including the many career-focused certificates and two-and four-year degrees offered right here in their own backyard.”

The PA 529 College and Career Savings Program offers families two plans to choose from, the PA 529 Investment Plan (IP) and the PA 529 Guaranteed Savings Plan (GSP). IP account earnings are based on financial market performance, while GSP earnings are based on college tuition inflation.

Both plans offer generous tax benefits including a state income tax deduction on contributions (up to $16,000 per beneficiary per year; $32,000 for married couples); PA state and federal tax-free contribution growth; no income tax paid on account growth when used for qualified expenses; and gift and inheritance tax benefits. Families can learn more about how to start saving with PA 529 plans at pa529.com or by calling 800-440-4000.

“The Pennsylvania 529 plan is a great benefit for families and our communities,” said Sue Gumble, Director of the Lackawanna School of Petroleum and Natural Gas. “A career in the energy industry can be life-changing. This program financially prepares students for college, providing them with the means to pursue a degree and graduate prepared to enter the workforce.”

“While our PA 529 program helps students pay for critical job-force training, there is potential for the same model to work to help them save throughout their careers and be better prepared for retirement,” Garrity said. “Proposed Keystone Saves legislation is by far the most business-friendly state retirement program out there, and it is so important that we make it a reality to help our friends and neighbors — our favorite waitress, hairstylist or mechanic — people we all know — have an easy way to save for retirement. It’s also a big boost for employers who would be able to offer retirement benefits to attract and retain more workers.”

Keystone Saves, which will be introduced as HB 2156 by prime sponsor Rep. Tracy Pennycuick (R) and co-sponsor Rep. Michael Driscoll (D), will expand retirement savings opportunities for more than two million Pennsylvanians. The business-friendly program lets employers offer retirement plans without having to worry about start-up costs, program liability, and other red tape that keeps them from doing so. Businesses will simply provide an employee census to Treasury and process a payroll deduction.

Keystone Saves will be administered much like the PA 529 program as a public-private partnership. Employees maintain complete control of their accounts, and the accounts can follow them from job to job. The proposed legislation already has more than 50 co-sponsors from across the commonwealth. Ten other states have enacted similar legislation.

“Keystone Saves is a win, win, win,” Garrity said. “Employers can offer a great benefit, hardworking Pennsylvanians get an easy way to save for retirement, and taxpayers save billions of dollars, because it’s estimated that without action unprepared retirees will cost Pennsylvanians more than $14 billion over 15 years to cover extra social services costs.” “It’s clear that Treasurer Garrity understands the crucial role that energy plays in our country’s economy and workforce development,” said George Stark, Director of External Affairs at Coterra Energy. “Her eagerness to learn about our industry is refreshing and we’re excited for the chance to share more about our commitment to the community and environmental excellence.”

The Wright Center President Named Governor-Elect for the Eastern Region of the PA-ACP

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been elected governor-elect for the eastern region of the American College of Physicians’ Pennsylvania Chapter (PA-ACP).

Beginning in April, she will serve one year as governor-elect concurrently with Dr. Lawrence H. Jones, governor of the eastern region whose term expires in 2023. Her four-year term as governor begins April 2023.

Founded in 1915, the American College of Physicians is a national organization of internists, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and care of adults. It is the nation’s largest medical-specialty organization, with more than 161,000 members, of which more than 7,800 are members of the PA-ACP chapter. The PA-ACP chapter has three regional governors that represent the eastern, western and southeastern regions of the commonwealth.

“I am humbled and proud to represent and advocate on behalf of my physician colleagues we represent, the profession of medicine we embody and the patients, families and communities we serve through the American College of Physicians’ Pennsylvania Chapter,” said Thomas-Hemak, who previously received the prestigious Dr. Ann Preston Women in Medicine and Laureate awards from PA-ACP in 2020 and 2014 respectively. “Our collective mission to improve health care and access has certainly been challenged by the pandemic, but we remain resolute in exceeding the high standards we strive for every day to improve the health and welfare of our local, state and national communities.

“I am grateful for and inspired by the incredible honor and leadership opportunity,” she added.

Overall, the American College of Physicians works to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine and promotes quality patient care, advocacy, education and career fulfillment in internal medicine and its subspecialties.

The 87-member board of governors is an advisory board, featuring representatives from Alabama to Alberta, Bangladesh to Brazil and Ontario to Pennsylvania. Collectively, the elected board members act as an advisory board to the college’s policy-making body, the board of regents. The board of governors implements national projects and initiatives at the chapter level and represents member concerns at the national level.

Born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania, Thomas-Hemak received her undergraduate degree from The University of Scranton. After graduating as a Michael DeBakey Scholar from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and completing Harvard’s Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency in Boston, Massachusetts, she returned to the region to practice and teach primary care. She joined The Wright Center in 2000 and became president of The Wright Center for Community Health in 2007. In 2012, she was named president and CEO of both The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.

Concurrent with her responsibilities as an executive, Thomas-Hemak is also board certified in internal, pediatrics, addiction, and most recently, obesity medicine. Her favorite professional responsibilities are to teach and provide comprehensive primary health services to multigenerational families served by The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice in Archbald and Jermyn, her hometown community where she was born, raised and currently resides with her husband and three children.

For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-343-2383.

Jennifer Ciarimboli – EMPOWER Conference Speaker

Owner, studio BE

Presentation: Leading Mindfully: Personal and Professional Empowerment

This session offers you practical, wholehearted tools for well-being that are grounded in the real world of the 21st century. Rooted in mindfulness, Jennifer offers simple tools for dealing with conflict, managing stress, leading cohesive teams, and creating cultures that thrive. Jennifer talks statistics on stress and burnout in the workplace, as well as information on how to counter these challenges, at home and at work.

Bio:

Suffering from burnout after nearly a decade in corporate sales, Jennifer Ciarimboli walked away from her career and her successes to transform her life. 

She embarked on a journey of deep study, training with world-renowned experts in yoga, the teachings of the Buddha, spiritual inquiry, and mindfulness meditation, opening her heart and mind to a new way of serving the world.

Jennifer recognized that if she had access to mindfulness meditation years ago, she might have been better able to manage stress—and from this insight, studio BE was born. 

studio BE specializes in well-being based on mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices—including meditation, psychological inquiry, body integration, breathwork, and other alternative modalities—taught both on-site and virtually.  The goal of the company is simple: to reduce suffering in the world. This is achieved by helping individuals cultivate their own inner-resources, resulting in happier, more resilient people. When these practices are embraced wholeheartedly within organizational culture, it opens the door to unlimited potential for better connection, deeper trust, and renewed creativity—this is the new face of the 21st-century workplace.

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Chelsea Manganaro – EMPOWER Wellness Presenter

Owner, Nearme Yoga & Nearme Cafe

Wellness Presentation: Yoga for All

Come take a break to be present, relax, and get inspired to move your stiff body. This yoga class will be accessible to all levels from beginner to advanced, with an option to use a chair. 

Bio:

Chelsea Manganaro (500RYT) is the owner of Nearme Yoga in Moosic & Peckville, Nearme Cafe, and NEPA Yoga Festival. She has created and expanded her businesses with the idea of connecting a community with the goal to spread as much love and knowledge of yoga and wellness as she can. 

Nearme Yoga & Cafe creates an environment where inclusion, consistency and community take priority – one yoga class, one coffee cup & Buddha Bowl at a time.

Behind every small business there’s a real family, and Nearme Yoga & Cafe is no exception. Owner Chelsea Manganaro always had passion for hospitality in her professional and personal life, and brought her ambitious vision to the local community with the first location of Nearme Yoga & Cafe here in Moosic.

Nearme Yoga is a creation sparked by passion and community needs. It is and will continue to grow and morph into what is needed in each and every community it makes it way to. Chelsea left her career with Lockheed Martin in 2019 to pursue this vision 100%. She believes that in a world of ceaseless innovation, sometimes taking the most basic of human needs and providing it to the community can make the most fulfilling life. Healthy, affordable and attainable food mixed with mindfulness and keeping our bodies healthy allows so many people to make their way to better versions of themselves. 

We have been able to help and change so many peoples lives for the better. This spirals way beyond a yoga class, it is just the start. Having the Cafe and store has allowed people to come and experience the look and feel of the yoga studio without the fear of actually committing to a class. Many people have started yoga because they were able to see the space before hand. Although the goal for the business was always to franchise, it really took COVID to shake up the business model and create what we call is our ecosystem. 

Find out all studio information at nearmeyoga.com and nearmecafe.com for cafe info.

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