Johnson College’s 103rd Commencement Ceremony to be Held May 20 at the Circle Drive-In

Johnson College will confer degrees to over 180 graduates at commencement exercises to be held at the Circle Drive-In on the Scranton Carbondale Highway in Scranton on Saturday, May 20, 2022 (Rain date: Thursday, May 19, 2022). The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and will be live streamed on the College’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnsonCollegePA. Graduates will be awarded Associate in Science degrees (A.S.), Associate of Applied Science degrees (A.A.S.), and academic certificates.

Nicholas J. Scarnato, CCO at Producto, graduate of Johnson College, class of 1980, and Old Forge, PA native, will give the commencement address. Degrees will be presented by Katie Leonard, Ed.D., president and CEO of Johnson College, and Marianne Gilmartin, Esq., chairperson of the board of directors.

Evan Wilcox, a graduate of the Radiologic Technology program and recipient of the Johnson College Award for Academic Excellence in the Associate in Applied Science programs will serve as the student speaker.

Matt Cirba, Johnson College Computer Information Technology program instructor and alum of the Class of 2009 will give the alumni address to the newly graduated Johnson College class of 2022.

Following is a list of the 2022 Class of Johnson College:

ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE PROGRAMS

Computer Information Technology

Jacob Brodowsky                     Lake Ariel                                Pennsylvania

Casey Deaton                           Pittston                                     Pennsylvania

Michael Frazier                        South Abington                        Pennsylvania

Brandon Graham                      Clifford Twp                            Pennsylvania

Justin Greenberg (ABK)           Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Mason Hoeffner                       Exeter                                      Pennsylvania

Justin Kemble                          Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Brian Langieri                          Clarks Green                            Pennsylvania

John Lee (S)                             Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Ryan Mascaro                          Olyphant                                  Pennsylvania

Aidan Mullen (ABK)                Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Max Rubart                              Greentown                               Pennsylvania

Jamar Rymer                            Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Michael Salansky (H) (S)          Susquehanna                            Pennsylvania

Emily Williams (ABK)             Scott Township                        Pennsylvania

Physical Therapist Assistant

Alexander Calabro                    Exeter                                      Pennsylvania

Ian Farr                                    Mehoopany                              Pennsylvania

Danny Fuentes (C)                    Edwardsville                            Pennsylvania

Brittany Gilley (H) (M) (ABK)  Pittston                                     Pennsylvania

Brianna Ketcho                        Dupont                                    Pennsylvania

Helga Linhares (C)                   Clarks Green                            Pennsylvania

Lauren Miskell (C)                   Archbald                                  Pennsylvania

Darius Powell                           Jefferson Township                  Pennsylvania

Ireland Reilly                           Thornhurst                               Pennsylvania

Hailey Taylor                           Kingsley                                  Pennsylvania

Radiologic Technology

Jessica Cann                            Larksville                                 Pennsylvania

Hailey Cruser                           Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Tamar Elba-Kops (H) (C)         Easton                                      Pennsylvania

Brittany Doran                         Avoca                                      Pennsylvania

Alexis Drab                              Friendsville                              Pennsylvania

Michelle Gibbons                     Trucksville                               Pennsylvania

Justin Hall                                Wilkes-Barre                            Pennsylvania

Kristen Kasa                            Mocanaqua                              Pennsylvania

Christine Margavitch                Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Hope Miller                              Catawissa                                 Pennsylvania

Alexander Mros (C)                  Wilkes-Barre                            Pennsylvania

Tanya Patterson                        Monroe Township                    Pennsylvania

Allana Warner                          Montrose                                 Pennsylvania

Veterinary Nursing

Brittany Bethel (S)                    Dallas                                      Pennsylvania

Lauren Cann (C)                       Larksville                                 Pennsylvania

Jasmine Deitrick                        Aberdeen                                 Maryland

Kayla Dishong                         Browndale                               Pennsylvania

Kyler Kephart                          Woodland                                Pennsylvania

Megan Krakosky                      Shavertown                              Pennsylvania

Kaitlyn Littzi                            Dallas                                      Pennsylvania

Moriah Lovell                          Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Jaime Martinek                        Greeley                                    Pennsylvania

Alexander Nallin* (H) (S)         Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Cassidy Payton                         Williamsport                            Pennsylvania

Victoria Pettinato (ABK)          Carbondale                              Pennsylvania

Tresa Savidge (ABK)               Danville                                   Pennsylvania

Kiran Singh                              Lords Valley                            Pennsylvania

Robert Thompson                     Courtdale                                 Pennsylvania               

ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE PROGRAMS            

Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Brendan Chandler                     Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Samuel Hopkins                       Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Aden Cardone                          Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Brian Marianelli                       Taylor                                      Pennsylvania

John Wesnesky (H)                   Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Architectural Drafting & Design Technology

Corey Desanto                         Jermyn                                     Pennsylvania

Rocco LaCapra                         Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Cody Mackin (S)                      Taylor                                      Pennsylvania

Evan Wilcox** (H) (S) (ABK)  Milanville                                Pennsylvania

Automotive Technology

Jason Chilko (H) (S)                 Bartonsville                             Pennsylvania

Justin Fay                                 Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Michael Fordham                     Greentown                               Pennsylvania

Keith Jacob                              Gouldsboro                              Pennsylvania

Zachary Kearney                      Greenfield Township                Pennsylvania

Colby Kogan                            Tobyhanna                               Pennsylvania

Allison Petty                            Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Jacob Price                               Throop                                     Pennsylvania

Michael Santarsiero                  Moscow                                   Pennsylvania

Michael Sklareski                     Archbald                                  Pennsylvania

Riley Teel                                Montrose                                 Pennsylvania

Nicholas Wilson                       Stillwater                                  Pennsylvania

Biomedical Equipment Technology

Hannah Acevedo                      Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Kelly Barron (ABK)                 Dickson City                            Pennsylvania

Vincent Bonello                       Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Nico Colachino                        Olyphant                                  Pennsylvania

James Goetz                             Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Tyler Nolan                               Olyphant                                  Pennsylvania

Blake Sphabmixay                    Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Benjamin Terry (H) (S) (ABK)  Richmondale                            Pennsylvania

Carpentry & Cabinetmaking Technology

Joshua Bilinski (C) (ABK)        Covington Township                Pennsylvania

Jonathon Dutter                        Greenfield Township                Pennsylvania

Carl Galavitz                            Carbondale                              Pennsylvania

Tyler Gries (H) (C) (ABK)        Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Timothy Gromelski                  Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Spencer Jones                          Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Fantajah LaRoche                     Carbondale                              Pennsylvania

Andres Ledee                           Pittston                                     Pennsylvania

Nathan McKane                       Archbald                                  Pennsylvania

Diesel Truck Technology

Nicholas Dutter                        Hudson                                    Pennsylvania

Michael Frey                            Barryville                                 New York

Austin Fromert                         Moscow                                   Pennsylvania

Antonio Gay                            Carbondale                              Pennsylvania

Joseph Ingraham (H) (M)          Binghamton                             New York

Vincent Kearney                      Taylor                                      Pennsylvania

Nicholas Neiger                        Narrowsburg                            New York

Dylan Rinker                            Canadensis                               Pennsylvania

Robert Rodriguez                     Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Electrical and Construction Technology

Jalen Alston                              Saylorsburg                              Pennsylvania

James Ambrosia                       Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Kyle Barrett                             Jessup                                      Pennsylvania

Matthew Calvey                       Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Ethan Campbell (C)                  Shavertown                              Pennsylvania

Tyler Chesla                             Dalton                                      Pennsylvania

Devin Coombs                         Taylor                                      Pennsylvania

Philip Davitt (H) (S) (ABK)      Dickson City                            Pennsylvania

Brandon Doherty                      Archbald                                  Pennsylvania

Sean Eidenberg (ABK)             Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Jason Enger                              Lakeville                                  Pennsylvania

Luke Falcone (C)                      Dalton                                      Pennsylvania

Nicholas Ferraro                       Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Tyler Ford                                 Jermyn                                     Pennsylvania

Matthew Foytack (ABK)          Madison Township                   Pennsylvania

Liam Galloway                        Equinunk                                 Pennsylvania

Michael Hannah                       Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Jack Islas                                 Peckville                                  Pennsylvania

Peter Jakubiak                          Bartonsville                             Pennsylvania

Jonathon Kaville (M)                Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Ryan Lesh (ABK)                    Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Anthony Marsico                      Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Jack McCabe (D)                     Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Dondy Normil                          Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Nichole Nye (C)                       Archbald                                  Pennsylvania

Tyler Purdy                              Dalton                                      Pennsylvania

Patrick Redman                        Peckville                                  Pennsylvania

Alexander Reese                      Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Matthew Romanowski              Harding                                    Pennsylvania

Matthew Rosengrant (S)           Lake Ariel                                Pennsylvania

Derrell Sapp                             Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Shawn Smith                            Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Jakob Snopkowski                    Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Calvin Sutcliffe                        Moosic                                     Pennsylvania

Anthony Tarantini                     Springbrook                             Pennsylvania

Matthew Urda                          Carbondale                              Pennsylvania

Shawn Van Fossen (C)             Plymouth                                 Pennsylvania

Zachary Walter (C)                   Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Matthew Warden                      Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Gavin Williams                        Taylor                                      Pennsylvania

John Wilson                             Olyphant                                  Pennsylvania

Electronic Engineering Technology

Dominic Allan                         Dickson City                            Pennsylvania

Carla Bustamante                     Tobyhanna                               Pennsylvania

Alec Ciaglia                             Roaring Brook                         Pennsylvania

Cody Emrey                             Tobyhanna                               Pennsylvania

Jacob Hansen (H)                     Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Matthew Parry                          Wilkes-Barre                            Pennsylvania

Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning

Dante Clark                              Olyphant                                  Pennsylvania

Andrew Demming                    Scott Township                        Pennsylvania

Ken Francis                              Moosic                                     Pennsylvania

Joseph Healey (C) (ABK)         Throop                                     Pennsylvania

Ethan Hosier                            West Pittston                            Pennsylvania

Al-Mauriece Ingram                 Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Jordan Kazmierski                    Clifford Township                    Pennsylvania

Nicholas Klapatch                    South Abington Township        Pennsylvania

Omar Maldonado                     Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Damon Martin                          South Abington Township        Pennsylvania

John McDonald (H) (M)           Pittston                                     Pennsylvania

Michael Mondlak                     West Pittston                            Pennsylvania

Francis Moran                          Moosic                                     Pennsylvania

Jonathan Nicholoff                   Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Jake Norris                               Thornhurst                               Pennsylvania

Gage Nudo                               Wilkes-Barre                            Pennsylvania

Jamie Spindler                         Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Caleb Tratthen                         Scott Township                        Pennsylvania

Arthur Vitagliano                     Prompton                                 Pennsylvania

Daniel Walsh (ABK)                Spring Brook Township            Pennsylvania

Alec Yanisko (ABK)                Dunmore                                  Pennsylvania

Heavy Equipment Technology

Leonard Nardozzo                    Nanticoke                                Pennsylvania

Julia Price (H)                          Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS                       

Building & Property Maintenance

Joseph Church                          Hawley                                    Pennsylvania

Derek Segear                            Wilkes-Barre                            Pennsylvania

Welding Technology

Charles Atherton-Ely                Old Forge                                 Pennsylvania

Ethan Coffay                            Wilkes-Barre                            Pennsylvania

Xander Davis                           Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Isabella DeFlice (D)                 Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Bilal Floyd                               Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Naim Kendricks                       Scranton                                  Pennsylvania

Kadin King                              Tunkhannock                           Pennsylvania

Jason Kutch                             Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Conor Leone                            Milford                                    Pennsylvania

Cole Maciak                             Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

Luke Noble (D) (H)                  Milanville                                Pennsylvania

Kenneth Rought                       Carbondale                              Pennsylvania

Joseph Siggins                          Thompson                                Pennsylvania

Philip Sprong                           Honesdale                                Pennsylvania

Wesley Stetler                          Nicholson                                Pennsylvania

Abigail Tirva                            Clarks Summit                         Pennsylvania

(D) Dual Enrollment (H) Departmental Honors (S) Summa Cum Laude: GPA of 3.90 or HIGHER

(M) Magna Cum Laude: GPA 3.89 – 3.80 (C) Cum Laude: GPA 3.79 – 3.70

Based on GPA to December 2020 (ABK) Alpha Beta Kappa Member

* Recipient of Johnson College Award for Academic Excellence, Associate in Science

** Recipient of Johnson College Award for Academic Excellence, Associate in Applied Science

Alpha Beta Kappa (ABK) is the premier national collegiate honor society for trades and essential occupations. The society honors excellence not only in the classroom, but also in shop, studio, and laboratory study. Additionally, students must be a member of a student organization or club to become an Alpha Beta Kappa member.

The appearance of the degree candidate’s name does not verify satisfactory completion of degree requirements.

Johnson College provides real-world, hands-on learning in a supportive environment and prepares graduates to enter into or advance their careers. Johnson College degrees become essential careers. Johnson College was founded in 1912 and is the region’s only technical college, offering 17 associate degree and 4 academic certificate programs. A low student-to-instructor ratio supports an emphasis on hands-on learning. Located in Scranton on a 44-acre campus, the College is an accredited, private, non-profit, co-educational institution with a strong tradition of working with regional businesses and industries to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.

Carl Hurst Named Associate Vice President at The University of Scranton

Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Carl Hurst will serve as associate vice president for information technology and Chief Information Officer, effective immediately.  

“Mr. Hurst, who will also serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet, possess significant knowledge of IT operations and infrastructure, as well as network and data security,” said Father Marina in an announcement to the campus community.

Hurst joined the staff at the University in 2017 as the associate Chief Information Officer. During his time at Scranton, he played a leading role in the development and coordination of comprehensive technical and IT operational plans. He assisted the CIO with facilitating an IT governance strategy, researched emerging technologies and helped to evaluate and assess the University’s current technology and operations to guide future decisions. He also managed IT security, IT security audits and performed vendor security assessments, among other duties. 

Prior to joining the University, Hurst was the director of technical infrastructure at TMG Health. Previously, he was the manager of network and desktop infrastructure at Blue Cross NEPA and manager of Windows and desktop server systems at Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises.

Hurst earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Wilkes University.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Resident Physicians Present Scholarly Works at 71st American College of Cardiology Scientific Session

Internal medicine resident and cardiology fellow physicians at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education recently presented scholarly abstracts at the 71st Annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session & Expo in Washington, D.C.

The global conference enables the cardiology community to connect with peers and top experts in the field to learn about the latest practice-changing research and cutting-edge education that can transform cardiovascular care for doctors, health care team providers and patients.

Dr. Sanskriti Shrivastava, the lead author, presented three research abstracts and a meta-analysis. His scholarly works included, “Long Story Short: Long-Term Outcomes in Alcohol Septal Ablation vs. Septal Myectomy in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy,” “Outracing Cancer: Analyzing Racial Differences in Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in 270 Patients with Primary Malignant Cardiac Tumors from the Seer Database,” and “Characteristics and Survival Outcomes in Primary Malignant Cardiac Tumors Based on Histology: Insights from the Seer Database.” She also presented the meta-analysis, “Gender-Based Differences in Cardiovascular Outcomes Associated with COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”

The lead author on three abstracts, Dr. Chaitanya Rojulpote presented “Effects of Prednisone Use on Cardiac Function and Outcomes in Patients with Sarcoidosis,” “Temporal Trends of Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicating Atrial Fibrillation Hospitalizations in the United States,” and “Temporal Trends of Heart Failure Complicating Atrial Fibrillation in the United States.”

Dr. Pooja Kharbanda was the lead author on the scholarly abstract, “Dynamic Assessment of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction Using Cardiac Catheterization.”

Dr. Raza Naseer offered, “Rate vs. Rhythm Control for Atrial Fibrillation in the Modern Era: A Systematic Review and Mata-Analysis.”

“Monitored Anesthesia Care vs. General Anesthesia Outcomes in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, was presented by Dr. Humza Hanif, the lead author. Co-authors included Drs. Muhammad Affan, Najam U. Saqib, Muhammad Siddique Pir, Shrivastava and Naseer.

“Double Firing AV Node,” a case report, was presented by Dr. Sujithraj Dommaraju.

Dr. Saqib presented his case reports, “The Bread and Butter and Beyond” and “Robotic PCI,” which he co-authored with Dr. Samir Pancholy.   Overall, resident physicians in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education have had 115 scholarly abstracts, written on a wide array of topics in medicine, accepted for presentation at professional conferences since the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year.

Johnson College to Host 29th Annual Golf Tournament

The 29th Annual Johnson College Open will be held on Friday, May 20, 2022, at Pine Hills Country Club in Taylor, PA (rain or shine).  Proceeds from this annual golf tournament support the Johnson College Presidential Scholarship Fund. Each academic year, Presidential Scholarships are awarded to four qualified and deserving full-time students. To register to golf, visit Johnson.edu/golf.

AllOne Foundation Awards Grant to CAC/NEPA

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (CAC/NEPA) announces the award of a $65,000 grant from AllOne Foundation

“The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania is grateful to AllOne Foundation for their generous grant to our Center. This grant supported expanding our trauma-informed behavioral and mental health services for child victims of abuse, neglect, and trauma in Northeastern Pennsylvania by hiring another full-time therapist for our Mulberry Center. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the CAC Team, and the child victims of abuse and neglect we serve, we are sincerely grateful for AllOne Foundation’s support.” said Marsha Pigga, Executive Director.

For more information about the CAC/NEPA, please call the Center at 570-969-7313 or visit the CAC/NEPA’s website: www.cacnepa.org.

The Wright Center Prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has named Dr. Alexies Samonte as its vice president of Sponsoring Institution Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Faculty and Curriculum Development, and Graduate Medical Education Funding Stewardship.

In this newly created role, Samonte will work with executives and others throughout the organization to ensure ongoing and innovative faculty development, substantial accreditation compliance, community benefit tracking, and continuous resident wellness and resiliency, among other objectives. One major focus will be to create a robust strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Samonte’s diversity and inclusion efforts will span all three nonprofit entities: The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement. 

“I am excited about this new role,” said Samonte, who previously served as medical director of The Wright Center’s pediatric services. “Leading this journey is a privilege, since diversity, equity and inclusion are embedded within our mission.”

The longtime pediatrician, who is a native of the Philippines, will work to educate faculty, staff and members of the broader community about diversity and inclusion matters such as those promoted by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) “ACGME Equity Matters” initiative. The ACGME initiative aims to drive change within graduate medical education institutions by increasing physician workforce diversity, and building safe and inclusive learning environments, while promoting health equity by addressing racial disparities in health care and overall population health.

Samonte assumed her new role in late February. She already has coordinated The Wright Center’s participation in an upcoming continuing education series about LGBTQI+ inclusive health care. The series is being offered beginning June 1 through the Penn State College of Medicine’s Project ECHO network. Promoters say the series will help health care providers “meet the complex social, emotional and physical health care needs of their patients within a supportive and safe environment.”

Additionally, Samonte will develop volunteer opportunities for residents and fellows that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion activities. She also will monitor and track the progress of The Wright Center’s diversity-related metrics.

A Jenkins Township resident, Samonte earned her doctorate degree in medicine and surgery as well as a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. She also earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Scranton. 

The Wright Center, which strives to be an optimal employer, has more than 600 workers in Northeast Pennsylvania and at its graduate medical education training partner sites across the nation. For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org.

Federal REAL ID Enforcement Begins May 3, 2023

With the one-year countdown beginning today for the federal enforcement of REAL ID for commercial domestic air travel and other federal purposes, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) joined the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) and Philadelphia International Airport officials to remind Pennsylvania residents who want REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and photo ID cards and have not yet gotten one to gather the needed documents now to ensure they leave plenty of time to get their REAL ID before the federal enforcement date.

To date, PennDOT has issued approximately 1.6 million REAL ID products.

REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes, such as boarding a domestic flight or entering a federal building that requires federally acceptable ID upon entry. A federally acceptable form of identification (whether it’s a Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a valid U.S. Passport/Passport Card, a military ID, etc.) must be used for these purposes on and after May 3, 2023.

There is no requirement that any resident obtain a REAL ID; PennDOT continues to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs.

“Although a year seems like a long time to get ready, the deadline will be upon us before you know it. We encourage our customers who want a REAL ID to get one as soon as possible,” said PennDOT Acting Executive Deputy Secretary Melissa Batula. “We continue to focus on providing the best possible customer service to all of our customers as the federal deadline approaches.”

Since March 1, 2019, PennDOT has processed about 8.3 million customers, with more than 1.6 million individuals choosing to opt into the REAL ID program. The remaining 6.7 million have chosen not to participate or use an alternative federally acceptable form of ID come the May 2023 deadline.

“We see plenty of travelers who reside in neighboring Delaware and New Jersey who fly out of Philadelphia International Airport regularly, and like all travelers from out-of-state who want to fly after May 3, 2023, they also will need to have a REAL ID compliant driver’s license or other acceptable form of ID when they approach our TSA travel document podium,” said TSA Federal Security Director Gerardo Spero. “The REAL ID law is for all Americans who want to fly out of any domestic airport across the country starting one year from now. My advice is to go to your local state’s department of motor vehicles or department of transportation to get your upgraded REAL ID driver’s license now. Don’t wait.”

Customers can obtain a REAL ID by presenting documents for verification and processing at any driver license center. Federal regulations require that to be issued a REAL ID-compliant product, PennDOT must verify the below documents:

  • Proof of Identity: Examples include original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics with a raised seal/embossed or valid, unexpired, U.S. Passport;
  • Proof of Social Security Number:  Social security card, in current legal name;
  • Two Proofs of Current, Physical PA Address: Examples include a current, unexpired PA driver’s license or identification card, vehicle registration or a utility bill with the same name and address; and 
  • Proof of all Legal Name Changes (if current legal name is different than what is reflected on proof of identity document): Examples include a certified marriage certificate(s) issued by the County Court for each marriage, court order(s) approving a change in legal name or amended birth certificate issued by the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics. If current name is the same as what is reflected on proof of identity document (usually birth certificate or passport), a customer does not need to show proof of legal name changes.

Customers have three options for obtaining a REAL ID product: Customers may order their REAL ID online if they have been pre-verified and their REAL ID product will be mailed to them within 15 business days; they can visit any PennDOT driver license center that is open for driver license services, have their documents verified and imaged, and their REAL ID product will be mailed to them within 15 business days; or they can visit one of 13 REAL ID Centers and receive their REAL ID product over the counter at the time of service.

For a full list of driver license centers and their services, please visit the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.pa.gov.

When a customer gets their first REAL ID product, they pay a one-time fee of $30, plus the applicable renewal fee (current renewal fee is $30.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver’s license, and $31.50 for a photo ID). The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is over 65 and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that customers won’t “lose” time that they’ve already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, customers pay no additional fee, beyond regular renewal fees, to renew a REAL ID product.

REAL ID-compliant products are marked with a gold star in the upper right corner, standard-issue (non-compliant) products include the phrase “NOT FOR REAL ID PURPOSES,” per federal regulations. Sample images can be viewed on PennDOT’s website.

More information about REAL ID in Pennsylvania, including frequently asked questions and information on documents required for REAL ID, can be found at www.penndot.gov/REALID.

Marion Munley, Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer

Munley Law is pleased to announce that Partner Marion Munley was named a 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer.

The Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list is an elite group of plaintiffs’ attorneys chosen from all over the United States. Marion Munley, along with Munley Law Partner Daniel Munley, were the only two attorneys in Northeastern Pennsylvania to be named to this year’s list.

Marion has been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list every year since 2019. In 2007 and 2019, she was also named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America guide.

Marion is widely recognized as one of the most prominent and widely respected lawyers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She has won many multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts for injury clients throughout the United States, including one of the largest truck accident settlements in history. She is triple board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial Law, Civil Practice Advocacy, and Truck Accident Law. She is the second woman in Pennsylvania to become board certified as a Civil Trial Advocate.

Marion regularly presents cutting-edge truck accident trial techniques at legal conferences
throughout the country. She currently serves on the American Association for Justice’s Board of Governors and on its Executive Committee. She was the first woman to become the Chair of the AAJ Trucking Litigations Group in 2018 and received the Robert W. Munley Champion of Justice Award in 2020. She regularly presents cutting-edge truck accident trial techniques at legal conferences throughout the country.

She has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America since 2013 and was named the 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She has been on the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list for the past 18 years and is consistently recognized as one of the “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Pennsylvania” by Super Lawyers Magazine.