Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly
Pastor Jennifer Dee, NEPA Synod Assembly (SUBMITTED)
Pastor Jennifer Dee was elected to a six-year term as bishop at the 2026 synod, becoming the first woman elected bishop to the organization.
Bishop-Elect Dee currently serves as lead pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Robesonia. She has served in that role since 2023, following more than a decade of ministry as associate pastor at Trinity. Ordained in 2008, she previously served St. John’s Lutheran Church in Loogootee, Indiana. She earned a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and a Bachelor of Arts from Keene State College.
Throughout her ministry, Dee has been actively involved in synod and churchwide leadership, including service with the ELCA Youth Gathering, Bear Creek Camp, internship supervision and clergy leadership development. Her community involvement has included coaching Girls on the Run, participating in Lutheran Day at the Capitol, supporting local schools and families, and coordinating community outreach initiatives.
The election took place during the 2026 Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly, held June 4-6 under the theme Imagine, inspired by Ephesians 3:14-21. More than 400 attendees from across Northeast Pennsylvania gathered for the assembly, with additional participants joining through the assembly livestream.
The Wright Center
Renée Gregori Zehel, Wright Center (SUBMITTED)
Caitlyn McCarthy, Wright Center (SUBMITTED)
A Marywood University and Misericordia University alumna who has spent the last two decades advocating for and securing investments to support higher education has joined the Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education as its first chief philanthropy officer and vice president of grants and strategic initiatives.
Renée Gregori Zehel, Ph.D., worked in business development in the healthcare industry for seven years before she returned to Northeast Pennsylvania in 1998 to serve in leadership roles at Misericordia and Marywood universities. Most recently, she was vice president of university advancement at Marywood, where she led the successful completion of a $30 million campaign to expand health sciences programs.
At the Wright Center, Zehel will spearhead the development of a new philanthropic foundation and guide its related endeavors. She will design overarching fundraising strategies and direct philanthropic events to build community support. She will also be responsible for driving grant development efforts across the organization.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts from then-Marywood College and a Master of Science degree in education from then-College Misericordia, she completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in human development at Marywood University. Across the region, Zehel has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the African Sisters Education Collaborative and the Patient Safety Council at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Dickson City. She resides in Scranton.
Dr. Caitlin McCarthy, local site director of the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program at the Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, a practicing dentist dedicated to expanding access to oral healthcare in Northeast Pennsylvania, has been selected to serve on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Oral Health Program Oral Health Plan Advisory Group.
McCarthy was appointed to a two-year term from July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028, and will represent Pennsylvania’s provider sector.
The Oral Health Plan Advisory Group provides recommendations to the state Department of Health’s Oral Health Program regarding priorities for implementing the state’s oral health plan and champions initiatives designed to improve oral health across the commonwealth.
A Scranton native and West Scranton High School graduate, McCarthy received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and completed a General Practice Residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Muhlenberg Hospital. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton, graduating with dual majors in biology and biomathematics while also completing minors in biochemistry and English.
McCarthy joined the Wright Center in 2019 and played a key role in launching dental services at the Wright Center for Community Health Scranton.
A veteran dentist with more than three decades of experience will lead the new dental service line at the Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock, expanding access to oral healthcare at the Wyoming County Healthcare Center.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 3, dental services for children and adults will be available between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock, 5950 U.S. Route 6, Suite 401. Appointments can be made now by calling 570-591-5299.
Dr. Frank Pagano, who has longtime family connections to Wyoming County, will offer a wide variety of services for children and adults, including routine exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, extractions, restorations, dentures and other procedures. After earning his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from New York University’s School of Dentistry, he operated a family dental practice for nearly 33 years. He’s also served as a clinical instructor in prosthetics for Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine.
The community health center accepts most dental insurances, including Delta Dental, Guardian, United Concordia and Medical Assistance (Medicaid). To ensure high-quality oral care is available to everyone, the Wright Center for Community Health offers a sliding-fee discount program for individuals who qualify based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which take into account family size and income. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.