Allied Services
Laura Marion, Allied Services (SUBMITTED)
Beppler, Allied Services (SUBMITTED)
Kieran Burrier, Allied Services (SUBMITTED)
Marzolino, Allied Services (SUBMITTED)
Fenner, Allied Services (SUBMITTED)
Laura A. Marion, RN, BSN, was named vice president of the hospice and palliative programs, bringing more than three decades of nursing leadership and compassionate patient care experience to the organization. A licensed registered nurse since 1992 and graduate of the University of Scranton with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Marion has dedicated her career to advancing hospice and palliative care services throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.
Under her leadership, Allied Hospice has grown into one of the region’s most respected and reputable hospice providers, earning a prestigious 5-star rating for quality and patient care. Marion researched, developed and successfully launched the area’s only community-based palliative care program, which has now been serving patients and families for more than nine years. She also spearheaded the opening of two inpatient hospice units — one in Lackawanna County and another in Luzerne County — expanding access to compassionate end-of-life care for communities across the region.
Deeply committed to community involvement and professional collaboration, Marion has served on the Telespond board of directors and the University of Scranton Nursing Department Community Advisory Board. She is also actively involved with numerous charitable organizations throughout the community.
In recognition of her leadership and impact, she was named one of the Northeast Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business in March 2022 and has been featured in various newspaper and magazine articles for her advocacy of end-of-life care and her leadership in advancing Hospice and Palliative Care services throughout the region.
Gary Beppler, PharmD, a foundational leader within the pharmacy team, was named pharmacy director, bringing nearly two decades of clinical and operational expertise to the organization. After earning his PharmD from Temple University and working as a hospital pharmacist, Beppler joined Allied in 2008 as one of the original pharmacists hired to launch its dedicated internal pharmacy.
Throughout his tenure, he has managed critical operational areas, including overseeing controlled substance inventory, consulting at Allied’s Skilled Nursing facilities, and helping build the organization’s Antibiotic Stewardship program as a certified specialist. Bridging the gap between pharmacy and technology, he also develops custom data analysis tools to monitor antibiotic use and ensure back-end billing accuracy.
His in-depth knowledge of the pharmacy’s end-to-end operations quickly made him the go-to co-worker the team could lean on. This natural leadership and deep institutional expertise culminated in Beppler taking on the role of pharmacy manager near the end of 2024, where he continued to drive the department’s clinical and operational success.
Kieran Burrier, PharmD, has been hired as a pharmacist. He started working at Allied in July 2021 in the pharmacy as a pharmacy intern. He has worked in the Allied Services pharmacy for all four years of his studies in the School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University. Burrier recently graduated from Wilkes and is preparing to take his board certifications for pharmacy.
Eileen Marzonlio, PCHA, ALRA, joined Allied in 2022 and was named administrator of Allied Services Meade Street Personal Care Facility. Marzolino started her career in 2016 after earning her Bachelor of Science degree in public health with a concentration in health administration from East Stroudsburg University, followed by her certification as a personal care home administrator in 2022, and her assisted living residence administrator license in November 2024. Marzolino is a member of Northeast PA Aging Network Alliance and Scranton Chapter of UNICO National. She was also named a 2024 Pennsylvania Health Care Association Rising Star for Long Term Personal Care.
Robert Fenner, LPN, PCHA, has been named administrator of Allied Services Terrace Personal Care Facility.
Fenner joined Allied in 2023 as wellness director and has played an instrumental role in strengthening the culture and daily operations of the personal care community.
With nearly a decade of healthcare experience, Fenner is recognized for his hands-on leadership style, commitment to resident-centered care and dedication to staff development. In 2025, he earned his personal care home administrator certification and currently serves as the organization’s certified medication administration trainer for personal care staff, helping expand education and clinical capabilities across the divisions.
Under his leadership, Allied Terrace has continued to enhance its ability to support residents with increasing care needs while fostering a warm, welcoming environment for residents, families and staff alike. Fenner actively participates in long-term care professional networking and continuing education opportunities, reflecting his ongoing commitment to growth within the field. Outside of Allied Terrace, Fenner has been actively involved in fostering youth within the community, reflecting the same compassion and commitment to care that defines his leadership style.
Dime Bank
The bank hosted its annual service awards dinner to celebrate team members reaching milestone anniversaries. This year’s event honored 25 employees, representing an impressive range of tenures, from 35 years of service to five.
This yearly tradition reflects the bank’s strong culture of appreciation, offering a meaningful way to acknowledge the hard work, loyalty and contributions of its staff. The celebration highlights not only individual achievements but also the enduring commitment that drives the organization forward.
Marking employment milestones are: Stacey Williams, 35 years; Kimberly Romance Burd, 30 years; Stacy Gager, Brian Haun and Julie Herzog, 20 years; Robert Davis, 15 years; Christopher Donatone, Jeremy Patten and Riley Terysen, 10 years; and Caitlin Babyak, Penny Bartleson, Brianna Brown, Thomas Butler, Hannah Chase, Allison Gallik, Matthew Getz, Stacey McElrath, Bernadette Miller, Tammy Mullins, Dalyn Newsom, Alisha Peets, Nicole Polachek, Sierra Rozanski, Abby Thaler and Brian Urbas, five years.
Geisinger
Pallis, Geisinger (SUBMITTED)
The health system has removed the interim tag and named Mark Pallis, D.O., M.B.A., the chair of its Musculoskeletal Institute. Pallis joined Geisinger in 2019 and had been serving as the institute’s interim chair since last July.
During Pallis’ previous tenure as the northeast regional director for the Musculoskeletal Institute, Geisinger completed construction of an 80,000-square-foot consolidated musculoskeletal clinic in Scranton and an $80 million clinic and surgery center in Pittston, and expanded the northeast region’s orthopedic training program. Under his leadership, six Geisinger hospitals earned recognition earlier this year as Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care for orthopedic surgery.
Pallis is also a professor of orthopedic surgery at the Geisinger School of Medicine and a fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association.
A combat veteran and retired Army colonel, Pallis served in a variety of leadership roles in the Army, most notably as chair of orthopedics and later deputy commander of William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He was also the orthopedic surgery consultant to the Army surgeon general.
Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Kim, Geisinger (SUBMITTED)
Physician, educator and mentor Bu Jung Kim, M.D., was recently awarded the Woloski Family Medicine Chair Award for teaching excellence.
The award recognizes a family medicine doctor and college faculty member who inspires Geisinger learners to excel at providing primary care, a Geisinger priority.
Kim is a regular preceptor at the Kistler Family Medicine Residency, teaches medical students in the classroom at Geisinger School of Medicine and guides several medical student research projects. He also welcomes medical students to his Geisinger Mount Pocono clinic.
Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
Gebert, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce (SUBMITTED)
Kiernan, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce (SUBMITTED)
The chamber recently welcomed Emilie Gebert and Elena Kiernan to its staff team, further strengthening the organization’s workforce development and administrative operations.
Gebert joins the Chamber as workforce and leadership assistant. In this role, she supports Leadership Lackawanna, Skills in Scranton and the Scranton Plan through administrative coordination, event support, and program operations that strengthen workforce development and community leadership across the region.
Gebert brings nearly two decades of experience in customer relations, sales leadership, team development and operational management through her career in the telecommunications industry.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from West Chester University. Outside of her role at the Chamber, Gebert serves as assistant director of the Montage Ski Patrol, where she helps oversee volunteer coordination and guest safety operations.
Elena Kiernan joins the Chamber as a front desk receptionist, serving as the first point of contact for members, visitors, tenants and guests while supporting daily office operations across the organization.
Kiernan has more than 15 years of experience in administrative support, customer service, event coordination and office management. Her professional background includes positions within the travel and hospitality, legal and finance industries, where she coordinated meetings and events, managed executive schedules and provided administrative support in fast-paced corporate environments.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and completed additional coursework through New York University.
INNOVOTEX Inc.
The pharmaceutical company advancing a new class of tumor-selective oncology therapeutics known as Macrocycle Drug Conjugates (MDCs) announced the appointment of Dr. Krystle Karoscik to chief executive officer and board director. Karoscik will lead the company’s translational and corporate strategy as INNOVOTEX advances its lead candidate, NOVO-111, through first-in-human clinical trials.
Karoscik previously served as chief operating officer at the company, where she played a central role in shaping the company’s translational development strategy, operational infrastructure and clinical positioning. She has led cross-functional efforts spanning regulatory engagement, preclinical development planning, strategic partnerships, investor relations and corporate operations, positioning the company for its next stage of clinical and organizational growth.
Karoscik is a graduate of Mid Valley Secondary Center and the University of Pennsylvania.
NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania
Ward, NeighborWorks (SUBMITTED)
The organization announced the appointment of Mary-Pat Ward as its new chief operating officer.
In this role, Ward will oversee day-to-day operations and support the continued growth and strategic initiatives of NeighborWorks across Northeast Pennsylvania. The position was previously held by current president and CEO Shane Powers, who was promoted in 2024.
Ward brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, community development, communications and organizational management. She previously served as director of development and communications for Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center. In this role she was a member of the executive management team and led fundraising, communications, outreach and strategic initiatives.
Prior to her nonprofit leadership work, Ward served as executive director and deputy director of the city of Scranton’s Office of Economic and Community Development, where she oversaw HUD-funded programs, economic development initiatives and community partnerships.
Ward has also served on the NeighborWorks board of directors since 2022.
Pennsylvania Medical Society
The medical society announced the recipients of its annual Top Physicians Under 40 awards, recognizing the most exceptional early-career physicians who are making a profound impact in medicine. Nominated by their peers and carefully selected by a committee of PAMED members, these outstanding professionals embody the future of patient care and medical innovation in Pennsylvania.
Among this year’s honorees are Amatus Legbedion, M.D., family medicine, and Tejas Nimba Nikumbh, M.D., internal medicine, both from Lackawanna County.
To qualify for this recognition, physicians must be PAMED members under the age of 40. Their dedication to advancing healthcare and enriching the lives of patients exemplifies the highest standards of medical excellence, the organization said.
The Wright Center
Decker, Wright Center (SUBMITTED)
Mary Louise Decker, the infectious diseases medical director at the Wright Center for Community Health, was honored with an award from a national advocacy group for her meaningful, evidence-based hepatitis C and HIV prevention and treatment efforts across Northeast Pennsylvania.
The Community Liver Alliance awarded Decker the You Make a Difference Award, which honors individuals who have made a meaningful impact in advancing liver health by supporting patients and families, and strengthening communities.
Decker, a board-certified infectious diseases physician, leads the Wright Center’s Ryan White HIV and Infectious Diseases Clinic. She earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowship in infectious diseases. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience in treating complex bacterial and viral infections in the inpatient and outpatient setting, in providing comprehensive care for people living with or at risk for acquiring HIV, in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections, and with antibiotic stewardship and hospital infection control.
In 2020, Decker established the Wright Center’s dedicated Hepatitis C Clinic, creating a pathway for screening, diagnosis, treatment and long-term follow-up.
Tobyhanna Army Depot
Kelczewski, Tobyhanna Army Depot (SUBMITTED)
Aguilar, Tobyhanna Army Depot (SUBMITTED)
Kohn, Tobyhanna Army Depot (SUBMITTED)
Sheridan, Tobyhanna Army Depot (SUBMITTED)
The depot recently highlighted the critical role of exceptional leadership within its ranks by naming two new supervisors of the quarter.
Stephen Kelczewski, chief of the Planning Branch, and Manuel Aguilar, chief of the SeaSparrow Branch, were selected as supervisor of the quarter for the first and second quarters of the fiscal year, respectively. Kelczewski works in the Installation Services Directorate while Aguilar works in the Mission Execution Directorate.
Honorees are nominated by subordinates, peers or their superiors. Those nominations are subsequently examined by a panel of judges based on four criteria: accomplishment of duties; how effectively the nominee sets an example to others; efforts to improve local productivity; and how the nominee embodies the Army’s core values.
Outstanding performance and selfless service define Kelczewski’s leadership style, wrote Public Works Division Chief James Wisnewski.
Aguilar received the honor for exceptional professionalism, mission focus and unwavering commitment to improving Tobyhanna Army Depot’s SeaSparrow program, according to nominator Russell Wright. Wright serves as the chief of the Mission Execution Directorate’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division.
Comprehensive employee recognition programs are a key tenet of TOBY2035, the depot’s long-range strategic plan. The plan, which has four focus areas — Investing in Our People, C5ISR Readiness, Shape the Future and Strategic Communications — aims to posture the depot to meet the future needs of the joint war fighter on a multidomain battlefield.
The depot is designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control. TYAD provides cradle-to-grave life-cycle support through depot-level repair, systems integration, software and cyber engineering and field support.
In addition, the depot’s employees of the quarter for the second quarter of FY26 are Brian Kohn, a resident of Gouldsboro, of the Directorate of Mission Execution Aircraft Survivability Equipment Branch, and Capt. Stephen Sheridan, a resident of Moscow, of the Directorate of Installation Services Fire & Emergency Services Branch. Kohn and Sheridan earned senior and junior category recognition, respectively.
Kohn is receiving the distinction for expertly guiding a team of 18 mechanics across 24 programs and flawlessly managing 919 assets to solidify the Aircraft Survivability Equipment Branch’s outstanding 99.8% quality rating on more than 565 inspections. He set the standard for excellence as a meticulous mechanic on the AN/APR-39 program, achieving a perfect rating across 22 inspections while diligently maintaining his certified electronics technician certification. Additionally, he fortified the cost center’s compliance with AS9100/9110 standards by acquiring additional storage units for nonconforming parts, an action that directly enhanced asset security and tracking efficiency.
Sheridan earned employee of the quarter recognition for his outstanding efforts to make the depot’s Fire & Emergency Services Branch more efficient through comprehensive financial tracking, meticulous budgeting and enhanced transparency in financial reporting. This increased efficiency means Sheridan and the other members of the branch can better provide vital lifesaving support to the nearly 3,000 members of Tobyhanna’s dynamic workforce as well as the members of Team Tobyhanna residing in neighboring communities they serve.
The employee of the quarter awards and other employee recognition programs align with Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, specifically the Invest in Our People line of effort. The goal of the depot’s plan is to strive to position Tobyhanna for success in the coming years as the Department of War’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.
University of Scranton
Silva, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
Pavlick, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
Back, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
Venezia, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
The world’s largest professional organization dedicated to the study of Latin America will benefit in the coming years from a University of Scranton faculty member as she joins its leadership team.
Yamile Silva, Ph.D., will begin her duties as a sections representative for the Latin American Studies Association, which has 13,000-plus members worldwide.
Silva, professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, was elected as representative of the sections for the Latin American Studies Association. Silva’s three-year term with the organization’s executive council begins in June, following LASA2026, the association’s International Congress, which will be held in Paris.
LASA membership spans 60 countries, bringing together scholars from all disciplines and professional backgrounds.
Silva has worked at the university since 2009. She received her undergraduate degree from the Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá-Columbia, and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Kim Pavlick, Ph.D., assistant professor in the university’s Department of Communication and Media, recently accepted the Gannon Award for Teaching.
Student members of the university’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, selected Pavlick as their Teacher of the Year. The award is named for Edward Gannon, S.J., a 22-year employee of the university who taught philosophy until his death in 1986.
Pavlick, who was hired at Scranton in 2005, was presented with the award at a ceremony on March 8 at the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society Induction Ceremony.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Pavlick serves as the NCAA faculty representative for Scranton’s student-athletes and faculty mentor for the university’s field hockey team, making her presence outside the classroom just as impactful as her teaching.
Pavlick received her bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University, master’s degree from the University of Scranton and her doctorate from Marywood University.
The Gannon Award for Teaching was established in 1969. Pavlick is the 57th recipient of the award, which recognizes outstanding efforts in educating students.
The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the university.
The university’s graduating senior class of 2026 selected Sinchul Back, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the cybercrime and homeland security program, and Andrew Venezia, Ph.D., associate professor of health and human performance, as its Teachers of the Year.
Created in 1997 by the university’s Faculty Senate, the Teacher of the Year award recognizes faculty members who exemplify excellence across multiple dimensions of teaching and student engagement. Honorees must be committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence and fairness, ensuring an enlightening, rigorous and equitable learning environment for all students. Voting was conducted in April. Back and Venezia accepted their awards May 22 at Class Night, held inside the DeNaples Center’s McIlhenny Ballroom.
Back, who has worked at Scranton since 2019, is a retired Marine captain who served as an instructor in counterterrorism tactics and counterintelligence operations for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. He previously served as a legislative aide for the South Korea Senate and the Massachusetts State House. He holds a Ph.D. in international crime from Florida International University, a Master of Science in criminal justice from Bridgewater State University and a Bachelor of Science in leadership and political science from Northeastern University. He teaches courses on cybercrime, cyber intelligence, mobile forensics, digital forensics investigation and introduction to homeland security.
Venezia, who has worked at Scranton since 2016, teaches in the kinesiology program and nutrition concentration and serves on the advisory committee for the neuroscience program. Among his courses is advanced physiology of sport and exercise, which he’s taught to every graduating kinesiology senior since 2016. He has also mentored several students in the University Honors Program. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise science from Bloomsburg University. He earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience and cognitive science from the University of Maryland.
Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers
Pontosky, Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (SUBMITTED)
WMCHC welcomes physician assistant Vaeda Pontosky as the newest dedicated walk-in care provider for its Hamlin center, located at 543 Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel.
Pontosky is well acquainted with the area, having been born and raised in Lake Ariel. She graduated as valedictorian from Western Wayne High School before attending DeSales University in Center Valley, earning a bachelor’s degree in medical studies and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. Pontosky spent two years at the West Ocean City Injury and Illness Center in Ocean City, Maryland, gaining experience as a PA-C before returning to Wayne County and continuing her career closer to friends and family.
Walk-in services for non-life threatening issues such as colds, earaches, sprains, minor burns, rashes, allergic reactions and more are offered at Hamlin Walk-in Care seven days a week.