The Scranton Area Community Foundation honored two community leaders, Carbondale Mayor Michele Bannon and Dr. Tania Stoker, at the 2025 Women in Philanthropy Annual Celebration. The event was held Nov. 5 at the foundation’s new home in the historic Century Club of Scranton.
Bannon received the Margaretta Belin Chamberlin Award and Stoker received the Roseann Smith Alperin Award. The two prestigious honors recognize women whose leadership, service and vision have made a lasting impact throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.
The Margaretta Belin Chamberlin Award honors a woman whose vision, dedication and courage have enhanced the quality of life and expanded opportunities for others within her community.
As the award’s recipient, Bannon was celebrated for her joyful and devoted civic engagement in Carbondale and beyond. Her decades of service include leadership roles with NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and the Carbondale Historical Society, where she has been active since 1994. She also volunteers with St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, the Greater Carbondale YMCA and the Maplewood Cemetery Trust.
Her civic leadership extends to the Lackawanna County Land Bank Advisory Board, the Wayne Memorial Community Board and the U-Comp board of directors through the Pennsylvania Municipal League. Within her parish at St. Rose of Lima Church, she serves on the finance committee, pastoral council and as a lector and fundraising chair, roles she approaches with faith and enthusiasm. Bannon’s contributions have previously earned her the 2013 Roseann Smith Alperin Award and the 2019 Pioneer Hero Award.
Scranton Area Community Foundation President and CEO Laura Ducceschi, left, congratulates Dr. Tania Stoker, recipient of the 2025 Roseann Smith Alperin Award, during the Women in Philanthropy Annual Celebration at the Century Club of Scranton on Nov. 5. (Submitted)
The Roseann Smith Alperin Award recognizes an outstanding female volunteer who exemplifies the heart and spirit of Roseann Smith Alperin — someone who leads, motivates and inspires others through her volunteer service and commitment to community.
Stoker, a Dickson City resident, has dedicated over 27 years to advancing equity, access and opportunity through public education. Currently assistant superintendent for the Northern Lehigh School District, she has served as a teacher, coach, principal and district leader dedicated to uplifting students and families.
A dedicated volunteer, Stoker has been an active member of the Junior League of Scranton since 2017, serving as board member, treasurer and committee chair. She also lends her leadership to St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, Ronald McDonald House of Scranton, Family to Family, Friends of the Poor and the Adopt a Single Mom Project. Her service extends to advisory boards for the Workforce Board Lehigh Valley – Business Education Partnership and Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center. Her leadership has been recognized with the Mary Harriman Award (2020), Margaret L. Richards Award (2024) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators’ Wanda McDaniel Award (2025).
Each year, Women in Philanthropy, an initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, celebrates the power of collective giving and honors women whose leadership and service strengthen communities across the region.