About

UNC is one of the largest, and longest operating, nonprofit organizations in the region. The agency’s purpose is to meet the needs of local low-income families, seniors, youth, and new immigrants while also empowering them to attain self-sufficiency.

Mission & History

As a nonprofit agency, UNC is dedicated to meeting the needs of local low-income families, seniors, youth, and new immigrants while also empowering them to attain self-sufficiency. To achieve this work, UNC encompasses five programmatic departments (Community Services, Children and Teens, Community Education, Community Revitalization, and Community Health and Aging) and a Housing/Community Development Corporation. Through this diverse programming, UNC uses an innovative wrap-around approach to address the emerging needs of the community it serves.

UNC’s beginnings date back to 1923, when members of the Bethel Church opened a small settlement house in center city Scranton to serve the needs of the African American community. In 1924, another settlement house opened to serve the new immigrant populations living in the Lower West Side of Scranton. These two independent centers merged in 1970 to form United Neighborhood Services, later renamed United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania. UNC continues to embrace the settlement house vision to aid in the solution of problems at the neighborhood level.

MISSION: To work together with neighbors to provide services and create opportunities that empower individuals and build strong, interdependent communities.

VISION: To address emerging social needs and be an innovative leader in building strong interdependent communities based upon our traditional commitment of partnering with individuals, families and neighborhoods.

UNC is proud to be an independent member agency of the United Way of Lackawanna & Wayne Counties, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Housing Coalition of Lackawanna County.

Board of Directors

Chair
Jude McDonough
Alliance Wealth Advisors

1st Vice Chair
Amy Hlavaty Belcher
Arabesque Dance Academy

2nd Vice Chair
Teresa Lacey
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Secretary
Gail Waters
Community Member

Assistant Secretary
Maureen Brennan
Crew Systems Corporation

Treasurer
Thaddeus Kenny
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

Immediate Past Chair
Rosemary Broderick
Summit Peak Associates

John Bogdanovicz, Esq.
PA Legal Services

Elizabeth Burns
Community Member

Joseph Calabro,
D.O., FACOEP –Dist., FACEP
Physicians’ Practice Enhancement, LLC

Daniel Ginserg, Ph.D.
Community Member

Brittani Barscheski
Hematology and Oncology Association
of NEPA

Paul Kaczmarcik, Ed.D.
Community Member

Judge Terrence Nealon
Lackawanna County Court System

Meegan Possemato
On&On

Benjamin Tolerico
Holy Cross High School

Kellyn Williams, Ph.D.
Johnson College

James Caffrey
University of Scranton

Andrew Hailstone, Esq.
Kreder Brooks Hailstone, LLP

Jennifer Joyce, M.D.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of
Medicine

Charlotte Kearney
Community Member

Bernard McGurl
Lackawanna River Conservation
Association

Lia Richards-Palmiter, Ph.D.
Marywood University

Kevin Rogers
PNC Bank

Kristen Shemanski
Gertrude Hawk Chocolates

Marwan A. Wafa, Ph.D.
Pennsylvania State University

Emeritus Board Members

Stephen Casey

Jane Oppenheim

UNC Community Development Corporation Board of Directors

Chair
James Caffrey

Vice Chair
Bernard McGurl

Secretary/Treasurer
Meegan Possemato

Sharon Borgia

Maureen Brennan

Elizabeth Burns

Kevin Rogers

Patricia Severe

Lisa Ketcha-Tracewski

Marwan Wafa, PhD

Staff Leadership

Chief Officers

President and Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Durkin | 570-346-0759, ext. 103

Chief Operating Officer
Martin Fotta | 570-346-0759, ext 112

Chief Financial Officer
Thomas Howe | 570-346-0759, ext. 106

Directors

Director of Community Services
Jessica Wallo | 272-228-1801
jwallo@uncnepa.org

Director of Community Health and Aging
Sarah Bodnar | 570-346-6203, ext. 111
sbodnar@uncnepa.org

Director of Community Housing Development
Joy Hubshman | 570-346-0759, ext. 111
jhubshman@uncnepa.org

Director of Community Education
Terilynn Brechtel | 570-346-6203, ext. 103
tbrechtel@uncnepa.org

Director of Community Revitalization
Chrissy Manuel | 570-346-0759, ext. 108
cmanuel@uncnepa.org

Director of Children and Teens
Kelly Langan | 272-228-1352
klangan@uncnepa.org

Director of Development & Communications
Chrissy Manuel | 570-346-0759, ext. 108
cmanuel@uncnepa.org

Director of Human Resources
Danielle Pietrucha | 908-868-0372
dpietrucha@uncnepa.org

Director of Facilities
Jason Byrd | 570-878-2869
jbyrd@uncnepa.org