TCN Announces Hiring Of Holly Parker As Executive Director

The Board of Directors at TriCounty Community Network (TCN) is proud to announce the hiring of Holly Parker as the agency’s new Executive Director. Ms. Parker will join TCN on Monday, August 31st.

Ms. Parker has served the Tri County Community for the last six years while working at Montgomery County Community College. Previous to her tenure at MCCC, Parker served in various leadership roles for several local nonprofit organizations, including Interim Executive Director and Director of Development. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from West Chester University and a Master of Science degree from Colorado State University. A lifelong Pottstown resident, Parker has a deep commitment to and understanding of the Tri County area and has received several commendations for her fundraising, grant writing, and community outreach.

“On behalf of TCN’s Board, I am excited about Holly leading our organization in the coming years. Her experience in relationship and funder development in nonprofit, plus her knowledge of the community, provide a great mix of leadership that I feel will help take our organization to new levels,” said Tom Thunstrom, President of the TCN Board of Directors. “Holly’s diplomacy, personality, and character will help our organization build relationships in the Tri County community and will strengthen an already strong collaborative, helping us to be THE resource for developing and empowering partnerships to effect positive change in the region.”

TCN’s 2015-2016 program year kicks off on Tuesday, September 15th, from 8 to 10 AM in the South Meeting Hall at Montgomery County Community College’s West Campus. Additionally, TCN is proud to partner with Senator John Rafferty for his office’s third annual Job Fair, also scheduled for September 15th at Sunnybrook Ballroom from 10 AM to 1 PM.

For more information on TCN, visit our website at http://www.tcnetwork.org or call 610.850.0181.

TriCounty Community Network Welcomes Interim Executive Director

Jan Morris, M.Ed.

TCN welcomes Jan Morris as the Interim Executive Director. Serving on a part-time basis, Jan will officially begin as director on July 20th.  Prior to her retirement in 2013, she spent three years as the Director of Community Life at Frederick Living. Before Frederick, Jan worked as an Executive Assistant at TCN for two years.  She has a Masters Degree in Education from Ohio University and has been an active volunteer since retiring.

Changes Coming To Lancaster And Berks Transit, But A Combined New Authority Won’t Look Different To Bus Riders

Lancaster’s Red Rose Transit Authority board took its first formal step toward a merger with Berks County’s BARTA system on Wednesday.

But the combined South Central Transit Authority will be indistinguishable from the present RRTA and BARTA.

“We’ll form a new authority and nobody will know the difference,” RRTA Executive Director David Kilmer said.

The single authority will operate RRTA and BARTA buses in their respective counties. The names on the buses will not change, nor will their colors.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/changes-coming-to-lancaster-and-berks-transit-but-a-combined/article_090e5798-3ec5-11e4-a7b4-001a4bcf6878.html

Patrick Callihan To Speak At TCN Meeting On September 16th

Patrick Callihan
Executive Director, Tech Impact

Patrick Callihan is the Executive Director for Tech Impact, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that nonprofits can use technology to better serve our world.  His background includes over 25 years of technology leadership and operations management.  As part of Tech Impact, Mr. Callihan led the development of national cloud-based service offerings for nonprofits under the brand npCloud (www.npcloud.org), providing organizations access to computing technology specifically designed for nonprofits.  Mr. Callihan also strongly believes in impacting his local community and led the launch of ITWorks (www.itworks.org); a program within Tech Impact that serves at-risk-youth with 21st century job skills.  He is an active member of the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executives Group (GPSEG), Society for Information Management (Philadelphia chapter), C-Suite, and a member of the Cloud Computing Consortium at Stevens Institute of Technology.  Mr. Callihan will speak on the following topic:

 

Cloud Computing: Can Your Organization Benefit?

Cloud computing is one of the latest trends in Information Technology.  Mr. Callihan will demystify what cloud computing is and how it can benefit your organization.  Learn about the risks and benefits and specific programs available to help reduce your organization’s costs and increase efficiency.  Also learn how to utilize cloud computing to collaborate.

TCN Membership Meeting

Tuesday, September 16th, 8am-10:30am

Montgomery County Community College, West Campus

South Hall Community Room
101 College Drive, Pottstown

 

Join a TCN Committee.
Committees will meet 9am-10:30am

Caregivers Support  Community Partners Against Abuse  Environmental Health & Safety  Homeless Services  Workforce Development  Youth Development 

 

Registration required.  Click here to register or call 610-705-3301.

10 Pottstown YMCA Coaches Resign In Solidarity With Cook

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — The Pottstown YMCA swim program suffered a major blow Wednesday night when the entire coaching staff of the Pottstown YMCA Seahawks swim team — 10 assistant coaches in all — submitted their resignation in the wake of the sudden dismissal of longtime Pottstown YMCA Seahawks head swim coach Kathy Cook on June 11.

Amy Agnew, Mark Agnew, Bill Draves, Catherine Fink, Michele Bauer, Alex Diehl, Andrew Piasecki and John Zimmerman marched as a group into the Pottstown YMCA shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday to resign on the spot.

Two other coaches, Stacey Filippini and Mark Ottinger, were out of town Wednesday, but also resigned their posts.

Their letter of resignation to Pottstown YMCA Executive Director Dan Albert spells out why they quit the program.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140702/10-pottstown-ymca-coaches-resign-in-solidarity-with-cook

LCTA Officials Placed On Leave After Charges

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two key Luzerne County Transportation Authority figures charged Wednesday in the “ghost rider” scandal have been placed on administrative leave pending an emergency board meeting next week, according to a memo leaked to the media.

Executive Director Stanley J. Strelish, 60, is facing charges including theft by deception, tampering with public records, unsworn falsification, false swearing and obstructing justice. Operations Manager Robb Alan Henderson, 58, is charged with conspiring to tamper with public records, aiding the commission of a crime and conspiring to obstruct justice.

Prosecutors say the men’s orders led drivers to count hundreds of thousands of riders who didn’t exist, resulting in millions of dollars in overfunding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

According to a memo to the board from authority solicitor Joseph M. Blazosek, Strelish and Henderson were placed on administrative leave during a personnel committee meeting Wednesday pending board action at an emergency meeting set for 5 p.m. Tuesday. The memo does not disclose whether the leave is paid or unpaid, and Blazosek did not return a message seeking comment Thursday.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/lcta-officials-placed-on-leave-after-charges-1.1698699

Marta Kiesling Resigns As Steel River Playhouse Executive Director

POTTSTOWN, PA — Marta Kiesling, the dynamic executive director of Steel River Playhouse who grew a small acting group that performed in her living room into the region’s premiere venue for live theater, has parted ways with the institution she helped found.

A Monday evening e-mail from the board of directors to community leaders announced that Kiesling’s resignation had been accepted, effective May 1.

“We’re saddened to lose such a visionary person who built the playhouse to the strong cultural and educational institution it is today,” the release said.

What started as Village Productions was grown by Kiesling into the TriCounty Performing Arts Center, which with the help of grants from Montgomery County and a variety of other sources, established a theater in the former J.J. Newberry Department store at 245 E. High St. in 2008.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140506/marta-kiesling-resigns-as-steel-river-playhouse-executive-director

Pottstown Area Seniors Center Gets New Director

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN, PA — The changes underway at the Pottstown Area Seniors’ Center now also include a change in leadership.

After 19 years with the center, Executive Director Brad Fuller is joining the legions of the retired and is currently training his replacement — Brian Parkes of Gilbertsville.

Parkes, 43, was most recently self-employed for nine years with Krisp Communications, a firm which worked exclusively with non-profit organizations and specializing in communications, grant-writing and fundraising.

Among his clients were six senior centers in Chester County and one in Montgomery County.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140302/pottstown-area-seniors-center-gets-new-director

New Pottstown YMCA Director Looks To Add On To Existing Programs, Use Wellness Center

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — Dan Albert was wearing a light blue button down shirt with the YMCA logo embroidered on the left pocket while he walked around the N. Adams Street building on Thursday.

Albert, who has been employed with the national organization for almost 15 years, started working as the new Executive Director for the Pottstown YMCA on Dec. 2.

And he already has big ideas for the future of the local club.

“I think the beauty of the Y, with having over 800 associations throughout the country, is that we all beg, borrow and steal from each other,” Albert said. “I think what you are going to see, moving forward, is we are really going to be driving change.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131215/new-ymca-director-looks-to-add-on-to-existing-programs-use-wellness-center

Stolen HVAC Units Could Stall Move-In For Pottstown Senior Center

POTTSTOWN, PA — After three HVAC units were stolen from the new Pottstown Area Senior Center, the proposed move-in date is now in doubt.

Brad Fuller, the executive director at the center, said the units were stolen some time between Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning from 288 Moser Road.

“The contractors discovered they were missing,” Fuller said.

As of right now, the center hopes to move its offices into the building on Dec. 20, but the stolen units were used to heat that portion of the building, Fuller said.

The center is currently using the Berean Bible Church as a temporary space during the transition from its old space at the YMCA at 724 N. Adams St.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/20131204/stolen-hvac-units-could-stall-move-in-for-senior-center

State To Cover Cost Of BARTA, Red Rose Management Pact

English: BARTA bus in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania, July 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The state has agreed to cover the cost of the management pact between BARTA and Lancaster’s Red Rose Transit Authority, BARTA directors learned Monday.

That means PennDOT will pick up the $60,000 tab BARTA agreed to pay Red Rose for a six-month management contract approved last month. BARTA only has to put up $1,800 in matching funds to get the grant.

The agencies are testing whether it makes sense to share management.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=520180

Lancaster Transit Agency Taking Driver’s Seat For BARTA

Lancaster County‘s transit organization will manage BARTA for at least the next six months, officials with both groups said Monday.

The agencies will continue to operate separately but Lancaster’s Red Rose Transit Authority will share its executive leadership with BARTA.

David W. Kilmer, Red Rose executive director, will lead both organizations, dividing his time between Reading and Lancaster.

The move comes as BARTA works to restructure its leadership following the death last month of Dennis D. Louwerse, its longtime executive director. Managers have been keeping projects and operations moving with oversight from the agency’s board of directors.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=517063

First Bus Departs From Revamped Franklin Street Station In Reading

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The final step toward Reading’s iconic Franklin Street Station once again serving passengers came in the form of a message.

BARTA officials arranged for the message to flash on the first bus to leave the station since its rebirth: “Thanks Dennis; You gave it all.”

It was for Dennis D. Louwerse, BARTA’s executive director, who died Thursday after 30 years leading the county transit agency.

“This is the culmination of a dream,” Ryan Furgerson, BARTA’s deputy executive director, said of the first bus departing from the former train station.  “This is something Dennis would very much wanted to have seen.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=509990

Reading Parking Authority Names Executive Director

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Reading Parking Authority on Wednesday hired Philadelphia’s former parking czar to take over as executive director and oversee the city’s garages and parking meters.

Patrick R. Mulligan, 47, of Baltimore will start May 6, more than seven months after the board fired former chief Lawrence H. Lee.

Mulligan will be paid $85,000 a year.

Acting Chairman Gary S. Wegman said he’s pleased with the depth of knowledge and experience Mulligan has in the field.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=472649

Job Announcement

Click on the link below to be taken to this job posting.  Once inside, you can click on Apply Now if you are interested:

Executive Director, Liberty in Home Care

New Restaurants Coming To Lehigh Valley International Airport

Aerial photo of Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE) in Hanover Township, 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cash-poor and in need of some good news, Lehigh Valley International Airport operators are turning to a new strategy to appeal to passengers: their stomachs.

OK, a really good hoagie or a perfectly mixed latte isn’t going to make anyone buy a plane ticket, but airport officials are hoping to attract at least some people who aren’t scheduled for a flight.

LVIA has hired a San Diego company to take over three restaurants and a newsstand in hopes of upgrading the offerings and increasing the airport’s take.  First Class Concessions has a deal to renovate and run the airport’s retail space for the next decade.

“This will enhance the concessions and we think that will drive up usage,” said airport Executive Director Charles Everett Jr.  “We believe the quality will be such that it will attract people who are not using the airport for travel that day.”

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-abe-airport-food-20130127,0,1920188.story

Reading Parking Authority Ousts Executive Director

Within minutes of taking their seats Wednesday, Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer’s two new appointees to the Reading Parking Authority voted with Chairman George Cook to fire longtime Executive Director Lawrence H. Lee.

“He’s not being removed for cause,” Cook said. “We just want somebody else.”

Cook said the authority is moving in a new direction to work more closely with the city, and wanted someone with a different set of skills.

He called for the vote immediately after opening the meeting.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=417192

Job Opening In Boyertown, PA

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Job Announcement

SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR – FULL TIME + BENEFITS

Must have college degree or equivalent experience with geriatric population.  Strong supervisory and organizational skills a must.

Please send resume and cover letter to:

Boyertown Area Multi-Service, Inc.

c/o Personnel Committee

200 West Spring Street

Boyertown, PA 19512

No Calls Please

New PAID Director Relishes Challenge Of Urban Economic Development

Editor’s note:  90 days into a new job and he scores!  Color me impressed!

POTTSTOWN, Pa. – When your job is to try to attract businesses to a particular place, having a sense of place is pretty important.

So it´s probably a good thing that Steve Bamford has a boatload of real estate experience to call upon in his role as executive director of the Pottstown Area Industrial Development, also known as PAID Inc.

More than two years ago, the Urban Land Institute recommended, among other things, that economic development be taken out of the hands of the politicians and put into the hands of a professional staff. The result was a re-imagining of the largely moribund PAID organization into an active economic development arm with a responsibility sharing agreement between the borough, the school district and the Montgomery Redevelopment Authority.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-mercury/story/new-paid-director-relishes-challenge-urban-economic-development/1

POTTSTOWN AREA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, INC. ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HIRE

POTTSTOWN, PA, NOVEMBER 2, 2011: Pottstown Area Industrial Development, Inc. (PAID) has announced the appointment of Steven Bamford as its new Executive Director. Bamford’s first day will be November 10, 2011.

A resident of Lansdale, Bamford has over 20 years of economic development experience in local government as well as the private sector – since February 2010, he has been Co-Owner/Vice President of TCB Marketing, a results-oriented marketing, media and management consulting firm.

Additionally, Bamford served as a Manager, then Senior Manager, at Ernst and Young from 2002 to 2010. At Ernst and Young, Bamford was responsible for assisting Fortune 1000 and middle market clients making investment and location decisions in the US and abroad by identifying, negotiating and securing incentives from federal, state and local governments.

Prior to his private sector experience, Bamford worked in various positions in the public sector. From 1997 to 2002, Bamford held dual roles as the Vice President of Operations with the Allentown Economic Development Corporation and served as the Executive Director of the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority. In this capacity, Bamford managed the day-to-day operations of these organizations and their real estate redevelopment projects serving as “developer of last resort” for the most challenging, underutilized and functionally obsolete properties. Bamford also assisted businesses and developers in determining feasibility, site selection, and obtaining funding for projects. Some of these projects included the Bridgeworks, Portland Place, Plaza at PPL Center and Lehigh Landing.

From 1993 to 1996, Bamford served as the Vice President for Special Projects with the New Castle County (DE) Economic Development Corporation where he assisted with site selection and provided support for companies seeking incentives, zoning or development plan approval for projects. Also, Bamford served as the Economic Development Specialist for the City of Reading from 1991-1993 where he performed financial analysis, evaluated development and operating budgets and made funding recommendations to City Council on requests from businesses and developers for assistance through the City’s revolving loan fund.

“Steve’s experience, energy and mix of public sector and private sector experience will be a positive impact to the Borough of Pottstown” said Jason Bobst, President of the Board of Directors.

“We were especially impressed with Steve’s research into the Economic Development Strategic Plan and the most recent Urban Land Institute Advisory Panel Service Plan of 2009. He presented a possible entry plan into this new position from the priorities listed in these documents” added Reed Lindley, Superintendent of the Pottstown School District.

Bamford becomes the first Executive Director of PAID, Inc. since its re-birth as part of the Urban Land Institute Advisory Panel Service Plan recommendation for a single-source entity for economic development in the Borough of Pottstown.

Bamford received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Business Administration from Ursinus College and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Delaware.

PAID, Inc. selected Bamford from a field of 37 applicants.

Editor’s comments:  We thank Jason Bobst and the rest of the PAID Board for their hard work in selecting a qualified candidate to help move Pottstown forward.  We are impressed with Mr. Bamford’s credentials.  Mr. Bamford appears to have the skill sets and leadership qualities that will be needed for the Herculean task of leading Pottstown to greener economic pastures.

We welcome Mr. Bamford to Pottstown and wish him much success.  We hope a new era of cooperation and collaboration will unfold in Pottstown that will enable Mr. Bamford to be all he can be in this position.  He CANNOT do it alone!  This means Mr. Bamford needs our full cooperation and support.