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.
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.
Check out our video about the difference UNC strives to make in our community every day.
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.
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 Hamer
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
Dominick Carachilo
Community Member
Andrew Hailstone, Esq.
Kreder Brooks Hailstone, LLP
Jennifer Joyce, M.D.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of
Medicine
Charlotte Kearney
Community Member
Nicholas Kravitz, Esq.
Myers, Brier & Kelly, LLP
Bernard McGurl
Lackawanna River Conservation
Association
Chad Pettus
Center for Independent Living
Lia Richards-Palmiter, Ph.D.
Marywood University
Marwan A. Wafa, Ph.D.
Pennsylvania State University
Chair
Maureen Brennan
Vice Chair
James Caffrey
Secretary/Treasurer
Lisa Ketcha-Tracewski
Sharon Borgia
Rosemary Broderick
Elizabeth Burns
Meegan Possemato
Bernard McGurl
Kevin Rogers
Patricia Severe
Marwan Wafa, Ph.D.
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
Kathy Hoban | 570-346-0759, ext. 107
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 x 111
jhubshman@uncnepa.org
Director of Community Education
Terilynn Brechtel | 570-346-6203, ext. 103
tbrechtel@uncnepa.org
Director of Community Revitalization
Chrissy Manuel | 570-346-6203, ext. 108
cmanuel@uncnepa.org
Director of Children and Teens
Kelly Langan | 272-228-1352
klangan@uncnepa.org
Director of Development & Communications
Laurie LaMaster | 570-346-0759 x 109
llamaster@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
