Member News – January 26, 2022
Area Employers Invited to Talk with Students at Vo-Tech Open House
Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School is holding an open house on Sunday, February 6th from 1 to 4 p.m. for junior high school students considering attending the school and their parents. Area employers are invited to attend to talk with students about job opportunities. Interested employers should contact Tracy Gillespie by February 1st at tgillespie@cmvt.us or 570-784-8040 ext. 3322.
New Board Members Announced for Community Giving Foundations: Bloomsburg and Danville
The Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg recently welcomed four new members to its 2022 Board of Directors. In addition to the four new board members, the Bloomsburg board is represented by: John Thompson (chair), Pam Young (vice chair), Donna Coombs, Lynn Cromley, Tom Kapelewski, Jessica Lehman, and Patti Leighow.
Ms. Elizabeth Dowd
Ms. Dowd is a resident acting company member with the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE). She moved to Bloomsburg from Chicago to pursue private study with legendary acting teacher Alvina Krause when she became part of the founding of BTE. Forty-four years later, Bloomsburg has long been the place she calls home. Ms. Dowd is the grateful partner of Rand Whipple and mother to two adult children. She is an active community member, most recently with the Coalition for Social Equity, Women in Action workgroup, and co-organizer of the “Bloomsburg Reads” event.
Dr. Heather S. Feldhaus, PhD
Dr. Feldhaus is a sociologist who specializes in the study of social problems. She earned her BA and MA in sociology at the University of South Alabama and her PhD at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She is currently the Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Development, Dean of Graduate Studies, and Professor of Sociology at Bloomsburg University. She also founded the Center for Community Research and Consulting at BU. Her research focuses on how communities define and think about social problems and how this shapes their efforts to solve problems. She is particularly interested in issues surrounding rural poverty and homelessness.
Dr. Feldhaus enjoys being active in the community. She is currently the vice president of the board of directors for the Community Strategies Group and serves on the United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties allocations committee. She is a regular volunteer for the Bloom Seed Library and uses her professional skills as a frequent volunteer or consultant for many regional groups that need help with strategic planning or data collection and analysis. Dr. Feldhaus lives in Orangeville with her husband and two sons.
Mr. Jeff Lylo
Mr. Lylo is the owner of J. Lylo Jewelers, located in downtown Bloomsburg. Born and raised in Berwick, he graduated from Berwick High School and then Penn State University with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management. After completing gemological certifications and apprenticing at Good as Gold (Bloomsburg), Mr. Lylo opened his own business in 1999. Through the jewelry business, he plays a role in community members’ major life events from births to engagements to wedding anniversaries. This role is a legacy from his grandfather, owner of Nespoli Jewelers, who instilled the importance of personal relationships with customers.
In addition to his constant presence at J. Lylo Jewelers, Mr. Lylo also serves on the board for Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc. As the father of two active boys, he can often be found around town at youth sporting events, church activities, and school performances.
Mr. Leo V. Sokoloski
Mr. Sokoloski is the Chief of Police at Bloomsburg University, overseeing the day-to-day management of police operations and life safety, property protection, and investigations on campus. He also serves as a consultant for the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, offering school crisis preparedness and practical services to help make schools safer and ready for all emergencies. Mr. Sokoloski was the previous Chief of Police for the Town of Bloomsburg for 12 years. He has served on many initiatives and community groups across the region to promote education and safety for local residents.
The Community Giving Foundation: Danville recently welcomed four new members to its 2022 Board of Directors. In addition to the four new board members, the Danville board is represented by: Bonnie Trump (chair), Linda Brown (co-vice chair), Dennis Hummer (co-vice chair), Wendy Tripoli (financial liaison), Donna Cush (secretary), Ken Ackerman, Marc Baranouski, David Betz, Kimberly Burke, Greg Cole, Mark LaMotte, Christen Mowad, Mary Petrick, and Gary Visneski.
Mrs. Marsha Albertson
Mrs. Albertson is a Senior Accountant at HRI, INC., an asphalt manufacturing and construction company located in Muncy, PA. She is a 1989 graduate of Hughesville Area School District and graduated from Bloomsburg University with a BS in Business Administration. She has worked with HRI, INC. for 25 years. Mrs. Albertson owned Fran’s Dairy Bar in Millville for 13 years and Grandma Edwards’ food stand at the Bloomsburg Fair for 10 years. She enjoys relaxing on the beach, entertaining, and spending time with family and friends. She also finds great pleasure in volunteering and fundraising, which she has done over the years through her son’s sporting teams. Mrs. Albertson has been married for almost 26 years. They have a son who attends Bloomsburg University and a daughter in high school.
Mr. Tim Karr
Mr. Karr grew up in Selinsgrove. Following college, he served with the Army Black Horse Armored Cavalry Regiment as a 1st Lt. on the East/West German Border, followed by two years with the Reserves. Returning to the area in 1973, Mr. Karr opened Villager Realty, Inc. Today, he serves as CEO/President of Villager Realty, a sales leader in the Central Susquehanna Valley with 33 agents, three locations, and appraisal, relocation, development, and construction divisions. He resides in Riverside with his wife.
Mrs. Shelley Nemeth
Mrs. Nemeth is currently an independent consultant specializing and focusing on the training of pre-school teachers and educators. As an early childhood education professional, she has extensive experience in classrooms, administration of childcare programs, managing multiple childcare facilities, early learning programs, public relations, staffing, recruitment, curriculum development, staff training, and developing leadership training materials.
Originally from Canada, Mrs. Nemeth and her husband have lived in the United States since 2000 and have been happy to call the Danville community home since 2007. In addition to her professional activities, Mrs. Nemeth is involved in a local book club, church fellowship, and pursuing her personal interests of cooking, art, and decorating.
Mr. Bob Stoudt
Mr. Stoudt grew up near Turbotville and graduated from Warrior Run High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography/Environmental Planning from Bloomsburg University and a master’s degree in Geography from Indiana State University. After living in Indiana for several years, he moved to Pittsburgh to work for Navigation Technologies, a digital mapping company. Mr. Stoudt and his wife moved back to Watsontown in 2002, where he continued to work part-time until the births of their three kids. While being a stay-at-home dad, he volunteered with a number of local organizations for several years. In 2010, Mr. Stoudt became part-time deputy director of the Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) and assumed the role of Director later that year—a role he continues to hold today.
Mr. Stoudt’s recent volunteer service has included board/committee roles with: Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce; Columbia Montour Partnership for Community Development; Columbia Montour Visitors’ Bureau; Warrior Run Community Corporation’s Pathways Committee; Montour County Recreation Authority; Friends of Allegheny Wilderness; SEDA-Foundation; Watsontown Borough Parks Renovation Committee; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Land Steward; and the Boy Scouts of America. Additionally, he has worked with 31 Eagle Scout candidates and one Girl Scout Gold Award candidate on projects through his roles with the Warrior Run Community Corporation and Marc, with another four projects now underway.