Karen Kenderdine, Chairperson of the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, has announced that Patricia A. Lenahan has been confirmed as the executive director of the organization.

Lenahan has served as the L/S WIB’s acting executive director since January and was interim executive director since July 2012. Prior to that, she worked as the organization’s planner.

The L/S WIB oversees workforce development activities throughout Luzerne and Schuylkill counties by bringing together business, industry, education, economic development and community organizations and facilitating partnerships in order to identify workforce challenges and develop strategies and solutions to address those challenges. Members of the WIB include representatives from private sector businesses and industry, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, community groups, economic development agencies, state and county agencies and educational institutions from both counties.

“Patti is an excellent leader who is adept at developing programs, identifying workforce needs and targeting solutions to meet a variety of challenges. She has proven herself to be dedicated to working with other agency and government leaders in advancing the L/S WIB’s mission and goals. The board is confident that she is the right choice to lead the L/S WIB and we congratulate her on her appointment,” Kenderdine said.

As executive director, Lenahan provides managerial and administrative leadership and is responsible for administering the board’s programs and activities and overseeing specific board initiatives. She assists the board with the development of the Workforce Investment Area Local Plan, as well as strategic vision and planning. She maintains relationships and communication with federal, state and local officials and funding sources.

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The 12 students who attended Genetti’s ceremony were among 68 who completed the free program.

Twenty-year-old Maria Miller overcame the odds against her after twice getting pregnant while in high school and dropping out.

On Friday, she received her GED certificate at a ceremony at Best Western Genetti Hotel & Conference Center with others who achieved the same goal.

The 12 GED students who attended were among 68 who completed the free program offered through the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board.

“I got pregnant around my junior year, that was my first son, and I (got) married and, in my senior year, I was pregnant with my second child. I really couldn’t find childcare for both of my kids. … So I decided to be a stay-at home mom,” Miller, of Wilkes-Barre, said, explaining why she dropped out of school.

But the young mother didn’t want to be dependent on others for the rest of her life.

“I heard about the GED program at CareerLink and decided to get my GED so I could further my education in the future so I could provide better for my kids. And I’m glad I did. I got my GED within six weeks … and I found that the setting was a lot better because it was more one-on-one with a teacher instead of a whole group,” Miller said.

With a GED under her belt, she applied to Geisinger’s phlebotomy school and set an ultimate goal of becoming an OB/GYN and opening her own practice.

(Wilkes-Barre) On Thursday, May 17^th at 10:00am, the Learning Works Pop Up Shop will open on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, in the University Commons complex, near to Refer Local. It will be operated by fifth- to eighth grade students from Wilkes-Barre Area School District who are part of Volunteers of America’s after-school program called Learning Works. All proceeds from the sale of the items will be used to purchase education-related materials for the children, like books, workbooks, and computer programs having to do with learning.

The temporary shop will sell t-shirts, stickers and postcards that celebrate Wilkes-Barre and its history. The store will be open the same hours as the Fine Arts Fiesta: Thursday, May 17 to Saturday, May 19 from 10:00am to 8:00pm and Sunday, May 20 from 10:00am to 6:00pm. It will also open on the weekends of May 26 and 27 and June 2 and 3.

Students in the Learning Works program have been at work since late January, getting tutoring and mentoring both on the campus of King’s College by King’s students, and in the home, where they and all school-age siblings work with a VOA staffer to set and reach goals for school Success.