Lori Nocito retiring after 19 years of exemplary service

The Leadership Northeast Board of Directors announced that Executive Director Lori Nocito will retire in July.  Nocito has been the Executive Director of Leadership Northeast (LNE), formerly Leadership Wilkes-Barre, for 19 years.

LNE’s nationally recognized programs help participants develop both personally and professionally and empower them to use their leadership experience and skills as a springboard to take a more active role in their careers, companies, schools and communities. Under Lori’s guidance, the team at LNE has worked with thousands of alumni to inspire servant leadership and affect positive change throughout the region.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to share that we are extraordinarily grateful for Lori’s leadership over the past two decades.  Her ability to direct the evolution of the programs, people and brand of Leadership Northeast has the nonprofit organization poised for a very bright future,” said Jim Brogna, chair of the Leadership Northeast Board of Directors.

In addition to her role at LNE, Nocito’s many years of dedicated community service include being a member of the following: The Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network; Past President and current member of the Luzerne County Head Start Board of Directors; Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; the Luzerne County Bar Association Lay Advisory Board; the PNC Bank Community Advisory Board;  the Geisinger Northeast Advisory Board; Circle 200 Executive Women’s Network; National Association of Leadership Programs; the International Leadership Association; and the United States Military Academy Selection Board. Lori also served as the Chairperson of the Pittston Tomato Festival for 22 years.

She has been recognized for many of her efforts, including receiving the 2015 Athena Award presented by the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce. She has been named one of the “Top 25 Women in Business” by the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal, received a Community Partner award from Luzerne County Head Start, and was named Greater Pittston Person of the Year in 2001. She received the Wyoming Valley Women’s Club Woman of the Year award, the Thomas M. Kobeski Community Spirit Award, and the Luzerne County Dress for Success Sister of Success award.   She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Italian American Association of Luzerne County, a Community Spirit Award from the YMCA, The Bill McNally Mentor of the Year by Tech Bridge, and the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Northeastern PA Council Boy Scouts of America.

Nocito earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Penn State University, and she was honored to return as the commencement speaker at Penn State Wilkes-Barre in 2009. She is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Northeast and 2011 graduate of Coro Leadership New York City, and she earned a Certificate in Leadership Development from Wilkes University and New York University.

“I am proud of the fact that we are a nationally recognized organization, and that our portfolio of programs has expanded to include diverse groups of people while presenting cutting edge leadership skills through experiential learning.  I will miss the camaraderie and support that our team, graduates, Board of Directors, Alumni and Advisory Councils have provided to me. These relationships are something I will continue to cherish for years to come.” said Nocito. 

 Leadership Northeast Program Director, Jessica Cronauer, will become the next Executive Director of Leadership Northeast. Cronauer has served the organization for nine years and recently earned a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning from George Washington University.  Nocito will be gradually transferring her responsibilities to Cronauer   over a period of several months.