Cultivating a Robust Workforce Development Ecosystem in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Amy Heitzman, Ph.D., helps lead UPCEA’s work in credential innovation, employer engagement, and learning mobility. She also serves as managing director for the Council for Credential Innovation, leads international partnerships and foundation-funded initiatives, and is a frequent keynote speaker and advisor on lifelong learning and workforce-aligned education.

Jill Avery-Stoss, MBA, is President and CEO of The Institute, a nonprofit focused on community-based research and analytics in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Her background spans nonprofit leadership, content development for education, and social services, and she is also an Aspen Institute Workforce Leadership Fellow.

Jeanne Eschbach is a consultant in leadership, strategic planning, grant development, and nonprofit management. She is a certified Wiley partner in Everything DiSC and The Five Behaviors and previously served in senior continuing education and workforce roles at SUNY Corning Community College, Elmira College, and Marist University.

Michelle Lengel is Deputy Director of the PA Workforce Development Board, which advises the governor on workforce strategy and alignment with education and economic priorities. She also manages Pennsylvania’s Industry Partnership program, supporting business collaboration around training, recruitment, and career awareness.

John Yudichak became the eighth president of Luzerne County Community College on July 1, 2024. Before joining LCCC, he spent 24 years in public service in the Pennsylvania House and Senate, where he built a reputation for consensus-building and advancing community and economic development across the region.

Jim Roberts serves on Misericordia University’s President’s Advisory Council while leading institutional marketing and communications and advising senior leadership on strategy, operations, and stakeholder engagement. His civic leadership has also included regional work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEPA and Junior Achievement of NEPA.

Lorelee Isbell leads strategy, external relations, professional development, career services, experiential learning, marketing, and special projects at Harrisburg University. With nearly three decades in higher education and workforce development, she is known for building cross-sector partnerships that connect learning with opportunity.

Amy Van Why-Roberts is Chief People Officer at Maternal & Family Health Services and brings 36 years of professional experience, including 28 years in leadership roles. Her work spans organizational structure, staffing and retention, employee development, conflict resolution, and individualized feedback practices that improve performance.

Marc Gonzalez is a cybersecurity and business risk advisor with more than 30 years of experience and is co-founder of Site2, an information technology company serving regulated industries. He also serves as Cybersecurity Program Director for Lackawanna College’s Center for Technology Innovation, where he helps shape degree and certification curriculum.

Christine Jensen brings more than 35 years of human resources and workforce development experience and has served the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Development Board since 2011. As executive director, she oversees regional PA CareerLink services and works to align workforce policy, funding, employer demand, and training pathways.

Anthony Guariglia, Ph.D., is a veteran educational leader with more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, principal, and administrator. He has led the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center for the past decade and also serves in multiple public and workforce leadership roles across the region.