promotion Archives

Proposals sought for ag products sales and exports

The state Department of Agriculture is looking for proposals for projects that will boost domestic sales and exports of Pennsylvania agricultural products.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the department plans to award up to $303,000 in matching funds to PA nonprofits to reimburse up to 50% of costs for promotional and educational projects intended to increase consumer awareness and sales or expand export markets.

The amount available for grants will ultimately depend on the final 2023-24 budget.

“Pennsylvania food, fiber, and hardwood products are second to none,” Redding said. “The Shapiro Administration is seeking innovative marketers and educators who can help tell Pennsylvania Agriculture’s story to consumers at home and around the world.”

The grants help Pennsylvania businesses connect with consumers, support the more than 593,000 Pennsylvanians whose jobs depend on them, and continue to feed families and the economy, Redding said.

Grants will be awarded to PA nonprofit agricultural promotion and marketing organizations for projects ranging from festivals and tourism events to regional buy-local campaigns and statewide promotions of PA products.

Priority consideration will be given to projects that:

promote PA Preferred hardwoods, dairy products, fruit and vegetables;
promote agritourism, Farmers Market Nutrition Programs and farm markets;
expand or create export markets;
increase food security and decrease food waste; and
leverage additional private or federal funds.

Complete guidelines for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Product Promotion, Education and Export Promotion Matching Grant Program are in the May 20 issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

Grant applications must be submitted online through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development Electronic Single Application by 5 p.m. July 14.

Third generation to lead retirement organization

Meredith Mills and Michael Leader – PHOTO/PROVIDED

Country Meadows Retirement Communities and Ecumenical Retirement Community has a new president and CEO.

Meredith Mills, granddaughter of former Gov. George Leader and Mary Jane Leader, who founded Country Meadows, will take the helm of the Hershey-based organization which has facilities in Wyomissing, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

Mills takes over from Michael Leader, who, after more than 30 years leading the organization, will serve as executive chairman.

“I have every confidence in handing over our organization’s leadership to my niece. Meredith has been leading teams on campuses and at the home office for more than 11 years and did an outstanding job guiding us through the pandemic,” Leader said.

Mills has held various positions at Country Meadows including marketing director, campus executive director, vice president of strategic planning and most recently, COO.

She has a master’s degree in Health Administration from Penn State University and an undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College.

“I cannot express in words what an incredible honor it is to follow not only in the footsteps of my grandparents, parents, and uncles, but also in the footsteps of so many of the Country Meadows and Ecumenical ‘family members’ who have committed many years to our mission to serve seniors,” Mills said.

This year marks the 61st year of the Leader family’s involvement in the senior living industry, which contrasts with a 2010 report by the Conway Center for Family Business that found the average lifespan of a family-owned business is just 24 years, Country Meadows said.

Mills promotion transitions the family’s third generation into the top leadership role, despite a 2010 study that found just 13% of family-owned businesses are passed down successfully to a third generation.

“I consider it a privilege to transfer leadership to such a capable and experienced member of the third generation of our family,” Leader said, “Nothing pleases me more than to ensure that Country Meadows and Ecumenical Retirement Community will remain a family-owned and family-managed organization led by such an outstanding CEO.”

It was Mills’ respect and admiration for her grandparents that led her to a career in senior living.

“I was motivated to come back to Country Meadows by my grandfather’s request to see the third generation more involved and was blessed to be able to spend a few years at Country Meadows while he was still with us,” she said. “His strong commitment to innovation, integrity, and empowerment was impressed upon me during that time, and I am grateful for the opportunity to receive further mentorship from my uncles and father.”

Grand View Health names VP and chief medical officer

Grand View Health named Dr. Michael J. Prasto, as vice president and chief medical officer.

A board-certified emergency medicine physician, Prasto, who will transition into his new role over the next few months, initially joined Grand View Health, Sellersville, in 2016 and assumed a leadership role one year later as chair and medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine.

In March 2020, he accepted the additional leadership role of assistant chief medical officer, collaborating with the health system’s executive team in various areas of administrative leadership on a part-time basis.

During his tenure at Grand View Health, Prasto has led system-wide initiatives in a variety of areas, including stroke care and quality improvement. He also worked as part of the Medical Command team that provided oversight for Grand View Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the last seven years, our administrative team and our medical staff have grown to rely on Dr. Prasto for his calm, steady leadership, his ability to bring people together, and his vision for the future of healthcare,” said Douglas Hughes, president and CEO at Grand View Health.

“We look forward to his leadership as CMO as we guide our community and our medical staff through an exciting time of growth, including the opening of our new six-story pavilion on our main hospital campus in Sellersville this summer,” Hughes said.

Prasto will replace Dr. Jane A. Ferry, who announced in May that she would step down from her role as vice president and CMO after 23 years to start a new chapter of her professional and personal life.

The CMO is responsible for managing Grand View Health’s medical providers, ensuring the provision of safe, effective medical services to community members, Hughes said.

A Villanova University graduate, Prasto received his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed his residency training at Temple University Hospital. In addition to his roles at Grand View Health, Prasto serves as an adjunct clinical assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

St. Luke’s University Health Network names SVP of finance and CFO

Scott Wolfe, a former president of Reading Hospital, has been named senior vice president of finance and CFO for St. Luke’s University Health Network.

Wolfe has served as the interim SVP of Finance & CFO since January 2022, succeeding Thomas Lichtenwalner. During this time, he continued as president of St. Luke’s Warren Campus based in Philipsburg, New Jersey, the role he has had since April 2012 shortly after the former Warren Hospital joined St. Luke’s a decade ago, SLUHN said.

Wolfe has nearly 40 years of experience in the health care industry and has served in various leadership roles as CEO, COO and CFO for both large and smaller community-based acute care teaching hospitals in the Reading area, most recently as the president & CEO of Reading Hospital.

Over the course of Wolfe’s tenure at the Warren Campus, St. Luke’s invested over $150 million in the New Jersey market of Warren and Hunterdon Counties, improving care and expanding services, the network said.

Under Wolfe’s direction, St. Luke’s Warren Campus has forged key relationships in New Jersey, such as its strategic affiliation with Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health (RWJBH), the largest academic and health network in the state, the network said. This affiliation allows New Jersey residents to receive higher levels of care in New Jersey if that care is not readily available at St. Luke’s Warren Campus.

“A decade ago, it would have been nearly impossible to envision the revitalization of Warren Hospital and the powerful impact of its partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network,” said Karen Kubert, St. Luke’s Warren Campus board chair. “Today, the Warren Campus’s restored reputation is spreading by word of mouth.”

Replacing Wolfe as Warren Campus president on Sept. 1 will be Trevor Micklos.

Micklos joined St. Luke’s in 2017 as the service line administrator for Musculoskeletal Services and was subsequently promoted to vice president of operations in 2019. Prior to joining St. Luke’s, Micklos spent 13 years at Coordinated Health in various leadership roles.

State offers $303,000 in matching funds to promote agricultural products

Pennsylvania is looking to expand sales of agricultural products in the state and beyond.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today said $303,000 in matching funds are available to non-profits to reimburse up to 50% of costs for promotional and educational projects intended to increase consumer awareness and sales or grow export markets, he said.

“Pennsylvania food, fiber, and hardwood products are the finest in the world and nonprofit associations are key partners in telling that story,” Redding said. “We’re looking for innovative marketers and educators who can help tell Pennsylvania Agriculture’s story to consumers here and abroad. These grants are ultimately a win-win-win for our agriculture businesses, the more than 593,000 Pennsylvanians whose jobs depend on them, and for our economy.”

Grants will be awarded to nonprofit agricultural promotion and marketing organizations. In 2021, the department awarded $300,000 to 16 non-profits for projects ranging from festivals and tourism events to regional buy-local campaigns and statewide promotions of Pennsylvania products.

Eligible projects in 2022 can promote anything from wine to wool, hardwoods to honey, fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, poultry or dairy ─ any agricultural product produced in the state, he said.

Grant applications must be submitted online through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development Electronic Single Application. Applications can be submitted beginning today and are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5.

Tower Health names vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Wellness

Tower Health announced today that Desha Dickson has been named vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Wellness.

In this new role she will serve as the organizational leader within the system to drive the development, implementation and integration of best practices and resources to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural proficiency within Tower Health.

Dickson will also continue to be responsible to develop and implement initiatives aimed at working with community partners to improve the health of communities served by Tower Health through innovations in health education and community engagement including completing the Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan, Tower Health said.

She joined Reading Hospital in 2011 most recently serving as associate vice president of Community Wellness at Reading Hospital. In this role she worked to design programs and build partnerships to improve health, wellness, and the quality of life in Berks County.

Dickson also helped to initiate the Reading Hospital Street Medicine Program, which provides medical care and links to social services for individuals that are homeless or housing insecure.

She was instrumental in the development of Reading Hospital’s Center of Excellence, which was created with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Under Dickson’s leadership and guidance, Reading Health received a $4.5 million federal grant aimed at identifying and addressing social determinants of health by creating a “hub” that bridges the gap between Medicare and Medicaid patients’ clinical and social service needs. Reading Hospital is one of only 32 organizations in the country to receive funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to pilot the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) care model, Tower Health said.

Dickson has also created programs that provide local students with educational opportunities in healthcare. She developed an internship program at Reading Hospital that enables local high school students to gain work experience in a variety of departments within the healthcare setting, while advancing their professional skills through monthly seminars covering topics such as interview skills and financial planning.

Prior to joining Reading Hospital, Dickson worked at United Way of Greater High Point in North Carolina, where she was the vice president of Community Impact. She received her master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from West Chester University.

Tower Health announced new vice president for Outpatient Services at Reading Hospital

Tower Health announced the promotion of Robert Paul to vice president of hospital-based outpatient services for Reading Hospital.

In this new role, Paul will continue to provide administrative and operational leadership for 24 hospital-based primary and specialty care practices.

He provides administrative oversight to the family medicine, OB/GYN, and psychiatry residency programs. In addition, he will assume oversight of Laboratory Services.

A Berks County native and graduate of Holy Name High School and Alvernia University, Paul began as a phlebotomist in Reading Hospital’s laboratory in 1978. Over the years, he has served in numerous positions – most recently as senior director of Hospital-Based Practices.

Northampton Community College names fifth president

Northampton Community College named David Ruth as its fifth president.

David Ruth is named fifth president of NCC – PHOTO/PROVIDED –

Ruth, current vice president and chief of staff will take over the position July 1 after current President Mark Erickson retires at the end of this month.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with our selection,” said NCC Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Fehnel. “We felt Dave in many ways was uniquely qualified to be our next president. As a community college graduate, he identifies with our students and their needs; as someone who has worked at NCC in an executive role, he well understands the heart and soul of our college; and as someone who has been part of the leadership team at a major university (Drexel), he brings a fresh perspective that will forge our successful future.”

“This is such a special place with so many great past achievements and so many outstanding opportunities,” said Ruth. “It is a college of possibilities, of incredible promise, enormous potential and a depth of talented, truly committed people that are the life blood of NCC,” he said.

“I am honored and excited to lead NCC as its next president.”

Ruth said he owes a debt of gratitude to outgoing Erickson for his work in shaping NCC into what it is today. “He has left an enduring legacy that has made NCC one of the nation’s community college jewels,” he said.

That legacy includes one of the largest endowments of any community college in the nation, having more than doubled in the last decade to $86 million.

After earning his associate degree from Hagerstown Community College, Ruth earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Frostburg State University, a master’s degree in secondary education and mathematics from Lehigh University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Drexel University.

Ruth spent 23 years at Drexel including 11 years as dean of students and chief student affairs officer where he led a division of more than 120 staff members who provided curricular and co-curricular programs and services across multiple campus locations for 26,000 students. Ruth also served on the President’s Executive Council and Provost’s Council of Deans.

He joined Northampton Community College as vice president and chief of staff in 2016. In his role, he serves as chief advisor to the president while directing strategic planning, institutional research, planning, government and community relations, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as well as global education and international student services.

“I managed to remain active in the classroom as an adjunct instructor, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses (online and face-to-face) in mathematics, statistics, management, higher education and student development,” said Ruth.

“It’s been important for me to do that to really appreciate the challenges students and faculty face every day, especially during the pandemic.”

Grand View Health names new president and CEO

Sellersville-based Grand View Health named Douglas Hughes president and CEO.

Douglas Hughes, president and CEO, Grand View Health -PHOTO/PROVIDED –

The appointment, effective immediately, was made Tuesday by Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Pritchard.

Hughes had served as Grand View Health’s interim president and CEO since Oct. 1, 2021, succeeding Jean Keeler, who retired on Sept. 30, 2021.

“Over the past six months and throughout the pandemic, Doug has consistently demonstrated that he is the best candidate for Grand View as we continue to grow our capabilities and access to high-quality patient services close to home,” Pritchard said. “We are well-positioned for growth, and Doug’s leadership both administratively and clinically will enable us to build upon that momentum.”

As president and CEO, Hughes assumes leadership of the community-focused health network of nearly 2,000 employees encompassing Grand View Hospital, six outpatient centers, two urgent care centers, Grand View Medical Company and Grand View Ambulatory Surgery Center, Pritchard said.

Along with the leadership team, Hughes has overseen the accreditation of Grand View Health as a Level II Trauma Center, making Grand View Health the highest-level trauma center in northern Bucks County.

Additionally, he has had oversight of the groundbreaking for a new 190,000-square-foot pavilion at Grand View Hospital, scheduled to open in 2023, the announcement of a strategic alliance with Penn Medicine, and the opening of an outpatient center in Dublin Borough.

Hughes joined Grand View Health in 2018 as senior vice president and chief strategy officer. He helped develop a comprehensive five-year strategic plan which has led to many service enhancements at Grand View Health, the hospital said.

Hughes received his BSN from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from Alvernia University.

Prior to joining Grand View Health, Hughes served as vice president of administration at Main Line Health following two years as director of Nursing Operations, Surgical and Trauma services.

“We will soon enter our 110th year of taking care of this community. I am intensely proud of the compassion our colleagues show our community each and every day,” Hughes said. “While healthcare continues to evolve, I am confident we have the resources and talent in place to continue our positive momentum, grow our health system, and deliver the quality care our community deserves, close to home, for years to come,” he said.

RKL names new COO

Michael De Stefano is named chief operating officer for RKL PHOTO/PROVIDED –

RKL LLP named Michael De Stefano as chief operating officer.

The CPA and advisory firm, with offices in Reading and Allentown, said De Stefano was promoted from CFO and joined the firm’s partnership April 1.

In the new COO role, De Stefano will oversee the firm’s finance, IT, HR, administrative support and building and asset management functions from the Lancaster office, the company said.

CEO Ed Monborne will remain focused on executing RKL’s strategic objectives and shaping the firm’s future through new service development, innovation, M&A opportunities and leadership pipeline.

“As we continue to help our clients get future-ready, we must do the same here at RKL,” said Monborne.

“Mike is a well-respected leader at RKL whose attention to detail, pursuit of efficiency and commitment to excellence make him a perfect fit for our new COO role,” he said.

De Stefano served RKL as an audit manager when he joined the company in 1995. He left to join a Central PA-based transportation and logistics company in 2009 as controller and eventually CFO and vice president of finance.

De Stefano, who rejoined RKL in 2019, will continue to oversee RKL’s finance function as a COO and the firm’s current corporate controller and financial controller will assume day-to-day management of the Finance Department.

De Stefano is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University.

De Stefano and his family reside in Elizabethtown.

Smalley named corporate controller for Precision Roll Grinders

Deborah S. Smalley has been named corporate controller for Precision Roll Grinders, Allentown.

In her new position she will support all accounting and financial functions, establish and implement financial policies, coordinate the company’s financial planning and investment activities, perform financial risk assessments and assist in preparing annual budgets for all four of the company’s sites.

Prior to joining Precision Roll Grinders, Smalley worked as controller and then regional finance manager for Blue Triton Brands (formerly Nestle Waters North America), Breinigsville, where she was a senior member of the logistics management team in the Midatlantic and Midwest regions. Smalley was cost accounting manager and director of finance at Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Bethlehem, before joining Nestle.

A native of Allentown, Smalley currently resides in Kempton. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from DeSales University and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Kutztown University.

Thomas Reardon promoted to partner with RKL

Thomas D. Reardon has been promoted to partner with RKL LLC.

“For more than 12 years, Tom Reardon has enriched our firm, honed his expertise and delivered trusted financial guidance to clients in Berks County and beyond,” said RKL CEO Ed Monborne. “We’re proud to celebrate Tom’s professional milestone and know that he will continue to enhance RKL’s growth and success by helping individuals and families achieve their most fulfilling lives.”

Since joining RKL’s investment advisory subsidiary, RKL Wealth Management LLC, in 2008, Reardon has held a variety of roles, most recently serving as a senior wealth advisor.

In 2011, Reardon earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) credential. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association and the Berks County Estate Planning Council. Reardon completed the Berks training program in 2015. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from West Chester University.

A Wyomissing resident, Reardon plays an active role in the community where he and his wife are raising their family. He belongs to Greater Reading Young Professionals, sits on the boards of the Tri Valley YMCA and the Wyomissing Football Association and belongs to the Finance Committee of his church, Bausman Memorial United Church of Christ.

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