This year’s Leadership McKean class is the largest in the program’s history, with 33 participants. The leadership development course began back in 2007. Over the past 16 years, 81 sponsoring organizations have sent over 300 participants through the course. More than 730 presenters have shared their expertise over the years.
This year’s students were recognized at a graduation ceremony held recently at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
The keynote speakers from the graduating class were Kayla Hayden, Kyle Viola and Chris Yaworksy. They spoke of their positive individual and collective experiences participating in Leadership McKean over the last eight months.
Kristin Asinger, executive director, showcased the impact of Leadership McKean within the county by highlighting projects from past classes that are in operation assisting the community. These projects include Mattresses Across McKean County from the class of 2019, Court Appointed Special Advocate from the class of 2013, Stepping Up for Kids from the 2016 class, among others.
Asinger was also presented with a certificate of appreciation for her hard work and success in leading Leadership McKean since 2020. It was announced at the graduation that she will be retiring from her position.
As a requirement of the eight-month CORE program, all class members work in a team setting on a community-driven project. The evening program included the opportunity to listen to the county-wide projects that have been completed by the five teams of the 2024 class.
The “Access McKean” project team focused on human resources. Access McKean aims to create a long-term, sustainable impact by connecting McKean County residents with vital resources through an easy-to-navigate online directory. This central hub allows individuals to quickly access information about local services and support systems. Users can input their needs, prompting the team to reach out with personalized assistance. Continuously updated as new providers and services emerge, the platform ensures that all community resources are known and accessible. Project team members included Kayla Hayden, Katie Mackey, Tina Cary, Leichelle Smith, Nicole Pysher and Erica Cawley.
The ‘S.T.O.R. Room’ (Student Treasures or Resources) project team focused on education. They and a project to support students’ basic needs with a no-questions-asked pantry at Fretz Middle School and Smethport Elementary. The initiative provided 60 bars of soap, 300 laundry pods, and over 100 food items, among other supplies. An Amazon wish list was created as well as fundraising raffles to purchase shelving, bins and clothing racks, with significant involvement from Bradford and Smethport School District employees to help gather resources. Project team members included Amber Benjamin, Kristin Zona, Terra Thompson-Ferchak, Toni Haight, Kaylee Worden, Chelsea Madore and Amanda Stewart.
The “Arts, Community & Civic Engagement” project team coordinated a successful ‘Community Goods and Food Drive.’ W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. donated a knife and Zippo Manufacturing Company donated a lighter for online auctions, aiding fundraising efforts. The successful drive resulted in 15 boxes of donations and purchased goods, with 5 boxes each distributed to Destinations Bradford, the Salvation Army, and the YWCA. Project team members included Heather Watson, Jeremy Cressley, Shane Nudd Jr., Marty Cummins and Casey Buckner.
The ‘Spotlight McKean’ project team focused on enhancing economic and workforce development in McKean County. They created a Facebook page, ‘Spotlight McKean,’ to showcase career opportunities, featuring 19 companies from Bradford and Lewis Run. The page reaches 9,000 people, has 121 likes, and 288 followers. The project also connected students with potential employers through manufacturing tours. Project team members included Chris Yaworsky, Rob Adams, David Cook, Vicki Miller, Destiny Fitton, Julia Morgan and Rich Longer.
The “Move in McKean” project team focused on tourism and recreation, promotes outdoor recreation and motivation for families to explore McKean County’s sights, trails, and nature. ‘Move in McKean’ partnered with the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau’s Trail Center and facilitated a booth at the YMCA Kids Fest to coordinate events for families to partake in. Events included healthy and fun outdoor activities with T-shirts and prizes. Project Team members included Kyla Viola, Jeremiah Stiable, Jim Butler, Alison Frantz, Ginny Venezia and Anna Yohe.
This year’s class included the following students: Robert Adams, James Butler and Destiny Fitton with Allegheny Bradford Corporation; David A. Cook, Jeremy Cressley and Angelina Tedesco with American Refining Group; Christopher Yaworsky with Beacon Light Behavioral Health System; Amber Benjamin and Marty Cummins with Bradford Area School District; Kayala Hayde with Bright Alternatives; Erica Cawley with Dresser Pipeline Solutions; Leichelle Smith with Evergreen Elm; Terra Thompson-Ferchak and Nicole Pysher with Journey Health System; Casey Buckner with McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authorities; Alison Frantz with Northwest Bank; Amanda Marie Steward with Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unite Nine; Kristin J. Zona with Smethport Area School District; Katherine Mackey and Tina M. Cary with The Guidance Center; Julia Marie Morgan and Kyle Viola with the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; Toni Lynne Haight, Shane Eric Nudd Jr. and Kaylee Worden with W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.; Emily Rhoades with YMCA of the Twin Tiers; and Richard Samuel Longer, Chelsea Madore, Vicki L. Miller, Jeremiah Stiable, Virginia Venezia, Heather Watson and Anna Yohe with Zippo Manufacturing Company.
Sponsors of the graduation event included American Refining Group, Blaisdell Foundation, Bradford Area School District, Northwest Bank and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Leadership McKean is now accepting applications for next year’s CORE Class. Applications are open to anyone who works or lives in McKean County. For more information visit the Leadership McKean website. The deadline to apply is Aug. 18.
