[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          LEADERSHIP WILKES-BARRE CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2001

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, today I honor Leadership Wilkes-Barre on 
the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The mission of this distinguished 
organization is to develop informed and committed leaders from all 
segments of the community who will serve, strengthen and improve 
Northeastern Pennsylvania, and it is doing exactly that.
  Leadership Wilkes-Barre began in 1981, when then-Chamber of Commerce 
Director John Sheehan proposed the idea to community leaders Tom 
Bigler, John Conyngham, Ed Schechter and the late Tom Kiley, who 
together formed the steering committee.
  The inaugural class of 20 graduated in June 1982. Since then, the 
program has grown and now has 648 graduates, with a depth of experience 
and a diversity of backgrounds from India and Iran to Clarks Summit and 
Shickshinny. The graduates of Leadership Wilkes-Barre are putting their 
skills to work on hundreds of community projects and volunteer boards 
throughout the region and the state.
  Since its founding, the organization has expanded by adding the 
Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre program for high school students in 1986 
and the Intercollegiate Leadership Wilkes-Barre program in 1987. The 
Intercollegiate program serves students from College Misericordia, 
Keystone College, King's College, Luzerne County Community College, 
Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Wilkes University.
  In 1999, the organization developed Masters Leadership Wilkes-Barre, 
designed to give retired and semi-retired members of the community a 
chance to become more involved in community service. Over the 20 years 
of Leadership Wilkes-Barre's existence, there have been 2,013 
participants in its programs.
  Mr. Speaker, the driving force behind this record of accomplishment 
and service is Executive Director Sue Kluger, a founding board member 
who has led the organization since 1983. I am pleased to call her hard 
work and the many achievements of Leadership Wilkes-Barre to the 
attention of the House of Representatives, and I wish her and the fine 
organization she leads many more years of success.

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