NeighborWorks New Board and Staff

This past year, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NeighborWorks) is pleased to welcome several new board and staff members to the team.

Board:
Joyce Avila is the President of CAFÉ Creating and Facilitating Equality. As a presenter, facilitator, keynote speaker and educator, she organizes and facilitates workshops in the areas of diversity, life change and transition, leadership, communication, conflict resolution, stress management and self-care.

Matthew Domines is the Director of Finance for the City of Scranton. He performs a variety of tasks in his role, including planning and coordinating all significant fiscal and related administrative functions for efficient accounting and financial systems, policies, and processes that meet the city’s current and future needs.

Damon Spady is a minority business owner who owns and operates his own travel company, Damon’s Getaways. A Dunmore resident, Damon also serves as treasurer for the NAACP Lackawanna County Branch.

Mary-Pat Ward is the Development and Fundraising Director for the Catherine McAuley Center. She is involved with the local arts community and enjoys traveling and visiting historical sites. She is a member of the regional roller derby team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Roller Radicals and resides with her husband, Doug, and daughter, Izzy, in West Scranton.

Staff:

David DePietro is our Accounting Manager, where he helps manage the day-to-day activities of all financial and business-related operations. He has a strong nonprofit and grant accounting experience background and worked in the nonprofit field for 10+ years.

Alyssa Espinoza joins the staff as a full-year AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) member. A West Scranton native and West Scranton High School alumnus, Alyssa will be serving as the volunteer coordinator for NeighborWorks projects throughout the year. This past May, she graduated with a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Ohio University.

Parker Dorsey recently concluded his own VISTA year and joins the staff in a full-time capacity as the Community Program Assistant. Parker will be continuing his role in building capacity and enhancing marketing and communications efforts across all program lines. This past May he received his MBA from Mississippi State University, and is a 2020 graduate of Wilkes University with a BA in Communication Studies.

Miranda Pace is our West Scranton Neighborhood Coordinator, where she manages various community development projects and programs as part of the implementation of the West Scranton Neighborhood Plan.

Fernanda Proaño is our HUD Certified Housing Counselor, she will help expand our Homebuyer Education, Counseling and Financial Coaching services to Wayne and Pike County. She has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with a focus on financial education and coaching.

Melody Robinson is our Aging in Place Specialist for Wayne County, where she has expand our Aging in Place services into Wayne County. She has a background in sales and comes highly recommended from established partners in Wayne County.