SACF President and CEO Celebrates 10 Years of Leadership

On Wednesday, June 15, the Scranton Area Community Foundation Board of Governors recognized Laura Ducceschi for 10 years of service at the Foundation, serving in the executive leadership role as the Foundation’s President and CEO since 2012.

Over the past 10 years, Ducceschi has led the Foundation, which works to create stronger, healthier communities across Northeastern Pennsylvania through organized philanthropy.

“During the course of the past decade, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has seen tremendous growth under her leadership, nearly quadrupling the charitable assets under Foundation management,” stated Barbara O’Hara, Esq., Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Board Chair. “Laura has effectively and successfully led and grown the Foundation in terms of programs established, partnerships formed, charitable funds initiated, donors engaged, grants and scholarships awarded and so much more.”

The Scranton Area Community Foundation has granted over $25 million in funding under Ducceschi’s leadership to support programs and projects that enhance the quality of life for people in the Lackawanna County region and beyond.

In her role,Ducceschimanages over 270 charitable funds and two separate private foundations, which in total exceed nearly $95 million. Ducceschi also led the first-ever NEPA Gives, a collaborative effort with other regional foundations which in three years has raised nearly $3 million dollars for nonprofit organizations in only 72 hours.

“Laura helps to guide the philanthropic initiatives of those in our community, helping them to make a real difference in the quality of life in Northeastern PA,” stated David Price, Scranton Area Community Board Treasurer. “Transparency, ethics, and innovation are central to Laura’s leadership style. During her tenure, the Foundation was twice reaccredited at the highest standards for excellence in Community Foundations from the Council on Foundations, which is a national organization.”

“Laura has spearheaded many impactful regional initiatives aimed at catalyzing change. These include The Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence, which has provided cutting-edge training and education opportunities to hundreds of nonprofit leaders and employees; Women in Philanthropy, which provides thousands of dollars in direct funding to help transform the lives of local women, girls, and their families;  NEPA Moves; The NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative; the NEPA Health Care Foundation Scholars Program; and the Careers in Care Health Workforce Program, all to benefit surrounding communities,” O’Hara added.

“In her 10 years of service, Laura has transformed the Scranton Area Community Foundation into a state of the art change agent for our community. Without a doubt, our area is a better place to live because of her vision and drive,” stated Dave Hawk, who chaired the Search Committee when Ducceschi was hired and was Chair of the Board the year Ducceschi began in her role in 2012. “Congratulations, Laura, on 10 years of work.  I can only imagine the wonderful things that will happen over the next 10 years,” he added.

“Under Laura’s leadership in 2020, the Scranton Area Community Foundation was one of the first foundations in the country to create a COVID-19 Response Fund, which raised and distributed more than $1.4 million through 183 grants to nonprofit organizations, many of which serve as the safety net in Northeastern Pennsylvania, providing food, shelter and resources to the most vulnerable members of our communities,” stated Maggie Martinelli, the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Vice President of Administration and Projects.

Ducceschi has an MBA in Organizational Management from Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business; an MA in Communication from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; and a BA in Communication from the University of Scranton, where she graduated summa cum laude. She completed her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) certification from the American College of Financial Services and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).  Laura has a Certificate in Change Management from Cornell University, a Certificate in Design Thinking from Harvard University, a Certificate in Nonprofit Board Governance Consulting from BoardSource, and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Ducceschi received the Oustanding Fundraising Professional Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals- NEPA Chapter in 2021; the Excellence in Diversity Award from Penn State University-Scranton in 2019; the Executive Mentorship Award from the Allan P Kirby Center at Wilkes University in 2018, and was recognized as a top 25 Women in Business from the NEPA Business Journal in 2015. She will be honored with the Founder’s Award at Meals on Wheels Mix and Mingle event in September, 2022.  She serves as a member of the Geisinger Advisory Board, a Trustee of the Schwartz-Mack Foundation, a Trustee on the Scranton Life Board, and is on the NEPA Grantmakers Steering Committee.  Ducceschi has also contributed to reports and publications aimed at understanding how equitable economic impact is best achieved in small to medium sized cities.

“We are proud of all Laura has accomplished in the community as the President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation over the past ten years and look forward to continued growth, community impact, and stability under her leadership,” added O’Hara.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation looks forward to beginning the process of moving into its permanent home at the Century Club of Scranton building located at 612 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, later this year.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation has been a trusted community partner since 1954, serving the people of the region by working in partnership with donors to transform lives.  The Foundation offers a wide variety of charitable planning tools such as charitable gift annuities, scholarship funds, donor-advised funds, and charitable trusts to help donors maximize the impact of their charitable giving to causes and charities they care about. To learn more about the Scranton Area Community Foundation, visit safdn.org or contact Brittany Pagnotti, Communications Manager of the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.