WAVERLY — The board of trustees of the Waverly Community House (Comm) held its annual meeting Monday, June 8 to report on the status of the Comm for fiscal year 2014.
Outgoing President Diane Hepford Lenahan announced the appointment of executive officers, including Louis Houck, president; Patti Thomas, vice-president; Kathleen Nelson, secretary; and Christopher Kelly, treasurer.
Houck also introduced four new trustees to those in attendance.
• Tim Atkins, of Dalton, will lend his expertise in human resources to staff development at the Comm. He holds the position of Human Resource Business Partner at Coca-Cola Refreshments, where he has served for the past 16 years, overseeing HR functions at 12 facilities with approximately 1,000 employees across two states. Atkins was raised in a family committed to community service and he, his wife Tara and their two sons continue that tradition in their own family.
• Val Calpin was appointed to assist with special activities, programs and development efforts. She lives in Waverly with her husband, Jerry, and her daughter, Riley. In addition to being active in the greater community, Calpin has a long history of volunteer service at the Comm, having worked on many of its seasonal shows in varied capacities. She is business consultant for the Department of Planning and Economic Development for Lackawanna County.
• Jeff Haudenschield returns to the Comm Board after a one year hiatus. His wealth of institutional knowledge, having served on the board for 10 years (two as president) will be utilized to ensure the continued fiscal vitality of the Comm and its mission as it approaches its centennial year. A co-founder and owner of The Benefits Group, Haudenschield has also been a leader in organizing the Junior Comets as well as other community endeavors. Jeff and his wife Judy live in Waverly with their two sons.
• Marisa Nalevanko moved to Waverly with her husband and two young sons two years ago. Not long after, she dove into life at the Comm. She and her family are avid participants in many of the Comm’s activities including tots and toddler programs and children’s seasonal events. Nalevanko is a senior writer and producer for PBS Kids where she has distinguished herself since 2006.
The Waverly Community House said goodbye to four trustees, each of whom served the Comm and the community for nine years. Retiring from the board were Bill Chickillo, Tom Currá, Pat Staples and Steve Weinberger.
The annual meeting was capped off by the presentation of the Volunteer of the Year Award by Executive Director Maria Wilson to Bill and Lauri Chickillo, of Skylake Gallery, for outstanding work on the 50th anniversary and celebration of the F. Lammot Belin Arts Scholarship.
The award is given each year to the volunteer who best exemplifies the spirit of service and excellence that can be found in all Comm volunteers, and the Chickillos are no exception. For 12 months, Lauri Chickillo worked tirelessly contacting recipients of the scholarship, arranging for shipments and curating the collection of artworks while Bill prepared their studio, Skylake Gallery, for a gallery showing of these works to commemorate the anniversary. More than 100 people attended the reception in October and many more came to view the collection for the four weeks it was on exhibit at the gallery.
