Kristen Shemanski

Where do you work and what is your current position? How long have you been in this position? Can you give me a brief overview of what it is you do in your work?

I work at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and I am currently the Production Coordinator. I’ve held this position for two years; however, I have been with the company for nine years. I am responsible for planning and managing the production schedules for all of the manufacturing lines at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, ensuring efficient scheduling and project management to properly direct production activities.

What would you say most motivates you to do the work you do? What are you most passionate about?

I really love Gertrude Hawk Chocolates as a company. It started in Scranton and is now located a short distance from its original location. The Hawk family is very inspirational, between what they do for their company and community. Leadership Lackawanna really instilled in me the importance of community involvement in addition to your normal “9-5” job. Gertrude Hawk supports and encourages this. Seeing the Hawk family so passionate about their business is really motivating to want to help it continue to be successful.  

Where did you grow up and did you go to a college/trade school after high school? Where did you go, and what was that like? How did you end up in NEPA?
I grew up in Waymart, PA and went to Marywood University for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree after high school. I really enjoyed the experience of going to an art school which was also a liberal arts school. After working in the art and design field for ten years I went back to school at the University of Scranton for a Masters in Business Administration degree. Gertrude Hawk was very supportive of me returning to school and allowed me to move into a different department within the company after receiving my MBA. My entire family is in NEPA and I love this area!

How did you learn about Leadership Lackawanna? In what class year and program did you participate? Describe your experience. How did the program affect you post-graduation? What has your involvement with leadership Lackawanna been post-graduation?

I was approached by leadership at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates about participating in the Core program in 2013. I really loved the experience of the Core program. Even though I am local to the area, I knew no one in my class (except a fellow Gertrude Hawk co-worker) and I was introduced to a lot of things in the area that I had not experienced before. The program gave me a lot of confidence with public speaking and overall at work. Post-graduation I was elected to the Leadership Lackawanna Board of Directors. I’m currently serving my last year of my second term on the board. In this last year I’m also serving as Chair of the Board! I’m very involved with fundraising for the program and enjoy meeting all the new participants in all three programs every year.

In what ways are you/have you been active in the community (boards, committees, volunteering etc.).

Immediately following finishing the Core program I volunteered on the board of Dress for Success Lackawanna, which was the organization I worked with while in the Core program. I served on the board for two years. In addition to what I currently do for Leadership Lackawanna, I also serve on the board of the Scranton Chamber of Commerce and volunteer for the NativityMiguel School of Scranton.