Mary Endrusick
What’s 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 am the Aging in Place Coordinator at NeighborWorks NEPA, which assists older adults in NEPA to be able to live in their homes safely through critical safety modifications, small home repairs, and volunteer and social isolation programming. I have held this position since May 2018. As Coordinator of the Aging in Place program I assisted in the initial program development and oversaw all parts of the program as well as the staff and sub-contractors and ensured budgets and sustainable funding was in place.
What would you say most motivates you to do the work you do? What are you most passionate about?
I have always wanted to assist others in achieving safe and affordable housing, which is what I am the most passionate about, and my work with older adults now allows me to execute that passion. Knowing that an older adult can stay in his or her home and community where they raised their families is what motivates me to do my job to ensure this program continues and more older adults are able to avoid facility-like living, if they so choose.
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 have been a NEPA resident my whole life. I spent 20 years living in Luzerne County and just recently moved to Lackawanna County. I received my Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in Social Work from Marywood University and continue to teach adjunct in their School of Social Work for the Bachelors of Social Work program (and Master’s level when I am needed). I enjoyed my time at Marywood University and met many great people, wonderful friends and inspiring mentors.
Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are? Tell a bit about them and what they did that influenced you.
One of my biggest mentors was Dawn Brennan, a professor at Marywood University. Mrs. Brennan since passed away but she instilled in me the importance of social workers, social work values and the many ways social workers can benefit individuals, families, and communities. Prior to her time teaching, Mrs. Brennan was the Executive Director of United Neighborhood Centers. She was integral in providing me guidance to obtain an internship there, after which I spent almost 10 years working at UNC, honing my skills and learning techniques to work with various populations to assist them in meeting their needs.
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 learned about Leadership Lackawanna from a colleague at NeighborWorks and other peers who had participated in the program. All were incredibly impressed with the program and the skills they learned to become leaders and mentors in their prospective roles. I graduated from the 2020 CORE program and believe it helped me become a better leader through integration of techniques regarding communication, leadership style and working together to obtain a common goal. The program also assisted in providing some wonderful networking opportunities that wouldn’t have otherwise been available to me. Following graduation, I was elected to the Leadership Lackawanna Board of Directors where I can continue to assist individuals become the best leaders in their respective careers that they can be.