Meghan Carnevale

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 currently serve as the Mission Advancement & Marketing Director at the Greater Scranton YMCA. I began my YMCA career at the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA in 2011. In 2012, I accepted a position at the Greater Scranton YMCA and in 2015, I began serving as the Mission Advancement & Marketing Director for both the Greater Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Family YMCAs. In March, 2019, following the December, 2018 arrival of my twins, I transitioned back to the Greater Scranton YMCA, while continuing to assist the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA in their marketing and public relation efforts.

The Greater Scranton YMCA’s mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. In my current role, I am privileged to lead the financial development and marketing departments; a role that allows me to work with Y senior leaders in securing the resources necessary to allow all members of our community to benefit from all our Y has to offer. Additionally, I have the joy of sharing the cause and impact of our Y with our community. I direct the Y’s Annual Support Campaign, grant process, participation in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program and additional fundraising initiatives. I also manage the Y’s marketing campaigns, social media platforms and public relations.

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

I believe all children, adults and families deserve the opportunity to benefit from all the Y has to offer, regardless of their ability to pay. Through the Greater Scranton YMCA’s fundraising efforts, I help make that a reality and that motivates me every day. All children should have the chance to learn the lifesaving skill of swimming, working parents should have the opportunity to send their children to preschool and summer day camp and all members of our community should be able to benefit from a membership to the Y.

Through program’s like the Y’s Summer Learning Loss Prevention Program and QUEST, the Greater Scranton YMCA works to combat the achievement gap, or the learning disparity that exists between children who do not have access to the same educational opportunities over the summer months as their more fortunate peers. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA and Enhance®Fitness are programs in the Y’s chronic disease prevention department that assist adults in our community in growing stronger in both mind and body. It’s programs like these that motivate me to continue advocating for those in need.

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 Peckville, Pennsylvania and that is where I currently reside with my family. Northeastern Pennsylvania has always been my home. After graduating from Valley View High School in 2007, I attended Penn State University in University Park, PA (WE ARE!), where I graduated in 2011 with a degree in print journalism. Upon graduating, I moved back home where I started my first job as a regional reporter at the Scranton Times-Tribune.

The older I get, and especially now having children of my own, the more I love and appreciate all Northeastern Pennsylvania has to offer. It is such a wonderful place for families with so much to do. I am grateful my children will have the opportunity to grow up here just like my husband and I did.

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.

A key influencer in my life has always been my mother, Kathy. Having overcome so much, my mother is my rock and I am so grateful to her for the childhood I was given and for all she continues to do for my family and I. She helped to teach me about resiliency and strength and I regularly go to her for advice and feedback. I am very lucky to call her mine.

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-gradutaion?

I learned about Leadership Lackawanna through work and am so grateful I was given the opportunity to participate. I graduated from both the core and executive programs in 2015. After graduating, I had the privilege of serving on the Leadership Lackawanna Alumni Committee and Auxiliary Board.

Leadership has provided me with so many opportunities to grow more connected to the area I call home. Having grown up Northeastern Pennsylvania, one of my favorite things about my time in Leadership Lackawanna programs was how much I still learned about the region, as well as about the resources available to community members. Moreover, the connections I made, both professionally and personally, were amazing. Leadership programs provided me with so many opportunities to develop professionally and I truly believe thanks to my participation, I am a better, more confident and connected employee. I will forever cherish my time with the organization and cannot wait to remain active and participate in Leadership initiatives in the future!