Gary Bernstein CEO As a highly accomplished entrepreneurial leader, Gary Bernstein has earned an impressive reputation for organizational leadership, fundraising and executive management. He has spent nearly forty years working in the nonprofit sector as an Executive Director, Fundraiser & Consultant. His current activities include his role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish…

Barbara Sugarman Director for Adult & Cultural Services Barb has worked at the JCC for many years starting with camp and Senate in the 1960’s working with Julia Lieberman and Evie Gurbst. Years later when the Camp Davidowitz camp site closed in Hazleton and Hazleton merged with Wilkes-Barre I began working at camp as a…

Amanda Coolbaugh Community Engagement Director Hi, my name is Amanda Coolbaugh I joined the JCA as the Community Engagement Director in 2022. I have several years’ experience in the office administration, customer service and job placement field. I reside in Wilkes-Barre with my 3 children Timmy, Tyler and Julian. I am so excited to be…

Brandon Heffelfinger Assistant Athletic Director Hello! My name is Brandon Heffelfinger, I would like to take this moment to introduce myself. I grew up in the small town of Tamaqua, PA, where I graduated from high school and currently reside with my wonderful fiancé and our pups. I have an avid love for sports and…

Patrice Mizenko Membership Co-Ordinator. Patrice just joined the team at the JCVA in July 2022, as a Membership Co-Ordinator. Patrice will greet you upon your arrival, answer your facility questions and take you through the process of becoming a member of the JCA community. Her career has spanned 27 years in management and administration, within…

Marlene Marino Member Services Representative I’m  Marlene Marino and I enjoy working part time evenings as a Members Services Representative while enjoying retirement and spending time with my family, especially my three dear grandchildren. Email Marlene(570) 824-4646

Linn McDonald   Linn McDonald teaches Dance for People with Parkinson’s Disease (Dance for PD) at the Friedman Jewish Community Center. She successfully completed the Dance for PD Dance Teacher Training Course at the Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn, New York in 2019. Linn has owned the Linn McDonald School of Dance in Scranton, PA…

Mary Clarke | Friedman JCC | The Center For Everyone

Mary Clarke IELC Director My journey in Early Childhood Education has been a long and winding road. It all started in 1985 when I took a position as a Preschool Teacher in a local private preschool. This was my first venture into early childhood education, but it did not take me long to realize that…

Tracey Johnson Bookkeeper Tracey joined the JCA as a bookkeeper in 2017. She comes with a diverse background which includes the Non-profit and Food & Beverage industries with experience in management, office administration, financial reporting, payroll, and bookkeeping. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from King’s College and resides in Duryea with her…

Doug Miller Camp Director Doug joined the Friedman JCC and the JCC Camp in November 2019 after being Director of The Rock Rec Sports Complex for the past 17 years. Along with being Camp Director, Doug is also heavily involved with the basketball programs at the JCC. Doug and his wife Natalie have been residents…