Meet Amy Betts, Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Community Impacts Manager! Please join us in welcoming Amy Betts to the Scranton Area Community Foundation as the Community Impacts Manager.
As the Community Impacts Manager, Amy will manage Foundation-led projects in the region including attainable housing; affordable, quality childcare; accessible, equitable transportation; and capacity building for nonprofit organizations.
Amy will also work in collaboration with the Foundation team to facilitate NEPA Gives, the region’s largest 24-hour giving day; the NEPA Learning Conference; as well as overall efforts to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion across Foundation initiatives and the overall community.
Amy was born in Pennsylvania but lived in many different states as a child before moving to South Dakota, where she earned a B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations from the University of South Dakota. After graduation, she traveled to South Carolina where she worked as an education consultant and training specialist for Palmetto GBA before her husband’s military career took them to Alaska. In Alaska, Amy worked as a coordinator for the Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training (MASST) program and the Youth in Transition program.
Amy has made Scranton her home since 2010 and has enjoyed finding ways to get involved in the many communities we serve. She is currently serving as the president of the Junior League of Scranton and is a board member of The Lutheran Academy. She also serves as treasurer of the Peace Lutheran Church council. Additionally, Amy has been building a Mary Kay business since 1997 and was named a ‘Top 25 Women in Business in NEPA’ by The Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal in 2017. She continues to mentor women to build their own successful direct sales businesses.
Amy has received both the Mary Harriman Award (2016) and Margaret L. Richards Award (2021) for exhibiting exceptional leadership in her volunteer work. In 2019, Amy received the Roseann Smith Alperin Award for her work inspiring and motivating others to make a difference in their community.
In her leisure time, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and dog.
Amy can be reached at amy@safdn.org. Welcome, Amy!
Meet Bella Ceccoli, Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Administrative Coordinator!
Please join us in welcoming Bella Ceccoli to the Scranton Area Community Foundation team. Bella has joined the Foundation as the Foundation’s Administrative Coordinator. In her role, she will help to connect the administrative activities in various departments including communications and media, grants, donor relations and community initiatives.
Bella will also serve as the Coordinator of the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative, a Community Impact at the Foundation that helps to connect philanthropic resources, streamline collaboration, and provide education and training assistance to help nonprofit organizations including shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries in NEPA advance their missions.
Bella is a recent graduate of the University of Scranton where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Bella has worked with the NEPA Pet Fund and Rescue since its inception in 2014, where she has helped organize large fundraisers, aids in maintaining their social media presence, and coordinates efforts to help animals in need. Bella is passionate about animal welfare and is excited to work with the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative.
Bella lives in Dunmore with her family and pets—two cats and one dog.
Bella can be reached at bella@safdn.org. Welcome, Bella!
Additionally, congratulations to Brittany Pagnotti, Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Donor Relations and Communications Manager!
Please join us in congratulating Brittany Pagnotti on our team, whose role has been elevated to Donor Relations and Communications Manager. In her role, she will continue to oversee communications activities while managing donor relations to ensure that our donors experience high-quality interactions with the Foundation.
Brittany was awarded the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in December 2022, joining over 7,500 other professionals around the world with this designation. The CFRE demonstrates a depth of knowledge in the highest ethical and professional standard of fundraising and confirms support for the Donor Bill of Rights. Individuals awarded the CFRE credential have met the standards set by CFRE International, including a written examination, tenure in the profession, education, and demonstrated achievement in fund development.
Brittany earned her Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus on Digital Marketing from Messiah University in 2021 and was named Scranton Times-Tribune’s Northeast Woman in October 2022.
Congratulations, Brittany!
The staff of Scranton Area Community Foundation is composed of dedicated professionals who are devoted to helping our generous donors connect to the causes that they care about most. Our staff and Board of Governors work to make our region a better place to live and we are proud to serve in the community. You can learn more about our Foundation leadership here.