Meet the Staff
Cristine Clayton
CRISTINE CLAYTON
Cristine was born and raised in New York. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Albany School of Business. As a management consultant for Ernst & Young, she worked with various Fortune 500 companies. Since joining the Foundation in 2011 she has completed major upgrades to our website, scholarship processing, administrative systems, and internal processes to better serve our donors and scholarship recipients. She lives with her family in Susquehanna County.
Melissa Turlip
MELISSA TURLIP
Melissa returned to northeastern Pennsylvania in 2000 after living out of state for nearly seven years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, and has over 25 years of experience in the education and non-profit sector. Her background includes creating and implementing educational programs for the federal government, working in the admissions department of a local college, and leading a non-profit organization. Her skills range from education program development to fundraising. Melissa has worked extensively to create partnerships with local schools, other non-profit and for-profit partners and directs the EITC program.
Jill Swingle
JILL SWINGLE
Jill graduated from Montrose High School and earned her Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies at Luzerne County Community College. She worked at the law office of Raymond C. Davis in Montrose for 30 years, administering real estate and estate matters, litigation and more. Jill and her husband, Bob have 2 daughters and are empty nesters who recently became proud grandparents. She is also a Notary Public.
Gerald Golis
JERRY GOLIS
Jerry is a graduate of Montrose Area High School. He attended Bloomsburg University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. Jerry worked at the Montrose Publishing Company from 1992 until 2012 where he was responsible for graphics and data applications. He worked at Andre and Son, Inc. in the information technology department from 2012 to 2017. Jerry began helping the Community Foundation with computer software and hardware in 2001. He became a fulltime employee at the Community Foundation in January 2018 to assist the staff with software/hardware development and support.
Kate Spence
Kate Spence
Kate was born and raised in Montrose, PA. She graduated from Montrose Area High School and continued her education at Kutztown University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Prior to working at the Community Foundation, Kate worked at the Susquehanna County Courthouse as the First Deputy Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts for almost four years. She and her husband, David welcomed their first baby in October 2023, Luca Spence. In addition to her new mom role, Kate is also a loving cat mom to three fur babies: Benny, Jett and Beatrice.
Ciara Hundley
CIARA HUNDLEY
Ciara is a graduate of Montrose Area High School. She is currently attending Lackawanna college and is pursuing her degree in business administration and management. She resides with her family in Susquehanna County.
Earle Wootton
EARLE WOOTTON
Earle is a founding director of the Community Foundation and serves as the chairman of the board. He was president of a group of commercial printing and publishing companies prior to his retirement in 2004. Earle has been a director of a number of community and regional financial institutions for forty years and most recently retired from Peoples Security Bank & Trust’s Board of Directors. He has a bachelor’s degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Earle lives in Montrose with his wife June.
Jean Hollister
JEAN HOLLISTER
Jean is originally from Watertown, New York. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Philadelphia University and a master’s degree in education from Wilkes University. Her career as a school nurse practitioner and retail sales associate have cultured her flexibility, organization and attention to detail. In addition to her work as Foundation Meetings and Events Coordinator, and Building Manager, Jean volunteers as a Master Gardener. She and her husband Robert have two children, two grandsons, and a granddaughter.
Jody Daye
JODY DAYE
Jody is a lifelong resident of NEPA. She has an associate degree in accounting and over twenty years of experience in the field of accounting. In addition to part-time bookkeeping jobs, Jody owns and operates a home baking business called Daye-licious Baking. She lives in Springville with her husband Jason and their three children and enjoys being involved in church, school, and community activities.
Virginia Lewis
VIRGINIA LEWIS
Virginia is a graduate of Montrose Area High School and Wilkes University, Virginia is a retired employee of the Elk Lake School District where she worked as a Crisis Intervention Counselor and a Trauma and Loss School Specialist.
She is the proud parent of two daughters, two grandsons and three granddaughters.
Virginia volunteers as a Master Gardener and at Susquehanna County Interfaith in Montrose. She is a member of the Susquehanna County Historical Society.
Marian S. Miskell
MARIAN S. MISKELL
Marian was born and raised in Boston where she earned a bachelor’s degree with high honors in English and Speech from Suffolk University and Emerson College. As a young entrepreneur she founded, managed and eventually sold three natural food businesses. While raising her family of three daughters, she did business sales and writing for AT&T and Bell Labs for 11 years. Retirement brought her to Montrose where she freelanced as a journalist. That led to an opportunity to join the Foundation board and to produce its first newsletter in 2004. She currently writes and edits remotely from Maryland to create the Foundation magazine with her NEPA colleagues.
