Pennsylvania
Valerie Case is the Vice President of Operations for the Pocono Chamber of Commerce. Valerie has over 15 years of experience in human services, receiving certifications in numerous methodologies including, Life Space Crisis Intervention, Rational Emotive Behavioral therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Sanctuary model. Valerie was a head trainer for the Sanctuary model at KidsPeace National Hospitals and Residential Centers. During her time with Resources for Human Development, Valerie opened three homes for dually diagnosed individuals, developing programs for those individuals to function in a community environment. Valerie also co-facilitated the Clinical Certificate Program, for employees of RHD, a nine-month training program for direct service professionals. Additionally during her time with RHD, Valerie participated in a national focus group for best practices in crisis intervention, as well as being highly involved with the training of staff in new modalities. In her transition from mental health, Valerie started with the chamber of commerce, assisting with the resurgence of this important networking modem in the community. She has assisted with rebranding the organization and asserting its importance in the Pocono community. She serves as the co-chair on the 2030 Monroe County Strategic Doing Business Development Committee. Valerie earned her Master of Science in Counseling and Human Services from Chestnut Hill College and a double Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology from Moravian College.
Sandy is a serial entrepreneur, currently working in the Maryland SBDC as a regional director for the western region at Frostburg State University. She is also a professor at Walden University and Frostburg State, teaching in the MBA program. Her interest in strategy began as part of her doctoral dissertation, but she has also witnessed many organizations struggle with strategic planning and implementation. She is willing to help communities, especially smaller ones, develop agile strategies to improve quality of life.
Keith Modzelewski is the Director of Entrepreneurship at East Stroudsburg University who guides startup companies in developing and growing their businesses. Keith has over 10 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations in a wide variety of fields, ranging from retail to IT and cyber security. During his time at East Stroudsburg University, he has expanded the Business Accelerator program from eight companies to 20, and has helped over 30 companies leverage funding from the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) in Monroe County, PA. In addition to this, he serves as the co-chair on the 2030 Monroe County Strategic Doing Committee, which hopes to support high growth companies in transitioning their operations to North Eastern Pennsylvania. During his 2012 fellowship with the Kaufman Foundation, Keith engaged with leading scholars, policy leaders, innovative researchers and high-impact business founders to learn strategies to successfully launch new businesses. Additionally, he is the co-founder of two of his own businesses: Voltaic Coatings, which worked to transition a newly patented technology to the consumer electronic market, and Captured Concepts, a photography and design studio. Keith earned his Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurship and marketing and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Delaware.
Mary Frances Postupack is the Vice President for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (EDE) at East Stroudsburg University. She leads the EDE division which includes the award-winning Business Accelerator Program – featuring the J-1 Visa International Innovation Program, the Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, Office of Career and Workforce Development/Career Development Center, Conference Services, and the Schisler Museum and McMunn Planetarium. While at ESU, she secured in excess of $8M in federal and state grants to support economic development and entrepreneurial initiatives. Mary Frances has over 25 years of experience in the areas of education, economic and business development. She serves on the Executive Board of the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA), Board of Directors of the University Economic Development Association (UEDA), a national organization representing higher education/public/private economic development stakeholders, and on the Monroe 2030 Action Team which has developed eight Strategic Doing Teams to address: Business Development, Workforce, Public Health, Sustainability, Housing, Collaboration, Marketing, and Youth Entrepreneurship. She received her undergraduate degree from Penn State University, master’s degree from East Stroudsburg University, and she completed the Corporate Entrepreneurship Certificate Program at Lehigh University.
