(Nominated by George Trauner on behalf of
Bethesda)
Expertise and Leadership:
Deana graduated with an Associates of Arts Degree as a Paralegal from Gannon University. She has more than 10 years of experience in the human resource field; the last 5 with Bethesda Lutheran Services.
Influence and Involvement:
Deana has a strong sense of community. She is an active member of St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Cambridge Springs where she volunteers for church events on a regular basis. Read More
She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Meadville where she has served as President and has also been the Chairwoman of the Rotary’s grant program for several years. Since 2019 she has served on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army of Meadville.
Results and Achievement:
Since beginning her position at Bethesda, Deana has really upgraded our HR Department. She has streamlined the way we interview and onboard new employees. Read More
Deana works closely with our development and marketing team to make sure that job postings are accurate and that they reach the desired demographic.
The majority of our staff work directory with children in various settings including Bethesda’s Specialized Residential Care setting. When faced with the COVID epidemic, Deana quickly educated herself and became the “go to” person when staff had questions regarding masking, tracing, vaccine updates, and isolation protocols. She spent countless days and nights assisting staff through this difficult time going out of her way to provide guidance to our employees.
Deana created and spearheads the Employee Enhancement and Engagement Committee. This committee consists of an employee from every department. The purpose of this committee is to give the employees the ability to advocate for changes that are important to them. To date the committee has initiated casual Fridays, ice cream sandwich day, flannel Friday, jersey day and several other special days that give our employees the opportunity to deviate from our normal dress code. Always an advocate for our employees, Deana was instrumental in changing our agency’s retirement accounts to a provider who would better serve our employees.
Deana has worked very hard to try to expand the applicant pool. While staff vacancies are something all workplaces must deal with, Deana has been able keep our position fulfillment to some of the highest levels we have seen. Her open-door policy helps staff feel comfortable and welcomed. I really don’t know where we would be if Deana had not joined our team.
Beside her work accomplishments, Deana is one of the best humans I have ever known. She always presents a positive attitude and, although I am sure it does, she never lets the stressors of her position affect how she does her job or how she handles our employees. She is an asset to our leadership team and to the agency as a whole.
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