CAN DO, Inc. recently appointed Charles F. McElwee III as its Economic Development Specialist and Jocelyn Sterenchock as the Coordinator of Entrepreneurial Services.
CAN DO President and CEO Kevin O’Donnell said, “We are delighted to welcome Charles and Jocelyn to CAN DO. Their backgrounds and previous work experience will complement our efforts to facilitate job growth in the community and they will undoubtedly become valuable members of the CAN DO team. Business financing and entrepreneurship are two core components of CAN DO’s strategic plan and we are very excited to have found the perfect fit in both roles so that our organization can continue to serve the Greater Hazleton community in these vital areas.”
In his role as Economic Development Specialist, McElwee is responsible for the oversight, planning and procurement of project funds and/or other incentives for CAN DO and its clients. He will handle researching and identifying funding programs that are pertinent to CAN DO projects and will oversee and underwrite grants and loans when necessary.
Additionally, McElwee will act as a liaison to the area business community to keep companies continually informed of funding sources and incentive programs that may benefit them, most notably through CAN DO’s role as a Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO) for Luzerne County. He will also work to procure the funding and other necessary incentives to pursue economic development initiatives throughout Greater Hazleton, as well as participate in community development and revitalization efforts in downtown Hazleton.
McElwee graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Lebanon Valley College in Annville. He also earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government in Philadelphia. McElwee previously worked in the government affairs sector in Harrisburg, where he managed the political action committee as Government Relations Manager at the Pennsylvania Dental Association. He also worked as an associate at Quantum Communications, LLC, in Harrisburg, where he represented clients on public relations and government affairs projects, as well as political campaigns.
McElwee holds volunteer positions with several professional organizations, including serving as a director of the Pennsylvania Resources Council, a board member of the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress, and vice president of the Greater Hazleton Historical Society. He has extensively written about Hazleton, with his writing and research featured in the Standard-Speaker, The Atlantic magazine and the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
Sterenchock, in her role as Coordinator of Entrepreneurial Services, will be responsible for forwarding entrepreneurship in Greater Hazleton primarily through the direction of operations at the CAN BE Business Innovation Center in the Valmont Industrial Park. Sterenchock will guide the business incubator’s tenants through a program that is designed to help nurture new businesses through the start-up phase. She will oversee the development and management of CAN BE’s support programs for entrepreneurs, which include offering resident consultation and management assistance, access to financing opportunities, networking opportunities with other start-up companies and access to technical support services. Additionally, Sterenchock will provide leadership in the procurement and management of programmatic funding for CAN BE and handle the overall promotion of entrepreneurship in Greater Hazleton.
Sterenchock graduated from McCann School of Business & Technology with a business degree and has held positions within numerous environments and industries, including working in the marketing department of an international infrastructure operations and maintenance company for several years. She was also a marketing intern with the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress and was nominated and selected to be the Executive Director of Hazleton POWER!, a nonprofit organization that was formed as a support network to enhance the ability to attract and retain the knowledge and talent necessary to build a better economic future in the area. During her time with POWER!, Sterenchock has successfully spearheaded several community events, including the annual “Art at the Markle” which attracts hundreds of people to view the artwork of more than 40 local artists. She has also helped oversee multiple efforts to raise money for local nonprofit organizations and coordinate many community activities, including live music events and a free outdoor movie series.
Sterenchock is the business manager of the Hazleton Art League and has an integral role in facilitating the organization’s transition from its current location to its new home in the former Security Savings bank building.
