Advance Central PA Holds Joint Workforce Board Meeting in Lewisburg

Advance Central PA convened a joint session of its Workforce Development Board and Local Elected Officials board at the Union County Government Center in Lewisburg on Wednesday, March 18, with the meeting packet and agenda distributed to attendees in advance.

The gathering mirrors a recurring format the organization has used at the same Lewisburg venue. At a prior joint meeting on September 20, 2023, eighteen WDB members joined five LEO board representatives, including Angela Harding, Kenneth Holdren, David Kovach, Richard Mirabito, and Robert Postal, alongside WDB staff members Korrie Lucas, Alexa Hann, Patrick O'Connor, Marca O'Hargan, Gabi Randall, and Rachael Ulmer, among others.

The 2023 session offered a detailed look at the grant portfolio Advance Central PA was building across the region. Staff member Korrie Lucas presented an overview of newly submitted and planned applications, beginning with the Engage! project led by SEDA-COG. Lucas also outlined a pipeline that included two planned Industry Partnership grant applications, one targeting Agriculture and one focused on Building and Construction. WDB member Bruce Jones commended Lucas for what he called "the in-depth overview of the projects underway and lined up."

The most consequential application on the horizon at that time involved a US Economic Development Administration Recompete grant. Advance Central PA positioned itself as the lead applicant in partnership with Union County Commissioners and multiple local agencies, with the stated goal of increasing the workforce participation rate among residents ages 25 to 54 by addressing specific barriers to employment. The 2023 meeting notes described the potential outcome directly: "the impact to the entire region will be significant if awarded."

That same 2023 session produced motions to certify a network of PA CareerLink service centers across the multi-county area through December 31, 2026. The board moved to classify PA CareerLink Lycoming County, PA CareerLink Mifflin County, and PA CareerLink Northumberland/Snyder/Union Counties as comprehensive centers. PA CareerLink centres in Centre, Clinton, and Columbia/Montour Counties were proposed for affiliate status. The Link, a mobile workforce center operated within the region, was put forward for certification as a specialized center. All three certifications covered the period from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026.

The board also took up a facilities matter, moving to approve a two-year lease renewal with William J. Metzger for the Advance Central PA office at 130 Kelly Square, Suite 1, Lewisburg, with the term set to begin December 1, 2023.

The full agenda and minutes for the March 18, 2026 meeting, including any actions taken on youth services and insurance renewals, had not been released publicly as of publication.