Council Contact Information
Governor's Advisory Council on Rural Affairs
613 North Street
Finance Building, Room 506
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0400
Phone Number: (717) 705-0431
Fax: (717) 705-0354
Email: ruralpa@state.pa.us
William Sturges
Executive Director
(717) 772-9028
bsturges@state.pa.us
Council Co-Chairs
Dennis Wolff
Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Gary Groves
State Director
USDA / Rural Development
Richard Vilello, Jr.
Mayor
City of Lock Haven
Dr. Theodore Alter
Professor of Agricultural, Environmental & Regional Economics
Pennsylvania State University
John J. Bendel
Director
Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh
Allen D. Biehler
Secretary
PA Department of Transportation
John Blake
Acting Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
J. Francis Bradley, Jr.
Director Government & Community Affairs
Comcast TRR East
Edward Cesa (Ex officio)
Deputy Director
USDA / Forest Service
Donald Chappel
Executive Director
Greene County Industrial Developments, Inc.
Lisa Davis
Director
Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health
Barry L. Denk
Executive Director
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania
Michael DiBerardinis
Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Joy "JD" Dunbar
Chief Executive Officer
Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program (RULE)
Gary Groves
State Director
USDA / Rural Development
Everett James
Acting Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Carl B. Knoblock
U.S. S District Director - Pittsburgh
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Kris Kronenwetter
Executive Director
Community Education Council of Elk & Cameron Counties
Paul Lyskava
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Forest Products Association
Russ Montgomery
President
Regional Economic Development District Initiatives (REDDI)
Timothy Nuhfer
Manager, Economic Development - PA
First Energy Corporation
Gregg E. Robertson
President
Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association
Dr. Larry Schardt
Coordinator
Community Partnerships/Resource Conservation & Development Council
Denise S. Schlegel
President
DS Schlegel and Associates
Thomas Scott
Chief Executive Officer
Lawrence County Community Action Partnership
Randy P. Seitz
President/CEO
Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism
Mathilda Harrison Sheptak
Executive Director
Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau
Edward M. Silvetti
Executive Director
Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission
Bette Slayton
President & CEO
Bedford County Development Authority
Richard Vilello, Jr.
Mayor
City of Lock Haven
Dennis Wolff
Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Joseph Yarzebinski, CecD
Senior Program Director
Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
