Lackawanna County has hired a new economic development director with lengthy public- and private-sector experience in the field.
Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin appointed Kristin A. Magnotta to the post, they announced Tuesday.
Magnotta only recently began a job as vice president of storytelling, strategic marketing,
brand, and community relations at the Wright Center for Community Health.
“Kristin’s experience across the private sector and the breadth of local, state and federal governments accrues to the benefit of Lackawanna County,” Gaughan said in a statement. “Her career entails everything from broad strategic marketing to detailed grant-writing. She will be a powerful asset in our economic development efforts.”
McGloin said Magnotta’s vast experience will make a difference, especially her knowledge of northeastern Pennsylvania.
That knowledge, "her impactful relationships with state and federal agencies and her robust experience in economic development from being a former member of Senator Casey’s staff makes her someone who, we believe, can help attract, sustain, and grow businesses and develop a business-friendly regional reputation," McGloin said.
Except for a short period in 2019, Magnotta served from 2013 to 2024 as as northeast regional director and then state director of outreach for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Scranton. For the first five months of 2019, she directed Gov. Tom Wolf's northeast regional office.
Before working for Casey, Magnotta represented the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, a trade association representing companies with 10 to 50 employees across 11 northeastern Pennsylvania counties.
She was also an economic development and strategic marketing specialist for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
Magnotta replaces interim director Mary Liz Donato, who replaced Brenda Sacco. The commissioners dismissed Sacco in late January.
