Anna Cervenak
Anna Cervenak is the External Affairs Director for Verizon-Pennsylvania in the Company’s Northeast District. Her territory extends from the New York border south to Minersville and west to Lock Haven.
A native of Forty Fort, she graduated from that community’s high school. She graduated from Misericordia in 1986 with a Bachelors Degree in social Work. She received her Masters Degree from Marywood University in 1990.
Anna joined Bell Atlantic as an operator in Wilkes-Barre and has held numerous assignments including Employment Representative, Full-time Speaker, and Engineering Tracer. She has been the External Affairs Director since 1984.
She is Past President of the Quota Club of Wilkes-Barre. She is presently serving on the Board of Directors for the Victims’ Resource Center and Hospice St. John Advisory Board. She is the Past president of the Board of Directors of the Economic Development Council of Northeast Pennsylvania (now NEPA) and was its first woman President. Anna also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry as well as the Pittston Chamber of Commerce. She is the Past-President of the Board of Jr. Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Co-chaired the Tobyhanna Blue Ribbon Task Force in its successful win with the BRAC Commission in 1995. When the Forum for the Future taskforce was formed, Anna was a member of its initial Board of Directors.
Anna served a six year term on the Board of the Luzerne County Commission for Women. She is presently serving on the President’s Council at Kings College and is serving her second five year term on the Luzerne County Community College Foundation Board. She is on the Lourdesmont Board of Directors, the CYC board of Directors as well as the Lacawac Sanctuary Board of Trustees. In 1995 she was appointed to the Wilkes-Barre Campus-Penn State Advisory Board. In 2000 Anna went on the College Misericordia President’s Council. In 1998 she was elected to the Board of the Boy Scouts of Northeastern Pennsylvania and in 1999 was asked to serve on the Board of Step-by-Step. She is also serving on the Board of Directors of the Mountain Laurel Center for the Arts.
In 1991 Anna received the Athena, “Woman of the Year” award from the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. In 1994 she was the recipient of the “Pathfinders Award” from the Women’s Conference and in January 1995 she was honored as the Wyoming Valley Women’s Club “Woman of the Year.”
On December 7, 1995 Anna was selected as the Boy Scouts Explorer Division “Woman of the Year” for Luzerne County. In June of 1996 she was the recipient of the “Reunion Class Medallion” at College Misericordia. In April of 1999 Anna received the "Lifetime Friends Reward" from the Victims' Resource Center. Anna also received the "Pennsylvania's 1999 Best 50 Women in Business Award."
In May of 2000 Anna was asked to give the Commencement Address at the Wilkes-Barre Campus of Penn State University, that year she was also honored with the Mary G. Roebling Award given by the Association of the U.S. Army for her work with the Blue Ribbon Taskforce that saved 3,600 jobs at Tobyhanna Depot. In 2002 the N.E. Business Journal honored Anna as one of the Top 25 Women in Northeast Pennsylvania. The Arthritis Foundation awarded Anna the Philanthropy Award in 1993.