Waverly Community House Appoints a New Executive Director

The Board of Trustees of the Waverly Community House is pleased to announce the appointment of Gia Tugend as Interim Executive Director, following the departure of Michelle Hamilton.

“We are confident in Gia’s leadership and we’re fortunate to have a seasoned, capable team in place,” said Betsy Curtin, President of the Board of Trustees. “They know The Comm inside and out – its deep traditions, its importance to the community, and the high standard of service it represents. Programs and services will continue without interruption. The Comm is strong, and it’s in excellent hands.”

The Board will soon establish a search committee to identify and appoint a permanent Executive Director. In the meantime, Ms. Tugend will ensure continued momentum and a smooth transition.

WAVERLY TWP. — New materials from the heyday of the Scranton Lace Co. complete a collection detailing the history of what was once a major employer in the city.

The Waverly Community House received the remaining Scranton Lace Co. archival materials from the Lackawanna Historical Society last week. The boards of both entities approved the transfer earlier this year.

The seven boxes include treasury reports, meeting minutes, Department of Defense contracts and blueprints, which Delayne DePietro, the community house’s archive coordinator, has been sorting through.

She said many of the items are records the center didn’t have in its archives of the company, such as meeting minutes from the 1960s.

Established in 1891 as the Scranton Lace Curtain Manufacturing Co., the company, located on Meylert and Albright avenues, was the largest manufacturer of Nottingham lace in the country. In addition to lace, other products made there included tablecloths, napkins, valances and shower curtains. It closed in 2002.

The former factory, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now Lace Village, a mixed-use residential and commercial complex.

The Waverly Community House, which was created in 1919 by the family of Henry Belin Jr., one of the company’s early leaders, began acquiring company records and archives in 2012.

Gia Tugend, the center’s director of advancement and digital marketing, said the organization has received calls from people whose relatives worked at the company, as personnel files are among the collection. Among the names listed in the materials is Hugh Rodham, father of former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was briefly employed by the company.

After 17 years of service, Executive Director Maria Wilson announced her retirement scheduled for June 2023. Maria Wilson has served as Executive Director of The Waverly Community House since April 2005, following her service on its board of trustees for an 8-year period. Since that time, she has led growth and development of operations, programs, and fundraising. Wilson’s significant achievements include furthering the reach and the mission of The Comm through the creation and expansion of programs that “help families work”.