Category: Administration

SEDA-COG has recently created a new role within their administration: Chief of Staff. Promoted to that position, is Kristen Moyer. Moyer has worked within SEDA-COG for 30 years and was previously the Director of Community Relations.

Moyer serves the entire organization and each department in this role. Due to her 30-year tenure, she has a great depth of knowledge and understanding of the organization, its partners, and the region’s needs. Moyer began her career at SEDA-COG as a Project Coordinator in Community Development, after which she worked with Procurement Technical Assistance staff helping businesses obtain government contracts. She had been the Director of Community Relations since 2019.

The Chief of Staff will serve as the Agency’s main point of contact and advocate with external partners, lead and manage special projects, and provide oversight and guidance to staff for projects of high importance. In this role, Moyer will remain the primary connection between SEDA-COG and the federal and state legislative offices.

“As my Chief of Staff, Kristen will be utilizing all of her knowledge, experience and gained insights to advise the Executive Team when it comes to external issues and how it affects the organization and its operations. Today’s landscape outside of our walls looks very different than it did 5 or 10 years ago. Having her in this position will allow the organization to more efficiently handle the complex set of circumstances and issues that we contend with. It is wonderful to have Kristen, with such astounding tenure and experience, step up into this important role for the region,” said Kim Wheeler, Executive Director of SEDA-COG.

Wheeler continued, “I look forward to working with Kristen in this new capacity that will help lead SEDA-COG’s strategic direction for the next generations.”

SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives.

For more information, please contact Elaine Stauder, communications coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments, at 570-522-7429 or estauder@seda-cog.org

Board officers for SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) were elected at the Dec. 7 public meeting.

The 2022 SEDA-COG Board of Directors’ officers will be Mifflin County Commissioner Kevin Kodish, president; Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins, first vice president; Montour County Commissioner Ken Holdren, second vice president; Larry Reisinger of Perry County, secretary; and Dennis Van Benthuysen of Snyder County, treasurer.

The 2021 officers were Juniata County Commissioner Mark Partner, president; Kodish, first vice president; Higgins, second vice president; Reisinger, secretary; and Van Benthuysen, treasurer.

Kodish said he is looking forward to serving as board president in the new year.

“Serving as board president for 2022, I look forward to continued service with our dedicated board of directors and our professional staff. Together, we will continue to administer existing programs and identify new opportunities to encourage and support long-term economic growth. These efforts serve to strengthen the quality of life throughout our 11-county SEDA-COG region.”

SEDA-COG Executive Director Kim Wheeler thanked outgoing board President Mark Partner for his service to the agency.

“Board President Partner has done an exemplary job leading throughout unprecedented times. We deeply appreciate his guidance,” Wheeler said. “We are eager to see what we can accomplish with Commissioner Kodish at the helm.”
Board member appointments and reappointments took place in January. The SEDA-COG board is a 22-member, county-based policy board representing both public and private sectors.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

For more information, please contact Elaine Stauder, communications coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments, at 570-522-7429 or estauder@seda-cog.org

Kim Wheeler has been selected as the new executive director of SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG).

The decision was the result of recommendations by the SEDA-COG Board of Directors’ Personnel Committee and is expected to be officially ratified by the board at their Jan. 27, 2021 public meeting. Wheeler’s first day at SEDA-COG will be Jan. 11, 2021.

SEDA-COG Board President Rich Ridgway said Wheeler is the best choice to head the agency with her expertise and laser focus on helping the region.

“We are thrilled with Kim’s hiring as she brings years of experience in various realms of government and planning. Her expertise and passion for improving the region coupled with her incredible work ethic is a winning combination. We look forward to working with Kim to ever improve the quality of life in our 11-county region,” Ridgway said.

Wheeler is a SEDA-COG veteran, having worked at the agency from 2003 to 2007 as senior planner with the former Community Resource Center where she was in charge of rural and urban planning projects and initiatives.

She joins SEDA-COG with expertise in the local and state government arenas, as well as in urban and regional planning, strategic planning, and local government policy development. As a leading planning and community development specialist in central Pennsylvania for the last 17 years, she is a well-respected professional and advocate for this region.

Her tenure in central Pennsylvania has been characterized by public-private partnership-building, developing innovative initiatives, providing local government leadership, and helping communities craft plans that lead to impactful results for the long term.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead and represent SEDA-Council of Governments. I am thrilled to be able to utilize my combined experience and expertise and return to SEDA-COG to help it grow and adapt to the future and to have an even greater impact on the region. I look forward to working with SEDA-COG’s experienced and respected staff, the Board of Directors, regional stakeholders and partners to advance business and industry and support the region’s communities,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler has been the special projects coordinator and grants manager at the Borough of Lewisburg since January 2019. She was the deputy director of planning at the County of Lycoming from 2014 to 2019, along with working there for two prior years. From 2007 to 2012, she was the local government policy specialist and north-central region community planner for the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

She earned her Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. She also earned her planning certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.