The woman who was recently named interim executive director of the Pottsville Area Development Corp. has resigned her post, Theodore R. “Ted” Dreisbach, the president of PADCO’s board of directors, said Wednesday.
Later this month, the board of directors of the nonprofit organization may advertise to hire a new executive director, Dreisbach said.
“There’s been no decision. We don’t have a board meeting until the end of the month, the fourth Tuesday in February. But I believe the board is going to be moving forward and looking for an executive director in the coming weeks. We’ll be advertising,” Dreisbach said.
Nora C. Chiplona, Pottsville, was the nonprofit organization’s finance officer for 14 years before she was named its interim executive director on Dec. 22. She handed in her resignation letter this week.
She was working Wednesday at the second-floor offices at the Lipkin Technology Building at 1 S. Second St., and had no comment when asked about the matter.
“Nora has informed us that she’s leaving her position as interim executive director. This is very recent. She’s informed us she’ll be moving on to another position somewhere else,” Dreisbach said.
Dreisbach said her last day will be Feb. 19.
PADCO has been feeling the winds of change in recent times.
On Nov. 24, Amy S. Burkhart, the PADCO executive director since March 2, 2002, informed the nonprofit organization’s board of directors of her intention to leave. Her last day of work was Dec. 18. On Tuesday, she started working as the deputy director of community and economic development for the City of Bethlehem.
“Nora stepped up in the interim position and had done a fantastic job,” Dreisbach said.
City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar, who is a member of the PADCO board of directors, praised Chiplona’s work ethic when asked about her Wednesday.
“When PADCO was working to hire Amy, I was on the personnel committee. And Nora was the person at PADCO who was actually doing the work of both the financial person and the executive director until they hired Amy. She’s been there to sort of hold PADCO together for quite some time. Nobody knew the workings of PADCO better than Nora did. She’s the one who taught most of us what was going on,” Palamar said.
Formed in 1985, PADCO, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, oversees revitalization of the city’s central business district. With an emphasis on job creation, it offers low-interest loans to help fund business expansion, equipment, start-up costs, physical renovations and other business needs.
It owns and manages the Majestic Theater and it also has contracts to manage the Pottsville Parking Authority, the Lipkin Technology Building and the Pottsville/Schuylkill Technology Incubator.