Advisory Board

A group like PoconoWomen could not be successful without the endless support of the wonderful, intelligent Advisory Board that helps keep us moving forward. Get to know a little more about them here.

Trudie Lear ~ Executive Director

Born Trudie Boccadoro to Italian-American parents in Easton, PA, Trudie learned to appreciate the hard work ethic that was at the fiber of her family’s well being. Combined with her desire to get a college degree, her hard work paid off in a public education career that lasted more than a decade in the classroom and more than three decades in other fields of community life. She fondly remembers the most prominent jobs during the childrearing years, those being her volunteer work with the Monroe County Library System that led to the purchase and building of a new, 33.000 sq. foot library facility. She also cites her experiences as a member of the support staff in both the PA House of Representatives and the Pocono Mts Chamber of Commerce as a definite learning ground for this teacher. She sits on quite a few community boards offering her talents and learning more about her hometown with each passing day. Happily married and the mother of two adult children of whom she is so proud, Trudie can often be seen at Meet and Greets with with her two adopted greyhounds

Trudie is now in her third act of her life, and she wants it to be a soft landing of sorts. But, then again… maybe not!

Her role as Executive Director of For Women By Women will challenge her to be the best that she can be. That’s okay with her. After all, that happens to be the same inspirational idea of this women’s alliance that caught her attention in the first place — to be the best that you can be.

And she wants to pass that on.

Mary Louise Parker, Esq. ~ Founder

Mary Louise Parker, Esquire concentrates her practice in the areas of civil litigation, including personal injury, and family law, business formation and real estate.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Parker earned her Juris Doctor from the Temple University School of Law. She served as law clerk for the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas with Judge Linda Wallach Miller and worked as an associate and partner with several well-respected Stroudsburg law firms before establishing the firm of Mary Louise Parker, Esquire & Associates. Megan Reaser, Esquire joined her in the firm in March 2006.

Attorney Parker is admitted to practice before all Courts of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvaniaís Appellate Courts, as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. She has served as a Monroe County Child Custody Conciliator since February 2005.

Mrs. Parker is a member of the Monroe County Bar Association having served as an officer and member of the Board of Trustees from 1993-2004 and as President in the years 2002 and 2003. Through efforts with other members of the Bar Association, Mrs. Parker was instrumental in setting up a lawyer referral service in 1999, which assists Monroe County residents in obtaining legal representation and counsel. More recently, she helped to form the Monroe County Bar Foundation, a 501(3) C corporation which serves as the charitable giving arm of the Bar Association and directs its fundraising toward projects and activities designed to improve the lives of Monroe County children.

Mrs. Parker is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and its Commission on Women in the Profession.

In addition to her Bar Association activities, Mrs. Parker has devoted considerable time to community service. She served on the County Commission for Library Planning Services and has been both a member and President of the Monroe County Library Board of Trustees. Mrs. Parker has also been a member of the Stroudsburg Planning Commission, Stroudsburg Zoning Hearing Board and the Monroe County Easter Seals Board of Directors. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Women’s Resources of Monroe County and the Pocono Arts Council as its President.

Mrs. Parker is married to John H. Parker, Jr. and has two sons.

Holley Kearns

Banking Officer Branch Manager KNBT
713 Main Street
Stroudsburg PA 18360
Phone: 570-4205740 option #4
Fax: 570-420-5745

Holley Kearns has 13 years of management experience, spending the last 3 years at KNBT in Stroudsburg. KNBT has 57 branches in NEPA that offer a full spectrum of services in Banking, Insurance, Investment and Trust, Her focus is on business and personal banking relationship development.Holley is from Stroudsburg and she graduated from Stroudsburg High School and went to college at Moravian College in Bethlehem. Her husband, Kevin, and their 4 year old son, Connor, live in Stroudsburg and enjoy the roots of community life.

Holley is also Treasurer of the Board of Director’s of Women’s Resources,and a Member of the Ways to Work Loan Committee. She is Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Monroe County Bar Association and a Member of the Rotary Club of the Stroudsburg’s.

Cherie Morris

Owning a bead shop is a second (or maybe third or fourth) career for Cherie Morris. Certainly when she left the University of Toledo with that Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude no less, she found the world of the late 60’s had little use for a flower child with a degree in Theater and English. The offer by United Airlines to become a stewardess (yes, they were called that then) and see the world suddenly seemed interesting. However the world turned out to be South Bend, Indiana and Dayton, Ohio so after 6 months of enduring white gloves and a girdle, she left the corporate world to try finding fame and fortune in New York. That lasted a short time as well (when the rent came due) and she found Trans World Airline where girdles and gloves were no longer required and spent 27 years traveling. TWA fell on hard times and an evil owner and, having seen much of the world, Cherie decided on an early retirement in the late 90’s and settled into Stroudsburg.

She then became active in local politics and community environmental organizations. Cherie still serves on the Boards of the Brodhead Watershed Association and Kettle Creek Environmental Fund. She worked part time in various retail venues only to consistently run afoul of lousy management. The decision to be her own boss eliminated the management issue but certainly opened her eyes to the pressures of decisions about budgeting, business plans, marketing, inventory purchasing and the day-to-day crises of owning a business.

While selling beads, holding children’s parties and giving lessons in jewelry making will never make Cherie a multi-millionaire, it is fun, gratifying and gives vent to the creative side of that theater major of 40 years ago.

Perhaps the journey is only complete when we come full circle and close the loop. Groovy, man.

Terry Burns

As a mother of three daughters, owner of Pocono Personnel, which now has two locations, a district manager for Arbonne International, and an associate for Univera, I have learned to juggle and multitask in a very fast paced environment.As a resident of the Poconos for more than 10 years, I embrace the fact that I can give back to our community in so many ways. Through my employment agencies, I am proud to help local residents secure good jobs in our area. On the flip side of that, I am able to help local business owners and employers find quality employees.

It is nice to be able to help all the way around. By being involved with Arbonne International, which is a pure swiss skin care line, I am able to help women look and feel better, which becomes so much more important as we begin to age.By being involved with Univera, which is a Bio-Nutria all natural cell renewal formula, I am able to help people feel good from the inside out by providing sustained energy, mental clarity and focus, stress relief and joint comfort. I truly believe everyone needs to feel better at every age. I was a Girl Scout leader for 7 years, which was a wonderful and rewarding way to contribute to our community.

I enjoy watching my daughters grow and work to succeed in all that they do. I enjoy traveling, cooking and socializing with good friends.

Erin Baehr

Erin Baehr is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Enrolled Agent with a practice in Shawnee. She is the owner of Baehr Family Financial, and her practice is focused on educating families to make the best use of their money in light of their family’s values. Having run the gamut from being a young stay at home mom, to a single commuting mom, to now mother and stepmother to seven teenagers/young adults, she understands many of the challenges women face with their finances. Her mission is to provide a comfortable, non-judgmental place to sit and talk about money issues and life’s dreams, and work out a plan to make them come true.

Erin is active in the Bushkill Community Church, where she is a youth leader and serves as treasurer. She is also a local organizer for National Survivors of Suicide Day, and writes a monthly personal finance column for the Eastern Pocono Community News. And with financing the college educations for five of those seven children on the horizon, she is a member of the National Institute for Certified College Planners.

Meg A. Watt

Meg A. Watt was born in New York and moved to the region as a teenager. After college, she decided to make this area her permanent home. Meg was raised by an amazing single grandparent, who taught her that strength and leadership can be used to positively impact those around you.

She learned how important these skills would be when her younger brother tragically died in a carbon monoxide accident in 2008. Drawing upon the love and support of her family, friends and the community, she began a crusade to get a carbon monoxide detector into every home and business, protecting others from the same fate as her brother. Her efforts have yielded a nationally-recognized movement — Four Friends Memorial — as well as a Consumer Reports campaign appearing on news programs throughout the country.

Meg decided to combine her unusual name with her years of experience in journalism and marketing to develop a new model for business in the area. Using public relations as a new element to take marketing to a different level for her clients, she changes the formula for success.

For everything from logo creation to web design, print material creation or a new strong brand, MEGAWATT Communications, LLC can help you find your voice in the market–locally or worldwide.

Personally, Meg is a graduate of Notre Dame High School (East Stroudsburg) and DeSales University. Founder of NEPAMAMAS, a group for mothers in the area to find support and success, she draws many comparisons to the business women she meets in PoconoWomen. Meg likes to remain active in her community, and is the proud wife of a great man and mom to two wonderful daughters.