Welcoming Sen. Jake Cormon (above, second from left) to Tunkhannock recently were (continuing from left) Tom Henry, Wyoming County commissioner; Erika Winklebleck, enrollment specialist with Lackawanna College; Gina Suydam, president of the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce; Bill DesRosiers, government affairs manager with Coterra Energy; and Chad Gorman, operations manager with GasSearch Drilling Services Corporation.
Pennsylvania Republican candidate for governor Sen. Jake Corman recently completed a tour of northeastern Pennsylvania schools to explore alternative education opportunities for jobs in Pennsylvania’s energy sector, as well as reviewing how a school district handled education during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to in-person schooling.
His first stop was at the Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas in Tunkhannock, where the school is partnering with Coterra Energy to focus on alternative education paths in the energy industry, as well as natural gas and tax credits.
“Lackawanna College and Coterra are forward-thinking in their approach to creating the training and education necessary to ensure Pennsylvanians can fill the energy jobs available in our commonwealth,” Corman said. “My administration is going to embrace and build on Pennsylvania’s energy economy and support these vital partnerships that create jobs.”
George Stark, director of external affairs at Coterra Energy, said, “We are pleased that Sen. Corman was able to join us for the roundtable discussion and tour of the school. Having him be part of the American energy conversation is vital if we are to continue advancing the industry’s workforce and commitment to community development.”
In the afternoon, Corman attended an education roundtable at Hanover Junior Senior High School to discuss how the district adapted to learning in a COVID-19 world. The senator was impressed by how the district has given parents the authority to decide what is best for their students.
“It’s great to see a school district empowering parents to make decisions that are best for their children,” Corman said. “As governor, my administration will empower local school districts to make decisions. State government bureaucrats should not be making one-size-fits-all mandates.”