Maureen Dodson, longtime facilitator of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Blair County program, speaks with program participants at a recent training event. Courtesy photo
Maureen Dodson always wanted to be a sports journalist.
“I love sports. I went out and played basketball. I was never big enough to play,” Dodson said.
She has made her mark as an educator, creating and facilitating customized management and leadership development programs.
Dodson is the longtime facilitator of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Blair County program, a position she has held for 17 years.
Shari Routch, then a member of the LBC steering committee, asked him to succeed Chuck Kormanski as host.
“Watching Maureen interact with the LBC class over the years, she was able to create an atmosphere of openness for class members to explore difficult topics and consider different perspectives,” Routch said.
House Speaker/CEO Joe Hurd calls Dodson and his predecessor, Kormanski, exceptional people.
“Maureen is a dynamo. She is an incredibly intelligent person who brings a lot of enthusiasm to what she teaches. … His ability to bring new aspects to the overall leadership experience keeps the program fresh and moving forward,” Hurd said.
LBC graduates praise her.
Jim Kilmartin, pastor of Center City Church in Altoona and a 2009 graduate, said Dodson lit up the room and was worth his weight in gold.
“She is brilliant, humble and extremely engaging. You could tell she really cared about her work and about every person,” Kilmartin said.
Superman Berrow, owner of B4 Club Therapy, a 2022 graduate, calls Dodson “a little woman with a huge impact.”
She always had clear instructions and carried a timer with her to keep the class flowing and on time. “With all the different dominant personalities, she knew how to handle each of us. She never intimidated us. …I couldn’t think of a better person to lead our class,” Berrow said.
Dodson would allow conversations to take place but keep participants on track, said Jared Keller of Keller Engineers, who was part of the 2021 class.
Dodson’s experience makes each session interesting and provides invaluable insight into each discussion topic, Keller said.
When students in the class wandered off topic, she could easily refocus them.
Rebecca Culp of Berry Solutions Group and Ashley Gay Vocco of Family Services Inc. were part of the Class of 2020 when, because of COVD-19, the class did not see Dodson in person until graduation.
“That didn’t stop her from devoting all of her time and effort to making sure we all had a positive experience,” Culp said. “Her belief in each participant’s ability to become leaders in our community is part of what helps the program thrive.” »
Vocco said: “Even though she was on screen, we all really felt like we knew Maureen. The fact that she made it so seamless and so engaging… speaks volumes about her ability to lead, facilitate and be approachable.
To start
After graduating from Seton Hill in 1981, Dodson began his career at Mellon Bank after his sister Kathy, who worked at the bank, told him they had a position available. This eventually led her to access training jobs.
In 1985, while working at Mellon Bank, she began working on her master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University, where she met Mildred Myers, who encouraged her to pursue her doctorate.
“From her first article and discussion in my “Rhetoric in Social Interaction” class, I knew she had a Ph.D. material. She is probably the best writer I have ever met in a 35-year career teaching writing courses to graduate students,” said Myers, now a professor emeritus of management communications.
Dodson and her husband, Kirk, moved to the Hollidaysburg area in 1996 and she got a job at Mercy Hospital, where she worked for 10 months.
She met John Park, who worked in continuing education at Penn State Altoona, when they were both judges on a total quality committee for the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.
He connected her to Penn State Altoona, where she got a job teaching freshman English.
Park then joined University Park, and Dodson took a graduate assistant position with him in Penn State’s Division of Management Development and Program Services. He encouraged her to pursue her doctorate, so she stopped teaching to focus on her degree.
“Maureen is very conscientious and a very hard worker, she is an outstanding teacher. I think she is a great role model for young women, both as a mother and an adult learner.
Dodson worked for 11 years as an assistant professor in Penn State’s Division of Management Development Programs and Services, providing customized leadership and management training programs to organizations across the United States.
Park retired from Penn State but went to work for Baker Tilly, and Dodson followed him there. She retired in February 2022.
“I’m consulting today with companies that I’ve already trained for,” Dodson said.
Dodson loves her work in leadership training.
“My parents (John and Martha Owens) never went to college and sacrificed. Dad had two full-time jobs. Their hard work put me and my siblings through college,” Dodson said.
Now semi-retired, Dodson finds time to volunteer at The Healing Patch, a peer support program designed for children and their families who have suffered the death of a significant person, such as a parent, brother or sister, grandparent or close family member.
“I did not know that existed. Talk about a humbling experience. … I need that kind of reality check a lot,” Dodson said.
Dodson said one day she will retire completely.
“One day I want to go south for the winter and play golf. We still have family here,” Dodson said.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.
The Dodson file
Name: Maureen Dodson
Age: 64 years old
Position: Leadership Blair County Facilitator
Education: Graduate of Bethel Park High School, bachelor’s degree in English from Seton Hill University, master’s degree in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University, doctorate in workforce education from Penn State.
Family: husband, Kirk; son, Kyle married to Marissa Riggs, son, Casey.
