St. Mary’s Villa
The Elmhurst Twp. villa, a member of Covenant Health, recently welcomed Noelle Lyon-Kovaleski, LHNA, as the new president of its senior care community, which includes 112 beds for skilled nursing, rehabilitation, respite and palliative care as well as 64 semiprivate, private or independent living personal care home units. As president, Lyon-Kovaleski focuses on daily operations, strategic planning and business development.
Lyon-Kovaleski formerly served as both a regional administrator and center executive director at Carbondale Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, as well as an administrator at Butler Valley Manor in Drums.
Lyon-Kovaleski holds a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from King’s College and a Bachelor of Arts in health policy administration from Pennsylvania State University. She also serves as a board member for the Pennsylvania Health Care Association and Northeast Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Association.
The Wright Center
Dr. Jignesh Sheth, senior vice president and chief medical and information officer at the Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro to serve as a member of the state’s newly formed Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Related Disorders Advisory Committee.
This gubernatorial appointment recognizes Sheth’s exceptional leadership and clinical expertise in advancing patient-centered, data-driven care models that improve the lives of Pennsylvanians — particularly vulnerable and aging populations.
Sheth received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with honors in biochemistry, medicine and public health in 2004 from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Wardha, India. He earned his Master’s in Public Health with a specialization in health promotion in 2006 from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
After completing his internal medicine residency in 2009 through the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, now the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, Sheth joined the Wright Center as an internal medicine primary care physician and lead physician for population management and reporting.
University of Scranton
Alumni Jacquelyn Dionne, R.N. ’89 and Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L. ’72 will receive honorary degrees from the university at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 18.
A native of Scranton and a resident of Westport, Connecticut, Dionne became a registered nurse upon graduating from Community Medical Center in 1986 and received a bachelor’s degree in health administration from the University of Scranton in 1989. During her career as an intensive care nurse, she earned several certifications at Mount Auburn, a Harvard University teaching hospital, and later at the New Hampshire Heart Institute.
After staying at home for several years to raise a family, Dionne returned to the medical setting seven years ago and is currently the health and wellness coordinator for Brookdale Senior Living in Wilton, Connecticut.
Dionne and her husband, John ’86, H’10, are co-chairs of the largest capital campaign in the university’s 137-year history, “A Fire That Kindles Other Fires: The Campaign To Advance Mission, Access & Excellence.”
Quinn, a priest who has served the Diocese of Scranton for more than 40 years, was named pastor emeritus of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Clarks Summit upon his retirement in 2024.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the university in 1972, he went on to earn a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Seton Hall University School of Law. At the age of 25, he was appointed a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the youngest person in the country to serve in this position.
After discerning his call to the priesthood, he entered the seminary in 1981, completing his studies at the North American College in Rome, where he was awarded graduate degrees in theology from both the Gregorian University and the Angelicum University. Following his ordination, he was awarded dual degrees in canon law from the University of Ottawa and St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada.
Quinn has served in key pastoral and administrative roles and special assignments in the Diocese of Scranton, including 16 years as rector of St. Peter’s Cathedral.
The university’s undergraduate commencement ceremony, including the awarding of the honorary degrees, will begin at 11 a.m. on May 18 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Twp.
