Current Officers

Kevin J. O’Brien, Jr. – President

Jared Jordan – 1st Vice President

Timothy Wachs – 2nd Vice President (Cycle A, Year 1)

Joseph D. Strubeck – Treasurer (Cycle B, Year 2)

Joseph D. Strubeck is currently serving for his second and final year as Treasurer of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Joe is a lifelong resident of the Greater Pittston Area where he spent his early years in West Pittston before his parents moved to Avoca. He attended St. Mary’s Parochial School in Avoca and graduated from Scranton Preparatory School where he was a member of the National Honor Society, the tennis team, and the Prep Players.

Joe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Master of Arts degree in Theology, both from the University of Scranton. His career has provided broad and specialized experience in development and fundraising, sales and marketing, accounting and finance, information systems, and higher education as a college educator. He has worked to promote change management initiatives and major system implementation in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. He currently serves as Diocesan Secretary for Development at the Diocese of Scranton where he heads the Development Office and serves as a member of the Diocesan Curia, working with other senior staff to ensure a seamless approach to services and programs.

At the Diocese, Joe is responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction, and coordination for all diocesan fundraising efforts and initiatives. He assists parishes, schools and other diocesan entities with their capital campaign and fundraising needs, oversees the Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal, manages grant writing and application efforts, and plans special events for donor recognition that include the Bishop.

In addition to his responsibilities at the Diocese of Scranton, Joe is an adjunct faculty member in the philosophy department at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and is an associate editor for Zeal: A Journal for the Liberal Arts.

His commitment to the broader community of northeastern Pennsylvania includes his current service as a member of the University of Scranton’s Alumni Advisory Board and Vice President of the University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Advisory Board. He is a 3^rd Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus and Lecturer for President John F. Kennedy Council #372 in Pittston and is a member of the Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission.

For the Friendly Sons, Joe currently serves as Chairman of the Membership Committee and the Tickets & Tables Committee (where he has coordinated and planned the seating chart for the Annual Dinner since 2017). He serves as a co-Vice Chairman of the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Committee, Program Committee, and Decorations Committee, and is a member of Finance Committee, Publicity Committee, and Women’s Luncheon Committee. Joe helped develop and launch the website and currently serves as webmaster.

Joe resides in Laflin with his wife and two sons.

Contact: treasurer@gpfriendlysons.org

Norm Robinson – Secretary

Kyle Lovett – Secretary

More information on the Roles of the Officers

The Officers Serve for Five Years in Accordance with the By-Laws

In accordance with the By-Laws of The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Greater Pittston, the Officers of the Organization are elected annually by the Officers Nomination Committee (the composition of which is limited to active Past Presidents of the organization). The Officers Nomination Committee is currently chaired by Past President Lee Monteforte.

Officers are elected at a Special Meeting held in January, and take possession of their “chairs” ipso facto during the transfer of the President’s Medal to the incoming President at the conclusion of the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Celebration held on March 17th. At the April Meeting, the Immediate Past President’s final act is to call the April meeting to order and immediately transfer the gavel to the new President who officially convenes the reorganization meeting of the new Fraternal Year. At that meeting, committee memberships are established, and the scheduling of the Scholarship Committee meeting are among the new orders of business.

The five-member Board of Officers is responsible for faithfully executing the duties of their respective office in accordance with the By-Laws on an annual term, with the expectation of promotion to the next higher chair by the Officers Nomination Committee. The duties of the officers are both procedural and fiduciary, and they are charged with the advancement of the organization’s mission and values throughout their time in the “chairs”.

The President presides at all official meetings of the Organization and serves ex officio on all committees except for such committees stipulating otherwise in the By-Laws. He is to designate the chairman, vice-chairmen and composition of the committees he believes are necessary for advancing the mission and vision, and is responsible for holding all committee chairmen accountable for executing the duties delegated to them. The President is to formally set the date and time of public committee meetings as he deems appropriate and necessary.
The First Vice President presides at meetings in the absence of the President. He works closely with the President and observes the successes and challenges that await him for his Presidential year.
The Second Vice President presides at meetings in the absence of the President and First Vice President if a quorum is met. He promotes activities and serves on multiple committees as appropriate.
The Treasurer shall keep a true account of the finances of the organization, pay the bill when ordered by the Organization, preserve all vouchers, and make such reports as may from time to time be required. He shall keep the funds deposited as designated by the Finance Committee. While in office, he serves as custodian of financial records, and those records necessary for the fulfillment of his duties. He performs fiduciary acts and other duties as prescribed by the President, Past Presidents and Finance Committee.
The Secretary keeps the minutes of all meetings, and is custodian of the seal and all other records of the Organization. As the most junior officer, he observes with diligence those who come before and after him, and is united in this way to the four Presidents who precede and follow him.

With the Past Presidents, the Officers serve as the public face of the organization, and are expected to promote and attend fundraisers, parades, celebrations, funerals of past presidents and members in good standing, and serve in roles of responsibility at events of the organization.

With the exception of resignation, death, or another grave cause, officers commit to the five-year movement through the chairs at the time of their election as Secretary. Following a succession pattern to the next seat in the hierarchy based on an alternating schedule of entry, every other year the incoming officer’s movement through the chairs is as follows:

Cycle A:
Elected Secretary, Skip Treasurer, 2nd Vice President (2 Years), 1st Vice President, President

Cycle B:
Elected Secretary, Treasurer (2 Years), Skip 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, President

This system, instituted in the late 1990s, ensures that officers are identified based on the ways in which they can best serve the organization, reduces the financial transfer of information, and retains signatory authority of the organization to the officers who serve in Cycle B as Treasurers.

Membership in the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick is open to all men who support the organization’s mission. Dues are broken into men under the age of 18, and adults 18 and older. In accordance with the By-Laws, eligibility to serve as an officer of the organization is restricted to active members who can trace their Irish decent.