Clockwise from left: Jessica Rothchild, Tony Brooks, Kira Kinsman.

Clockwise from left: Jessica Rothchild, Tony Brooks, Kira Kinsman.

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WILKES-BARRE — City and State PA released its 2022 Pride Power 100 list — compiled by freelance writer Jeremy Rodriguez — Tuesday morning and three names on the list might be very familiar to those in the NEPA region.

The list names the most influential figures in the state’s LGBTQ community, those who “have both broken barriers and changed the narrative by fighting for equality, either directly through their work or by simply being out and visible in the workplace,” according to the web page.

• Coming in at number 49 on the list is Scranton City Council member Jessica Rothchild. Rothchild became the first openly gay person to hold such a position when she was elected to city council in 2019. Aside from her council service, Rothchild strives to better her community in numerous other ways.

She serves on the Pennsylvania Commission for Women as well as the Scranton Human Relations Commission and is vice-chair of the LGBTQ Caucus for the state Democratic Party. She also is a physical therapist.

• At number 97 is Founding Principal of Williams Kinsman Lewis Architecture, Kira Kinsman. With nearly four decades’ worth of architectural design experience, Kinsman has earned numerous honors for not only her work with WKL, but also for her work with nonprofit organizations.

Kinsman has served on the PA State Architect’s Licensure Board and the NEPA Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Her work has earned honorable distinction and accolades from the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern PA, as well as the aforementioned NEPA Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Design Awards Program.

• And at number 100 is a man whose name is well familiar to Wilkes-Barre residents: Tony Brooks has served on city council since 2015 and has been director and curator of Wilkes-Barré Preservation Society since 2018.

Brooks frequently gives tours of Downtown Wilkes-Barre, including the River Street Historic District, the Luzerne County Courthouse, and the Hollenback Cemetery. When he’s not rousing guests with Wilkes-Barre’s history, he serves as a board member of the Diamond City Partnership and as treasurer of the Downtown Residents’ Association.

These folks, along with the 97 others on the list truly make, “strides to create safe spaces and remove the limits for current and future generations,” as Rodriguez put it.