Leadership Northeast executive director will serve as grand marshal
Leadership Northeast Executive Director Jessica Cronauer will lead Wilkes-Barre’s 2026 Multicultural Parade and Festival on Saturday, Sep. 12.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown (left) announces Jessica Cronauer as grand marshal in front of friends, family and colleagues Wednesday in city council chambers at city hall.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
from left: Wilkes-Bare Mayor George Brown, Jessica Cronauer, and Cronauer’s children, Emily Barrouk, 16, and Will Barrouk, 14.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Longtime businesswoman and Leadership Northeast Executive Director Jessica Cronauer will lead the city’s annual Multicultural Parade and Festival as grand marshal Saturday, Sep. 12.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown made the announcement Wednesday during a short ceremony in City Council chambers at City Hall, where he also proclaimed Sep. 2, 2026, as Jessica Cronauer Day.
Cronauer, a leadership development strategist, executive coach and educator, was joined Wednesday by friends, colleagues and family, including her two children, Emily Barrouk, 16, and Will Barrouk, 14.
“This is to acknowledge Jessica for what she does, and what she has done, and its really an honor, I think, for me to introduce you, and let people know what you’ve given back to the community,” said Brown.
Cronauer, a resident of South Wilkes-Barre, has been a part of Leadership Northeast sine 2014 and was named executive director in 2022.
Alongside many other partners, she leads six community leadership development programs through Leadership Northeast. She has also helped develop opportunities such as Impact: Leadership in Education, which provides leadership development for K–12 educators, and Amplify: Women’s Leadership Certificate Program, for women ready to elevate their leadership journey.
She also serves on the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Previously, she served on the boards of Dress for Success Luzerne County and the United Way of Wyoming Valley, and as a panel chair for the Luzerne County Youth Aid Panel.
Cronauer was a Top 25 Woman in Business honoree by the NEPA Business Journal, nominated as a Remarkable Woman, recognized as a 2023 Change Maker from the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, and named a 2023 Distinctive Woman by the Times Leader.
Cronauer said on Wednesday that it was an honor to be selected as the 2026 grand marshal.
“The crew behind this parade, and the people who I work with really closely to build out the curriculum at Leadership northeast, I have such tremendous respect for every single one of them and the work that they’re doing. So, to know that our efforts are aligned with theirs and the work we’re doing has an impact on all communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania is truly a high priority of ours at the organization,” she said.
For Cronauer, Wilkes-Barre’s Multicultural Parade and Festival is an important event because it gives every community a chance to be celebrated.
“They get to show up in a way that’s inclusive and respectful and cherished and truly acknowledge the level of complexity and diversity we have here, which we’ve always had,” she said.
The Multicultural Parade and Festival will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sep. 12.
The parade route will travel from South and South Main streets to Public Square.
More information on the parade and festival can be found on the event’s Facebook page.
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