Wide-angle view of the county and federal courthouses in downtown Scranton

Ready to Run (for students!) 2024 Presenters

JoyAnna S. Hopper, Ph.D.

JoyAnna Hopper is the director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service and an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Scranton. Dr. Hopper's research focuses on state-level political institutions and their effects on environmental policy. Her work is published in peer-review academic journals, such as State Politics and Policy Quarterly, Environmental Policy and Governance, and Environmental Politics. At the University of Scranton, Dr. Hopper teaches courses in American government, social welfare policy, environmental policy, research methods, policy analysis, and organizational theory & behavior.

 

Jean Harris, Ph.D.

Dr. Jean Wahl Harris joined the University faculty in the Fall of 1987. She earned a B.A. in Law and Society, a M.A. in Political Science and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She has served the University as the director of the Women’s Studies program (serving as the first director after spearheading the development of the Women’s Studies program) and as chairperson of the Political Science Department. She also coordinates the University’s Ready to Run program, which is a campaign training program targeting women in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Teaching interests: Dr. Harris teaches courses on U.S. national, state and local politics, policies, and political institutions, which count in the Political Science major, the Public Administration and Public Policy track, the Peace and Justice concentration, and the Women’s Studies major and concentration. In addition to serving as an advisor to Political Science majors she has served as a mentor to new University faculty members through the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.

Research interests: Dr. Harris is a co-author for one of the top selling undergraduate American Government textbooks, American Democracy Now (McGraw-Hill) and has published chapters in the American Political Science Association’s Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen (2013) and We Get What We Vote For … Or Do We?: The Impact of Elections on Governing  (Praeger, 1999). She has also published articles in a variety of journals including Women & Politics. Her current research focuses on women as political actors—from voters to first ladies to elected officials.

Additional information: An active member of the Lackawanna County League of Women Voters, Dr. Harris regularly moderates candidate debates for local and state elective offices. She is also a frequent political consultant for local and regional media.

Diana Campbell

Diana Campbell has been a resident of Mayfield, Pennsylvania for 24 years. She is married to her husband, Matthew and they have four children. Diana has owned and operated her own business teaching piano lessons for over 20 years, and she spent 14 years at Allied Skilled Nursing as a recreation therapy aid.

Diana first got involved in local politics in 2015 as a Council Member of Mayfield Borough. She has served as the President of Mayfield Borough since 2022. Diana has shown her commitment to the people of Mayfield by completing 70 hours of education through Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and becoming a Certified Borough Official.

Aside from politics, Diana has faithfully served her community throughout her years as a resident of Mayfield. She has participated in Mayfield’s Crime Watch and Shade tree committees, acted as a student mentor, and is a member of the Jermyn Historical society. She has also taught budgeting and personal finance classes for adults and teens.

 In 2023 Diana ran for Lackawanna County Commissioner. In the general election she was the sole female candidate for the position.

 She currently holds the position of secretary/treasurer for Scott Township in Lackawanna County.

Sarah Cruz

Sarah Cruz is a native of Northeastern PA, and has lived in the city of Scranton for almost a decade. A graduate of Lackawanna College and Marywood University, Sarah served on the Scranton School Board and has been civically involved in the city’s creative and artistic community, supporting First Fridays and volunteering with the Scranton Fringe Festival. She is also currently a sales associate at Boscov’s Department Store.

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