Abe Amoros, Amoros Communications  

Abraham “Abe” Amoros is the President of Amoros Communications. He last served as the PA Legislative Director for the Laborers’ International Union of North America for 10 years.  Previous to that role, he was the Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and also served as Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Edward G. Rendell.  He has also worked in communications roles for the PA Department of State and the Democratic Leader of the State Senate. 

Abe has also been very active in politics, having been the first Latino elected to the York City Council at the age of 23 and was chosen as its vice president.  He also served as the Director of Community Development for the City of York.  In addition, he has served on numerous boards and commissions including president of the York Spanish American Center’s Board of Directors and the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.  He considers his greatest civic accomplishment to be the creation of the York City Little League in 2005 as he helped raise more than $1 million for three lighted fields with the generous assistance from Governor Tom Wolf prior to his election. 

Abe earned a Master’s degree in governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State in journalism where he was just appointed by Governor Wolf to be the first Latino member of the Board of Trustees. He now lives in Harrisburg. 

Laurie Crawford, Lebanon Valley Conservancy 

Laurie earned her BA in Community Park and Recreation Administration from York College. Over the last 10 years, Laurie has combined her education and community building training with her love of nature. She gained experience in Community Supported Agriculture by working on an organic farm in Lebanon which ultimately led her to master gardening classes with the Penn State Extension. Laurie took her newly acquired knowledge and created her small business Mae Marie Organics which supports a school garden program, designs native gardens for the Manada Conservancy’s Gardening for Nature program and helps private landowners design vegetable, herb and native pollinator gardens. 

As the current Executive Director for the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, Laurie works collaboratively with various organizations to develop and implement strategic land use plans and create opportunities for businesses, land owners, and citizens of Lebanon County to succeed. Laurie also serves as the co-chair of the Design, Safe and Green Committee for the Lebanon Business Improvement District, as well as the Community of Lebanon Board. Utilizing her education in Parks and Recreation, Laurie also serves on the Board of the Community Health Council which brings outdoor recreational opportunities to Lebanon. She currently lives in Cornwall in southern Lebanon county with her husband and two children.  

LaMarcus Thurman, Northwest Bank  

LaMarcus graduated from Allegheny College and received his degree in business and managerial economics in 2001. He currently serves as the Community Relationship Manager for Northwest Bank in Pittsburgh. LaMarcus is responsible for developing and implementing all aspects of the bank's Community Reinvestment Act Compliance program by establishing, participating and maintaining relationships with community-based charitable and non-profit organizations. He also serves as a board member for the Pittsburgh Downtown CDC and Crossroads Foundation. LaMarcus currently lives in Cranberry Township with his wife, Robin and two children, Mia and LaMarcus Jr.