Officers and Steering Committee

OFFICERS

Sue Sargo, Presiding Officer

Sue has a B.S. in Psychology from Missouri State University and received her R.N. from Charity Hospital School of Nursing in New Orleans. She retired after more than 30 years working in healthcare, and moved to State College in 2016. Sue is married to Rick Sargo and they have two children, Rich and Emily, and one granddaughter, Bellina. Sue has been active in the LWVCC since 2016.

“I joined the League of Women Voters because I believe in the work the organization has done for over 100 years and continues to do today: Educating, and empowering voters and protecting voting rights. Voting is the single most important civic responsibility that we have. It is the right that protects all other rights. Citizens who learn about issues and candidates, who vote and actively engage with their government officials in a thoughtful and respectful manner contribute by making their communities stronger, more prosperous, more resilient and more forward thinking.”

Bonnie Goble, Vice Presiding Officer

Bonnie has a B.A. from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She began her professional career as a children’s librarian and professional storyteller. After leaving the library field for several years to manage the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College, she returned to libraries for 13 years as Executive Director of Fredricksen Library, the largest public library in Cumberland County, in suburban Harrisburg. She moved to State College in 2021 and works in the development field. She is married to Jeff Goble, former special agent for the FBI, now Professor of Criminal Justice. They have two sons, Liam and Galen, both married, and one grandchild, Poppy Rose.

“I have belonged to LWV almost my entire adult life. My mother was head of the League in our hometown of Mt. Lebanon, PA and her League friends were fascinating to me. Erudite, engaged, influencers, all of them. As a stay at home mother of young children, I edited The Voter (newsletter) for LWV in the Haddonfield/Cherry Hill, NJ area. Affordable housing was a special interest for me at that time, and continues to be. Later, five years of service on the Derry Township (Hershey) School Board, two years as president, during a contentious time for the town, demonstrated the value of nonpartisan political education for constituents. The League delivers that education like no other organization, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

Sue Floyd, Treasurer

Sue has lived in Central PA all her life. She retired from Penn State University in June 2013 after working 43 years in various financial areas. Sue’s husband is Don Floyd, she has one daughter, Lindsay, and one grandson, Bruno, who live in Lexington, KY and one stepson, Jason, and two granddaughters, Tory and Aby, who live in Somerset, PA.

“I became active in the LWVCC in July 2013 after my retirement. I strongly believe it is important to be well informed regarding candidates and issues regarding our community as well as state and national issues. The LWVCC provides education for voters about candidates and issues, voter registration and much more, which is why I became involved.”

JanET Koch, intrim Secretary

Jan has a degree in Economics from Denison University and an MBA from Lehigh University. She retired after over 30 years working for the Department of Defense, on finance and procurement programs, and moved to State College in 2014. Jan has been active in the LWVCC since December 2016. Jan is married to Al Koch and they have one son, Greg.

“I joined the League of Women Voters so that I could make a difference in the community. Exercising our right to vote is crucial to the health and well-being of our nation and, ultimately, in our own best interest. After years of public service, I know first-hand the importance of an informed electorate and competent elected representatives. These days we are constantly bombarded with all types of media and are forced to make rational decisions about which sources provide us with the most accurate and unbiased information. I see the League's role as both a facilitator encouraging citizens to vote and an educator - educating the voter on issues, platforms, and candidates - and helping voters to navigate the flow of information.”

STEERING COMMITTEE

Jean Deitrich & Jim Miller, Membership Chairs

Saralee Bresler, Voters Guide ChaiR

Sara is a retired science teacher from the State College Area School District. She is also co-owner of Centre Stables in Pennsylvania Furnace. She holds a B.S.in Horticulture from Penn State and a Masters from Penn State in the sciences. Sara and her husband Dale were in the dairy business for twenty-eight years.They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

Community service has always been an important aspect of Sara’s life; she served on several boards of local service organizations and chaired fundraising campaigns for local charities. In the LWVCC she is in charge of the Voter’s Guide published in The Centre Daily Times.

“Having been an educator for thirty-two years, I am aware of the power of education. I joined the League to play a role in educating our community about the importance of registering to vote and voting regularly. I believe that we as a citizenry must be heard and our vote is our strongest voice.”

kathy and charlie cox, voter outreach

Peg Dobrinska, legislative liaison

Peg moved to State College in 1996 and has been active in civic affairs all of her life. She is a self-proclaimed policy wonk and follows the actions of the PA Legislature for both our local LWV chapter, UUJusticePA and the Prison Society.

Peg received her bachelor's and master's degree in social work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and retired recently from several small business endeavors in Centre County. The bulk of her career was with the Visiting Nurses of Pottstown and Vicinity.

Cynthia Hahn, At Large

Cindy has been a member of the LWVCC for fourteen years. She has served as Voter Services and Membership Chair in the past. Cindy is the Executive Director of C-NET, the Government and Educational Access Network for Centre County. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Masters in Theatre History, Criticism and Theory from Penn State. She is married to Judge Don Hahn, has two grown children, Lauren and Adam, and three adorable grandsons!

"I am active in the League of Women Voters because I believe that access to candidate information encourages an informed electorate and is the key to our democracy. The local, state and national LWV provides opportunities for candidates to inform voters of their priorities and views on important issues. In addition, the LWV has a strong history of protecting the right to vote, encouraging all eligible citizens to register to vote, and working hard to ensure that each vote counts."

Judi Kur, Website

Judi has lived in State College for over 40 years. She is a retired teacher with a Masters in Language and Literacy from Penn State. She has 3 grown sons and 5 grandchildren. She joined the League of Women Voters to encourage more people to exercise their right to vote.

Jenna Lugo, Lwv at Penn State Liaison to LWVCC

Jenna, originally from Orange County New York, is an undergraduate student at Penn State. She is majoring in History and Political Science, minoring in Global and International Studies as well as acquiring a certificate in Diversity Studies. She is a part of multiple on-campus organizations as well as being in the Schreyer Honors College. In the future, she is planning on continuing her studies to graduate school.

"Being first-generation I did not have the generational knowledge about voting and politics that others may have from their families. After struggling to register to vote and voting for the first time I realized that many other young adults as well as myself struggle with a lack of information regarding voting. I joined the LWV at Penn State to try and engage with other young adults and help make the process of registering to vote as well as accessing candidate information as easy as possible. I aim to use LWV to create an active relationship between college students and voting.”

Kathleen O’Connell, lwvcc liaison to LWV at Penn State

Kathleen has lived in Centre County for 50 of her years, graduating from State High and PSU (BS-Environmental Education, MA Elementary Ed). She taught for thirty plus years: elementary school in California (after Credentialing at UC Berkeley), English in China, and mostly 6th grade in State College Area School District. Kathleen and her husband, Michael Goldfine, raised two daughters who always vote.

“I joined the League because I was a Social Studies teacher for decades. We taught ‘One person, one vote’ as the basis of our representative democracy. Every citizen should fulfill their civic responsibility and vote in each election. The LWV helps folks vote and protects basic democratic processes. Plus, I like talking to people when I register voters, and working at the polls, especially with first-time voters, is fun and interesting.”

Susan Werner, Candidates Night Chair

Sue grew up in Montreal, Canada and graduated from McGill University. After moving to State College in 1978 she became involved in many volunteer organizations. She was elected to the State College Area School Board in 1995 and served for twelve years, seven as president.

Sue joined the League after participating in Candidates Night and contributing to the Voter Guide. She valued the opportunity to communicate about important issues with residents and to hear their concerns. That is why she has stayed active as coordinator of the League's Candidates’ Night.

Sue is presently on the board of a variety of other philanthropic organizations and feels fortunate to have the time and energy to help where needed. Sue and her husband David, an ophthalmologist, have three children and seven grandchildren.