ATHENA AWARD
CHRISTINE SEARS PENN NATIONAL INSURANCE Christine Sears has reached a deserving place among her peers. The President and CEO of Penn National Insurance in Harrisburg will receive the 2016 Athena Award during the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC Catalyst Awards on Nov. 30 at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.
“I did feel very honored. I did feel very humbled by it,” One of the area's most prestigious awards, the Athena Award celebrates women who make a difference in business, the community, and in empowering other women. “I did feel very honored. I did feel very humbled by it,” Sears said upon learning she was the Athena honoree. “I know that many of the women in the Harrisburg area who won the award previously have been role models to me. So it's really humbling to be included with them.” Sears has enjoyed a 36-year career with Penn National Insurance, and her ascension through the ranks speaks volumes about her abilities and work ethic. A magna cum laude graduate of Penn State, Sears came to Penn National in 1980 as a financial analyst. She was promoted to assistant controller in 1987, named property and casualty controller in 1990, and was promoted to Vice President/Controller in 1992. She was elected Senior Vice President and CFO in 1999, and was
elected to the company's board of directors in 2002. More promotions followed. She was elected Executive Vice President and CFO in 2007, Executive Vice President and COO in 2010, and became President and CEO on Jan. 1, 2015. “Throughout my 36 years with Penn National I've really received a lot of opportunities, both internally and externally, to serve,” Sears said. “Penn National is a fantastic company ... (there were) a lot of opportunities to grow and learn, and then I had the opportunities to be promoted.” Penn National Insurance has a history of championing diversity, and rights and opportunities for women. Today, three of the company's four-person senior executive team are women. “I think Penn National Insurance has always been supportive with issues of diversity,” Sears said. Penn National Insurance was built on a culture that takes care of people, both customers and employees. Sears has embraced that. “Working with people gives me the most satisfaction,” she said. “Working with an independent agent, who is the customer, and working with the staff, I'm always learning something new.” Sears' colleagues have learned a great deal from her, too. Sharon Ryan, owner of Dasher Inc. of Harrisburg, was one of four people to write Athena Award nominating letters to the Chamber & CREDC on Sears' behalf. “Christine is passionate about helping women in the business world understand that it is just fine to be nurturing, to be enthusiastic, to be collaborative, and to do that all within the confines of a high-performing corporate culture,” Ryan wrote. “This shows that Christine's leadership and efforts to develop women professionally has an order of magnitude, a ripple effect, for the development of thousands of women leaders in the Harrisburg region.” “Every step along the way, with every promotion and every office move ... Christine Sears has been an inspiring example for other women to follow. More importantly, women want to
follow her example because Christine is authentic, approachable and genuine,” Ryan said in the letter. Along the way, Sears always had time for her family and community service. She and her husband, Ivan Sears, raised four children: Amanda, Emily, Michelle and James. “My husband was always very supportive of me working outside the home and being a working mom,” she said. Sears has always believed strongly in charitable causes and community service. She has served in leadership positions and on the boards of the United Way of the Capital Region, the YWCA, and the Tri-County Society for Children. “I thank my parents for always drilling into us that it's important to give back to your community,” she said. Her parents, Albert and Dertha Sporik, are both 85. Sears insists that the rewards of volunteering – having an impact on people's lives – outweighs everything else. “I have always received a lot more in return than what I have given,” she said. “It's important to take advantage of the opportunities.” Sears said that society is moving in the right direction when it comes to women's issues, such as opportunities, promotions and equal pay. “I think we've come a long way since I entered the workforce,” she said. “I think it has progressed significantly. I think it continues to progress as well.”
BUSINESS DIVERSITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
HOMELAND CENTER The word “relationships” comes up often when CEO and President Barry Ramper II proudly talks about
the staff at Homeland Center, uptown Harrisburg's nonprofit, continuing-care retirement community. “I believe it begins with our entire organization,” said Ramper, discussing Homeland Center's selection as Business Diversity Champion of the Year. “ “Regardless of the initiative we're in, we're fully committed in terms of diversity, we're fully committed to all relationships. In the development of those relationships, we have a responsibility to the organization, but also a responsibility to each other.”
“We have an environment where all opinions are valued. In a health-care setting, there are many different skill sets, but they're all valued.” Homeland Center offers personal and skilled nursing care at its spacious facility, which encompasses an entire city block at 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg. While the center's elderly residents are well taken care of, so are the employees. The center's employee turnover rate is less than 4 percent, according to Ramper. Minorities account for 70 to 75 percent of the center's staff. About 60 percent of the staff live within 10 blocks of the center. Employees are encouraged to pursue continuing education, which is paid 100 percent by Homeland Center. Employees who take advantage of this make a commitment to work at Homeland Center for a specific time period depending on the scope of their education.
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HARRISBURG REGIONAL NEWS / 2016 CATALYST AWARDS
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