Fresh out of work as a result of the pandemic, Kristen Pucci took what she had learned from her career in business development and marketing and founded her own consulting business; a risk that the 27-year-old entrepreneur says has paid off.

When Jenny Englerth was a preteen, she showed horses. She had excellent trainers and coaches, but Englerth especially admired the grooms, the people who cared for the horses. “They were horse whisperers,” she said.

Optimism and resiliency are just two attributes required to survive this COVID rollercoaster and Alicia Miller and Corrie Leister have proven to be masters of both. The entrepreneurs opened their respective businesses this year in the ever-evolving Mechanicsburg area and each used their down time wisely as they prepared to re-open to the public.

Gail Faulkner, the recently retired CEO of the Faulkner Auto Group of Mechanicsburg, has been honored as one of the 100 most influential women in the North American Auto Industry.

The former CFO of Penn Medicine’s Chester County Hospital will be taking the role of CFO of the Philadelphia system’s Lancaster General Health hospital at the end of the month.

A local human resources professional is set to be the new executive director of the Lancaster-based Central Penn Business Group on Health.

Material Matters, an Elizabethtown environmental consulting firm, has rearranged its leadership team, with founder and former CEO Trudy Johnston moving to the role of managing director and Michelle McCall taking over as CEO.

M&T Bank has a new central and western Pennsylvania region president in Carlisle resident Nora Habig, taking over for Stephen A. Foreman, who retired on Oct. 9 at the end of a 35-year career with the Buffalo, New York-based financial services company.

Lancaster-based community nonprofit ASSETS is transitioning out of a joint leadership model with the resignation of co-CEO Jonathan Coleman, who said he will move closer to his wife’s family in Syracuse.

The Conference for Women will be held virtually Oct. 29 featuring inspirational and empowering speakers who will deliver talks and workshops aimed to equip viewers with innovative solutions.

Kim Alvarez, 37, was named vice president of donor relations at United Way of York County in March. She has spent more than 14 years in philanthropy work, mostly in York County, previously serving as director of development and interim vice president of philanthropy at SpiriTrust Lutheran. She also worked in annual and special giving for WellSpan Health before that.

Utz Quality Foods has appointed Shannan Redcay to the role of senior vice president of innovation and value creation, in which she is tasked with advancing the snack company’s brand innovation into new categories and delivering consumer-led capitalization on emerging trends.

“I just know there are so many people out there who lost their jobs and are still looking,” Susan Graham said, “And I thought, ‘What can we do to help people and still be socially distant?’”

Grab your meal from your fridge, or coffee and join us on Oct. 7 for a conversation about mentorship.

Harsco Corporation has appointed Wendy Livingston to serve as senior vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer, in which she will be responsible to develop the human resources global strategy for the Camp Hill-based sustainable solutions provider and its 13,000 employees located in more than 30 countries.