Guthrie Leadership

Guthrie Health, a non-profit organization, was formed by Guthrie Clinic and Guthrie Healthcare System in 2001 to better collaborate in providing premier health care services to those they serve.

The members of the Guthrie Health Senior Leadership Team are listed below:

Joseph A. Scopelliti, MD

Dr. Scopelliti joined Guthrie Clinic, Sayre, PA in 1984 and currently serves as President and CEO of Guthrie Health. Dr. Scopelliti is a practicing gastroenterologist at Guthrie Clinic as well as a Clinical Instructor with the State University of New York Upstate Medical University at Syracuse, NY Since 2005, he has also been associated with the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, as an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine. A Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine in the Subspecialty of Gastroenterology and the National Board of Medical Examiners, he is a published researcher and serves as the Chairman of the Guthrie Graduate Medical Education Committee.

Francis G. Belardi, MD, FAAFP

Dr. Belardi is President and Chief Executive Officer for Guthrie Clinic, and serves on the clinical faculty of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University at Syracuse and Binghamton, N.Y., and is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the Commonwealth Medical College of Pennsylvania, Scranton, PA In addition to serving in leadership roles in Robert Packer Hospital’s Family Medicine Residency Program, he completed a faculty development fellowship at the University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, and the National Institute for Program Director Development for Family Medicine Residency Directors.

Paul Chacona

Paul Chacona is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Guthrie Clinic. He has 38 years of experience in managing health care administrative affairs. He is a graduate of the Robert Packer Hospital School of Respiratory Therapy with an associate’s degree in applied science from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, PA, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Elmira College, Elmira, NY Chacona began his employment with Guthrie in 1973. He is a member of the Medical Group Management Association, and the American Medical Group Association. In addition, he has been a Board Member of the Guthrie Same Day Surgery Center in Big Flats, NY since 1999.

Marie T. Droege, FACHE

Marie T. Droege is President of Guthrie Healthcare System and President Robert Packer Hospital. She has administrative oversight of Guthrie’s three hospitals, as well as Guthrie Home Care, Guthrie Same Day Surgery, Guthrie Hospice, Med Supply Depot, and Sayre House. Prior to joining Guthrie she was COO of Kaiser Oakland Medical Center, part of the Kaiser Permanente Health System. She also has 14 years experience in senior level executive management roles with Bon Secours Health System and five years with the ServantCor Health System. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and received her Master’s Degree in Health Administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Miss.

Frank Pinkosky

Frank Pinkosky is Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources for Guthrie Health. With 25 years of experience at the DuPont Company at a variety of northeastern and southwestern plants, office and distribution locations, he has served in functions within manufacturing and operational leadership; corporate human resources; safety, health and environmental management; sales and marketing; customer service and distribution; and accounting. During his tenure at DuPont, Pinkosky gained experience in the Six Sigma data-driven approach to process improvement. His educational background includes a Bachelor Degree in Accounting from St. Bonaventure University, Olean, N.Y.

Rick Bennett

Richard I. Bennett, CPA, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Finanical Officer for Guthrie Health. He comes to Guthrie from Crozer-Keystone Health System where, for 18 years, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. His responsibilities there included strategic direction and management of five hospitals and a network of 350 employed physicians. Prior to Crozer, Bennett was with the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia as Executive Vice President for Finance. His education includes a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Scranton. Rick is a CPA and a Fellow with the Healthcare Financial Management Association. He is also a member of the Hospital and HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania.

Donald Skerpon

Donald “Donnie” Skerpon is the Chief of Staff to the CEO of the Guthrie Clinic. He spent nearly a year with Guthrie as an Experienced Administrative Fellow and was instrumental in the organization’s timely response to the flooding in 2011. Skerpon’s responsibilities include serving as the primary conduit for interactions between the CEO and the various Boards within the organization. In addition, he is responsible for governmental and regulatory relationships as well as community interactions on specific projects. His background is as a Program/Project Manager for Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY where he led several projects including the development of specialized helicopters for the purpose of aerial re-supply. Skerpon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at Penn State.