Dorothy Lane
Director

Dorothy Lane is the Director of the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center.  In this capacity she leads a team of business consultants in providing assistance to individuals in who are seeking guidance in starting, growing and managing their businesses in Carbon, Columbia, Luzerne, Schuylkill and Sullivan counties.   Prior to joining the SBDC 17 years ago, Dorothy was the Director of Career Services at Wilkes University.  She holds an MBA from Wilkes University with concentrations in marketing and human resources.

Laura Haden

Laura Haden
Business Consultant

Laura Haden has been a Business Consultant with the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center since 2015.  Laura specializes in social media, graphic design, and general marketing initiatives.   She provides one-on-one consulting to current or prospective small business owners and meets with clients at the Wilkes-Barre SBDC and in Columbia County.

She received her B.A in Mass Communications from King’s College before eventually working in her alma mater’s Alumni Office, ultimately serving as the Director of Alumni Relations. After five years implementing and supervising event planning and fund-raising efforts, Laura accepted a position of Marketing Manager at a credit union where she worked primarily in graphic design and public relations.  After this experience, Ms. Haden opened her own graphic design and marketing business and served as the Downtown Manager for Bloomsburg.

Laura serves on the Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc. Board as a Board member and as Chair for their Resource Development Committee, as well as a member of the Events and Promotions Committee.  Laura also currently serves as the President of the Millville Community Players, in which she directs, acts, and assists with advertising.

Kristin Sassi
Business Consultant

Kristin Sassi started her career with the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center in 2001 as a graduate assistant. In 2002, she graduated from Wilkes University with a Master’s of Business Administration degree and transitioned into a full time grant funded position as a business consultant with the Self Employment Assistance Program. In 2008 Kristin took a job with Lord and Taylor working in the sales staffing department. Her job focused on the sales and operations of multiple Lord and Taylor retail stores. In December of 2015 she rejoined the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center as a business consultant.