Penn's Northeast (www.pennsnortheast.com) announced that John L. Augustine III has been appointed president and chief executive officer.

Augustine's role will be to continue the mission of the organization to attract quality employers to Northeastern Pennsylvania."We are thrilled that John will lead the organization going forward. He has extensive experience with economic and workforce development. In addition, he is well-known and held in high regard amongst his peers and the region's business community," said William Scranton, chairman of the board of PNE. "We are confident that his talents and skills will ensure the success of the organization and the four county regions which it serves."Augustine has more than 20 years of economic development experience working with local and national firms as well as elected officials, business and community leaders. His background includes economic and community development, site selection, regional planning, technology implementation, capital fundraising, operations and strategic planning.Augustine most recently served as the community outreach manager for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the state's lead trade organization for the responsible development of the Marcellus and Utica shale.Serving Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Wayne counties, Penn's Northeast was created through a joint effort of private business leaders, local utility companies, governments, economic development organizations, and chambers of commerce to market the collective assets of the region and to facilitate the creation and retention of quality jobs.