Long
PITTSTON — Kevin O’Brien Jr., Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick president, recently announced Joseph Long Jr., as the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 2026 Man of the Year. He will be honored at the 112th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner on Tuesday, March 17, at The Banks Waterfront.
Long, the son of the late Joseph F. Long Sr. and Rosemary Larkin Long, Wilkes-Barre, is a lifelong educator and community leader.
A 1982 graduate of Bishop Hoban High School, he earned an associate degree from Luzerne County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from King’s College in 1997. Long later completed two master’s degrees at Wilkes University — in Classroom Technology (2004) and Educational Leadership (2006) — and obtained his Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility from Edinboro University in 2014.
He began his career teaching mathematics at St. Mary’s Assumption in Pittston before becoming a technology instructor at Pittston Area Intermediate School.
He transitioned into administration with the Greater Nanticoke Area School District, serving for a decade in various leadership roles.
Long later became the principal of Montgomery Ave. School in the Wyoming Area School District, and for the past six years, he served as the superintendent of the Northwest Area School District, where he is set to retire on April 2.
In addition to his educational career, Long has enjoyed notable success as a basketball coach, contributing to multiple league titles, district championships, and state tournament appearances. He was named Wyoming Valley Conference Division III Coach of the Year twice.
Inspired by his parents’ enduring influence, Long has been an active and dedicated community leader. He has served the Greater Pittston Area as a proud member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and served as the organization’s 104th President.
He previously served as treasurer of the Pittston Library Board and the Jenkins Little League. Currently, he is an active member of the Little League District 16/31 Board of Directors and serves as an Assistant District Administrator.
Long is also a committed member of the Knights of Columbus, holding the distinguished Fourth-Degree status.
In 2022, he was appointed to the Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees, where he has served as Secretary and currently holds the position of Vice-Chairman.
Long, a proud and devoted family man, resides in Jenkins Twp. with his wife, Jenny Meade and they are the proud parents of three children, Joseph, 22; Jack, 21; and Julia, 17, and cherished dog, Sancho.
