Brogan
PITTSTON — The Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick have announced the 112th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner grand marshal, general chairman, and toastmaster for the Tuesday, March 17, event at The Banks Waterfront.
Shawn Brogan has been chosen as the grand marshal, Kevin O’Brien Sr., general chairman, and James “Red” O’Brien, toastmaster.
Shawn Brogan, son of James Brogan and the late Helen Dempski Brogan, is a lifelong resident of Avoca.
A 1989 graduate of Pittston Area High School, he joined the PA Army National Guard, where he served eight years as a Combat Medic while attending King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, majoring in accounting.
During his time in the military, Brogan achieved the rank of Sergeant (E5) and was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry Division, and later to the 103rd Armor Division. While serving his country, he received multiple Army Commendation Awards and was recognized as ‘Soldier of the Year’ in 1990. He also supported the PA Drug Task Force and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm.
Professionally, he serves as director, IT service delivery at Guthrie Hospital, where he leads enterprise IT Service Management, Disaster Recovery, and Business Continuity.
Brogan is a lifelong member of Queen of the Apostles Parish, Avoca, and is a sustaining member of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, serving as the organization’s 108th President in 2022 and recipient of the Friendly Sons President’s Award in 2023.
He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, Pittston, John F. Kennedy Council 372, the 4th Degree Assembly 948, and presently serves on the Board of the Knights Home Association.
He and his wife, Nicole Wallace Brogan, are the parents of two children: son Kyle, an engineer at Lockheed Martin Space, residing in Philadelphia with his wife, Ruby, and daughter, Kaitlyn, a high school student and athlete at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston.
Kevin O’Brien Sr. will serve as the general chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner.
He was born and raised in Avoca, the son of the late Michael J. (Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick president in 1963) and Mary Moore O’Brien.
He is a graduate of Pittston Area High School, Class of 1974, and attended Luzerne County Community College, where he majored in Fire Science Technology.
He is a past president of the Friendly Sons (1989) for the 75th anniversary of the organization, where the Friendly Sons Scholarship was established, and his family was an original donor to the program.
O’Brien Sr. is a life member of the Avoca Volunteer Fire Dept. for over 50 years. During his career in the fire services, he became a PA State Fire Academy instructor, conducting fire training programs throughout the Commonwealth of PA. In 2011, he was awarded the title of Instructor Emeritus from the Academy.
He holds professional certifications in Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, and Hazardous Materials Operations, having participated in the pilot programs.
O’Brien, Sr. began his career in public safety in 1978, becoming a radio operator/dispatcher in the Luzerne County Civil Defense, and after 27 years, was deputy director of Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency.
He concluded his career with Luzerne County as a lead crash/rescue firefighter at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
Aside from the volunteer fire service, full-time employment with emergency management, he also worked part-time for Pocono Raceway starting in 1985 as a pit road fireman to eventually becoming fire chief at the facility, which became the third largest city in PA during NASCAR events.
He served as a NASCAR advanced training program instructor and also a member of the NASCAR Safety Standards and Training Committees.
In 2013, he received the NASCAR “Excellence in Track Services Award” from the NASCAR Track Services Division.
He is a former member of the Knights of Columbus Council 372 and the 4th Degree Assembly and currently serves on the board of directors of the Knights Home Association.
O’Brien Sr. is a former member of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Board of Directors.
He is also a member and the current recording secretary of the Avoca Ancient Order of Hibernians.
James “Red” O’Brien will serve as the 2026 toastmaster of the 112th Annual Anniversary St. Patrick’s Day Dinner.
O’Brien has been an active leader in the Greater Pittston area and Luzerne County for many years, dedicating his time to public service and community involvement through a variety of elected offices and nonprofit organizations.
Elected as the final Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds, O’Brien also chaired the Luzerne County Housing Trust Fund prior to the adoption of the home rule form of government.
His long record of educational service includes three terms on the Pittston Area School Board, ten years in total, where he served as president in 2007 and represented the district on the Wilkes-Barre Career Technical Center Board.
O’Brien also served as mayor of Avoca for three years.
A 1986 graduate of Pittston Area High School, O’Brien studied business administration and computer information systems at Luzerne County Community College and Marywood University.
He was the proprietor of the former O’Brien Irish Pub & Grill, located in Avoca.
O’Brien is a member and current president of the Avoca Ancient Order of Hibernians, Neil McLaughlin Chapter, Division 4.
In 2010, he was honored as the Hibernian Man of the Year. He is also a member of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and has served as both grand marshal and toastmaster at the Friendly Sons Banquet.
He is a member of Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish and a Third Degree Knight of Columbus, both in Pittston.
O’Brien is an active member of the PA Association of School Business Officials.
He currently serves as director of transportation and purchasing for the Pittston Area School District, a position he has held for the past 13 years.
O’Brien resides in Avoca with his wife, Ann, and their daughter, Ella, who is a freshman at the University of Coastal Carolina.
