Episode 8

EPISODE 8:
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Community

Find out how two prominent Northeastern Pennsylvania figures decided to grow roots right here in NEPA after moving here. Join host Dr. Katie Leonard as she invites Ryan Leckey, Emmy winning TV personality of WNEP, to share their experiences moving to Northeastern Pennsylvania along with what made them want to stay here, the mental and physical effects of COVID-19 from work to family, and the relationship between Johnson College and the NEPA community.

tech talk ryan leckey

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Community

Find out how two prominent Northeastern Pennsylvania figures decided to grow roots right here in NEPA after moving here. Join host Dr. Katie Leonard as she invites Ryan Leckey, Emmy winning TV personality of WNEP, to share their experiences moving to Northeastern Pennsylvania along with what made them want to stay here, the mental and physical effects of COVID-19 from work to family, and the relationship between Johnson College and the NEPA community.

Special Guest – Ryan Leckey

Emmy nominated TV personality – WNEP-TV

ryan leckey

Ryan Leckey

Emmy winning TV personality – WNEP-TV

Ryan Leckey is a high energy, innovative and Emmy award-winning content creator who practically moves in fast forward. He’s a master of brevity and of conveying interesting information. Colleagues describe Ryan as “the human version of the energizer bunny.”

Broadcast leaders often turn to Ryan for his never-ending creativity. In his two decades as a morning show television personality, Ryan has proved he can book/produce and host engaging and interactive content on high interest topics including: health/fitness (his personal passion), “news you can use” (AKA life hacks) for a wide audience, all jam packed with plenty of personality. He also leads many corporate wide special project initiatives.

Ryan is best known in Pennsylvania for creating non-traditional television and engaging the community through his morning show segment called Leckey Live. It airs weekdays on WNEP-TV, one of America’s Highest rated ABC television stations (Nielsen Media Research, 2020).

Ryan is also a force in the world of fundraising. In the past ten years, he’s helped raise nearly $4 million dollars to help kids and adults with disabilities as part of the charity campaign he chairs called “WNEP’s Ryan’s Run.”

In addition to his knack for creating eye-catching content and leading a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign, Ryan is also a respected social media influencer. He dominates more than 80% of the social media market in Northeastern & Central Pennsylvania (Share Rocket Social Media Ratings, 2020). Ryan holds a combined 80K social media followers. Between on-air and online content, Ryan currently reaches more than a million people a week.

Ryan also holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership & Administrative Studies from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He also taught media related courses at Marywood for five years. Ryan’s research expertise surrounds social media’s effects on men. His dissertation examined: The Effects on Self-Esteem of Viewing Male Idealized Bodies on the Setting of Social Media: A Comparison of Gay and Straight Men.

When Ryan’s not blazing trails in the digital world or inspiring/educating audiences, his other passions include nutrition, fitness/CrossFit and running marathons.

Ryan is also a proud pet parent of his Goldendoodle MetCon. He lives in Northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately two hours from New York City and Philadelphia where Ryan often visits family and friends.