‘A lasting impact.’ C-NET executive director Cindy Hahn to retire after 20 years

Following 20 years at the helm of C-NET Centre County, the county’s government and educational access network, Cindy Hahn is ready to hang up her boots.

The network’s longtime executive director’s last day will be May 31. Stephanie Yager, C-NET’s operations manager, will take over for Hahn.

“It’s been a great joy serving as C-NET’s executive director, I can say for certain that I will miss it,” Hahn told the Centre Daily Times Tuesday.

Throughout her two decades of service, Hahn made it a mission to increase C-NET’s services and expand transparency across local municipalities, authorities, school districts, high school events, elections and more.

When she was brought on as executive director in January 2006, Hahn had already been serving as a member of its board for about five years. She said she was the network’s first executive director that didn’t have a background in technology.

“Prior to me, they had been focused on hiring someone who would understand and contribute toward the tech aspect of things,” Hahn said. “They decided to go in a different direction with my hiring, which was all about building and fostering relationships in the community, with the municipalities, authorities, the public. So that’s what I focused on, and we have gotten a lot bigger since then.”

Before Hahn started as executive director, C-NET had four member municipalities, and now they have seven — Bellefonte and State College boroughs, and Harris, Halfmoon, College, Ferguson and Patton townships. They also added coverage of four local authorities, and have “nearly doubled” the network’s total number of covered entities, she said.

While she may have significantly expanded C-NET’s members, one of Hahn’s proudest accomplishments is starting the candidate interviews. The filmed interviews give local supervisor, council member and school board candidates in C-NET’s covered municipalities a forum to share their takes on topics pertinent to their respective areas.

“The interviews provide a no-cost way for candidates to get their messages out to the voters,” Hahn said. “They are done by professional journalists, and are not part and parcel of social media. They’re done by professionals who really do know the issues and study up on their questions.”

The interviews are a “very special” aspect of C-NET, she said, and have served as a model for stations like C-NET around the country who are looking to hold similar events.

“I have gone to conferences and given workshops on exactly how we do the interviews, and I include all the steps we take to keep them fair,” Hahn said.

While she said she’ll miss C-NET, Hahn is also ready for retirement and shared that she’s looking forward to traveling her husband, District Judge Don Hahn.

Before her retirement starts, Hahn has been traveling to the monthly meetings of C-NET’s member municipalities, sharing with the various boards and councils an update about the network’s activities in 2025 and early 2026.

Harris Township Supervisor Dennis Hameister thanked Hahn Monday for her work to increase transparency and make government and public access television better in the area.

Hameister was joined by several Bellefonte Borough Council members who praised Hahn’s work at their council’s meeting on May 4, including Joanne Tosti-Vasey and Randy Brachbill, with Council Chair Doug Johnson sharing a heartfelt letter with the retiring executive director.

“On behalf of the Bellefonte Borough Council, we’d like to extend out sincere thanks to your many years of hard work and dedication to the borough — your commitment to supporting local government through your network with C-NET has been invaluable to our community,” Johnson read.

He continued, “Your efforts have played an important role in promoting transparency, and keeping residents informed and engaged with borough council meetings and initiatives. That level of consistency, professionalism and care has made a lasting impact and is deeply appreciated by both council and the community.”

Yager will take over for Hahn on June 1, and Hahn believes that there was no better candidate for the position.

“She is C-NET’s longest-standing employee, as she’s been with the organization for 24 years,” Hahn said. “She started as a part-time assistant, worked her way up to full-time, then became a producer, then a programming coordinator and finally C-NET’s operations manager. She has a really good understanding of all the workings of C-NET, and I don’t think that the search committee has ever been given the gift of a such an easy and obvious correct choice for executive director.”