CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) welcomed six new investor members to its board of directors and re-elected three incumbent board members during the organization’s 2019 annual meeting on March 19.
“It’s an amazing group,” said Jane Long, chair of the LVEDC board of directors, “and their fresh perspective and contributions will help us continue the region’s economic successes while adding expertise in critical areas.”
These board members, each of which represent private sector investors with LVEDC, include:
Chris Brown, senior vice president and commercial market executive with Lafayette Ambassador Bank, has more than 32 years of banking industry experience in the Lehigh Valley, currently leading and managing commercial banking across all segments within the region for Lafayette Ambassador Bank.
Caryn Dashukewich, vice president, human resources with Olympus Corporation of the Americas, has nearly 20 years experience in human resources, and first joined Olympus in 2006 as the director of human resources for its Medical Systems Group.
Neal Koplin, executive vice president and Lehigh Valley region and Greater Delaware Valley region president with People’s Security Bank & Trust, has held this position since 2014, and previously served as Lehigh Valley division head at Peoples Financial Services Corp.
Michael Landsburg, vice president of real estate with NFI Industries, has been with the company since 2005. Prior to NFI, Landsburg was an acquisitions and development associate for a mid-Atlantic commercial real estate company for four years.
Susan Larkin, vice president with Allied Personnel Services, the largest staffing service in the Lehigh Valley, and a graduate of Penn State, has led the growth of Allied for the past 24 years. She holds multiple industry certifications, including SPHR, the SHRM Senior Certified Professional designation, and Certified Staffing Professional from the American Staffing Association.
Tina Richardson has been the chancellor of Penn State Lehigh Valley since 2015. Before that, she was associate dean of academic affairs at Drexel University’s School of Education, a faculty member in Lehigh University’s College of Education for 20 years, and director of the counseling psychology program.
“This was the most competitive year for investor board seats since I’ve been here,” said Don Cunningham, LVEDC President and CEO. “This group continues the broad-based and diverse evolution of the LVEDC board to represent expertise in critical areas of economic growth.”
Three incumbent board members were re-elected to second terms during the 2019 annual meeting. They include:
- Anne Baum, Lehigh Valley executive and vice president, Distribution Channels & Labor Relations at Capital BlueCross
- Gregory Dudkin, president of PPL Electric Utilities
- Gary Kinsey, manager, real estate at Americas region with Air Products
Long, chair of the Corporate, Business and Banking Group of Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, was re-elected board chair. Ed Dougherty, chief business development officer with Lehigh Valley Health Network, was elected the board’s new vice chair, while Dan McCarthy, secretary of Lehigh Valley Partnership, was elected the new board secretary. Patricia Johnson, vice president of finance and administration at Lehigh University was re-elected as board treasurer.
Additionally, the annual meeting marked the departure of six prior LVEDC board members whose terms came to an end. They include:
- Mark Erickson, president of Northampton Community College
- Lauren Goff, executive director, corporate social responsibility with Olympus Corporation of the Americas
- Stephen Kalamar, senior vice president with Univest Bank and Trust (past board chair)
- John Nespoli, president, St. Luke’s Gnaden Huetten/Palmerton campuses
- Phil Schenkel, executive vice president/associate director with JLL
- Michael Stershic, retired president and CEO of Discover Lehigh Valley
“It’s truly been an honor to work with each of you,” Long said of the outgoing members. “The board has benefited greatly from your expertise, your insight and your passion.”
LVEDC investor board members serve three-year terms with a two-term limit.
The LVEDC Board also includes public members including the county executive and one member of the legislative body in both Lehigh and Northampton counties, the mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, the executives of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and Discover Lehigh Valley, and several seats by reciprocal agreement with economic development organizations.
This story was republished with permission from LVEDC. To view the original story, visit the LVEDC website.